Old Colony Street Railway
The Old Colony Street Railway Company (Old Colony St. Ry.) was a horse-drawn and electric streetcar railroad operated on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and communities south of the city. Founded in 1881 as the Brockton Street Railway Company, via lease and merger it became a primary mass transit provider for southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Its immediate successor was the Bay State Street Railway, and its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Founding. The Old Colony Street Railway Company began operations on July 5, 1881 as the Brockton Street  Railway Company (Brockton St. Ry.) The corporate name of the company was changed to Old Colony on February 7, 1901. All of the below listed street railway companies eventually became part of the Bay State Street Railway (Bay State), later absorbed by the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway (Eastern Mass), in 1919. Eastern Mass was acquired by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in 1968. Mergers and acquisitions. The following companies were purchased and merged with the Brockton Street Railway Company: Additional acquisitions by Old Colony. The Old Colony St. Ry. also later acquired the following street railway companies: Purchase and  consolidation. The Old Colony St. Ry. was purchased by and consolidated with the Boston and Northern Street Railway on July 1, 1911. The B&N was renamed the Bay State on August 8, 1911, and the Bay State was acquired by Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway Company on January 15, 1919. . Eastern Mass was purchased by the MBTA in 1968. Communities served. The following cities and towns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were serviced by the Old Colony: