Official Naugatuck Railroad thread (NAUG/RMNE)

[CannaScrews]

This is an online business, fer sure. Just do a Google helicopter ride at Frostbridge Road, Watertown, CT & see the facility.

Interchange at this point is at roughly north of Watertown Junction switch which is underneath the Thomaston Ave overpass in Waterbury. Very not good for photos during the foliage season & the Thomaston Ave overpass "security fence" is made out of expanded metal & you can only see at a 90 degree angle from the road. Since the track runs at an acute angle, you cannot see anything from the overpass. Pity.

You can try to walk into the area if you park just north of the Burger King, but, there is a temporary housing project nearby with a fair amount of pedestrian activities. So be advised if you are not acquainted with the niceties of central urban living, you may be a bit disconcerted.

In the space of a few days, no less than a case of spray paint was used (by local volunteers) in the ongoing maintenance program of protecting the car sides from rusting. Unfortunately, only 6' of a 17' car was protected. The Naugatuck RR is looking for ways to bring down a scissors lift to the interchange area so that the other 11' can be properly covered.

[Noel Weaver]

In short, NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE!!!! The above is excellent advice. In my time Waterbury was very prosperous with industry all over the place and most folks had good jobs in industry or related. When I hired out with the New Haven Railroad the railroad in Waterbury alone had well over 100 employees in various departments and doing various jobs all important. Today the heavy industries are history and even the light industry jobs are on the skids at best. The big money maker in Waterbury today is not worth writing about on here but believe me it is bad and this area borders on a crime ridden neighborhood. I first moved with my family from Torrington to Waterbury in 1951 and we lived in a good part of town on Bunker Hill. It was about a 20 minute down the hill to the best hot dog stand I have ever been to. An evening hot dog and fries would really hit a spot. It was a good stop on my way home from the middle trick Engine Dispatcher position at the round house which still had a decent payroll and was a 24/7 operation with 11 active stalls and an active 95 foot electric turntable. All gone now except for the hot dog stand (Frankies on Watertown Avenue) which is still there and probably has the best hot dogs around. Oh yes, they no longer stay open to midnight, closing before the problems start in the evening. Get your photos but I suggest you find a much better and safer spot.
OH and all the best to the railroad with this new business, a vital shot in the arm.
Noel Weaver

[rhallock]

GE 45-ton loco #42 has a new owner and a new home, west of the Hudson River. It was recently sold and now lives in Kingston, NY at the Catskill Mountain Railroad. Too small for 96% of NAUG's operating needs, so it was time for it to go on to a new life someplace else.

This quote is from late 2014 and the engine is indeed now on the Catskill Mountain RR and has been very valuable on the Kingston trains. Can anyone tell me the history of the # 42? Also worthy of note is a similar GE 45 tonner is also now on the CMRR line at Phoenicia. It is a former Fore River RR engine.

[CannaScrews]

Is this just a test cut or is the business online? And yes, inquiring minds would like to know, where is the interchange location!

Just to make the point graphic, here is what the interchange looks like from Thomaston Ave. BTW, I'm originally from Da Bronx, so my Spidey sense is always on & I'm comfortable on the streets. You can't predict a drive-by, however, but my stature generally precludes this - I wear my baseball cap brim forward & the brim is curved.

[CannaScrews]

Can anyone tell me the history of the # 42?

Yes.

It was built in 1942, hence the number. It replaced a fireless cooker at Stanley Works, New Britain CT, & was their plant.
Ex Cold Metal Products 873 - donated to the RMNE 1996.
Ex Stanley Works (no number) (no date).

There is some information online and literature on the 45 tonners which you can reference. If you get the builder's #, that'll give you just about the whole nut.

That little sucker had cajones! It took 4 loaded scrap gons at Stanley Works down the hill, & cross Burritt St in New Britain. Nobody told the "engineer" that you can hook up train air to the gons & don't have to rely on the independent to control the cars.....

When working on the Naugatuck in the yard, it would move a string of 8-10 cars/locos with no problem. Unfortunately, it really wasn't a mainline engine. I liked it.

[J.D. Lang]

This is an online business, fer sure. Just do a Google helicopter ride at Frostbridge Road, Watertown, CT & see the facility.

Interchange at this point is at roughly north of Watertown Junction switch which is underneath the Thomaston Ave overpass in Waterbury.

