United Illuminating,Bridgeport Harbor Station

Related to,but off topic from the East bridgeport Yard thread question to Noel, Et al: How much coal was recieved and how would it be routed to Bridgeport Harbor Station up to the late 1960's when that station was converted to oil?
When I worked there in the early/mid 1980's,there was still some trackage on the property and a "Thawing Out "shed where cars carrying coal were dumped into grated hoppers.In this shed was also the station's switch locomotive which was painted in the same yellow color and UI logo that the company's truck fleet was painted in at the time.
When that station's Unit #3 was converted back to coal in 1985,the engineer in charge of the project(was and still is a railfan) was very disappointed that coal could not be brought in by rail because as he told me at the time" there are no bridges over the Hudson River or associated track capacity to bring that amount of coal to Bridgeport".Personally I think it would be more track issues than bridge issues,but that is what he told me.
Thanks,
Ed Baclawski

edbac333 wrote:Related to,but off topic from the East bridgeport Yard thread question to Noel, Et al: How much coal was recieved and how would it be routed to Bridgeport Harbor Station up to the late 1960's when that station was converted to oil?
When I worked there in the early/mid 1980's,there was still some trackage on the property and a "Thawing Out "shed where cars carrying coal were dumped into grated hoppers.In this shed was also the station's switch locomotive which was painted in the same yellow color and UI logo that the company's truck fleet was painted in at the time.
When that station's Unit #3 was converted back to coal in 1985,the engineer in charge of the project(was and still is a railfan) was very disappointed that coal could not be brought in by rail because as he told me at the time" there are no bridges over the Hudson River or associated track capacity to bring that amount of coal to Bridgeport".Personally I think it would be more track issues than bridge issues,but that is what he told me.
Thanks,
Ed Baclawski

Once the passenger station at Bridgeport was relocated west of the original location on the curve west of the bridge, they
cut all access to the Lower Yard because at that time were were no more remaining users of rail freight in that area and
the Waterbury job would go west to Burr Road to cross over.
When coal was used by UI in the Lower Yard it was generally brought in by unit coal trains out of Maybrook. I know when
I was in the towers in 1964, I handled a coal train in Bridgeport once or twice on a Saturday or Sunday day trick at SS-60
which was the drawbridge in Bridgeport. It was not an easy operation as the trains were long and heavy and tied up both
track three and the westbound passenger station until the rear end got in the clear on the west ramp. After the train
was yarded, the engines would come out on the east ramp and run light to Cedar Hill.
By what I have writte here, no coal went to UI in Bridgeport at any time by rail after about 1972 and probably much before
then.
Noel Weaver

IIRC the Conn. Valley RR Association was given picking rights to remove same trackage in the lower yard c. 1971 for use at the Valley RR. Think a couple of trailer loads of rail came out, including one rail from one track as the other rail was behind the chain link fence UI put up. Some of this rail was in bad shape as sitting in coal dust caused significant corrosion to the rail base. In '71 most if not all of the lower yard had been out of service for at least a couple of years - probably back to the start of the PC takeover.

Does anybody have any history of the line that branched off 'present' Metro North and went to Sikorsky out by Bridgeport Harbor ?

It served various industries and wound around north of the University of Bridgeport. Another line went out to the Garbage Recycling Facility out by the ocean.

I think the lower yard was originally part of the Housatonic RR.

The line that went to the CRRA came of the NH mainline by Burr Rd interlocking ramping down & running along the south side of Railroad Ave.

The CRRA never used the spur for recycling & was last used by a lumber yard next to the mainline.