L&H Memories: THE Fast Train

It's backward to 1958 on the L&H and New Haven...

The Jet

BO-3--Ex. SUN.

Boston...........2:30 p.m.
Providence......3:45 P.m.
New Haven......6:40 p.m.
Maybrook.......10:30 P.m.

Handles Merchandise Traffic from the above points, providing second morning arrival at Chicago and St. Louis via Erie R.R. and connections and L&H-DL&W R.R.

Connections Maybrook To: Erie 99, L&H 35.

The above is copied from New Haven Railroad Freight Train and Package Car Schedules Effective Oct. 26, 1958

I cannot locate the appropriate L&H schedule westward from Maybrook at this time, and strangely the NH does show every L&H train schedule but #35.

As noted in my L&H symbol schedule from about seven years ago on the oldest page of this topic, #35 absolutely and officially was THE fastest train, being authorized 60 mph from Warwick to Andover. It would hit the bell at AD just before or after Midnight, having gone the 39 miles in 38 minutes!!

Had two RS-3's and came back light from Port Morris, then spotted any locals pulled from Andover yard westward to G, then down to Hudson Yard to wait for the LV pup to bring over the hot reefers for L&H EO-2. Then it was off to Maybrook to beat the 9:30 a.m. closing for NH OB-2.

#35 was a sort of last hurrah for NH-L&H-DL&W through service as the EL merger was but two years away. So they certainly gave it their "best shot" right to the end!!

Joseph in Vermont

This one stirred up some dormant memory cells; I remembered that around 1960, either Popular Mechanics or Popular Science magazine did an article on the Yankee Jet. I just found it, on Google Books- Popular Science, November 1961:

http://tinyurl.com/6atw4ov

An interesting read, from a different era. (I have that issue of PS buried somewhere in the attic; as good as Google is, it doesn't do my attic yet.)

This would have been after the EL merger, and west of the L&HR it was all PRR- L&H to P'burg instead of Andover, Pennsy from Hudson Yard to Chicago instead of DL&W.

This was apparently the successor to the '58 Jet; Yankee Jet on the New Haven, symbol JET-1 on the L&HR- and the JETS (and return EO-2) were the pride of the road. All involved would do everything they could to literally shave seconds off the running time.

Good Morning Marty

Thank you for posting that great article. I tried to print it but maybe the format won't allow it?? Could you try resending it in another format??

I have the New Haven schedule for the Yankee Jet from 1963 and I will reprint it with some memories soon.

After several years lapse, retirement, a busy sheep farm, etc, I'm able to carve out a little time to share some memories with others.

I think I'll do a another short one now.

Joseph of Vermont

Joseph-

If you look at the lower right corner of each page of the article, you'll see the words "Copyrighted material" in light gray letters. Anything on Google Books that is covered by copyright protection is prevented from printing. But- there are ways.

While not advocating anything, if you know what the 'printscrn' key on your keyboard does, and have a graphics program, there are ways to do it. Or, if you use Firefox as a browser, there is a plug-in that sounds like it's basically a utility to do the same thing. Google it...

Hi Marty

Thank you for a possible solution. We have a computer "wizz" here at the town library and I'll have to challenge her to print it.

It was only last year that I located that wonderful article in TRAINS by Wallace Abbey from the early 50's, and I got one from a MA dealer.

I want to file this POPULAR SCIENCE article with it.

When I moved to VT in 1966 with my new VW beetle I only brought what would fit with me. I burned too many bridges leaving my L&H collection behind!