New Haven and Electric Power Companies

I am just starting a topic concerning the New Haven’s role in providing rail service to electric power plants throughout New York and New England. Here is a picture of United Electric Light and Power Co. (Bronx) in the early 1930’s showing the New Haven yard on the left and an electrified line on the right. I assume the primary purpose of the yard was for boiler slag removal, since the coal derricks shown would indicate that coal was received from barges on the river. The electrified line may have been for freight delivery (i.e.: machinery, equipment). The plant would eventually become part of the Con-Edison system and the yard would be removed.

Excellent topic and a great photo.

Do you have any photos of the Devon Power Station before the 1950's?

I don’t have anything on Devon. All I could find is a picture of the plant in the distance behind the bridge over the Housatonic. I included a portion of the valuation map that shows the interchange headed in the plant's direction. I’m looking for the adjoining map, which will hopefully show the siding to the plant.

Thanks for posting the photo of the Devon plant. I never saw that photo before. Hope you find the map showing the Devon Plant sidings, that would also help my research immensely.

Thanks again.
Gary

Gary
As you may know, the Connecticut Light and Power Co. completed the initial phase of the plant in 1924. Additions were subsequently made. Here is an early site plan showing a possible rail siding layout. I also include a section and plan of the initial facility as it may have been constructed (Refer to eBay). It appears the spur headed in the Derby direction. It would be interesting to know if the coal cars came from that direction or originated from the main line. I read that the company situated the plant at that location, since it could receive coal barge traffic, water for cooling and convenient rail service.

To all, I would be interested in hearing about power plants is Hartford, Waterbury, Bridgeport, Providence and Boston areas as well.

Chuck
AKA chnhrr

Here are the section and plan that both show the rail siding (R-1 & R-2). As a side note the smoke stacks were 357 ft. high or 320 ft. high from the firing level.

Chuck,

My God, I've been looking for the last six years for plans like this of the Devon Plant. Thank you so much for finding and posting them, it answers all my questions at last!

Thanks Again!
Gary

chnhrr wrote:Gary
As you may know, the Connecticut Light and Power Co. completed the initial phase of the plant in 1924. Additions were subsequently made. Here is an early site plan showing a possible rail siding layout. I also include a section and plan of the initial facility as it may have been constructed (Refer to eBay). It appears the spur headed in the Derby direction. It would be interesting to know if the coal cars came from that direction or originated from the main line. I read that the company situated the plant at that location, since it could receive coal barge traffic, water for cooling and convenient rail service.

To all, I would be interested in hearing about power plants is Hartford, Waterbury, Bridgeport, Providence and Boston areas as well.

Chuck
AKA chnhrr

Not a commercial power plant but a good size steam power plant was operated by The American Brass Company in Torrington. They received carloads of coal by rail all through the 50's and into the 60's. This plant provided enough electricity to operate the entire facility in Torrington; rod mill, casting shop, aluminum mill, rolling mill and the offices as well as everything else. The had a beautiful whistle on that powerhouse that was blown for shift changes as well as special occasions and it could be heard all over the Upper Naugatuck Valley for many miles. The Brass Mill Dam at the Stillwater Reservoir on the Norfolk Road in Torrington is still there as is the reservoir which was built and owned by the brass mill for many years. So far as I know Torrington was the only American Brass facility that produced all of its power needs internally. I can still remember watching the big crane unloading and handling the coal at this point from the Prospect Street Bridge. Not a trace of it remains today.
Noel Weaver

chnhrr:
If you scroll down this page a ways you can find a good answer Noel gave me to the question of how United Illuminating Bridgeport Harbor Station recieved coal back in the years when they recieved iy by rail,
Ed

Ed - Thanks for the heads up, I’ll check it out.

Questions:

Gary – as a matter of interest, the reason for your research is that for a model layout?

Noel – Do you remember if the coal was hauled in NH hoppers or were the hoppers primarily other railroads such as C&O, B&O, N&W, Lackawanna etc?

chnhrr wrote: Gary – as a matter of interest, the reason for your research is that for a model layout?

