Bridging The Connecticut
I snuck into Connecticut on Friday with a very specific goal thanks to a tip from Jack Robert. There aren't too many shots left on my 'New England Bucket List' after the last nearly four years of hunting. But this was another pretty big one I finally got, having never seen this back in the old days.
Anyway the Connecticut River is the largest waterway in New England, bifurcating the region and running 406 miles from the Canadian border to Long Island Sound and draining some 11,260 square miles. It is been bridged by railroads at 21 points along that length and amazingly 16 of those crossings still remain in service, including all four in Connecticut.
This is one of those bridges, and one I'd longed wanted to photograph. Build in 1872 by the perfectly named New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad it had been staunchly opposed by maritime interests who feared competition and the risks it would pose to maritime navigation. Those fears were not without cause as this story tells: connecticuthistory.org/a-night-to-remember-when-the-steam...
The original bridge was replaced by the present steel one in 1910 that was built by the American Bridge Company at a total length of 1220 ft with a 300 ft main swing main span. Here is another article on it if you're interested: www.courant.com/hc-xpm-2010-11-03-hc-marteka-railroad-swi...
As for the railroad it was never particularly successful and was reorganized as the Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad in 1875 and was purchased by the growing New Haven system in 1882. Early in its life it had some importance and even saw the passage of one of the most famous trains of all time, the New England Limited was inaugurated in 1884 and operated between New York and Boston jointly by the New Haven who then handed it off to the New York and New England at Willimantic. It became the thing of legend in 1891, when the Pullman Palace Car Company refitted the train with luxurious new cars decorated in white and gold, inspiring the advertising department to call it the White Train and folks along the line to call it the Ghost Train as it sped through their towns after dark. While it only ran for five years it became so famous in that time to even be memorialized by Rudyard Kipling in a verse. To read a bit more check out this.
www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1998-02-11-980210...
However in 1889 the last major gap in the Shore Line was completed when the Thames River was bridged between Groton New London. Despite this coastal route being 25 miles longer it had far less severe grades and quickly eclipsed the direct 'Air Line' overland route as the preeminent New York to Boston line, a distinction it continues to hold to this day as Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
Meanwhile the old Air Line's connection at Willimantic, the NYNE merged with the New Haven in 1898 and by 1925 through Boston to New York passenger trains were gone. The route hung on for local freight service until 1965 until the 27 or so miles east of Portland to Willimantic were abandoned. The former NYNE route, later New Haven's Midland Division, was severed at Putman by a flood in 1955 and the line was gradually abandoned and today nearly all of it from Blackstone, MA to Portland, CT is a fabulous trail. in fact the stretch around Pomfret on the old NYNE is personally very special as it is one of my Dad's favorite bike rides and annual fall tradition for us to ride the ghost rails of the old ghost train!
Anyway, NH successors Penn Central and Conrail continued to serve Portland via this bridge until 1987 when the state purchased the trackage from CR which had filed for abandonment. The new Connecticut Central shortline took over and operated it until 1998 when the Providence and Worcester purchased the shortline.
The PW, now under the corporate umbrella of Genesee and Wyoming, still operates it to this day as seen here. Lacal freight CT-1 took a string of empty gondolas over the river to Red Technologies in Portland and returned with loads. B39-8E is seen nearing the railroad south end of what they call their Portland Running Track as they approach the east end of the bridge and the diamond crossing with the Valley Line.
Middletown, Connecticut
Friday February 11, 2022
Bridging The Connecticut
I snuck into Connecticut on Friday with a very specific goal thanks to a tip from Jack Robert. There aren't too many shots left on my 'New England Bucket List' after the last nearly four years of hunting. But this was another pretty big one I finally got, having never seen this back in the old days.
Anyway the Connecticut River is the largest waterway in New England, bifurcating the region and running 406 miles from the Canadian border to Long Island Sound and draining some 11,260 square miles. It is been bridged by railroads at 21 points along that length and amazingly 16 of those crossings still remain in service, including all four in Connecticut.
This is one of those bridges, and one I'd longed wanted to photograph. Build in 1872 by the perfectly named New Haven, Middletown and Willimantic Railroad it had been staunchly opposed by maritime interests who feared competition and the risks it would pose to maritime navigation. Those fears were not without cause as this story tells: connecticuthistory.org/a-night-to-remember-when-the-steam...
The original bridge was replaced by the present steel one in 1910 that was built by the American Bridge Company at a total length of 1220 ft with a 300 ft main swing main span. Here is another article on it if you're interested: www.courant.com/hc-xpm-2010-11-03-hc-marteka-railroad-swi...
As for the railroad it was never particularly successful and was reorganized as the Boston and New York Air-Line Railroad in 1875 and was purchased by the growing New Haven system in 1882. Early in its life it had some importance and even saw the passage of one of the most famous trains of all time, the New England Limited was inaugurated in 1884 and operated between New York and Boston jointly by the New Haven who then handed it off to the New York and New England at Willimantic. It became the thing of legend in 1891, when the Pullman Palace Car Company refitted the train with luxurious new cars decorated in white and gold, inspiring the advertising department to call it the White Train and folks along the line to call it the Ghost Train as it sped through their towns after dark. While it only ran for five years it became so famous in that time to even be memorialized by Rudyard Kipling in a verse. To read a bit more check out this.
www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1998-02-11-980210...
However in 1889 the last major gap in the Shore Line was completed when the Thames River was bridged between Groton New London. Despite this coastal route being 25 miles longer it had far less severe grades and quickly eclipsed the direct 'Air Line' overland route as the preeminent New York to Boston line, a distinction it continues to hold to this day as Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
Meanwhile the old Air Line's connection at Willimantic, the NYNE merged with the New Haven in 1898 and by 1925 through Boston to New York passenger trains were gone. The route hung on for local freight service until 1965 until the 27 or so miles east of Portland to Willimantic were abandoned. The former NYNE route, later New Haven's Midland Division, was severed at Putman by a flood in 1955 and the line was gradually abandoned and today nearly all of it from Blackstone, MA to Portland, CT is a fabulous trail. in fact the stretch around Pomfret on the old NYNE is personally very special as it is one of my Dad's favorite bike rides and annual fall tradition for us to ride the ghost rails of the old ghost train!
Anyway, NH successors Penn Central and Conrail continued to serve Portland via this bridge until 1987 when the state purchased the trackage from CR which had filed for abandonment. The new Connecticut Central shortline took over and operated it until 1998 when the Providence and Worcester purchased the shortline.
The PW, now under the corporate umbrella of Genesee and Wyoming, still operates it to this day as seen here. Lacal freight CT-1 took a string of empty gondolas over the river to Red Technologies in Portland and returned with loads. B39-8E is seen nearing the railroad south end of what they call their Portland Running Track as they approach the east end of the bridge and the diamond crossing with the Valley Line.
Middletown, Connecticut
Friday February 11, 2022