Berkshire Street Railway Berkshire Hills



Facts and Figures


Current NumberBerkshire Hills
Railway RepresentedBerkshire Street Railway
BuilderWason Manufacturing Company
Built In1903
Builder's order id
Currently in (State)Massachusetts
--(Locality)Shelburne Falls
Totally out of svc date1932
(Initial retirement date)1922
Car Typeinterurban
-subtypeparlor/observation
-designation
Statusstored inoperable
More infohttp://www.trolleymuseum.org/collection/vehicle/BERK0SMA.php
Gauge4'8.5"
Constructionwood
Roof typeRR
EndedDE
Length46'6"
Width
Height
Weight25500
#Seats28
#Wheels/Conf.8
Total HP240
Trucks[Brill 27A2]
BrakesChristensen
Compressor
Control[GE M (C6)]
Motors[WH 56 (4)]
Voltage (if not 600DC)
NotesParlor car; body only, on trucks

"Berkshire Hills" in tarped storage at Seashore in 2016
Preserved Traction Blog
photo: https://pnaerc.blogspot.com/2017/01/photo-gallery.html
 
Car History by Frank Hicks


Berkshire Street Railway Berkshire Hills
Very few electric parlor cars were ever built and, as they had mostly been retired by the Depression, fewer still survive. The "Berkshire Hills" is one of the few that does. BSR was a sizeable conglomerate of smaller lines that had been organized between 1901 and 1903; at its peak, after it had been acquired by the New Haven in 1904, it operated 170 miles of street railways in four states. The company ordered the "Berkshire Hills" for use on charter outings and on extra-fare scheduled trips. The car, described by historian William Middleton in his book "Traction Classics, Vol. II" as "the largest and most elegant of all trolley parlor cars in New England," was painted white, had large windows for sightseeing, and was fitted with wicker furniture and drapes. Use of the car in regular service ended in 1917 but it continued in charter service until it was stored in 1922; in 1932 the car was sold and the body made into a diner in West Pittsfield. There it remained until a fire in 1994 damaged the car's structure, after which the diner's owner donated the carbody to STM. It was moved to Kennebunkport in 1995 and has been in storage since then.

Ownership History


OwnerCar NumFromToPreservation?Loan?
Berkshire Street Railway (Massachusetts, Pittsfield)Berkshire Hills1903 1932 NO NO
Seashore Trolley Museum (Maine, Kennebunkport)Berkshire Hills1995 2025 YES NO
Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum (Massachusetts, Shelburne Falls)Berkshire Hills2025 present YES NO