The Holyoke Street Railway (HSR) was an interurban streetcar and bus system operating in Holyoke, Massachusetts as well as surrounding communities with connections in Amherst, Belchertown, Chicopee, Easthampton, Granby, Northampton, Pelham, South Hadley, Sunderland, Westfield, and West Springfield. Throughout its history the railway system shaped the cultural institutions of Mount Tom, being operator of the mountain's famous summit houses, one of which hosted President McKinley, the Mount Tom Railroad, and the trolley park at the opposite end of this funicular line, Mountain Park.
The Holyoke Street Railway at one time provided both interurban rail (top, 1937) and bus service (bottom, 1973); the latter would replace the former however both remained in tandem service from 1921 to 1937.
An Amherst & Sunderland streetcar passes Town Hall in Amherst Center, 1903
The Rowland Thomas funicular car ascends Mount Tom, as the Elizur Holyoke makes its descent in the background, c. 1912
A horsecar on the South Hadley Falls line, c. 1890; horsecars would be used by the company from 1884 to 1891, when they were supplanted by electric streetcars
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts.
Image: Holyoke Skyline
Image: North High Street, Holyoke MA
Image: Holyoke Heritage State Park, Holyoke MA
Image: Beech Street in Spring, Holyoke, Massachusetts
