transportation intersection

Another influential aspect of transportation around Central Street was the Union Freight Railroad located just at the end of the Central Street building, right before Central Street reaches Central Wharf Co. Concerning the Union Freight Railroad opening in 1872, an article in the Boston Globe titled Cheap Transportation wrote, “The opening of Union Freight Railroad yesterday was an event of great importance to the commerce of Boston, and the novel sight of a steam freight train making the circuit of the city produced a strong impression upon the minds of businessmen.” This article speaks to the significance of this railroad as it relates to production and trade in Boston. The railroad has the potential to work in tandem with the wharves, serving to further enable possibilities for commerce in the area. The railroad offered spur lines at the wharves along the Harbor, providing the wharves, warehouses, and markets easy access to the lines. Additionally, this line demonstrates the increased status this railroad provides for Boston’s business sect, discussing the impact that even the sight of it will have for business in the city. 

Similar to the wharves in the Central Street area, the Union Freight Railroad brought its own dangers. This railroad was street level, meaning that the lines ran through the street alongside horses and eventually cars. In 1913, a feud flared up between Union Freight Railroad and teamsters, or horse drawn freight carriers, in the area. Due to Union Freight’s status as a street level railroad, many horses had died as a result of crashes in the streets. In the end, the railroad agreed to tear up old railroads, replace old railroads with new lines which were less likely to injure horses, and change switches. Additionally, once cars become more present, there are many instances of cars and railroad cars colliding and causing damage, injury, and death. This, again, emphasizes the dangerous reality of commercial manufacturing areas. 

In an attempt at better safety practices, the Atlantic Avenue Elevated Railway was created above the street rather than at street level like the Union Freight tracks. This railway was intended for passengers as opposed to the Union Freight Railway which carried freight only. The Atlantic Avenue Elevated Railway was constructed in the early 1900s and ran along Atlantic Avenue and had a stop at State Street, right next to Central Street. This railway enabled more pedestrian access to the Central Street area. The decline of this railway related closely to the construction of the Central Artery. The Atlantic Ave Railway was deconstructed in 1942 due to lowered numbers of riders. It was recommended that Atlantic Avenue would function better as an elevated highway and the Central Artery was developed along Atlantic Avenue in the 1950s. This was a response to increased automobile traffic in the city. The life of the Atlantic Avenue Railway is representative of changing forms of transportation in the city. It was developed in an attempt to make the city more accessible and safer as compared to past forms of transportation. Ultimately it was demolished when cars became increasingly present, giving way for the development of an elevated highway which was also demolished just 50 years later in 2003. 

One can clearly see the evolution of transportation through the changes that Central Street underwent. Additionally, the histories of specifically Central Wharf Co and Union Freight Railway speak to the dangerous underbelly of manufacturing and commerce in cities. These processes are usually unseen by consumers and residents who receive their goods without a firsthand understanding of the manufacturing and transportation processes which made their consumption possible.