Interesting documentary about the old railway that used to spin on a turntable under the old Groton-New London CT Goldstar Bridge to point itself back towards Vermont.
Love the scene with the excursion train over the B&M bridge in Brattleboro on the New Hampshire. Rarer than rare as very few photos even exist of it in action. Thanks for posting this.
My mother's family was in Rutland, Vermont. It was the O'Grady family, although my grandfather dropped the 'O" from their name. He was a pharmacist and had a wood shop at his home. He made furniture as a hobby.
Lived in Randolph VT, as a kid, during the fifties. Our house was on Salisbury street which ran parallel to the tracks, literally 150 feet from the tracks. We kids spent hours hanging around the then manned around the clock station, which was a couple hundred yards from the house. The telegraph was constantly clacking out orders that the agent would hand up to passing trains. Witnessed the slow change from steam to diesel, not even knowing what we were seeing. Back then there were 10 - 12 trains passing thru each day. A morning local heading north in the morning, and one south in the evening would stop and switch several businesses. A few times I was invited to ride. I expect it was so they could keep track of me. Got to see GP9's brand new from the factory. Anyway, it was a great time in my life, and now at 76 I certainly would like to return to those times! Oh well.....
Great scenes from my youth growing up in Stafford Springs, CT. I've fanned the CV from New London to St Albans over the years, all in diesel era. However as a young guy my aunt took me on the 6218 excursion!
My favorite railroad. Probably because it is literally the only one anywhere near me still running. Well, except the old Barre & Chelsea (actually I am not sure what they call it now), but they run a couple small trains a week through Montpelier, sending old gondolas of granite rout from Barre to Montpelier Junction on the CV. So barely a railroad. The CV at least runs 4 trains per day, 2 Amtrak and 2 freight, one of each north and south. Occasionally there will be a 3rd freight. It is hard to watch them because they dont pass here until midnight and 3AM. I used to go down to watch them leaving or coming into Montpelier right after midnight; the freights are more impressive than the Amtraks. Best to watch them leaving, because then they open then engines right up. Hard part was that the North and South trains used to meet in Montpelier, and I never knew which was going to depart first. If went south of town and the northbound left first, I would have to wait another 45 minutes or so for the southbound to leave. Never could tell which it was going to be until the last minutes, and only if I waited at the station where i could see. Then I would have to jump in the truck and drive as fast as I could out of town to meet the train. Anyway, I liked to go north down Route 12, and about a mile outside of town there is a backroad that crosses over the line at grade. I liked to wait there, because the engines were still at full power and you could feel them vibrating the ground from a mile away, reverberating up the valley, and the air horns sounding at the private grade crossings outside of town. It would start out quiet and dark, a typical summer (or winter) night, you could hear the locomotives idling a mile away down the valley at the Junction. The road is in the middle of farm fields, and the Dog River runs parallel to the tracks there, so often it would be banks of valley fog coming off the river. I would wait around for ten minutes or half an hour, walk my dog around and look at the silent, still night time. Then I would hear the air horn blow, so clear it was like it was right across the field, nd immediately you would hear the engines open up a notch. And then another, and another, and I would run back to the crossing. I would hear the locomotives rumbling and roaring, louder and louder as speed picked up down the valley, and the horns sounding at the private crossings, and the roar as it crossed the overpass over the highway. But other than that the night is still and silent and dark. Then the light starts to round the hill at the head of the valley; the locomotives are really throbbing away, full power, and you can hear the cars rocking and the steel wheels squealing now, and the headlight comes around the corner and lights up all the valley fog. I would go and stand right beside the track, by the crossing signal stand, and it would just get louder and louder, and the light would get brighter and brighter, until it was lighting up the whole track. The still, dark valley was gone, it was all roaring and light, coming straight for me, and then they would blow for the crossing and the flashers would come on. Then these huge, black, roaring, throbbing, hissing monsters would smash into the pool of red light, horn blaring, and pass five feet away from me. One, two, three, sometimes four, even five locomotives, all crashing by at 50 or 60 mph up the valley. And then they would be past, still pulling hard, black against the pool of yellow light cast by the headlight, moving slowly off down the track, and the cars would whizz and groan and bang and squeal past, the wind buffeting me the whole time, the cars looking crazy in the flashing red light. It made my heart race, it was exciting. Always that letdown when 50 or 60 or 70 or more cars go past, going faster, faster as the locomotive s continued to accelerate, and then suddenly, the last one, the flashing red end marker lamp, and all the noise would disappear off up the track, the lights would shut off, and suddenly it was a dark, quiet night again, except the now distant train heading off for Riverton and Northfield. Ah, I do miss it. And I miss my dog. I wonder if they still follow the same schedule. It isnt _that_ cold tonight.... Also good to go north, climb over the guardrail of the Rt 2 highway overpass and stand on the top of the retaining wall. I also waited under the railroad overpass across Rt 12 once, and that was pretty cool. It was actually hard to resist running when the sound of the locomotive suddenly roared onto the overpass and straight towards me; all my insticnts were yelling "its coming right for you you fool! Run!!!
Wow! You should add context (what triggered you to write this) and send this in to the local newspaper, other people and train enthusiasts deserve to read this. Great story!
Excellent descriptive writing, with a great memory for detail! Are you a professional writer? It's just too bad steam didn't last long enough for you to experience it in this context, and people who heard the CV's steam whistles have said they were the prettiest in New England. What a sight and sound that must have been!
I believe the location at 40:13 is the rt 63 overpass in Leverett MA, based on the narration and the appearence of the location. Haven’t ever shot a train here, but I shot a good many Amtrak trains and a fair share of NECR freights at the depot rd grade crossing just a bit south. The old station must have not seen much service, I read somewhere they tore it down around 1950. Note the gates by the tracks in the shot- I think there was once a grade crossing here... I have spotted the old alignment of the road by the overpass. Hard to tell what used to ne there unless you look carefully.
Thanks for this, I love these trains and this period of history. I was born in the wrong time... I would love steam being king, men being men and women being women. Not the woke lies people are brainwashed into today.
my mothers family was from jersey city nj in row houses with servants then her mother moved and lived in glen ridge not far from the lackawanna rr line in upper montclair, nj, and they owed a very big train set for many long years but then her husband bobby winans [he looked like humpty dumpty] died so kackie his wife just dumped his entire train set on the curb around 1965. it was worth thousands of dollars. if you want to know more let me know!
One of my favorite things on the den floor consist is a "Central Vermont" four window Caboose, No. 6187 just like the ones shown here.. It's wood, made I the 1940's I suspect with heavy metal trucks.Great to see Jim Findlay with Engine No.220..does anyone know if it's still in a static display? Is it the only engine not sent to the scrappers yard?
There is an old 4-4-0 on display in Brattleboro. That is the only one I know of, but I am still finding surprising things around here even after living here my whole life. Found an M4 Sherman tank last summer up in St Albans.
No offense but sometime the music they pick for these videos leaves alot to be desired 😂I would rather hear train sounds than music but that's just my opinion
