Transit history/trivia quiz

The EGE said:
I'm doing research on Worcester Union Station to improve the Wikipedia article before the second platform is completed, so today's quiz takes us to Wormtown.
  • Union Station served trains from seven rail lines. Which one of them didn't actually enter Worcester? What other rail line entered Worcester but didn't stop at Union Station?
  • Union Station was served by intercity trains on several routes. During the early-to-mid 20th century, how many states could you reach from Worcester without changing trains?
  • When Union Station was restored in the 1990s, one part of the station had to be built anew. What, and why?
  • This is an early postcard of Union Station. What's strange about it?
    View attachment 45469
  • When Union Station was completed in 1911, its predecessor was mostly demolished. What part was kept for decades after? What part can still be found, albeit a short walk away?
  • This car rental location and the larger building across the street played a role in Worcester's transportation history. What was it?
  • Who is depicted by the statue outside Union Station? Who is depicted by the statue inside?
  • What other famous piece of transportation history is Union Station located on the site of?
  • Bonus: Penn Central had two different train stations at the same time in Worcester. Why?
Click to expand...
The tower of the old station lasted until 290 was built, and the postcard towers seem short. There were two bus stations on Madison, one for Trailways and one for Greyhound
 
Riverside, you're very close on #2. You've got one incorrect and are missing at least one.

WormtownNative, full credit on 3 and 5b, and half credit for 6. The towers were removed in 1926; the modern towers are fiberglass to avoid the vibration issue.

Tallguy, correct on all counts (I believe). That postcard is from 1909 and represents one of the earlier designs for the station. Here's what the Seven Hills Plaza bus station looked like century.
1702159017438.png
 
The EGE said:
Riverside, you're very close on #2. You've got one incorrect and are missing at least one.

WormtownNative, full credit on 3 and 5b, and half credit for 6. The towers were removed in 1926; the modern towers are fiberglass to avoid the vibration issue.

Tallguy, correct on all counts (I believe). That postcard is from 1909 and represents one of the earlier designs for the station. Here's what the Seven Hills Plaza bus station looked like century.
View attachment 45504
Click to expand...
Not too shabby for 1909
 
It's kind of a tangent, but I saw a video claiming Worcester is the 2nd largest city in ALL of New England. ................More than Providence, Portland, or Hartford. It kind of surprised me. I think it's a cool place that should promote itself more. It has a lot going on despite its reputation.
 
Java King said:
It's kind of a tangent, but I saw a video claiming Worcester is the 2nd largest city in ALL of New England. ................More than Providence, Portland, or Hartford. It kind of surprised me. I think it's a cool place that should promote itself more. It has a lot going on despite its reputation.
Click to expand...
Were you looking at this?
www.wgbh.org

The 2nd biggest city in New England is trying to get out of the shadows

We asked more than a dozen people in Boston to name the next largest city in the region. No one got it right.
www.wgbh.org www.wgbh.org
The article also included population numbers for a few options they asked the readers to guess:
  • Burlington, VT: 45,000
  • Cambridge, MA: 118,000
  • Hartford, CT: 121,000
  • Portland, ME: 68,000
  • Providence, RI: 190,000
  • Springfield, MA: 154,000
  • Worcester, MA: 206,000
 
Java King said:
It's kind of a tangent, but I saw a video claiming Worcester is the 2nd largest city in ALL of New England. ................More than Providence, Portland, or Hartford. It kind of surprised me. I think it's a cool place that should promote itself more. It has a lot going on despite its reputation.
Click to expand...
Significantly larger than Hartford, Providence or Springfield
 
Tallguy said:
Significantly larger than Hartford, Providence or Springfield
Click to expand...
Eh, comparisons of municipal boundaries are fraught.

Worcester's boundaries include its entire urbanized area. Providence's urbanized area (by my nonscientific inspection of satellite imagery) would include several adjacent cities: North Prov, East Prov, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Cranston. Add these all up and you get ~480k, double the population of Worcester.

So yes, it is true that Woo's municpal government is responsible for more people than Prov's, and that is worth something. But in terms of cultural significance and public mindshare, it's clear why Prov feels like #2 after Boston to many people. Almost feels like a "gotcha!" moment for the folks they surveyed.

FWIW, applying the same urbanized area napkin math to Boston would bring it up near 2 million. Lots of people are shocked to hear that Phoenix is well over twice the population of Boston, purely by city limits.
 
Teban54 said:
Were you looking at this?
www.wgbh.org

The 2nd biggest city in New England is trying to get out of the shadows

We asked more than a dozen people in Boston to name the next largest city in the region. No one got it right.
www.wgbh.org www.wgbh.org
The article also included population numbers for a few options they asked the readers to guess:
  • Burlington, VT: 45,000
  • Cambridge, MA: 118,000
  • Hartford, CT: 121,000
  • Portland, ME: 68,000
  • Providence, RI: 190,000
  • Springfield, MA: 154,000
  • Worcester, MA: 206,000
Click to expand...
YES, that's the video I watched.
 
kdmc said:
Eh, comparisons of municipal boundaries are fraught.

