Metro-North Locomotive #6699 at Derby/Shelton, Connecticut

Mel. When I worked for the Hartford, I had a claim for that bridge. We insured a sand and gravel company, It was said that their excavation of the river caused an increased flow and undermining of the bridge. The bridge moved so it had to be fixed for $1 million.

Mel,

It is wonderful to see that the ghost of the NH RR is alive and well.  It is hard to imagine that infrastructure built over 100 years ago is still being put to good use.  I would guess that most Metro North riders don't know the history of the railroad.

I wish that CT had continued with the NH paint scheme.  The new paint doesn't do anything for me.  Thanks for sharing.  NH Joe

Some great shots Melgar!

I cannot wait for the Atlas MetroNorth cars to arrive, and the 3rd Rail P32.

Some other interesting history of the former Maybrook (as I understand it):

The former Maybrook line now turns at Hopewell Junction NY, and connects to the Hudson Line at Beacon.  The existing roadbed between Hopewell and the Poughkeepsie RR has become a railtrail, and the bridge itself was refurbished (after sitting for decades following a fire) into the Walkway over the Hudson.

Now known as the Beacon Line, the former Maybrook is the only way to move equipment between the 3 Metro North lines at any point north of NYC.

The Maybrook was originally built as part of the NY+NE and ran from Derby to Maybrook.  The section between Beacon and Hopewell was originally built as part of the ND+C, and ran from a rail float at Beacon to the CT state line near Millerton.  The section from Hopewell to Millerton has long been abandoned and absorbed into surrounding properties, but some remnants remain, including the station at LaGrangeville NY, and the road bed running south from LaGrangeville into Arthursburg over a marshy area.  Also, the former Clove Branch railroad, which split off the ND+C north of Hopewell and primarily served the Sylvan Quarry, remains in part as a road called "Clove Branch Road".

Mel, would there happen to be a seafood restaurant in the building on the right side of the street behind the Construction Ahead sign?

@DMASSO posted:

Mel. When I worked for the Hartford, I had a claim for that bridge. We insured a sand and gravel company, It was said that their excavation of the river caused an increased flow and undermining of the bridge. The bridge moved so it had to be fixed for $1 million.

Don,

If you look closely at this photo, you can see that the pier in the center of the river is made of stone and the pier on the far bank is covered (reinforced?) with concrete, and its left edge is not vertical, but angled instead. I was wondering about that. Might be a repair because the bridge moved on the pier.

@PSM,

Thanks for the detailed history. I've read about it but didn't post it.

MELGAR

Ah Derby CT.  Griffin Hospital,  where I did the first full time clinical clerkship of my medical school training in summer 1971.  Nice drive out the Derby Turnpike (route 34) in my friend Harry's Peugeot.    Thanks for the memories.

@MELGAR - Great video and pictures.  Did you notice that the center car with the red stripe had a name?  "The Husking Bee" whatever that means...the last car appeared to also have a name but it moved too fast for me to read.

Don

@coach joe posted:

Mel, would there happen to be a seafood restaurant in the building on the right side of the street behind the Construction Ahead sign?

@coach joe,

Canal Street extends about 1500 feet beyond the overpass. There has been considerable renovation and apartment construction along the right side of the street in recent years but, further down the street, there are ancient commercial and industrial buildings from the era of the New Haven Railroad. In the picture below that looks onto the bridge, there is a modern building to the left of the tracks in which there is a seafood restaurant that overlooks the river...

There still remain ghosts of the New Haven Railroad throughout Connecticut.

MELGAR

@DonMcErlean

Be afraid

I attended the 2009 NMRA National Convention that was held in Hartford, CT.  I had a wonderful time.  One of the highlights of the convention was a tour of several ex-NH stations.  Derby / Shelton was one of the stations.  At that time, I thought that I was going to build a NH themed layout so I took photos of architectural details.  The layout was built to the plywood stage and still exists without scenery.  Here are the photos that I took in July 2009.  NH Joe

@MELGAR posted:

Don,If you look closely at this photo, you can see that the pier in the center of the river is made of stone and the pier on the far bank is covered (reinforced?) with concrete, and its left edge is not vertical, but angled instead. I was wondering about that. Might be a repair because the bridge moved on the pier.

@PSM,

I have seen that on a lot of bridges, the angled side faces the flow of the river. Maybe works on the same principle as the bow of a ship.

@Don McErlean posted:

@MELGAR - Great video and pictures.  Did you notice that the center car with the red stripe had a name?  "The Husking Bee" whatever that means...the last car appeared to also have a name but it moved too fast for me to read.

Don

First coach is #5992.

Second coach is "The Husking Bee," defined as a gathering of farm families or friends to husk corn.

Third coach is "Ichabod Crane," a fictional character from the story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by  Washington Irving.

The blue-striped cars are painted for the Metro-North Harlem Division. The orange-striped car is owned by the State of Connecticut and painted for the Metro-North New Haven Division.

MELGAR

@bptBill - OK Bill I got it...am afraid, afraid that I missed this name myself .  Thanks for the comment

@MELGAR - Hey thanks, I had never heard of a "Husking Bee" (spelling Bee, Quilting Bee, etc but not Husking).  Thanks for the comeback.  You don't often see names on commuter coaches.  Good video by the way, thanks for posting.

Don

Very cool Mel. Out here by me we have a repurposed train station, not as old as that one though. After it's life as a station was over, it went through a few other lives. It had been a restaurant, bank, an office of some sort, and I think back to a bank now. It would have been great if it stayed as a station, but being the end of the line(the end is actually about 300 feet or more away where the train switches around), not much use there. It would be great if it could have another stop in the next town over, but alas, no dice over there. That is because the mainline is over that way, and they had pulled up some of the rails that our hometown train would need to run on. I think that town's station building(repurposed) may still be there, I'll have to ask.

Thanks Mel.  the photo is not where I thought it was.  I know someone that is part owner of a seafood restaurant in a building that looks just like that.  But as I think about it some more it is not in CT but across the border in Port Chester, NY.