21-09-12 PHOTOS: Vermonter

Well what goes up, must come down. After heading up to New Hampshire on Amtrak's Vermonter and then trolling around for signal photos, it was time to return via the same route. Because I was lucky enough to snag a business class upgrade I was able to conduct a second line survey in the southbound direction with the lack of rain and clouds improving the quality. Also included in this set are photos around New Haven and a westbound survey of the Amtrak Hellgate Line. The full set of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

My southbound Train 57 was scheduled to depart White River Jct around 11am, however my ride needed to drop me off closer to 6am. To help mitigate the 5+ hour wait, I changed the drop off point to a diner in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, and after a filling meal and a couple cups of coffee, I set out to walk across to the Amtrak station on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River . Along the way I passed by Claremont & Concord Railroad GP9 #1907 that switches and industrial park in West Labanon.

The CCRR works on the remains of a Boston and Maine line located about 142 miles from Boston. I used the rail bridge over the Connecticut River to reach White River Jct.

New England Central GP38-2 #437 was still on site, waiting for that day's crew to show up to the G&W side of the stately brick station building..

My Train 57 showed up close to on schedule with Amtrak P42DC #101 in the lead.

There were quite a few people seeing loved ones off at Claremont Jct, NH.

View from the rear of Train 57 as it passes through the famous Mill St tunnel, just south of the Bellows Falls station and diamond.

The passing through the connection with the Guilford Rail System's Freight Main Line just south of the Greenfield, MA station.

Arriving at the new Springfield, MA high level platform as a 3-car Amtrak Springfield shuttle sits on the low level track #8 with P42DC #104 in front and a second engine on the rear.

The partly rebuilt Windsor station with a mix of high and low level platforms.

Passing a CT Rail Hartford Line trainset on the layover track north of Hartford with Amtrak P42DC #110 for power.

Hartford's SS214 HART tower and the Brownstone "tunnel".

Amtrak's Hartford station, which is still single track for some reason. The station is constructed from Portland Brownstone that was quarried about 15 miles to the south. These quarries supplies most of the brownstone used in major East Coast cities until they were permanently flooded in the late 1930's.

My train passed a northbound Springfield Shuttle powered by Amtrak P42DC #124 as we achieved the line's top speed of 110mph just north of Berlin, CT.

Unfortunately the historic Wallingford, CT station building was not incorporated into the new Hartford Line commuter rail service.

Passing the famous Trackside Pizzeria and its former Philly Broad Street Line subway car used for trackside seating.

Providence & Worcester B40-8 and B38-8E power in the Cedar Hill yard next to Amtrak's welded rail production facility.

Former New Haven coaling tower at Cedar Hill yard.

The Amtrak/Metro North division post at Milepost 72.8.

Metro North M8 #9385 at New Haven.

Time for the power change, all the players are in place with ACS-86 #628 prepared to sub in for P42DC #101.

New Haven P32AC-DM #230 in the New Haven storage yard.

PELLHAM BAY BRIDGE looking eastbound on the Hellgate Line.

New East Side Access infrastructure at HAROLD interlocking including a route for New Haven Line trains to access Grand Central Madison?

Into the East River Tunnels at F Interlocking.

Well that's all for this quite extensive round trip journey on Amtrak's Vermonter.