If you recall my recent posts on my trip to White River Junction on Amtrak's Vermonter, I was able to get a good slate of rear photos on both the Amtrak Springfield Line and Boston and Maine Connecticut Valley Line. Well I was also able to collect a substantial amount of rear facing video footage on both my northbound and southbound runs which I will now present below.
I'll start off with a brief slip of the northbound Vermonter as it traverses MILL RIVER interlocking at the junction of the Springfield and Shore Lines. This train takes the northern route to Springfield and continues on past Cedar Hill Yard where Amtrak's Rail Welding Facility for making CWR is located. Unfortunately a camera malfunction cut the video short.
This next video shows the Amtrak Springfield Line between Meriden and Hartford, CT. This section was recently double tracked and upgraded to allow for 110mph operation, however this train only managed to hit 100mph. The high speed section is between the Berlin, CT station and the I-91 overbuild south of the Hartford Station. The new track is the one that is now equipped with concrete ties.
This video covers the Amtrak Springfield Line between Hartford and Windsor Locks, CT. Only the first half of this segment has been rebuilt to double track and Rule 562 cab signaling to support New Haven to Springfield Commuter Rail, however the second section is in its original Amtrak configuration with a single track and bi-directional wayside signals. Maximum speed throughout is 80mph.
In the last video of the northbound run we travel the Amtrak Springfield Line between Windsor Locks, CT and Springfield, Mass. This part of the line is in its original Amtrak configuration with a single track and bi-directional wayside signals. Maximum speed is 80mph. Also note the Windsor Locks platform which the crew described as the shortest in the Northeast. I am unsure why Amtrak's Vermonter stops at Windsor Locks instead of Windsor. Probably access to major roads and parking.
In the first video from my southbound run I get an early start on the former Boston and Maine CT River Line just before the junction between the old B&M and Central Vermont routes at EAST NORTHFIELD. Today the Vermonter takes the diverging route to follow the CT Valley, but until 2014 it would take the old Central Vermont route to Palmer, MA then head west on the former Conrail Boston Line. Note the wayside distant signal to EAST NORTHFIELD interlocking a few seconds in. Despite the complete rebuild and new signaling, speeds on the line remain slow with many 30 and 40mph zones. The video finishes at the Greenfield, MA station, terminus of the daily Valley Flier service.
We continue on the Guilford (former Boston and Maine) Connecticut Valley Line between Greenfield and Northampton, Mass. This section was rebuilt in 2014 after the Vermonter had been moved to the New England Central line via Palmer since 1994 due to poor track conditions. Note the connection with the east-west Boston and Maine line to Mechanicville, NY in the first few minutes of the video. The Norfolk Southern train waiting for a signal is part of their joint venture with Guilford.
This video covers the Connecticut Valley Line segment between between Northampton to Holyoke. Unfortunately the north of Springfield crews were not as accommodating as the south of Springfield crews so I was unable to get the last segment between Holeoke and Springfield.
Back on the Amtrak Springfield Line I was was looking to capture southbound travel on the 110mph section as the northbound train had only managed 100mph in the wet conditions. This video captures Amtrak Springfield Line between Hartford to Meriden, CT with the 110mph being achieved between Hartford and Berlin with speeds from Berlin to Meriden ranging from 80mph to 95mph.
In the last video of the set I record the line between Meriden, CT and New Haven, CT including MILL RIVER junction and the approach to the New Haven station on Metro North territory. The maximum speed in this section is 95mph between the Wallingford, CT Station and CEDAR interlocking. Both Meriden and Wallingford retain downtown speed restrictions due to grade crossings, however the rebuild raised speeds from 25mph to 30 and 40mph respectively. Unfortunately the historic Wallingford station is no longer used in the new scheme.
Well I hope you enjoyed this video trip. Look for the final set of still photos in a few days.
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