| Rooting through old magazines on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I came to an old NRHS Bulletin (Volume 52 # 5 1987) and saw an article by Edgar T. Mead on a train trip from New York City to Choate School which is located in Wallingford, CT which he made in 1937. In 1988, I wrote an article about what we had lost or gained over 50 years. I then decided to update this for changes over the last 10 years as well as over the last 60. |
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| The Ride to Choate |
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Welcome to our "Trip to Choate" WebSite
Here's a preview of some of the exciting projects we have put together for you: Our feature article is "The Ride to Choate". A follow-up article describes the railroad from New York City to Wallingford Connecticut. you can fly the path of the "Ride to Choate" on Google Earth. We have some good articles on Bridgeport today, railroad stations in Connecticut, and Connecticut Freight Railroads. Overview of Freight in the Danbury / New Milford Area. Since our trip began in New York City, we have included material on Grand Central operations and "The New Haven Railroad and Grand Central Terminal". We cover the New Haven Railroad extensively with "Signal Stations of the New Haven Railroad" ; New Haven wire trains ; Canal Line through New Haven ; New York, Westchester & Boston ; "Is a Tool Train a Wreck Train?" ; New Haven office building and some good New Haven links. Read all about a 2006 Trip to Waterbury Be sure to see our Reference Section We hope you enjoy your visit to our WebSite. We offer a wide range of great sites. We have a great "Portal to the World", excellent weather, reference, golf and tourist sites. As well as great WebSites on trains run for the President of the United States (and for Royalty too). We are not "FLASHy" like many WebSites, but we offer you, among other things authentic railroad history material. Much of this material is not available elsewhere on the Internet. It was painstakingly collected over many years from such sources as Yale University. We never knowingly link you to any WebSites that contain a virus, collect your personal information, or are those machine-generated sites rampant with "Ads by Google". For some of our material, there is a small nominal charge. You can talk back to us on our BLOG and see our eBay Store too. |
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Edgar T. Mead recently published a fantastic article in the NRHS BULLETIN on a train trip from New York City to Choate School which is located in Wallingford, CT. I'd like to update his trip into the 1980's and bring out what we have lost or gained over 50 years.
Unless the student of today wants to find alternate transportation from New Haven to Wallingford, he/she (Choate is now Choate-Rosemary Hall and is coed) cannot leave Grand Central Terminal, but must instead depart Penn Station on AMTRAK's Springfield Service. The EP-2 boxcab electric has been replaced by REGISTER to see full story. |
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Fly Along the path of the "Ride to Choate"! If you have "GOOGLE EARTH" installed on your computer, you can "fly" along the path of the former New York, New Haven & Hartford from Grand Central to Wallingford with the "PLACEMARK" below: (Click to get GOOGLE EARTH) Talk to us about help using Google Earth© for your business presentations! | |
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Take a trip on the Former New Haven Railroad from Grand Central to Wallingford, Connecticut | |
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We will be adding more routes Because many of the locations on our tour have varying "resolutions" of the pictures, you may need to stop the tour and adjust the height you are viewing. On several locations, you may also stop the tour and click on the placemark icon for more information. Tell us where you want to fly and give us any of your comments |
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See our special section on
New Haven Railroad Bridges along the Shore Line
Purchasing this section, also gives you: New Haven Railroad history from 1844 to 1967. How the Farmington Canal was converted to a railroad. Naugatuck Line and other abandoned railroads in Connecticut. The Essex Steam Train and when new steam came to Essex. Story of the 'Pullmans on a hill' |
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The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
See some historic photographs of the New Haven Railroad, Steam along the shore line, electrics through Connecticut, passenger runs into Grand Central, and much more. |
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Electric on the New Haven
See some historic photographs of the New Haven Railroad's electrification. Old Cos Cob generation plant. Electrics in New Haven, New York City, and in between! |
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Head End Railway Express and Railway Post Office |
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On passenger trains, railroads operated lots of equipment other than
sleepers, coaches, dining cars, etc. This equipment was generally
called
'head-end' equipment, these 'freight' cars were at one time
plentiful and highly profitable for the railroads.
