By RICK COLLINS
The Patriot Ledger

Any lingering doubts about whether residents in the five Greenbush towns were ready for the return of commuter rail service were largely answered during the run of the inaugural test train on Saturday, May 19, 2007.

Hundreds of South Shore residents withstood a raw, rainy morning to catch a glimpse of the first train to roll down the tracks in 47 years.

Onlookers gathered at intersections, stood on station platforms, and looked down from bridges as a locomotive engine slowly pulled and pushed six passenger cars down the 17.7-mile route from Braintree to Scituate and back.

Some neighbors to the rail line watched from their backyards and rear doorways as the train went by.

Spectators came armed with cameras, shot video or snapped pictures. A few drivers stuck their cell phones out their car windows and took shots while waiting at grade crossings.

There was a burst of camera flashes as the train passed Captain Pierce Road in Scituate. One woman in Braintree captured the moment with an old Polaroid Instamatic camera.

Not everyone appeared thrilled with the train: Anti-train activist Martha Bewick booed and gave a thumbs down as the train rolled past South Street. In Scituate, one man stood in his backyard, turned around, dropped his pants and mooned the train.

Jim Mitterando of Cohasset helps his son, David, 4, get a closeup view of the train in Scituate.

But overall the response was positive.

A number of onlookers cheered. One woman stood near the Route 228 crossing with a sign that read: “Welcome to Hingham.”

In North Scituate, a man stood on a rock in his backyard, held two thumbs up, and shouted, “Welcome! Welcome!”

William Donovan, of Scituate, watched the train as it passed by First Parish Road on its way into Greenbush station, and then again at the Country Way intersection on the return trip. He said the test trip was a victory for those Scituate residents who supported the train but endured years of delays and protests.

“This is a big day,” he said. “Many of us took a lot of abuse in this town.”

Jim and Paula Kelly, who live in Norwell but have a summer home in Scituate, also drove around to see the train pass in different locations.

“We’re thrilled to see it,” said Jim Kelly. “The Expressway is a parking lot using up millions of gallons of gas without cars moving.”

Project and MBTA officials said they were surprised by the warmth of reception.

“I’ve never seen this many people wave at me before,” joked James Eng, the project manager for the MBTA.

For train officials, the trip wasn’t just about providing a photo-op for local residents. It represented their first real opportunity to test the line and check clearances, such as whether overhead wires were high enough and that station platforms lined up with train doors.

Although the gap between the train and the Greenbush station platform was a couple inches wider than hoped, officials said they overall found no major problems.

The trip’s only hitches came from a couple of geese in Cohasset and turkeys in Scituate that refused to get off the tracks, even after a loud blast of the train horn.

“We didn’t find anything we didn’t expect,” said John Ray, the MBTA’s railroad operations manager. “It went perfect.”

In Hingham, onlookers line the platform to welcome the train.

He said he was surprised by the number of people who turned out to watch the train go by.

“I hope we can live up to their expectations when we start service,” said Ray.

Eng said the MBTA is aiming for a late-September start date, and that the schedule will largely depend on whether local utility companies are able to relocate poles on time.

Unlike the Red Line, which runs primarily through urbanized areas, Greenbush line riders will pass through downtown areas as well as residential neighborhoods, woods and marshes, over intersections and riverways, and under Weymouth Landing and Hingham Square.

Commuters will also ride by a pair of golf courses - South Shore Country Club and Cohasset Golf Club - and get lots of views of back decks, swing sets, and swimming pools that until recently been hidden from public view.

Janet Murray, a train opponent who helped Weymouth negotiate its mitigation package with the MBTA, said vibrations from the train were clearly felt in her home, which sits about 100 feet off the tracks.

Disregarding the loud horn - which will only be used during the testing period - Murray is hopeful she’ll be able to live with the train.

“My first thought is that it wasn’t as bad, but with a big caveat that it was only going 10 mph,” she said. “If the MBTA honors their commitment of no horns, I think I’ll be OK.”

Rick Collins may be reached at rcollins@ledger.com.