Official Naugatuck Railroad thread (NAUG/RMNE)

[Noel Weaver]

After the last NH RR passenger train came off, in Dec 1958, there was a freight agent assigned to Thomaston, working out of a small office in the old passenger station until the late 1960s. The job was half a day at Thomaston, and half a day at Naugatuck. I doubt the freight house office was useable by that time. Noel Weaver, do you know?

I remember when this was taking place but I don't think it was shared with Naugatuck but rather either Watertown or Terryville, I am not sure just which one. I don't the freight building (house) had been used in Thomaston for many, many years, maybe back to the 1940's. Naugatuck still had a lot of freight even in the 1960's and the agent/operator stayed there even in to the Conrail era on two shifts (first and middle five days a week).
Noel Weaver

[gokeefe]

Pure curiosity: When is the latest that Thomaston would have been using train orders? I could imagine this practice ending well before 1940 but "you never know".

[TomNelligan]

The New Haven RR employed train orders for branchline dispatching until the end of its existence on 1/1/69, and Thomaston was open as a part-time block station through at least the mid-1960s. I'm sure one of the RMNE guys knows the exact date when the agency closed.

[Ridgefielder]

The New Haven RR employed train orders for branchline dispatching until the end of its existence on 1/1/69, and Thomaston was open as a part-time block station through at least the mid-1960s. I'm sure one of the RMNE guys knows the exact date when the agency closed.

Just as an aside-- train order operation in New Haven branchline territory outlasted not just the NYNH&H but Penn Central and even Conrail. The tower at South Norwalk was still hooping up orders for MN passenger trains until what, the early '00s?

[Noel Weaver]

Thomaston was never Metro-North territory. Conrail changed from train orders to Form D around 1990 or so. The only NHRR territory that was still using train orders after the NORAC Rules took effect was Metro-North.
Noel Weaver

[Jeff Smith]

The one time I rode the Naugy train, it ran down as normal to the junk yard, they ran the engine around, and ran back north. We continued back past Thomaston and up an incline, from what I judge on the map to be beyond Hill Rd to that clearing, and flood control gate. They then reversed back to Thomaston. I really can't recall how far it was. Anyway, googling the route, I notice the ROW and track continue north to Torrington and the Register Citizen.

What's the status of the ROW north of that area? If money were not a concern, any reason they couldn't run it? I just remember besides being very scenic, it seems an odd spot to stop and reverse, being on a rather steep incline.

[H.F.Malone]

The regular excursion trains operate north of Thomaston station, climbing a 1.2% grade on the "new line", built in 1959-60 as part of the Thomaston Flood Control Dam project. About 8 miles of the railroad was relocated at a higher level, as part of that project. The relocated line starts at the north end of the old Plume & Atwood complex north of the station. The train currently stops at DCS station "DAM", at the western end of the Thomaston Dam. The tracks cross the face of the dam, and are about 100 feet higher in elevation than at the station (a distance of about 2 miles). Total one-way distance covered by the train is about 9 miles.

Tracks continue to Torrington; the "new line" comes back to the original alignment at about MP 15.6 in East Litchfield. The additional mileage up to Torrington adds considerable time to the trip, and the scenery north of East Litchfield is mostly dreary backyards and backs of industrial buildings.

[Noel Weaver]

For a while in the 1960's, i think, Thomaston was reopened as a block station. I will have to dig out my timetables to find out just when this took place and what the hours were. I suspect it might have been in the PM because the "Jitterbug" often made a trip to Waterville (Chases) with the local in Torrington and they needed to allow for both trains. I will check this one out so please stay tuned.
Noel Weaver

[Jeff Smith]

Gotcha. It is definitely a scenic ride; the least scenic is the junk yard stretch, but no complaints from me there, there were a few classic autos that kept me entertained Are the tracks north of the dam serviceable? I imagine the cost of maintaining them would be prohibitive. One more thing; was there ever any consideration in days of yore (i.e. the New Haven days) of a link to North Canaan and the Berkshire line from the now-abandoned Winsted? And did the line ever go north of Winsted? It seems kind of an obvious link along the US 44 corridor. Not that there's anything along that way of course.

[TomNelligan]

One more thing; was there ever any consideration in days of yore (i.e. the New Haven days) of a link to North Canaan and the Berkshire line from the now-abandoned Winsted?

Not only a consideration, but a Winsted-Canaan line existed for about sixty years. It was part of the mainline of the Central New England Railway (the original one, not the current shortline), a consolidation/reorganization of a couple earlier companies that extended from Hartford to Campbell Hall, NY, via Canaan and Poughkeepsie. Unfortunately it never flourished as a through route, and the segment in question was abandoned in 1938 after several years of disuse.

And did the line ever go north of Winsted?

No, Winsted was as far north as the (original) Naugatuck RR ever built.

[H.F.Malone]

The original Naugatuck Railroad opened to Winsted in Sept 1849 (20 years before the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in Utah). The CNE "crossed the T" at Winsted about 20-22 years later. As Tom stated, by 1938, it was abandoned as a through route, with many segments removed. Through operation had largely ceased by 1933-34. Some segments remained in service for many years; the Canaan-East Canaan segment is one. Others were the New Hartford branch, and two short segments on each side of Winsted. In all cases, the old CNE segments were connected to other lines (Naugy, Berkshire, etc.)

[Jeff Smith]

Ah, I'm getting a clearer picture. So this was the line that constituted the "frog" at the Canaan station? Very interesting. So was it part of the Highland? I always thought the Highland ran through Waterbury. I realize I'm probably confusing two lines.

[H.F.Malone]

Highland was originally the route from Hartford west to Waterbury, then west through Sandy Hook to Hawleyville and Danbury. Yes, it gets confusing at times. I strongly suggest a copy of "Connecticut Railroads" by Greg Turner, which describes and maps the NYNH&H's predecessor lines.

The CNE ran roughly northwest from Hartford, to Collinsville, New Hartford, Winsted, Norfolk, Canaan, Salisbury, Millerton (NY), thence southwest towards Poughkeepsie and the Bridge.

[newpylong]

What do they need a train order signal for?

Because it's a museum? And putting the signal back helps restore the original look? Or was that too obvious?

I think people forget that the Naugatuck Railroad is an arm of the Railroad Museum of New England, and that establishing a museum is actually one of their goals.

Thankfully there were additional, less smarta** responses.

[J.D. Lang]

For a while in the 1960's, i think, Thomaston was reopened as a block station. I will have to dig out my timetables to find out just when this took place and what the hours were. I suspect it might have been in the PM because the "Jitterbug" often made a trip to Waterville (Chases) with the local in Torrington and they needed to allow for both trains. I will check this one out so please stay tuned.
Noel Weaver

Not that this would offer much but when I worked briefly for PC as a brakeman in 1971-72 I would occasionally get NX-16 the Torrington run. When in Thomaston if we switched Diamond National and/or Plume & Atwood we would go into a small unused office IIRC in the south side of the station. If it was cold or snowing we would use the place to go over our blocking moves when we got to East Plains siding in Torrington before serving the customers there. The room was pretty trashed by then and do not think it was used by anyone else but I’m not sure.

J. Lang