In the summer of 2002 I still had occasion to use the NEC to travel between an internship opportunity in Connecticut and my home in South Jersey. With my digital camera capability still pretty new I had not yet grown tired of taking side window photos from Amtrak corridor trains. This set of classic photos ( mirror ) covers one such NEC round trip where I took a sizable number of tower photos mixed in with a good variety of things that aren't around anymore.
Starting off at the Meriden, CT station on Amtrak's Springfield Line, I captured a rare use of the holdout platform by a northbound 400-series shuttle train led by Metroliner cab car #9641 in Phase III heritage paint and propelled by Amtrak P40DC #815 in a Phase IV heritage scheme. Note the rustic ambiance of the station area that was wiped out by the Hartford Line commuter rail station and associated redevelopment.
My southbound Springfield Shuttle made the meet with the northbound
somewhere off camera and then showed up on the main track with Amtrak
P40DC #821, also in a heritage Phase IV scheme.
For whatever reason this Springfield Shuttle had both a Cafe Car and two P40DC locomotives, #821 and #827, both seen here at New Haven in Phase IV heritage paint schemes.
Also at New Haven, Amtrak Metroliner Cab Car #9640 was hanging out with a bunch of Metro North M2's.
On the New Haven Line to New York, NHRR SS62 CENTRAL was in its last year or two of existance before being demolished for reasons unknown. On the flip side SS444 BERK had been rehabilitated into the South Norwalk Signal Tower Museum. Meanwhile SS3 OAK was still sporting its Penn Central vintage sign, that would also vanish within a year or two.
Passing Sunnyside Yard, LIRR SW1001 HAROLD protect engines #102 and #104 were still on duty to pull disabled trains promptly out of the East River Tunnels. This job would be eliminated in future years as a cost cutting measure.
In the Penn Station hole I managed to get a shot of NJT ALP-44 #4410. The ALP-44's would suffer from early retirement while the hole itself would be overbuilt by some flashy hotel.