Thanks for the information on the interchange. I'm well aware of the environs around Waterbury these days as compared to even back in the early 70's when I worked out of Waterbury. I was just curious as to how the handoff was made. If I check things out it will be north of any combat zone. BTW I see that the Google "helicopter" made a more recent pass over the area (4-19-2016) and it shows the facility in a more complete state. No more Watertown drive in!

John L.

[NaugyRR]

In short, NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE!!!! The above is excellent advice. In my time Waterbury was very prosperous with industry all over the place and most folks had good jobs in industry or related. When I hired out with the New Haven Railroad the railroad in Waterbury alone had well over 100 employees in various departments and doing various jobs all important. Today the heavy industries are history and even the light industry jobs are on the skids at best. The big money maker in Waterbury today is not worth writing about on here but believe me it is bad and this area borders on a crime ridden neighborhood. I first moved with my family from Torrington to Waterbury in 1951 and we lived in a good part of town on Bunker Hill. It was about a 20 minute down the hill to the best hot dog stand I have ever been to. An evening hot dog and fries would really hit a spot. It was a good stop on my way home from the middle trick Engine Dispatcher position at the round house which still had a decent payroll and was a 24/7 operation with 11 active stalls and an active 95 foot electric turntable. All gone now except for the hot dog stand (Frankies on Watertown Avenue) which is still there and probably has the best hot dogs around. Oh yes, they no longer stay open to midnight, closing before the problems start in the evening. Get your photos but I suggest you find a much better and safer spot.
OH and all the best to the railroad with this new business, a vital shot in the arm.
Noel Weaver

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on the franks, Noel. I happen to like Blackies on the other side of Wolcott much better

[BostonUrbEx]

Just to make the point graphic, here is what the interchange looks like from Thomaston Ave. BTW, I'm originally from Da Bronx, so my Spidey sense is always on & I'm comfortable on the streets. You can't predict a drive-by, however, but my stature generally precludes this - I wear my baseball cap brim forward & the brim is curved.

Eh, couldn't care less about seeing it! Just want to know where and how it is done!

So I take it PL-1 clears Highland Jct and shoves the cars up the Naug to clear the Albert Bros switch. When pulling the C&D loads, do they pull them down to Waterbury Yard to run around them?

[CannaScrews]

At this point, the interchange will be made just north of the Albert Bros switch.

I haven't seen PL-1 do a runaround in Waterbury, just haven't seen it & don't know what they do.

PAS will most likely use the same process for the C&D cars as they do for the loads coming out of Albert Bros.

[Noel Weaver]

[quote="Noel Weaver
I'm gonna have to disagree with you on the franks, Noel. I happen to like Blackies on the other side of Wolcott much better

I can't disagree with you because the last time I was in Connecticut and Waterbury was back in 2010. In 2010 Frankies was tops in my book. I have lots of good memories of Waterbury and especially the New Haven in Waterbury, too bad they are only memories at this point. I still have a bunch of records from the old engine house in Waterbury and the work on the railroad back in the 1940's is hard to believe when you look around there these days.
Noel Weaver

[NaugyRR]

I certainly see where you're coming from Noel, just pulling your chain a little, that's all

My Aunt was the tax collector for the city of Waterbury for many years and retired from city hall in the early 2000's. Growing up I spent a lot of time visiting her at her apartment on Bunker Hill before she moved to Wolcott after she retired. I practically grew up with the Naugy which gave me the "New Haven"-bug as a railfan, lol.

Waterbury's changed immensely from when I was a child in the '90's, I can only imagine how things have changed since you were a resident. I'm actually kind of jealous that you were able to experience the area when you did

[Noel Weaver]