In the heyday of passenger service, these industries were a big part
of the railroad's operations, and got serious attention. We have text and pictures not found elsewhere on the Web. |
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| Articles on Railroads in Connecticut |
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Rooting through old magazines on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I came to an old NRHS Bulletin (Volume 52 # 5 1987) and saw an article by Edgar T. Mead on a train trip from New York City to Choate School which is located in Wallingford, CT which he made in 1937. In 1988, I wrote an article about what we had lost or gained over 50 years. I then decided to update this for changes over the last 10 years as well as over the last 60.
Stamford, with its office towers and new station, would be unrecognizable to someone not having seen it in 50 years. However, long lines of M-2 "Cosmopolitan" cars are lined up waiting for Monday just like the old M-Us did. Today's wire train can be spotted sometimes at Stamford and is hauled by a GE. It includes the "Washboard Electrics" of 1954. REGISTER to see full story. |
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Something else that's gone is the
New York, Westchester, & Boston Railway. Click on the map above to see full-size. |
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Troop Train Photo Album
Cost is $9.99 Photos of a trip from Texas to New York City (World War II) as an armored division brings its equipment and troops to the port. |
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RailwayStation.com has provided a
1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading. Here's some interesting questions and answers: |
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What is a limited train?
A limited train has been defined as a passenger train meeting one or more of the following specifications: o bearing a distinctive trade name o operating at an overall speed of 40 miles per hour or more for distances of over 200 miles o operated for distances over 300 miles with scheduled stops at intervals averaging not less than 50 |
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These articles were published several years apart. One was
published in April, 1988 in the CALLBOARD of the Mohawk and Hudson Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Another was published September 1997 - January, 1998 in the BRIDGE LINE BULLETIN of the Bridge Line Historical Society. Drawing of New Haven electric by Stacy Kinlock Sewell. |
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Bridgeport Today As of present era there is NO rail freight in Bridgeport..right? Find out more |
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| The largely-unused buildings of Bridgeport General Electric show the huge possibilities of development in the area. |
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Tramway de Nice: New for 2007
The Tramway de Nice was designed to serve most of the population of Nice, France, as the vity of over 900,000 people is situated along a seaside, the line does not have to traverse it. Instead it was drawn as a U shape, passing through the centre. The tramcars of the Tramway de Nice are unique and have been specially designed to blend in with the Niçois architecture. A standard 5 car 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge tram measures 35 m but extra carriages may be added, bringing the length to 45 m. The tram is 2.65 m wide and may carry 200 passengers at 18 km/h compared to 11 km/h by bus. Are the trams noisy? No. Noise created is maximum 70 decibels at 40km/h. This is much quieter than any large vehicle such as a bus. Find out more on public transportation in Nice and the French Riviera. |
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Now you can see the entire NICE, FRANCE TRAMWAY in GOOGLE EARTH!!!! | Yes! Open in Google Earth and follow the path of the Tramway station-by station. |
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There is no "brrreeeport" in Connecticut, but there are plenty of towns
that are served by freight railroads. Search them out! |
