One of the Association’s most popular activities is our monthly meetings, which are held at the Midtown Hotel, 220 Huntington Avenue in Boston. They are always open to all and free of charge.

Meetings begin at 7:30PM, typically on the first Saturday of every month. A short business meeting (including a detailed current events segment on MBTA news and transit happenings near and far) is followed by an entertainment program, consisting of film and digital slideshows, videos and films of past and present transit operations from around the Northeast, the nation, and the world. Entertainment begins at aproximately 8:15PM and generally lasts about two hours.

In the event of severe weather, we may be forced to cancel a meeting. A notice will be posted on the home page of this website, and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, by 4PM the day of the meeting in the rare event of a cancellation.

We are always looking for presenters at future meetings! If you are interested, please contact us. We generally seek presentations of historic or recent-event subjects, especially those involving cities in the Northeast.

Upcoming Meetings

June 6, 2020
Our June Meeting has been cancelled.
More information here.

July 11, 2020
Loring Lawrence’s Tramway & Trolleybus Surprise
MEETING INFORMATION IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Loring Lawrence traveled in 2018 to the Canary Islands and Morocco, and found some new tramways: the Tenerife Tram, opened in 2007; the Casablanca Tramway, opened in 2012; and the only electric trolleybus system in Africa, in Marrakesh.
NOTE: Second Saturday of July due to July 4th holiday.

August 1, 2020
Transit in Rhode Island
Donald Nevin will present views of street railway operation in Rhode Island, from the collection of Leo Sullivan. This will start with street scenes of horse and possibly cable powered streetcars in downtown Providence, and continue with views of early electric trolleys and some of their car barns. The program will include both suburban and interurban operations, as well as local street railway operations in Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Westerley, and Newport. Many of these photos were taken in the 1930s and 1940s by railfans showing both passenger cars and work equipment. Some early scenes of trackless and bus operations will also be shown. The last streetcars and tracklesses ran in Providence on May 14, 1948 and June 24, 1955, respectively.

September 12, 2020
New Mass Transit for Honolulu
Allan Jayne will show a 20 mile elevated rail rapid transit line under construction in Honolulu, Hawaii. Beginning in the southwest suburb of Kapolei amidst undeveloped land, it will serve key areas including the stadium, Pearl Harbor, the airport, and downtown Honolulu as well as many residential areas. He will present construction details, the progress of the construction to date, and projected socioeconomic trends that the line should bring. Service on the outer half of the line should begin in late 2020 with full service to downtown expected in 2025. He will also give an overview of mule car and electric streetcar service in Honolulu around the turn of the last century.
NOTE: Second Saturday in September due to Labor Day holiday.

October 3, 2020
Car Barns of Boston Elevated Division 1 | BSRA Annual Meeting
Leo Sullivan presents some Boston Street Railway Shops and Car Barns through the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, This will include pictures, plans and narrative.

Additional Meeting Dates (Entertainment TBD):
November 7; and December 5.

Past Meeting Entertainment Reports

We have offered a wide variety of entertainment through the years, and provide detailed reports of past meetings at the link below.
View Entertainment Reports

Items for Sale at Our Meetings

We typically offer a selection of books and other items for sale as part of our effort to offset the cost of room rent and meeting expenses. As such, we typically do not permit outside vendors to sell items at our meetings.