24-10-12 PHOTOS: HART and SPRING

For Columbus Day weekend 2024 I set myself the major goal of finally going to Hartford to explore the former New Haven station there and hiking out to the derelict HART interlocking tower north of the Central Business District. Despite going to school in the area and passing through Hartford countless times on Amtrak's Springfield Line, I had never found the time to get off there, even after the opening of the CR Rail Hartford commuter rail line in the 2010's as a stopover always seemed to involve getting to New Haven by like 8am. Well in 2024 I finally decided to bite the bullet and take overnight Train 66 to get to New Haven, but given some other priorities the plan became a bit more complicated ( mirror ) than catching it at the BWI Airport Rail Station.

The complication was needing to stop by Philly to see family at some point this weekend. My solution was to catch an afternoon Amtrak Regional to Philly, pop across the Delaware River on PATCO, deal with stuff, then return to 30th St in time for Train 66's midnight departure. This had me setting off from BWI in daylight where I managed to catch Veterans ACS-86 #642. MARC MP36PH-3C #35, SC44 #80 and cab cars #7852 and #8054 before my Regional with ACS-86 #616 arrived..

For some reason my Regional set had been reversed and I was able to get some photos and video out the back. Here my train transits northbound through the ailing B&P tunnel.



Making the cross-river transfer courtesy SEPTA and PATCO.

Finally returning to 30th St Station close to midnight where the short consist Regional Train 66 was sporting two ACS-86 electric locomotives, #664 and #662.

Because Train 66 can be pretty loud, to ensure a good night's sleep I managed to book a single seat one one of the old Metroliner Service first class cars that now serve as Business class on Train 66/67. I conked out at some point before Penn Station and when I got off New Haven and #664 was nowhere to be seen.

It was perfect October weather and Metro North M8 EMU's were hanging out on various shoppe and storage tracks.

With Shore Line East service having been M8-ified, the previously diesel hauled equipment was now on Hartford Line duty. My train was waiting on Tack 12 with P40DC #6711 in the Coke Zero scheme and Mafersa cab car #1701.

One might assume that things would be pretty quiet at 8am on a Saturday morning, but when I got out on Platform D I found three adjacent signals for track 10, 12 and 14 into SS78 FAIR ST interlocking displaying proceed indications.