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Victoria Station was a restaurant, not a railroad station. Other railroad-related restaurants in Connecticut: Yankee Silversmith Inn / Restaurant has the "Silversmith Parlour Car", an old coach or dining car which serves as part of the dining room. Right on Rt 5 in Wallingford, off the Wilbur Cross Pkwy. The car at the Yankee Silversmith restaurant in Wallingford CT was originally a Philadelphia & Reading coach. It later was purchased by the Belfast & Moosehead Lake, and from there it came to Wallingford I think during the 1960s. Pizzaworks in Old Saybrook is housed in the former Saybrook freight house (relocated slightly from a different track alignment years ago). They have trains running around and part of the old canopy/platform visible inside. Amtrak station is about 20 feet north of the restaurant and the platforms 20 feet south. Trains go flying by at nearly 100 mph. In Cromwell CT there is a seasonal ice cream stand in an ex Amtrak, exx PC, exxx PRR steel caboose, no number available. Find out more on the train stations (and former stations) of Connecticut. |
| Links to Good Sites |
| Flying Scotsman Hobbies |
| Piet Brjis: About Model Railroads |
| The JoeKorNer: A New Haven Photo Collection |
| Timetables from Oxford Junction Press |
| The Ghost Train |
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The New Haven Railroad and Grand Central Terminal The issue of running New Haven trains to Grand Central Terminal is addressed over the years in several agreements. Paying for use of the tracks from Woodlawn to New York City and cost of terminal date back to 1848, modifications in 1856, 1861, possibly 1872. When electrification was started, and the present new GCT was being built, there were serious negotiations between the NH and NY Central over costs. In 1908 the New Haven was paying $0.12 for long range passengers and $0.0433 for commuters. In 1910 it was $0.0394 per commuter. In 1910 the NH was paying two different charges: (1) a per capita passenger charge for using NY Central track Woodlawn to NY City; and (2) a terminal charge for Grand Central, everything south of 57th st. This was based on proportion of New Haven locomotives and cars to the total number entering Grand Central. The New Haven arranged this so that its payments would be reduced if it diverted some of its traffic to Harlem River (the NY, Westchester & Boston project, and the Harlem-Portchester branch) or via the proposed (Hell Gate) bridge to Penn Station. The NH was also supposed to share in the income from development of the railroad land around Grand Central, using those profits to reduce its terminal charges. Still, it was a lot of money. In 1910, the NH paid the NYC $1,131,000 to use the Grand Central route. I don't know how those rates might have been modified in the 1920's or 1930's. Usage of Grand Central rose drastically. In 1945 it was 10,984,806 suburban passengers. Charles Mellen complained in 1910 it cost the NH 17.3 cents for each passenger into GCT. From short range commuter towns like Mt. Vernon, the line lost money. When NY state agreed with Penn Central in 1969 to take over ownership of the NH line Woodlawn to Portchester, the agreement provided specifically for this issue. NY would rent track Woodlawn to GCT for $1.00 per year, but would continue to pay a "Harlem toll" of $2.900,000 for the cost of operating trains Woodlawn to GCT. |
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New England is full of history. New Haven was the headquarters of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. This is a view of the city's Grove Street Cemetary. Gates were designed by Henry Austin and built from 1845-1848. |
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Signal Stations of the New Haven Railroad |
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Includes New Haven speed limits and trackage rights Also sections on Bridgeport and State Line interchange Click here or on picture to see full story. |
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Click on map above To visit Connecticut Southern Railroad |
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| Is a Tool Train a Wreck Train? |
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The "Big Hook" on the New Haven was referred to as the "Tool Train".
