21-09-09 PHOTOS: Springfield Line

For someone who used to engage in a lot of train travel to central Connecticut, I never really made much use of the Amtrak Springfield Line and its the Regional or Vermonter services. I made two Vermonter round trips to Amherst in the pre-digital camera era and another Inland Route trip via Springfield. I made three additional trips to the Springfield station area over the years and one additional through trip on the Lake Shore Boston Shuttle. All of this was before Amtrak was able to drastically change its Springfield, Mass operations through the reactivation of the former Boston and Maine Connecticut Valley Line and addition of the Valley Flyer and Hartford Commuter rail lines. In the early fall of 2021 I was able to avail myself of an opportunity to stay with a friend in rural New Hampshire by which I could make use of Amtrak's Vermonter to and from the station of White River Junction. Here in Part 1 I will cover by journey from Baltimore to New Haven and then up the Springfield Line. Part 2 will then cover the Springfield Terminal area and the Vermonter's route up the Connecticut Valley. Photos for both parts can be found here ( mirror ).

Part of the impetus for the trip's timing was that I had a number of expiring Amtrak class upgrades that were expiring and low business demand due to the increased use of remote meetings was resulting in some very affordable Acela Express prices. Therefore, instead of taking the Vermonter directly to New Englande, I would take the Acela from BWi to New Haven and then change to the Vermonter after a 2 hour layover. Waiting for the AX at BWI, a northbound MARC train with HHP-8 #4911 arrived a few minutes before my AX trainset led by power car #2004.

Acela Express First Class includes free drinks and meals and I timed my departure to get both a breakfast and lunch.

The second power car on the rear of the train was #2018, seen here at New York Penn Station.

My train emerged from the East River Tunnels adjacent to LIRR M7 #7295.

At New Haven my Acela dropped me off on the platform adjacent to a Hartford Line commuter train with former Amtrak P40DC #833. Over on the Metro North platform, an MN New haven Line commuter train was ready to make its inbound run with M8 #9165.

The New Haven Station was as sodium vapor as ever, but the CTRail (Hartford and Shore Lines) ticket vending machines were a new addition.

The New Haven Amtrak engine facility had three MPs15 #513, #535 and #537, 3 Ps42DC, #85, #97 and #105, and a few ACS-86's bobbing around.

Over in the Metro North section of the New Haven Terminal, MNRR old timer GP35R #105 was hanging out between MoW tasks.

A variety of uncoupled M8s were hanging out by the shop building.

New Haven Station wasn't exactly being shown in the best light on the wet and dreary day.

Back on the platform I caught a Shore Line East trainset, sandwiched by Coke Zero CDoT P40DC #6177 and Mafersa cab car #1713, heading to the SLE yard.

A Metro-North train also departed for Grand Central.

An Amtrak Springfield Shuttle also arrived with P42DC #104 and Metroliner Cab Car #9645.

For a special bonus, the Metro North track inspection car was out on track #2 performing a track geometry check with lasers.

When my northbound Vermonter Train 56 arrived I had a little extra time as the ACS-86 electric was switched off in favor of P42DC #113.

I had purchased a business class ticket on the Vermonter in order to get access to the rear facing railfan window. As an added bonus the crew let me stand in the rear vestibule for the duration of the trip where I was able to collect both video and still photos. Unfortunately the weather dampened the potential for photography. Here we are passing the rebuilt and two track Berlin, CT station. Note the hand operated gauntlet track on track #2 to accommodate wide loads traveling on the Connecticut Southern Railroad.

The line south of Hartford had also been upgraded to support 110mph operation, although on this run my train was only able to reach 100mph. We still somehow found a way to make up time.

Despite the double tracking and general rehabilitation of the Springfield Line between New Haven and Hartford, the gorgeous brownstone Hartford Station remains single track and low level.

The Connecticut Southern maintenance facility in East Hartford Of the two GE B39-8E's pictures, #3900 has so far avoided being assimilated into the G&W paint scheme. 

An Approach Medium signal indication on Track #1 at the new MEADOW interlocking foretells the approach of a southbound Hartford Line commuter train from Springfield. Mafersa cab car #1709 was on the rear.

The Springfield Line rebuilding work ends at HAYDEN interlocking a few miles north of Windsor. Part of the reason is the need to restore the second track over the Connecticut River Bridge north of Windsor Locks.

Entering Springfield, we pass by an Amtrak track inspection vehicle sitting on the old USPS Mail siding. Springfield, MA is the site of a major USPS sorting facility and until ~2005, Amtrak maintained a lucrative contract transporting US Mail in special glorified box cars referred to as Material Handling Cars. The MHC's were typically attached to the early morning northbound and late night southbound Regional trains hauling mail between the major northeastern cities and the Springfield sorting facility. Changes to USPS contracting ended the service, but the mail delivery platform at Springfield remains.

We'll wrap things up at SSE274 SPRING tower and the crossing with the former Conrail Boston Lineon approach to Springfield Union Station.

In Part 2 we'll cover Springfield Union Station and the Vermonter running on the restored Connecticut Valley Main Line.