The New Haven Railroad and the Conley Terminal

[Bostontrucker]

I've recently noticed from looking at Historic Aerials that the Conley Terminal had rail access. I have plenty of local history books and NH railroad books and never come across any pictures or articles describing operations there. The freight yards all over Southie were heavily photographed, but I've haven't seen any on the ground pictures. I was looking at the 1955 viewer and I guess that it was established post war and ceased operations by the Penn Central merger. Must have been interesting seeing long strings of box cars traveling on East and West First Streets.

[neman2]

Check out this picture from Tom O' Toole NE RAIL , #426 East First Street South Boston from 1963.
http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20100 ... n&BOOL=ALL

[neman2]

view today--

https://www.google.com/maps/place/426+E ... 5338?hl=en

[Rbts Stn]

That is a nice recent Google Street View image. Barely shows my favorite Boston diner!

[Bostontrucker]

Very interesting contrast. I drive by there all the time and I always wondered where that photo was taken. I remember when I was younger, 3 or 4 rails poking through the asphalt along West First Street.

I know tracks went to the King Terminal along L Street and they must have been extended along East First Street to the Conley Terminal. The freight train in that pic is really long, so I would guess it picked up cars from the Conley Terminal as it falls within the years of trains servicing it. Must have tied up traffic!

[conductorchris]

I visited the yard in the mid eighties. At that time Conrail still assigned a switcher out of the old New Haven yards - a single shift. I recall the three largest customers at that time were Conely terminal (TTX 89' flats with containers moving in and out), Coastal (an oil terminal adjacent to Conley Terminal, reached on first street) and the Boston Globe (out the line toward Milton, adjacent to the MBTA red line). Another switcher (called the "Metro Switcher" ran out of Beacon Park yard and came over to First Street Yard to transfer cars to this switcher. I assume the Metro Switcher also switched the Boston Herald, close to South Station. I wish I had a chance to take pictures then and do a bit more documentation. I believe the containers from Conley went out on CR intermodal freights from Beacon Park.
Christopher Parker