Worcester's boundaries include its entire urbanized area. Providence's urbanized area (by my nonscientific inspection of satellite imagery) would include several adjacent cities: North Prov, East Prov, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Cranston. Add these all up and you get ~480k, double the population of Worcester.

So yes, it is true that Woo's municpal government is responsible for more people than Prov's, and that is worth something. But in terms of cultural significance and public mindshare, it's clear why Prov feels like #2 after Boston to many people. Almost feels like a "gotcha!" moment for the folks they surveyed.

FWIW, applying the same urbanized area napkin math to Boston would bring it up near 2 million. Lots of people are shocked to hear that Phoenix is well over twice the population of Boston, purely by city limits.
Click to expand...

Totally! The United States Census Bureau does a good job of capturing a similar sentiment this by measuring urban areas (which would be more appropriately called "urban and suburban areas" as they cast a wider net than what your estimates, which are more accurately "urban" areas, capture):


Rank		NamePopulation
(2020 census)
119,426,449
212,237,376
3
Chicago, IL–IN​
8,671,746
...
...​
...
10
Boston, MA–NH​
4,382,009
39
Providence, RI–MA​
1,285,806
47
Hartford, CT​
977,158
51
Bridgeport–Stamford, CT–NY​
916,408
77
New Haven, CT​
561,456
87
Worcester, MA–CT​
482,085
92
Springfield, MA–CT​
442,145
 
Last call for any guesses! I'll post the remaining answers tonight.
 
  • Union Station served trains from seven rail lines. Which one of them didn't actually enter Worcester? What other rail line entered Worcester but didn't stop at Union Station?
    The seven lines were the Boston & Worcester; the Boston & Albany; the Providence & Worcester; the Norwich & Worcester; the Boston, Barre and Gardner; the Fitchburg and Worcester; and the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester Railroad. The Fitchburg and Worcester only ran between Fitchburg and Sterling Junction, using the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester to reach Worcester. The narrow-gauge Worcester & Shrewsbury Railroad had its own little waiting station outside the 1875-built Union Station until it was converted to a streetcar line in the 1890s.
  • Union Station was served by intercity trains on several routes. During the early-to-mid 20th century, how many states could you reach from Worcester without changing trains?
    Riverside was very close here. By my count it's MA, RI, CT, NH, ME, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, OH, IN, MI, IL, so 14 plus DC. (You forgot DE, and likely didn't realize that some New York Central trains ran via Detroit. I don't believe there were any trains direct from Worcester that served Vermont.)
  • When Union Station was restored in the 1990s, one part of the station had to be built anew. What, and why?
    WormtownNative got this one - the two towers.
  • This is an early postcard of Union Station. What's strange about it?
    View attachment 45469
    Tallguy got this one - the early design with lower towers than were built.
  • When Union Station was completed in 1911, its predecessor was mostly demolished. What part was kept for decades after? What part can still be found, albeit a short walk away?
    Tallguy and WormtownNative got this one. The tower lasted until 1959, and the lions are now in the park.
  • This car rental location and the larger building across the street played a role in Worcester's transportation history. What was it?
  • Tallguy and WormtownNative got this one. Both were formerly intercity bus stations.
  • Who is depicted by the statue outside Union Station? Who is depicted by the statue inside?
    The outside statue is of Christopher Columbus; there's been controversy as to whether to take it down. The inside statue... I'm actually not sure. I'll be photographing the station later this month and will take a look.
  • What other famous piece of transportation history is Union Station located on the site of?
    The original bed of the Blackstone Canal passed directly under the modern station site.
  • Bonus: Penn Central had two different train stations at the same time in Worcester. Why?
    In 1964, the New Haven moved its passenger operations (by then just the daily New London-Worcester train) to the freight house at the corner of Madison and Shrewsbury. The New York Central continued to use Union Station (the B&M no longer had passenger service to Worcester.) The New Haven joined Penn Central in 1969, but the New London train used the freight house until March 1971, just weeks before it was discontinued.
 
A bit of a different quiz today. There are ten downtown subway transfer stations including the Silver Line: North Station, Haymarket, Government Center, State, Park Street, DTX, South Station, Boylston, Chinatown, Tufts Medical Center. Can you visit all ten of them in a row without visiting any station twice, without using the same color line twice in a row, and without visiting any other stations (i.e, you cannot take the SL from South Station to Tufts because there's an intermediate stop at Chinatown Gate)? Ignore the Winter Street Concourse, and treat Temple Place as being part of DTX.
 
