Converted Horsecar at Arlington Heights Station, 1898
Description:
Coverted horsecar type trolley car #834 at Arlington Heights Station. Side of car reads "CAMBRIDGE" and signs on top for "Bowdoin Square" and "Arlington, with an additional sign reading "Harvard Square" that appears to be pointing towards it. Front of the car has a circular sign reading "This car connects at Arlington for Winchester, Woburn, and Stoneham." Train station is behind the car with a clock visible in the upper left corner. On back is written: "Boston El Trolley, Arlington Heights, MASS 1898- "eleven window boxcar" streetcar #884 taken at Arlington Heights carhouse in 1898. Vintage "spliced" streetcar made up by joining two smaller ancient Civil War era horsecars into one big electric unit. Note the lofty double clerestory roof denoting its old time horsecar heritage. By the early years of the 20th century with the arrival of modern equipment these offbeat homemade hand-me-down trolleys were expeditiously deleted from the roster and burned for scrap.
