New Canaan Branch Discussion

Depending on which document you're looking at, the tracks at New Canaan are labeled, from left to right with the platform on the very left: Main, Middle, Bulk or NC1, NC2, NC3 .... and sometimes the Main track is called track 5 the whole way down.

There used to be some freight sidings on the New Canaan branch - Hatch & Balley between Largo Dr & Camp Ave, and AMF between Glenbrook & Springdale. I still remember the outcry New Canaan had a couple years ago when there were cat problems and they sent a P32 set up their line!

An interesting bit of trivia - New Canaan station was the very first thing I drew on my track map, way back in 2004. The New Canaan line was my demo for this project, which has now reached as far north as Boston, as far south as Perryville, MD and as far west as Harrisburg, PA. Most of the New Haven Line/Branches have been redrawn from scratch between then and now.

[quote="checkthedoorlight"]Depending on which document you're looking at, the tracks at New Canaan are labeled, from left to right with the platform on the very left: Main, Middle, Bulk or NC1, NC2, NC3 .... and sometimes the Main track is called track 5 the whole way down.


Main, Middle and Bulk are no longer being used. They are as you stated NC1, NC2 and NC3. As for the main tk it is called the New Canaan Main and tk 5 begins south of pole 399. Just my 2 cents.

Noel, could you imagine the uproar if they ever decided to unload boxcars off the bulk up in New Canaan? They hate the RR as it is, you'll only give them more of a reason to hate them more. I am sure lots will complain from the Starbucks across the street about the eye sore of some Southern boxcar sitting there. I was told with the inception of the M8's they were going to extend the bulk track to hold more cars. Believe it holds 4, with a tight fit for 5 fouling the NC2 or the "middle."

well there was freight on the line ages ago. I saw in a magazine once that CSX had/has Trackage rights to the New Cannan line. My Best guess was that CSX used to deliver parts to the MNRR Storage facility/ Ware house 100-250 feet away from my house. There is a unused sideing that has been cutoff from the new Cannan line. Ill take some pictures soon.....

last conrail customer was lumber place on new canaan.
its been closed for 20 year or better.
no csx does not deliver to mncr on new canaan branch.
only csx interchange points for mncr are bridgeport yard and croton east yard.

http://newcanaan.patch.com/articles/tra ... t-crossing

For the second time in two weeks a Metro-North train has derailed at the Grove Street crossing. Bus service is currently being provided to passengers. Train service is expected to be restored in time for this evening's rush hour.

Kind of rough on a one-track line.

If it is really only a single wheel or even one truck, whatever happened to the use of blocking and rerailers to get it back on track?

What would Ed Whitney have done????

confiscated both blocking and rerailers and called his wreck gang

shlustig wrote:If it is really only a single wheel or even one truck, whatever happened to the use of blocking and rerailers to get it back on track?

With an electric MU? Given the rail's the return circuit for the catenary....

Unless entire pair is on ground it would not be issue, besides on that pair you can lower pantograph and let other pairs do the moving.

Was the cause for these derailments ever found?

http://newcanaan.patch.com/articles/cau ... -incidents

A senior Metro-North Railroad official Wednesday said the cause of two recent train derailments in town is still under review, but a device has been installed on the track to prevent a similar event.

"It's called a slow-speed wheel climb derailment," said Joe Kanell, superintendent of the New Haven Line, about the two incidents.

On Aug. 8 and again on Sept. 2, trains not carrying passengers had a wheel derail while traveling through a switch on the Grove Street crossing.

What type of switch?

One that goes back and forth

[sarcasm] Really, Kevin? Thanks. [/sarcasm]

I was wondering what type of switch, other than a switch which allows for movement between tracks, would be at a crossing. In other words, is there some other type of switch of which I am unaware? I'm not railroad personnel, and I've never stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, so I think it's a reasonable question.

Is it a speed switch? A crossing activation switch? And how does the solution tie in to that, literally and figuratively.

It's an interlocked switch at CP 307, controlled by the RTC. The crossing is inside interlocking limits. It's a regular switch from the main track to the yard tracks. It's a CC crossing, meaning the train has to operate at a slower speed so as to activate the crossing. The switch isn't really in the crossing but a 4 car train train going through the switch would still occupy the crossing.