Berkshire Street Railway
| Berkshire Street Railway | |
|---|---|
A Berkshire Street Railway tram on Main Street in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, 1911. | |
Map of the Berkshire Street Railway | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (1905–1958) |
| Area served | |
| Locale | Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with lines extending into Vermont, New York, and Connecticut |
| Transit type | Streetcar, Interurban, Tram |
| Number of lines | Approx. 12 main routes at peak |
| Annual ridership | 15 million (peak) |
| Chief executive | Ralph D. Gillett (as of 1904) |
| Headquarters | 1277 East Street Pittsfield, MA 01201 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | October 9, 1886 (as horsecar line) |
| Ended operation | November 12, 1932 |
| Operator(s) | Berkshire Street Railway Company |
| Character | Mixed grade (street running & private right-of-way) |
| Technical | |
| System length | 170 mi (270 km) (owned and leased) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | Overhead wire, 550 V DC |
The Berkshire Street Railway Company (BSR) of Massachusetts was one of many interurban streetcar systems in North America around the turn of the century, incorporated by that name in 1901 with local service in Pittsfield beginning in Summer of 1902, soon expanding from the Berkshires to Vermont, New York and Connecticut.
At its greatest extent, the Berkshire Street Railway served as many as 15 million passengers per year along 171 miles of track, 134 of which it owned directly. To this day, it remains the only light rail system in history to operate across four states.
By 1905, the Berkshire Street Railway had expanded to North Adams and Great Barrington through Pittsfield. Lines were soon extended into neighboring states, with service to Canaan, Connecticut, Bennington, Vermont and Hoosick Falls, New York as well.
This was in addition to local service to Stockbridge, Lee, Egremont, Hinsdale, Cheshire, Williamstown, Adams, Dalton, Lenox and throughout the Berkshires as well as a connection to the Springfield Street Railway in Huntington, Massachusetts.
By 1905, it was acquired and made a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad as was the case with numerous other street railways in the region such as the Springfield Street Railway, Worcester Consolidated Street Railway, United Electric Railways (Rhode Island), the Connecticut Company and others, most of which were acquired by the railroad conglomerate.