Penn Central used the work Wreck. What a surprise. On the New Haven Railroad trains were never wrecked they DERAILED, Collided or overturned but never WRECKED. A "Big Hooks" served the New Haven under steam on Penn Central at least until 1975 when it was utilized at a 12 car derailment north of Windsor, Connecticut. It also had been used in 1970 at a Branford, Connecticut derailment. At the inception of Penn Central, a New Haven Big Hook was immediately hijacked and shipped to Altoona, Pennsylvania. The New Haven had three 230-ton cranes and the mighty Pennsylvania had nothing that big. Now, the better track and the emergence of contract wreck clean-up outfits like "Hulcher's Vultures" had reduced the need for the big hooks, although Guilford maintains a "wreck train" of sorts with a hook, which still sees occasional use. |
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New Haven Wire Trains New Haven 1907-1913 era construction trains had one or more hacks, baggage or coach cars with built up roofwalks, platform cars with adjustable height, reel cars with the wire. With a lot of replacement of equipment, successor wire trains continued to look much the same down to the end, and beyond the end of the New Haven. In steam days, a 2-6-0 was usually the power for the wire train. The 2-6-0 used would be an oil burner since the high-tension dep't was not too thrilled with all the sulphur deposits on the trolley. In diesel times, the train usually had an Alco S-1 or S-2, or an EMD SW1200. In the 1950's there were two wire trains and it is likely that there were never more than two wire trains. One was based in Bridgeport and the other at New Rochelle. The Bridgeport wire train was abolished as a regular assignment sometime in the 1950's and the train was moved to New Haven and called and used on a as needed basis after that. It survived right up until the end in 1969. The New Rochelle wire train survived until Penn-Central and was moved from New Rochelle to Stamford. The train consisted of five cars: a generator car for electricity, a tool car with tools and equipment, a wire storage car for wire, a tower car with a platform that was raised with air from the engine and finally the wire train coach/caboose which was a copper clad coach from many years back then replaced with an old converted parlor car complete with the six wheel trucks. The "crew car" had a portion for the wire crew(s) with lockers etc, a stove and refrig., a desk for the foreman complete with a couple of telephones which could be plugged in when the train was on the stand and a two way radio with Cos Cob. The train crew section again had a stove, lockers, two tables for paper work and a brake valve to use mostly when being pushed. It also had a headlight and a whistle. The wire train was one of the first on the New Haven Railroad operations where two way radio was in use, between the foreman and the load dispatcher at Cos Cob. Routine work consisted of inspections, replacing insulators and hangers, lubrication of the draw bridges and interlockings and other reported items. When emergencies occurred with the lines, the wire train got all green signals to get to the trouble spot and if it was bad, the crews at shift change would be deadheaded to the trouble spot and the train would remain at the location. In the mid-60s, the New Rochelle wire train ran with an Alco S-1 on its east end, and an ex heavyweight parlor car on its west end. The six-wheel parlor rode very, very nice, and the conductor's "throne" was a huge leather overstuffed chair. The car was equipped with a Golden Glow headlight (from some steam engine) and a brass whistle (from an old MUT or EP-1?). It made sense having the wire train located at New Rochelle since from there it could easily cover the territory down the Harlem River Branch, the main line down to Woodlawn, or the main line up to Stamford. Since the main line between Stamford and Woodlawn saw the heaviest electric usage, this was the area that needed the most attention In addition to the converted passenger/ baggage cars, the tower car, the reel car, there was an additional small structure on flat car which was on the train in NH days. It supported a small trolley pole used to apply graphite grease to the wire for lubrication. |
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| Canal Line today through New Haven |
| Connecticut's Farmington Canal was converted to a railroad by 1848. The road was named the New Haven & Northampton, but has always been called the Canal Line. The road's first terminal in New Haven was between Temple Street and Hillhouse Avenue. Click Here or on any of the pictures to read about its history, present and the future | ||
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The Shore Line Trolley Museum |
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The Railroad Museum of New England |
| The General Office Building in New Haven consisted of nine floors, four elevators, fully air conditioned, heated sidewalks and a pleasant place to work. It was very modern for its time. It had beautiful script lettering laid in the floor in the lobby and was something to be proud of. It was a major part of the New Haven landscape when it was built in 1948. The building still stands today at 54 Meadow Street. It is used as the administrative offices of the New Haven Public School System. |
| Rail Site Crossreference |
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There is a
"Snow Belt"
in New York State that runs above Syracuse and Utica.
It goes East from Oswego to at least Boonville. Here's the station at Boonville.
Find out more about Weather around the World Ominous Weather is about more than weather. Its about our environment. Its about our social issues that need to be surfaced if we want to save our environment. See Champions of our Environment like Al Gore SAS le Prince Albert II de Monaco John R. Stilgoe Ralph Nader. We have addressed several railroad-related projects that will conserve fuel and lessen pollution. Our Window on Europe spotlights projects that can help the rest of the World. We have other environmental sites on garbage trucks and Rapid response temporary shelters / portable housing. |
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