Chuck,

Yes, it is in a sense. I have been building a computerized 3D digital model of the New Haven Naugatuck Line from Devon to Winsted for the past seven years. The layout also includes part of the Highland Line from Waterbury to Plainville, and the Watertown Branch. It is set in the 1942-1954 period and is not compressed. All track, sidings, and gradients are precise by NH valuation maps and gradient charts.The topography is done by digital elevation mapping. All the industries and businesses that were served on the line by the NH for the period will be included, over 200 at last count. The layout is fully interactive. Also, all locomotives used during the period are being digitally rendered by a team of programmers using official diagrams so that users can run exact replicas of the motive power and rolling stock on the layout. When finished I plan on posting the layout on the web for free download.

I also plan to build a compressed prototypical HO layout of part of the Naugatuck Line for the same time period. But I will build the HO layout when I retire in a few years. I have done presentations on my research of the Naugatuck Line at the Watertown and Plainville Historical Societies and hope to do more in the future.

The Devon Power Station was one of the last obstacles in my research of the Naugatuck Line. I need an accurate track plan of the sidings in the plant for the 1942-1954 period. What made the plant so confusing was all the changes done to it over the years. Some vaulation maps show a tremendous amount of trackage in the plant in the late 1950's. Other maps and photos show very little trackage in the plant. Your info is a great help for the early period of the plant. But what was the track plan of the sidings in the plant during the 1940's? During the war did the coal trestle loop completely around the plant and connect back to the Naugatuck main?

Gary that’s cool. Are you using AutoCAD or Sketch-up for your 3-D modeling? I’m doing plan, sections and elevations of the New York Central’s plant at Port Morris in the Bronx. It’s a good thing I don’t have a client paying form this, since I would be fired for a lack of progress. Nevertheless; I hope to translate the drawings to 3-D one of these days.

Unfortunately I can’t help you with your questions. In addition to Noel, I would contact the NHRHTA or visit the Dodd Center. If you have photos, that’s a good start since they represent as-built conditions. A Fairchild aerial survey (if it exist) from the period would be great, since they are high resolution photographs. As you know, there are programs on the market that can help establish dimensions from photographs. You should also just contact the plant’s engineering office and see if they would show you the old drawings they have on file.

chnhrr wrote:Gary that’s cool. Are you using AutoCAD or Sketch-up for your 3-D modeling? I’m doing plan, sections and elevations of the New York Central’s plant at Port Morris in the Bronx. It’s a good thing I don’t have a client paying form this, since I would be fired for a lack of progress. Nevertheless; I hope to translate the drawings to 3-D one of these days.

Unfortunately I can’t help you with your questions. In addition to Noel, I would contact the NHRHTA or visit the Dodd Center. If you have photos, that’s a good start since they represent as-built conditions. A Fairchild aerial survey (if it exist) from the period would be great, since they are high resolution photographs. As you know, there are programs on the market that can help establish dimensions from photographs. You should also just contact the plant’s engineering office and see if they would show you the old drawings they have on file.

Thanks for the compliment. I have hired two programmers/3D artists who use GMAX to make the 3D models for use in Trainz 2004. I sympathize with you, creating this stuff takes years! But the end result is very rewarding.

Thank you for the research sources. I have asked about the plant on the NHRHTA forum and have researched at the Dodd Center, with no luck. The precise 1940's track plan for the Devon Plant still remains a mystery. The best aerial photo I have seen of the plant is the 1934 aerial survey. The 1951 aerial survey photos are useless because smoke from the plant blocked out the track plan. The plant is much changed by 1965, rendering that aerial photo also useless. Contacting the plant's engineering office sounds like a great idea, I never thought of that.

Check out http://www.historicaerials.com .

There are aerial photos taken in 1934, 1949 & 1960.

chnhrr wrote: Noel – Do you remember if the coal was hauled in NH hoppers or were the hoppers primarily other railroads such as C&O, B&O, N&W, Lackawanna etc?

This was in excess of 60 years ago and I have no memory as to who owned the hopper cars of coal enroute to American Brass in Torrington. The only ways this question could be answered would be old photos of the local freight showing the hopper cars of coal or maybe an old wheel report if any are still in existance which I kind of doubt.
Noel Weaver