In my last message I didn't really cover what happened when the New Haven Railroad vacated the main part of the building and used what was considered the south wing. The south wing originally housed the restaurant, baggage room and maybe some other functions. When the railroad moved to the south wing after alterations, the ticket office was still pretty good size as it housed on the day trick the ticket agent, an operator, clerk for reservations, another clerk for tickets and the telephone operator. The joke was that they stumbled over each other. You could still see where the stools were at the counter in the restaurant right by the ticket windows of which there were two. There was still a newstand and a shoe shine (Joe) and the shoe shine lasted for some time even after the floods resulted in less service. Joe did a lot of shoes, when I was in the Naval Reserve the folks there told us if we couldn't see our face in our shoes they needed a shine and they recommended Joe at the railroad station. Joe did a good business as a result of the USNRTC in Waterbury. The express office was also moved from the north wing to the south end of the south wing. As a result the south wing contained the passenger station, waiting room, ticket office, baggage room, express office, downstairs the telephone maintainer and after 1958 what remained of the car department and engine house operation. After the yard office closed in the early 70's the yardmaster was also moved to the station but by then the express office had closed because Railway Express Agency was no more. If buildings could talk the Waterbury Railroad Station could tell a lot of stories of glory days of the past. I almost forget the second floor originally was high above the main waiting room and the second floor housed the Waterbury Division Offices until the Waterbury Division was merged into the Hartford Division in the 30's. After that the second floor still housed a few offices including the police department, trainmaster, division freight agent and probably one or two more that I don't recall today. After the building was sold and the railroad vacated the main part of this building the remaining offices in the station were relocated to the second floor of the freight office on Freight Street. While you would never know it today, Waterbury years ago was a very, very important point on the New Haven Railroad.
Noel Weaver