Buildings, Bridges and Structures of the New Haven

I just want to get a new topic/sub-forum that is concerned with the buildings, bridges and structures of the New Haven.

As a child, I was impressed by the large embankment west of Old Greenwich that paralleled West End Avenue. The 1000 foot embankment included a culvert for creek emulating from Binney Park and an archway for vehicular traffic. Does any one know the years of its construction and its method of construction? Was this a cut and fill? I would appreciate any responses that would satisfy a former childhood curiosity. I include an aerial photo as reference. Feel free to discus any other topics related to New Haven structures.

Looks like it might have been part of the massive circa-1912 reconstruction of the main line (four tracks, electro-mechanical interlockings, etc.). However, in retrospect, it probably predates that by a number of years (the wire went up to Stamford circa 1906?).

Typical construction of that time, or this time, would be cut-and-fill (remove the dirt/rock/gravel where it needed removing, fill in the dirt/rock/gravel where it needed filling in).

I believe the I.C.C. valuation maps for Connecticut are on-line at the UConn website. They might give you some more information. Plus, if you can access the tax maps for Old Greenwich, they might also provide some input.

Thank-you Mr. Statkowski

I will check the U-Conn site as a possible reference.

I came upon this picture on the vehicular portal mentioned above. If you look carefully you will see a stone pattern change about three feet about the keystone (covered by the height restriction sign). The stonework that forms the arch and surrounding abutments is smaller in size and in different in character to the large and more robust stones above. I can't say for certain, but it appears that in the late Nineteenth Century the road bed elevation was substantially raised, possibly to minimize slope or to eliminate grade crossings down the line.

Enough of this esoteric dribble for tonight. A new subject will be forthcoming to further induce yawning.

I have often wondered which firms manufactured the cantenary structures for the New Haven, specifically the straight and tapered leg supports and the arched system. The arched system seems to have been an experimental type; similar to one’s being developed in Europe at the time. In the end the New Haven favored the tapered leg form, partly because of the wire support system. Does anyone know the name of the manufacturing firms that fabricated the cantenary support systems?