Obscure Photo for New Haven Fans

Beautiful......it's nice to see some New Haven pics not under catenary. It's a part of the New Haven that I don't see enough of.......especially non-electric passenger operations.....But then, look at where I lived and played.....the Bronx and Westchester County.

Thnk you.

Peter

Peter:

Ironically, the Providence, Warren & Bristol RR was the line on which the first major electrification project was undertaken by the New Haven.  The tracks you see in that photo had been electrified until about 3 years before the photo was taken.

There is a book (more of an engineering treatise) named "The Pioneer Stage of Railroad Electrification Transactions" which documents this.  Original copies of the book are ridiculously expensive, but reprints can be had relatively reasonably.  In conjunction with electrification, the PW&B also dug a 1-mile long tunnel underneath Providence, RI to allow trains from Bristol to travel directly into the main station in Providence, all under wire.

SJS

Thanks for sharing for the picture. It's quite a contrast to the typical New Haven image of a mainline electric or I-5 Hudson with a long limited at speed.

Bob 

Hello from Swansea. You might enjoy this book on the lost railroads of new england.

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Ra...roads+of+new+england

Steven, Thanks for posting this. My dad came back from WWII to work on the New Haven, trained as a fireman for steam and diesel. I like that light fixture on that crooked pole, too. 

Tom 

A very interesting photo to me, a Connecticut fan of the New Haven Railroad. I used Google Maps Street View to look at the modern day (2012) image of Thames Street in Bristol. The parking lot at the right side of the photo is still there and it looks to me like the rails may still be in the street. Also a classic brick New England factory on the West side of the Thames Street. Thanks for posting.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

A very interesting photo to me, a Connecticut fan of the New Haven Railroad. I used Google Maps Street View to look at the modern day (2012) image of Thames Street in Bristol. The parking lot at the right side of the photo is still there and it looks to me like the rails may still be in the street. Also a classic brick New England factory on the West side of the Thames Street. Thanks for posting.

MELGAR

MELGAR:

The parking lot is still there.  The lot is used as 1) overflow parking for the ferry that runs to Prudence Island and 2) for the brick factory (which makes rugs).

The rails are not currently visible on Thames Street, but I was told yesterday that if you walk down to the end, you can still see them in the dirt where the paved road ends.  I'll take a walk or a bike ride some time soon to see for myself.

Thanks for your interest.

SJS

MNCW posted:

Steven, Thanks for posting this. My dad came back from WWII to work on the New Haven, trained as a fireman for steam and diesel. I like that light fixture on that crooked pole, too. 

Tom 

Tom:

I was looking at that light fixture also.  At first glance, it looks like any number of stamped-steel cheapo shades that you've seen in RR photos, but the stalk is a reasonably ornate and is either cast metal or a more elaborate steel creation.  

The PWBRR had a number of those crooked poles.  The picture below, taken a few towns to the north and probably about 20 years earlier, shows more poles like this.  In this photo, they were used to hold the catenary.  I suspect the one in the photo above was originally used to hold the catenary and simply stayed in place as a utility pole when the catenary system was removed.

SJS

Another great photo.

MELGAR

Thank you for sharing.