Working Willi Waste
On Friday I had no intention of getting in any photography as the day was devoted to a bike ride with my dad. We met in Connecticut to do a rail trail that was new to us and bike 32 miles round trip on the Hop River Trail from Willimantic to Bolton Notch and return along the old Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Route a one time secondary New Haven mainline that felt the weight of its last train in September of 1970. If you're a cyclist and into ghost foaming I highly recommend it as the trail has many worthwhile relics to explore along the way including tons of telegraph poles, many original bridges, a cool stone arch, deep cuts, old whistle posts and more!
Anyway, upon return in the mid afternoon I noticed that New England Central Railroad 608 hadn't returned home from Palmer yet. Since a friend had told me that 3857 was in the lead I decided to to look for them. Alas I missed them by seconds at the South Coventry depot so doubled back for some shots of them in Willimantic. Looking down off the Columbia Road bridge, they are seen here working the big Willimantic Waste facility adjacent their small office at about MP 29.5 on the Palmer Sub, the former Central Vermont mainline.
NECR 3857 (EMD GP38AC blt. Apr. 1971 as Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 730) in the lead is the last original blue and gold unit in service on the property dating from the road's 1995 startup. She is trailed by NECR 3040 (GMDD GP40-2LW blt. Sep. 1974 as CN 9495) in Rail America colors and NECR 417 (EMD GP40-2 blt. Oct. 1972 as FEC 417) in battered Florida East Coast blue.
Village of Willimantic
Windham, Connecticut
Friday October 28, 2022
Working Willi Waste
On Friday I had no intention of getting in any photography as the day was devoted to a bike ride with my dad. We met in Connecticut to do a rail trail that was new to us and bike 32 miles round trip on the Hop River Trail from Willimantic to Bolton Notch and return along the old Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Route a one time secondary New Haven mainline that felt the weight of its last train in September of 1970. If you're a cyclist and into ghost foaming I highly recommend it as the trail has many worthwhile relics to explore along the way including tons of telegraph poles, many original bridges, a cool stone arch, deep cuts, old whistle posts and more!
Anyway, upon return in the mid afternoon I noticed that New England Central Railroad 608 hadn't returned home from Palmer yet. Since a friend had told me that 3857 was in the lead I decided to to look for them. Alas I missed them by seconds at the South Coventry depot so doubled back for some shots of them in Willimantic. Looking down off the Columbia Road bridge, they are seen here working the big Willimantic Waste facility adjacent their small office at about MP 29.5 on the Palmer Sub, the former Central Vermont mainline.
NECR 3857 (EMD GP38AC blt. Apr. 1971 as Gulf, Mobile and Ohio 730) in the lead is the last original blue and gold unit in service on the property dating from the road's 1995 startup. She is trailed by NECR 3040 (GMDD GP40-2LW blt. Sep. 1974 as CN 9495) in Rail America colors and NECR 417 (EMD GP40-2 blt. Oct. 1972 as FEC 417) in battered Florida East Coast blue.
Village of Willimantic
Windham, Connecticut
Friday October 28, 2022