Prides Crossing station

Prides Crossing is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Beverly, Massachusetts. Located in the village of Prides Crossing, it serves the Newburyport/Rockport Line. The station sees limited service, with three to four trains stopping each direction on weekdays and none on weekends (the full-service Beverly Farms station is just 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the east).

Prides Crossing
Depot building at Prides Crossing in 2013
Location600 Hale Street, Beverly, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°33′34″N 70°49′32″W
Owned byMBTA
Line(s)Gloucester Branch
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Construction
ParkingYes
Other information
Fare zone5
Traffic
Passengers (2018)15 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station
Montserrat
toward North Station
 Newburyport/​Rockport Line Beverly Farms
toward Rockport

Although the former depot building is still in place, it is occupied by a private business; current station facilities are limited. A platform is present on the outbound side only; inbound passengers must cross the outbound track on a small asphalt patch. Prides Crossing is not accessible.

With just 15 daily boardings by a 2018 count, Prides Crossing is the third-lowest-ridership station on the MBTA Commuter Rail system, ahead of only Plimptonville station and Silver Hill station.[1]

History
The station building and platform from the pedestrian crossing
The Republican and Democrat benches, a local landmark

In March 1845, the Eastern Railroad received permission to build a branch line from Beverly to Gloucester. The Gloucester Branch opened to Manchester on August 3, 1847, and to Gloucester on December 1.[2] Prides (Prides Crossing) station was built in 1879.[3][4] (A flag stop had been established at the location decades prior.)[5]

The Eastern Railroad became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1885. On January 18, 1965, the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority began subsidizing service.[6] The MBTA bought most B&M commuter assets, including the Gloucester Branch, on December 27, 1976.[6] Weekend and midday service to Prides Crossing was ended on February 1, 1981 due to budget cuts.[7]

On August 11, 1981, a westbound MBTA Commuter Rail train collided with an eastbound B&M freight at Prides Crossing. The cab car leading the MBTA train was thrust into the air over the freight locomotive.[8][9] Two trainmen and a passenger on the freight and the engineer on the commuter train were killed. The NTSB determined that the crash was caused by two dispatchers failing to properly communicate, resulting in the two trains being put on the same track (the second track was out of service due to construction).[10]

On January 20, 1984, the North Station approach trestles were destroyed by a fire. Gloucester Branch trains were terminated at a temporary station near Sullivan or bussed from Lynn. On November 16, 1984, the Beverly Draw bridge connecting Salem to Beverly burned, cutting the Rockport Branch and the Ipswich Line from the rest of the system. (All lines running north and west of Newburyport were abandoned by 1984, leaving no route to move equipment to the rest of the northside.) A shuttle train was run from Rockport to Beverly Depot until January 7, 1985, when it was replaced by bus service.[6] The locomotives used were then trucked to Danvers so they could be repaired at the MBTA's main maintenance facility. A new bridge opened on December 1, 1985, reconnecting Gloucester to the larger system.[6]

The former station building is occupied by a candy store. The original canopies have been cut back and enclosed for additional space, and the main building modified as well.[3] On the street side of the candy store are two benches labeled "Republican" and "Democrat", which have been local landmarks for decades.[11] In 2015, the well-worn original benches were auctioned for charity and replaced with replicas.[12]

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References
  1. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
  2. Humphrey, Thomas J.; Clark, Norton D. (1985). Boston's Commuter Rail: The First 150 Years. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 75–77. ISBN 9780685412947.
  3. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. p. 218. ISBN 9780942147087.
  4. "MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report: Beverly" (PDF). Massachusetts Historical Commission. 1986. p. 18.
  5. Bragdon, Joseph H. (1857). Seaboard towns; or, Traveller's guide book from Boston to Portland. Moulton & Clark. p. 186 – via Internet Archive.
  6. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). NETransit.
  7. "T changes start today". Boston Globe. February 1, 1981. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Tlumacki, John (11 August 1981). "John Tlumacki". Boston Globe. p. 13. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  9. Clendinen, Dudley (12 August 1981). "3 MEN KILLED IN COLLISION OF MASSACHUSETTS TRAINS". New York Times.
  10. "Railroad Accident Report RAR-82-01: Head On Collision of Boston & Maine Corp Extra 1731 East & MBTA Train No. 570 on Former Boston & Maine Corp. Tracks". National Transportation Safety Board. 9 March 1982. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  11. Heald, Bruce D. (2005). Boston and Maine Trains and Services. Arcadia Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 9780738538754.
  12. "BFIS Donates New "Republican" and "Democrat" Benches at Train Station" (PDF). The Farms Flyer. Beverly Farms Improvement Society. 20. Summer 2015.
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