Because of conditions in its vintage subway, Boston used the only single-end US PCCs to be built with doors on the left-hand side. They were augmented in the late 1950s by second-hand double-end cars purchased from Dallas. Boston's PCC fleet maxed out at 344 cars of several different types.

The livery worn today by No. 1059 is that of Boston Elevated Railway Co., the private company that brought PCCs to Beantown. It features an orange body with cream window panels and a red belt rail.

Later, under public ownership, Boston's PCCs were painted in the colors used for the routes on maps (green for most streetcar lines, red for the isolated Mattapan-Ashmont line, still operated by PCCs today, albeit rebuilt ones that have reverted to an orange and silver variation of the original livery.

In 1973, prodded by the US government, Boston and San Francisco jointly ordered new Boeing 'light rail vehicles' to replace their PCCs. The Boeings proved unreliable in both cities, while the reliable PCCs continue to hold the hearts of San Franciscans and Bostonians alike.