Old Colony Street Railway

Old Colony Street Railway Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Public transportation
Predecessor	Brockton Street Railway Company
Founded	July 5, 1881 (1881-07-05)
Defunct	1911
Fate	Merged with Boston and Northern Street Railway Company
Successor	Bay State Street Railway
Headquarters	Boston , United States
Area served	Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Products	Horse-drawn and electric streetcar services

The Old Colony Street Railway Company (Old Colony St. Ry.) provided horse-drawn and electric streetcar services within Boston, Massachusetts, and its neighboring areas. Established in 1881 under the name Brockton Street Railway Company, it grew significantly by means of leases and mergers, establishing itself as a major transit operator across southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Its lineage includes successor entities such as the Bay State Street Railway and eventually the publicly operated Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Founding

The company commenced operations on July 5, 1881, initially known as the Brockton Street Railway Company. On February 7, 1901, it adopted the Old Colony name. Through a series of consolidations, these transit companies were incorporated into the Bay State Street Railway, which was subsequently absorbed by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway in 1919; this entity was later acquired by the MBTA in 1968.

Mergers and acquisitions

The Brockton Street Railway Company pursued an aggressive expansion strategy by acquiring numerous regional street railway firms, thereby enhancing its market presence and operational reach:

1. Boston, Milton & Brockton Street Railway Company (Quincy) – Began service in July 1899; sold and merged by February 1900.
2. Brockton, Bridgewater & Taunton Street Railway Company (Bridgewater) – Launched June 1897; taken over February 1900.
3. Brockton & East Bridgewater Street Railway Company (Bridgewater) – Initiated July 1897; merged February 1900.
4. Brockton & Holbrook Street Railway Company (Brockton) – Started operations September 1892; leased April 1893; fully acquired September 1894.
5. Brockton & Stoughton Street Railway Company (Boston) – Formed in 1894; sold June 1895 prior to beginning service.
6. East Side Street Railway Company (Brockton) – Commenced November 1888; leased October 1892; purchased September 1894.
7. Globe Street Railway Company (Globe St. Ry.) (Fall River) – Incorporated April 1880; merged January 1901.
   • Fall River Street Railway Company – Established in 1895; started May 1896; sold to Globe St. Ry. April 1898.
   • Dighton, Somerset & Swansea Street Railway Company (Taunton) – Founded 1895; began July 1895; merged April 1900.
   • Taunton Street Railway Company – Incorporated in 1871; acquired by Globe St. Ry. in 1901.
     • Providence & Taunton Street Railway Company – Formed in 1898; sold to Taunton St. Ry. in 1900.
8. New Bedford, Middleborough & Brockton Street Railway Company – Purchased by Brockton St. Ry. in 1900.
9. Quincy & Boston Street Railway Company – Incorporated in 1889; acquired by Brockton St. Ry. in 1900.
   • Quincy Street Railway – Founded in 1888; leased and sold to Quincy & Boston St. Ry.
   • Braintree Street Railway – Established in 1893; merged into Quincy & Boston St. Ry.
     • Randolph Street Railway – Acquired by Braintree St. Ry. in 1897.
10. South Shore & Boston Street Railway Company (Quincy) – Previously Hanover Street Railway Company; renamed July 1899; sold November 1900.
    • Numerous subsidiaries including Braintree & Weymouth, Bridgewater Whitman & Rockland, Hingham, Rockland & Abington street railways were consolidated under South Shore & Boston.
      • Hull and Nantasket Electric street railways were integrated as part of the Hingham consolidation.
11. Taunton & Brockton Street Railway Company (Brockton) – Created in 1896; acquired February 1900.
12. West Roxbury & Roslindale Street Railway Company (WR&R) – Founded in 1896; merged December 1900.
    • Included Needham & Boston and Norfolk Central street railways.
    • Norfolk Suburban and Norfolk street railways were also consolidated within WR&R.
13. Whitman Street Railway Company – Leased April 1892; purchased September 1894.

Further acquisitions by Old Colony

Old Colony Street Railway broadened its market influence through several strategic acquisitions, including:

• Newport & Fall River Street Railway Company (formed in 1898, leased in 1901)
• Taunton & Pawtucket Street Railway Company (established in 1904, subsequently acquired by Old Colony)
  • Bristol County Street Railway Company (incorporated in 1899, transferred in 1904 to Taunton & Pawtucket)

Acquisition and integration

On July 1, 1911, Old Colony was bought and merged with the Boston and Northern Street Railway. Shortly after, on August 8, 1911, Boston and Northern adopted the name Bay State. This entity was later absorbed by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company on January 15, 1919. The Eastern Massachusetts system was eventually acquired by the MBTA in 1968, representing a major consolidation within the region’s transit framework.

Areas served

The Old Colony system operated extensively across numerous municipalities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, enhancing its regional footprint and business expansion:

• Abington
• Avon
• Braintree
• Bridgewater
• Brockton
• Boston
• Dedham
• Dighton
• Easton
• East Bridgewater
• Fall River
• Freetown
• Hanover
• Hingham
• Holbrook
• Hull
• Hyde Park (Boston)
• Lakeville
• Milton
• Middleboro
• Middleton
• Needham
• New Bedford
• Newport (RI)
• Norwell
• Norwood
• Portsmouth (RI)
• Quincy
• Randolph
• Rehoboth
• Raynham
• Rockland
• Seekonk
• Somerset
• Stoughton
• Taunton
• Tiverton (RI)
• Westwood
• West Bridgewater
• Weymouth
• Whitman