ORANGE LINE 20th ANNIVERSARY  On Saturday May 12th 1987. Where were you that year, when the communities of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, The South End, and near by Chinatown, said a final farewell to the old, and in with the new? On Friday, May 11th 1987, riders of the MBTA Orange Line took their final ride and destinations through the Black, White and Latino communities strolling down on Washington Street for the last and final time. The riders of the Orange Line said Goodbye to the 86 year old elevated Orange Line, opened in the year of 1901. Original stops such as, The original Forest Hills and Green Street Stations. Egleston Station, The Original elevated Dudley Station, Northampton, and Dover Stations. In 1976, The Elevated Structure was re-painted with the colors of “SkyBlue”, and the color of “Red and Brown” Mixture. In 1978, a piece of the elevated I-beam was removed and relocated in a expansion, to make way for the new Boulevard, named after the late civil rights activist, Melnea Cass. The Orange Line Trains would run only 25 miles per hour, from Forest Hills to Chinatown Station formerly known as, “The Essex Station”, where at that time, the Combat Zone existed, with adult nude theatres and prostitution. The most memory moment will be missed about the 86 year old orange line, is the old popular Dudley Street curve, going 10 miles an hour, noise screeching into the inbound Dudley Station, where MBTA buses once circle around inside the bus loop ramp dropping off passengers. You can still hear the screeching curve noise, now on the MBTA Red Line, entering the outbound Harvard Station. And who can forget “THE TILT” after the train leaving the outbound section of Northampton Station, heading towards Dudley Station. On May 12th 1987, The New Orange Line Opened with a big celebration by Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, Former City of Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, Current Massachusetts State Representative Byron Rushing, and more local and state politicians, The MBTA, and community leaders who were there to celebrate the grand opening of the New Southwest Corridor, Orange Line and Commuter Rail Line; strolling through Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, The South End, and The Back Bay. New stops such as “The New Forest Hills and Green Street Stations, Stony Brook Station, Jackson Square Station, Roxbury Crossing Station, Ruggles Station, Mass Ave Station, along with Back Bay and the New England Medical Center Stations.” The New Southwest Corridor line was originally constructed to be the new Interstate I-95. (That was block by the neighborhood community along with city and state leaders.) The MBTA Southwest Corridor, Orange Line and Commuter Rail, turns 20 years old. Happy 20th anniversary to the final farewell of the Old Elevated Orange Line. (formerly strolled on Washington Street) And the happy 20th anniversary of the Southwest Corridor, Orange Line and Commuter Rail. Checkout the artwork memories of the scroll drawings of the elevated orange line right here on this webpage. Showing the art structure details of the real thing. DT Playwrighter, drawing all 4 colored lines of the MBTA for over 20 years of community and the city, which was completely ignored to this day, forgetting the history. DeMarco Playwrighter, keeping the orange line memories alive for our kids of the communities of JP, Mission Hill, The City of Boston, Roxbury Dorchester and Mattapan. Plus artwork scroll drawings of the Southwest Corridor Orange Line and Commuter Rail.

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