My earliest real memories of Waterbury are from 1951 when our family moved from Torrington to Bunker Hill. At that time the passenger station was still in the old large facility now part of the newspaper. There were four ticket windows in the main ticket office and three more windows in the Western Union office which was separate. There were always ticket windows open and in addition there was a full time newstand, restaurant, shoe shine and maybe more. There were various displays from around Waterbury on the walls and the place was clean and well maintained. There were three main station tracks, track 2 EB main, track 1 WB main, track 5 the Winsted Main and the only one really still in use for Metro-North. The two tracks away from the building hand an island platform which would hold a long train and was accessible from the station by an underground subway. Not far below the west end of the platform on track 1 was a double automatic semaphore signal which governed the approach to the home signal at Bank Street Junctiion (SS-202). Bank Street Junction was open 24/7 and had a bunch of both high signals and dwarf signals and even had a slip switch. Around this period we still had 8 passenger trains each way between Waterbury and Bridgeport one of which ran through to New York in the morning and returned in the afternoon. These trains were 153 and 158 and ran through between Winsted and New York. We had 4 or 5 round trips between Waterbury and Hartford 2 of which ran right through to Boston via Willimantic. We had 1 freight job between Hartford and Maybrook (AO-5 and OA-4) and they both did a big business at Waterbury. We also had a job to Cedar Hill and back and another one to Cedar Hill via Bridgeport. The yard had 2 jobs on the first and middle and 1 job on the last trick and there was a yardmaster 24/7. We had 4 locals, the Naugy to Naugatuck, the Winsted to Torrington and sometimes Winsted, the Plainville and the "Jitterbug" which did Seymour, Beacon Falls, Watertown and Waterville as required. The locals ran Monday - Friday although the Winsted and Naugy often ran on Saturdays and the "Jitterbug" ran on Sundays mostly to get cars of meat at Derby Junction off an EB Maybrook job for Waterbury. The move with the meat was a hot move on Sundays. Waterbury was also responsible for the Derby Switcher which worked around the clock on weekdays but less on Saturday and Sunday. There were also two day jobs in New Britain that were crewed out of Waterbury although the power came from New Haven or Hartford. The New Britain jobs had 0800's and thus were engineer only jobs. The train crews had a different set up from the engine crews and my info is relative to engineers and firemen.
Earlier on in the mid 30's and before it was even busier with two tracks all the way between SS-214 in Hartford and Devon. It was all ABS territory except between Bank Street Junction and Ansonia which was double track, manual block (Rule 318 which allowed for following movements on double track with the current of traffic) Until about 1938 Highland Junction (SS-204) was still in operation. Both are long gone but were concrete structures in the New Haven fashion with mechanical interlocking machines. At one time there was also an interlocking machine at Waterville but it was long before my time and I don't know too much about it.
Of course in earlier years there was also the line between Bank Street Junction and Hawleyville but the steep grades especially west out of Waterbury killed that route for through freight and by the late 30's it was gone at least between Bank Street Junction and Southbury. The last customer on that line in Waterbury was Connecticut Lumber which was just west of the grade crossing with Highland Avenue. I rode the yard job up there once to deliver a couple of cars to Connecticut Lumber and it was quite a grade, sometimes the yard job would swap their 0900 for a 500 for this move, this accomplished two things, gave them a bigger engine for the grade and gave the enginehouse people a chance to fuel, sand and inspect the 0900 which would be ready for the yard crew when they finished the move at Connecticut Lumber. The line to Meriden went early on but the section as far as Dublin Street remained until Scovill closed their east end plant in Waterbury and one afternoon yard job spent most of their time working the Dublin Street, they used to go out there with a good size drag of cars every single day. All gone today except for lots of good memories.
Noel Weaver

OH - There were also two stub tracks at the passenger station, on the west end for mail cars and one at the east end for Railway Express cars. The Railway Express Agency had their office and facility at the east end of the station until the Newspaper took over at which time their facility was moved to the west end of the building. Incidentally directions referred to in this rather long post are New Haven Railroad timetable directions in effect through Waterbury in the 1950's which was east to Hartford and west to Devon.
NW

[CannaScrews]

The Naugatuck Railroad is pleased to announce a big game hunting train.

Due to the abundance of game along the right-of-way, the Naugy will offer hunters the chance to bag the elusive pink flamingo. No hunting license is required, and it is open season all year. Night time hunting with torches (flashlights) is permitted.

Only pink flamingos will be offered, and the rare Nauga will not be hunted on the property due to the decimation of the herds by the early hide purveyors in nearby Naugatuck City.

See schedule on our website for dates. Charters are available.

Caught north of Mile Post 11.
PF MP 11 1 small.jpg (654.69 KiB) Viewed 1866 times

Caught near Mile Post 10.
PF MP 10 1 small.jpg (427.21 KiB) Viewed 1866 times

[gokeefe]

Good luck explaining this one to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service!

[Jeff Smith]

Bet that thing tastes good with some peach marmalade sauce!