Early NH Yard Scene

I can’t say when this photo was taken but I’ll make the assumption was done in the late 1870’s, judging by the clothing of one of the individuals pictured. I’m not sure either where this picture was taken. What intrigues me is the round structure to the left and the tower in the background. I have never seen a round rail yard structure like this before with so many slot doors. Was this some sort of elaborate switchman’s shanty? The tower in the background is clearly for an observation post of some kind. With the large weather vane on top, I’m wondering if this tower has anything to do with connecting ferry service or may not be related to the yard at all.

I have no idea on the location, but is that a FOUR way switch in the foreground? One track goes to the left of the tower building, one goes to the right of the tower building, one goes straight ahead, and one goes off to the right.

I haven't seen one of those before.

DAW

EDIT: Upon further revew it looks like a four way, stub switch. Does anyone know how common these were?

Here is a picture of the switch at a lager scale. I don’t know if this will provide any further clarification.

I think that we're down Cape and that we're at water's edge. What appears to be a towered building, I believe is a station with a lighthouse behind it. Given the two-dimensional property of film, it appears to be one building. The round little structure with multiple doorways, I'm guessing, might be a wash station with a circular sink inside, designed to give greasy workers a quick in and out to wash up before leaving, eating etc., and not waiting in line at one door. I think that this yard does light work. Perhaps, Hyannis or Woods Hole ?

lots to look at in that little image.
the very early telegraph poles with horizonal insulator posts are quite interesting also.

The small round structure being a wash station is an interesting concept. The holes on the top of the structure are curious too. I might contact a railroad historian on this one. Though the tower may have not been part of the yard, I’m not sure the tower was a lighthouse, since the structure’s design would not accommodate a Fresnel lens or even a rudimentary beacon.

I don't really see what else that that round structure could be other than a wash station. I see it as with a round sink in the niddle with multiple stations for which to wash up at. It's not a urinal, as this is the Victorian era and it's too open. If this were Paris, I would offer that as a possibility, but it's not. The round holes going around the top are vents to allow condensation to escape, which may have been a problem with multiple wash stations being used at the same time (such as just before lunch). As far as the lighthouse is concerned, I believe that the fresnel lense is clearly visible and facing the camera on the top deck of the house. Above that is what appears to be a sign or possibly a flag. It would be interesting to play with that, for anyone who has photo shop skills, as it may tell us where this location is. A check with Daves Photos of the Cape's New Haven terminals may also solve all.

I emailed the picture to NHRHTA with a question concerting its location and the structures pictured. Charlie Dunn of the organization provided me with the following information. He is familiar with this picture and its history. I very much thank him for his input.

Date: Late 1860s
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Location: Naugatuck Junction (Devon today) in Milford, CT, looking east. The line branching off to the left is the Naugatuck RR line.
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Structure in background: The tall tower is the signal tower for the covered wooden bridge over the Housatonic River between Milford and Stratford. Its purpose was to indicate whether the draw was open or closed. The NY&NH main line was double tracked by this date, but the bridge (located behind the photographer) was single tracked.
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Structure in foreground: The round structure is the Switch Station of that time period. The adjacent switch is a stub end switch and could be set to direct traffic to any one of the 4 tracks.

Here’s an old photo of the covered wooded bridge over the Housatonic River with the interesting draw span structure. I’m not sure how the span was lifted, but I’m assuming it was a series of counter weights.
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How the locomotives went through those bridge housings without asphyxiating the crew and passengers is beyond me.

chnhrr wrote:Here’s an old photo of the covered wooded bridge over the Housatonic River with the interesting draw span structure. I’m not sure how the span was lifted, but I’m assuming it was a series of counter weights.
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How the locomotives went through those bridge housings without asphyxiating the crew and passengers is beyond me.

thats a beauty thanks for sharing.

are you sure the two center sections lift rather than the whole rotating 90 degrees?

Ill take a guess that the areas along the housings under the eaves are lattice work to allow for ventilation.

Eliphaz, that's a good question. When I contacted the NHRHTA, they referred to it as a drawbridge and not a swing bridge. I found another reference to the bridge as a drawbridge. Without evidence of steam power, I’m not sure how a bridge section that size could have rotated. The first covered stationary section is a pretty good span for a wood bridge.
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These covered wooden railroad bridges became obsolete with the advent of cast iron and steel construction. Also wood bridges were fire prone, especially during the Civil War.

Eliphaz wrote:

chnhrr wrote:Here’s an old photo of the covered wooded bridge over the Housatonic River with the interesting draw span structure. I’m not sure how the span was lifted, but I’m assuming it was a series of counter weights.
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How the locomotives went through those bridge housings without asphyxiating the crew and passengers is beyond me.

thats a beauty thanks for sharing.

are you sure the two center sections lift rather than the whole rotating 90 degrees?

Ill take a guess that the areas along the housings under the eaves are lattice work to allow for ventilation.

That sure looks like a swing span to me. Seems like a draw span would have some serious counterweights on one end, seeing as the structure would need to be moved by muscle power-- either human or horse. If you can find a nautical chart from the era it would answer the question.

With regard to asphyxsiation, that covered bridge is far shorter than hundreds of steam-era tunnels. The eaves are likely open and there may be ventilators on the roof-- it's hard to tell from the photograph.

Anyone know when the wooden structure was replaced? I'm assuming that's the "grandfather" of the current 4-track bridge, since the 1893 USGS map of the Bridgeport quadrant indicates a double-track structure.

I'll have to ask NHRHTA on the type of bridge. Typically early swing type bridges were on canals. The barges could push the bridge to the side and the bridge could be returned to the closed position by pulling along the towpath. This could be a swing bridge or an early form of a bascule bridge.