New Haven Through Trains - 1943

Many named trains on the New Haven in 1943...

- Hell Gate Express - Penn Station to Boston

- The New Englander - Penn Station to Boston

- The Federal - Penn Station to Boston

- The Bunker Hill - Grand Central to Boston

- The Mayflower - Grand Central to Boston

- The Bay State - Grand Central to Boston

- The Penn-Bay State - Penn Station to Boston

- The Pilgrim - Penn Station to Boston

- The Bostonian - Grand Central to Boston

- Yankee Clipper - Grand Central to Boston

- The Colonial - Penn Station to Boston

- The Puritan - Grand Central to Boston

- The Shoreliner - Grand Central to Boston

- Merchants Limited - Grand Central to Boston

- The Senator - Penn Station to Boston

- The Hub - Grand Central to Boston

- The Advance Gilt Edge - Grand Central to Boston

- The Gilt Edge - Grand Central to Boston

- The Patriot - Penn Station to Boston

- State of Maine Express - Grand Central to New London

- The Owl - Grand Central to Boston

- The Naragansett - Grand Central to Boston

All of the above trains had westbound counterparts except...

- The Park Avenue - Boston to Penn Station

- The Forty-Second Street Express - Boston to Grand Central

- The New Yorker - Boston to Grand Central

- The Sundown - Boston to Grand Central

- The William Penn - Boston to Penn Station

- The Pershing Square - Boston to Grand Central

- The Commander - Boston to Grand Central

- The Quaker - Boston to Penn Station

Source: New Haven Form 219, Through Train Service between Boston and New York via Shore Line, Effective November 14, 1943.

-otto-

Otto, that is a fantastic list. Many of those trains lasted into the 50's or longer, and I remember their names from encounters at GCT or Penn Station. Curious to see the State of Maine Express listed, but not trains like the Gull, Bar Harbor Express, and Down Easter. Had they dropped off by 1943, or perhaps no local (NH only) passengers, so they weren't listed by the NH?

For that matter, I don't think the State of Maine carried that many passengers for NH stops only, i.e., GCT to New London, but I suppose it was done. Would think that 90% of the passengers on No. 124 were ticketed to non-NH destinations.

State of Maine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_M ... ger_train)

Bar Harbor Express
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Harbor_Express

The Gull (Boston - Halifax)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gull#M ... ail_trains

During World War II, the Office of Defense Transportation, which regulated all modes of transportation, restricted the operation of seasonal trains to resort and vacation areas. So, for the 1943-45 era anyway, there were no Bar Harbor, East Wind, Downeaster, North Wind, Night White Mountains and other seasonal trains on the New Haven to points in Northern New England. I don't know if it was 1943 or 1944, but the State of Maine consist was quickly turned at each end of its run (New York and Portland) and ran as the Day Express with the Pullmans set up for day service. The New Haven and Boston & Maine were to be commended for their efficiency because a there was a huge rise in passenger traffic during this time and crossing Boston with duffel bags or luggage or kids on a crowded subway was not an easy or pleasant task. However, the Office of Defense Transportation ordered the Day Express withdrawn to save on crews and fuel and to keep the lines open for priority moves, troop trains and military goods. I seem to think that Cape Cod service, though highly seasonal, did expand greatly during those summers, probably because people would have gone there anyway and overwhelmed the regular schedules. In the summer of 1945, extending into 1946, the ODT ordered all sleeping car runs of under 250 miles, later changed to 450 miles withdrawn and put into troop service. WWII ended in Europe on May 8, 1945. Some railroads discontinued their overnight flyers outright, but the resourceful NYNH & H converted its all-Pullman OWL to an overnight all parlor OWL. The consists seem to indicate the OWLS may have used MERCHANTS or YANKEE CLIPPER equipment. Unlike the regular OWLS, these consists had lounge cars that opened at 9 pm so that by the time Nos. 1 & 2 began to roll, the passengers were probably all tanked up. After all, the War was over in Europe and there was quite a bit of euphoria on the home front. The New Haven thought it wise to segregate its OWL passengers into MEN and WOMEN cars (it was almost all men). After all, except for an enclosed drawing room on some of the parlors, most of them just had the swivel chairs. And many of the tanked up guys, when they eventually settled down, probably slept in their skivvies or less. Attendants met the passengers at Grand Central, South Station and Providence and escorted them to facilities where they could shower, bathe and change clothes. I don't think there was much seasonal service in 1946, using Pullmans, because there were still a lot of military moves going on.

Ocala Mike wrote:Otto, that is a fantastic list. Many of those trains lasted into the 50's or longer, and I remember their names from encounters at GCT or Penn Station. Curious to see the State of Maine Express listed, but not trains like the Gull, Bar Harbor Express, and Down Easter. Had they dropped off by 1943, or perhaps no local (NH only) passengers, so they weren't listed by the NH?

For that matter, I don't think the State of Maine carried that many passengers for NH stops only, i.e., GCT to New London, but I suppose it was done. Would think that 90% of the passengers on No. 124 were ticketed to non-NH destinations.

And that's only the list for the Shoreline! Off the top of my head there were also:

-The Berkshire - Grand Central to Pittsfield, MA

-The Naugatuck - Grand Central to Winsted, CT

-The Nathan Hale - Grand Central to Springfield

-The Banker's Express - Grand Central to Springfield

I think there were a bunch more on the GCT-Hartford-Springfield run.

Also- did the Waterbury-Hartford-Boston (via the Midland) service have a name?