03-06-13 CLASSIC PHOTOS: Boston Acela Trip

In June 2003 I set out on a rather complex Amtrak journey from my base in South Jersey that would take me back to central Connecticut to wrap up some loose ends from my college days before continuing on to Boston via New Haven to participate in a transit planning conference organized to benefit students in San Juan, PR who would be helping to manage their new Urban Train rapid transit line. After that I would return from Boston using an Acela Express, transferring at New York to NJT for a ride to my pickup point at Hamilton, NJ. You can find the full set of photos here ( mirror ).

We begin on the way to 30th St Station via the NJT Atlantic City Line. Here is the former main line double slip switch on track #1 in SHORE interlocking where the Delair Bridge Branch meets the NEC. Once fairly common at main line junctions along the old PRR Main Line, this was the last one and was replaced by less maintenance intensive turnouts a few years later. SHORE tower, which was built to support the new Delair Bridge in 1896, still stands.

Another casualty of "progress" was the 1911 vintage F interlocking tower in Sunnyside, NY. Although having been closed since the mid-80's when HAROLD was re-built, the structure was completely demolished around 2005.

At New Haven I spotted a seemingly rehabbed M2 #8746 Coupled to a somewhat dingy #8413.

A Metro North EMU train led by an 8800 series M2 sitting on the New Haven Station through track.

I was traveling on Amtrak Vermonter train 56 which still comes with a power change at New Haven. For whatever reason the diesels were not in place so I was ab le to catch Phase IV heritage P42DC #102 trundle past MNRR M2 #8412.

Amtrak P42DC #102 backing in from the helper pocket to couple up to Amfleet #24834.

My Vermonter may have been running late because at Meriden we had to board passengers across the main track via the small holdout platform all while a southbound Springfield Shuttle held short of the station. Note the 1980's vintage US&S H-5 searchlight signals that were installed as part of the 1980's Springfield Line CTC and single tracking project. The siding track signal is displaying Approach Medium for a return to the single track at QUARRY interlocking. The searchlights would be replaced by color light LED target type signals within 2 years.

The Vermonter had previously been run with a Metroliner cab car to support the change in direction at Palmer, MA when transferring to the New England Central RR. However due to equipment availability and a surplus of new P42DC locomotives, it had become standard to run the Vermonter with two engines. Here a second Phase IV heritage unit, #106, brings up the rear before the Springfield Shuttle led by Metroliner Cab Car #9640 pulls into the station.

After completing my tasks in Connecticut, I found myself back at Meriden where a seemingly overstaffed signal crew was working and welding bond wires.

I had arrived a bit early and was in time to get a photo of a northbound shuttle train with Phase IV heritage painted P40DC #837. By this point the Meriden station had undergone a service life extension with a covered platform canopy upgrade. About 16 years later the entire low level station was replaced by new two track high platforms in support of the Hartford commuter rail service.

Somewhere on the northern NEC we passed P&W B39-8E #3905. This unit was still active as of 2023 and was painted in red and brown P&W colors.

Arriving at South Station we passed the MBTA Operation Lifesaver painted F40PH-2. This would make it either #1025 or #1033.

The conference included a dinner cruise around Boston harbor that passed under the Long Island Viaduct that served various state and local hospital facilities on said island. In 2014 the bridge was declared unsafe and demolished a year later.

The next day featured a guided tour of the Southwest Corridor where the elevated former New Haven Railroad line was put into a cut shared with a new MBTA Orange Line alignment that allowed it decommission the elevated structure on Washington St.

At some point we got up to the MBTA Orange Line yard at Wellington. The 1980 vintage aluminum bodied Hawker-Siddeley rolling stock was still in good condition and had yet to really suffer from the corrosion that would plague them before retirement in 2021.

Near the Community College Orange Line stop I got some north end MBTA commuter rail photos including Comet II Cab Cars #1628 along with F40PH #1002.

Back at South Station for the trip home, private car "Cannonball" was lined up with Acela Express power cars #2036 and #2021.

Also on hand were a pair of AEM-7AC's #920 and #948. Beginning in 2021, the open air part of South Station was covered over by a new hotel overbuild as I guess we have still not learned the lessons of previous downtown station demolitions.

Due to the extremely high cost of the Acela service, the main line bus companies posted this cutthroat ad at the end of the platform.

I had forgotten that the AX Business Class cars were delivered with cloth covered seats. At some point around 2011 they were replaced with leather with a further leather refresh in 2019. I can't say for certain that this was my first trip in an Acela as they would occasionally sub for Regionals or take on Regional passengers as a contingency, but I am pretty sure it was.

Upon departing Boston we passed an AEM-7 coupled to Phase IV heritage painted P40DC #827. Not sure what was going on, but there were not any electric power issues that I was aware of.

MBTA cab car #1524 was built by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm in 1987 and would somewhat ironically run adjacent to Hawker built Orange Line stock on the Southwest Corridor. I could not determine if either of these classes ever tried to shoot the other down.

Departing Penn Station on NJT, I caught a train of LIRR M1/3's heading to the West Side Yard as we headed to the North River Tunnels. Like today, it was not uncommon to get implied verbal consent to ride in the rear vestibule on NJT.

In the summer of 2003 the Secaucus Connection had yet to open and NJT was still in its "rainbow era" with multiple classes of "Commarrow" cars in service as seen here near the still open DOCK tower.

The Elizabeth, NJ station was still sporting its PC colors. This sign would unfortunately vanish a few years later.

The great UNION tower was also still open. It would close in 2009.

Another thing you aren't very likely see anymore is an express NEC Arrow III set overtaking a local NEC Arrow III train as with this example at Edison with NJT #1373.

Around New Brunswick we were overtaken by a southbound Acela with power car #2024 and a Phase III heritage painted AEM-7 #937 in quick succession.

Well that's the end of the trip. I hope you all managed to hang in to the end xD It's really amazing how many things have changed or vanished along the Northeast Corridor over the past 20 years.