Route 30 was an interesting route that ran the Western periphery of Downtown. Atlhough it intersected about every Southern, Western and Northern radial route in the system, it carried only medium traffic at best. Still, the route was one of the most fascinating and historic routes of the Baltimore system.At its earliest, the Fremont Avenue Line was a horsecar line, run by the company most commonly referred to as the Frick lines. The original line ran from North Avenue and Charles Street across North Avenue, down McMechen Street, across Division Street to Mosher St, thence to Fremont Avenue, which it followed to Edmondson Avenue. Cars were run from the McMechen Street Carbarn. The line was officially electrified on July 8, 1894.
In 1896, the line was extended southward to Baltimore Street. In the UR&E consolidation of 1899, the route picked up the designation "5", and apparently operated from the Oak & 25th Streets Carhouse. The new 5 line was extended further south in 1905, now reaching through Ridgely's Delight to terminate at Paca Street. The line was extended once again in 1911, proceeding down Fremont and curving into Hamburg Street to extend Eastward to Charles Street. In 1910, the line was redesignated "30," leaving the old "5" designation for the Emory Grove line, originally a part of route #3.
In May of 1920, the line acheived significance as a number of Birney Cars were introduced on it. These cars were unique in that they operated with only one man - up until that time, a Motorman and Conductor were present on all cars, regardless of their size. Although flawed in design, the cars did point the way towards the future, as one man operation eventually became the standard used systemwide. In 1921, cars looped at the North end using Charles Street, Lafayette Avenue, and Mayland Avenue to turn direction. This set-up was later implemented on the South end as well - on January 26, 1930, the line was extended South on Charles to loop via Barney, Patapsco, and Heath Streets, thus enabling the line to be operated with single ended cars. Through most of the 1920's, the line was served by a number of rebuilt 1904 single truck cars, but the new extension allowed fot the operation of a fleet of beautifully rebuilt single ended semiconvertible cars from the low 5600 series. In 1938, the 5600 series cars went to the (new) #5, leaving the #30 to be served by a number of single ended 5400 series cars.
The 5400 series cars remained on the #30 throughout the war, being joined in 1944 by a ten brand new PCC cars. In 1947, the Oak Street Carhouse closed, moving #30 line operations to the York Road Carhouse. In 1950, the last roster for the #30 car shows 12 semis and 10 PCCs serving the line. The line became the last streetcar line to be converted to Trackless Trolley, when a surplus of coaches allowed for its conversion. Route 30 streetcars said their final goodbyes on March 25, 1950.
When Trackless Trolley operation began on Route #30 the next day, a slight change to the route took place. Tracklesses used Mount Royal Avenue to operate between North Avenue and Mechen Street, using a short spur street called Montreal Street to ease the sharp right turn that faced the Northbound route. Virtually all #30 Trackless operation was on Brill coaches run from the Monroe Street Yard. The reversal of flow of Charles Street and neigboring thoroughfares resulted in the North end loop being reversed on September 19, 1954. This was later revised again on June 19, 1955, when the coaches were extended East on North Avenue to loop using Saint Paul Street, Lafayette Avenue, and Charles Street. This small extension would prove to be the last lengthening of a Trackless Trolley line. Route #30 tracklesses bowed out in the same decade as they debuted, as Buses took over the line on August 22, 1958.
Buses of the #30 line used the exact same routing of the Trackless Trolleys in their inception. The line would see the majority of its changes as a bus line however. All #30 buses were based at Bush Street Yard, Carroll Park's bus facility. The line remained as was until 1966, when redevelopment caused the use of Ridgely Street between Fremont and Hamburg. In the late 1960's the line was revised to loop at the South end using Hanover, Randall, Light, Fort and Charles Street to Hamburg.
The Southern loop was again revised under MTA ownership, as buses looped using Hanover, Randall, and Charles Streets in June of 1976. Numerous changes would occur in the late 1970s and early 1980s tied in to the redevelopment of a large portion of Fremont Avenue into Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (originally Harbor City Boulevard).
On September 12, 1977, the first of these changes occurred, largely due to the closure of a portion of Fremont Avenue to construct an Expressway. Buses used Edmondson, Arlington, and Saratoga in both directions. Redevelopment closed the lowest portion of Fremont on August 7, 1979, resulting in the simple rerouting of coaches via Washington Boulevard and Scott Street to reach Hamburg. As the Boulevard construction project grew more advanced, the detours resulting thus grew more elaborate.
On March 31, 1980, Southbound buses were rerouted onto Lombard, Parkin, Pratt and Scott Streets to reach Hamburg. Returning, they used Scott to Pratt to Fremont. This was complicated again on June 21, 1981, when Southbound coaches were routed via Edmondson, Schoeder, Lexington, Poppleton, Pratt, and Scott Streets to reach Hamburg. Returning, a rather elaborate detour was necessitated using Scott to Washington Boulevard, Poppleton, McHenry, Parkin, Lombard, Poppleton, Lexington, Schroeder, to reach Edmondson Avenue.
A sense of permanency resumed on January 19, 1983, when a "permanent" route was established. Buses used Edmondson, Schroeder, Saratoga, Harbor City Blvd. (soon to be renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.), Washington Blvd., Scott Street to Hamburg in both directions. The permanency would be disrupted again on July 30, 1984, when coaches were rerouted to use Ostend Street in South Baltimore due to weight restrictions on the elderly Hamburg Street bridge. Then, in early 1985, the South loop was revised to use Ostend, Hamburg, Clement, and Charles Streets, laying over on Clement. In 1989, the line lost its weekend service, a result of declining patronage.
Final change on the #30 came in 1990, when the line resumed the use of Hamburg Street between Scott and Charles Street, across a new Hamburg Street Bridge. The operation would be short lived however. In late 1991, MTA called for the abandonment of the century old line, claiming an average of 255 patrons per day, far less than the line had done in its better days. Despite the pleas of many Senior Citizens who depended on the line, the line ran its final miles in the late dusk of January 31, 1992, without any revisions of other lines to accomodate patrons. Oddly, all of the coaches on the line that bitterly cold day were 7000 series, an ironic parrallel to the PCCs who ran the line's final miles under rail.
The line had one interesting ghost appearance in April of 1992. The first Baseball Service brochures listed the local routes operating in close vicinity to the new Oriole Park Stadium. Among those listed: the #30.
The designation was quickly reused in 1993 for a new light rail feeder line: #30 - Hollins Ferry Road. A brief history of the line will be forthcoming.
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