The EGE said:
A bit of a different quiz today. There are ten downtown subway transfer stations including the Silver Line: North Station, Haymarket, Government Center, State, Park Street, DTX, South Station, Boylston, Chinatown, Tufts Medical Center. Can you visit all ten of them in a row without visiting any station twice, without using the same color line twice in a row, and without visiting any other stations (i.e, you cannot take the SL from South Station to Tufts because there's an intermediate stop at Chinatown Gate)? Ignore the Winter Street Concourse, and treat Temple Place as being part of DTX.
Click to expand...
  • Green Line: Government Center - Park St - Boylston
  • SL5: Boylston - Tufts Medical Center
  • SL4: Tufts Medical Center - Chinatown - South Station
  • Red Line: South Station - Downtown Crossing
  • Orange Line: Downtown Crossing - State - Haymarket - North Station
 
Sorry, to clarify: I meant that each successive subway station should be reached by a different line. So North Station to Haymarket on Orange then Green to GC is fine, but taking Orange from North Station to Haymarket then State would not be allowed.
 
The EGE said:
Sorry, to clarify: I meant that each successive subway station should be reached by a different line. So North Station to Haymarket on Orange then Green to GC is fine, but taking Orange from North Station to Haymarket then State would not be allowed.
Click to expand...
Another try:
  • Start at North Station
  • Orange to Haymarket
  • Green to Government Center
  • Blue to State
  • Orange to Downtown Crossing
  • Red to Park St
  • Green to Boylston
  • SL5 to Tufts Medical Center
  • Orange to Chinatown
  • SL4 to South Station
Looks like multiple solutions exist.
 
The EGE said:
  • Who is depicted by the statue outside Union Station? Who is depicted by the statue inside?
    The outside statue is of Christopher Columbus; there's been controversy as to whether to take it down. The inside statue... I'm actually not sure. I'll be photographing the station later this month and will take a look.
Click to expand...
Remember this question from the Worcester quiz? Here's the statue:
mystery statue.jpg


I still don't know who it is. There's nothing on the statue that indicates ID, no explanatory plaque. My attempts to search for information only get results about the Columbus statue. Anyone with clues?
 
While I was drafting another comment and doing some brief preliminary research for it, I came up with this question. I already know how to find the answer, but just for fun, I'll now present it as a betting game for you guys before I analyze and reveal it.

Out of all Key Bus Routes (edit: except 71 and 73) (1, 15, 22, 23, 28, 32, 39, 57, 66, 71, 73, 77, 111, 116/117), and a few other routes with route-specific data available (SL4, SL5, 9, 16, 21, 34/34E, 47, 61/70, 86, 104), in 2022 (largely post-Covid), which bus routes have the lowest and highest proportion of riders taking it for home-based work, respectively? (In other words, which routes are the least and most commute-centric? edited this parenthesis for consistent order)

Additional question: Out of bus riders in all "greater neighborhoods" or general regions (which the data source describes as "geographic group of routes" -- see detailed list below), which ones have the lowest and highest proportion of home-based work? (These data are not aggregated by individual lines.)
  • Brighton/Allston/Watertown - Boston
  • Brighton/Allston/Watertown - Other Suburb
  • Cambridge/Arlington - Alewife
  • Cambridge/Arlington - Harvard
  • Chelsea/East Boston/Lynn/Revere - Core
  • Chelsea/East Boston/Lynn/Revere - North Shore
  • Downtown/South Boston
  • Jamaica Plain/Roslindale/Hyde Park
  • Malden/Everett - North
  • Malden/Everett - South
  • Quincy - East
  • Quincy - West
  • Roxbury/Dorchester/Mattapan/South End - East
  • Roxbury/Dorchester/Mattapan/South End - West
  • Roxbury/Dorchester/Mattapan/South End & Downtown/South Boston
  • Roxbury/Dorchester/Mattapan/South End & Jamaica Plain/Roslindale/Hyde Park
  • Somerville/Medford/Charlestown - East
  • Somerville/Medford/Charlestown - West
I presented them in the exact same format as the data source, so I'm not responsible for any ambiguities (lol). My guess is that "A - B" means all bus routes in that general direction or out of that terminal. For example, "Malden-North" would include routes like 106 and 137, while "Malden-South" would include 101 and 104. But take it with a grain of salt.

Lastly: How do you think the proportion of trips for home-based work on buses differs from rapid transit? Significantly more, significantly less, or about the same?

FYI, in the dataset, trip purposes are consolidated into the following categories:
  • Home-based Work
  • Home-based School
  • Home-based Social Activity
  • Home-based Other
  • Non-home Based
 
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I'll bet 73 as the most commute-centric, and the 1 as the least.
 
The EGE said:
I'll bet 73 as the most commute-centric, and the 1 as the least.
Click to expand...
Apologies for my dumb mistake: I just realized the dataset does not include 71 and 73. Turns out, it doesn't consider routes by Key Bus Route classification, but solely by ridership. A bus route is reported separately if it has "high-ridership", defined as at least 3,500 weekday boardings. (In other words, not only do the 71 and 73 have the lowest ridership out of Key Bus Routes, but they're even less than all the other non-Key bus routes I listed above.)

(Technically, the data also groups a few minor bus routes with the major bus routes on similar corridors: 28/29, 43/SL5, 67/77, 114/116/117, in addition to those listed above.)

In this case, what would your new guess be once the 71 and 73 are excluded?
 
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