21-09-09 PHOTOS: Connecticut River Line

In Part Two of my 2021 Northbound Vermonter trip to White River Junction, I continue on from where Part 1 left off at the Springfield Union Station in Springfield, MA. In my previous travels on the Vermonter to the station in Amherst, MA, the train would continue east on the former Conrail Boston Line to the town of Palmer, then reverse direction up the New England Central's unsignaled main line. This required the Vermonter to be equipped either with a cab car or a second engine to reverse direction. When the more direct Connecticut River route was reopened, this detour and direction reversal was eliminated. Both the new and old routings converge at Brattleboro and this part will continue on to cover the route up to White River Jct and the station complex there. Once again the full gallery of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

Currently the schedule has both the Northbound and Southbound Vermonters meet at Springfield and today was no exception as Amtrak P42DC #121 pulls Train 55 out from the adjacent high level platform track #6.

The only other train in the station was a three car Amtrak Springfield Shuttle trainset with P42DC #124 and Metroliner Cab Car #9633. Note the US&S N-2 dwarf signal, likely the only surviving signal from before Amtrak's mid-2000's replacement project.

The Union in Springfield Union Station comes from the meeting of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, Boston and Albany (NY Central) and Boston and Maine. A recent renovation project reopened the Union Station train hall and concourse, however it came at the cost of the period freight house and interlocking tower to make way for a bus depot. Some of the station platform infrastructure and canopies are still under renovation, especially Boston Line tracks 1 and 2 which see the daily passage of the Lake Shore Limited Boston section.

Amtrak P42DC #113 at the front of my Vermonter Train 56 and the new high level Platform C.

Before the re-route, the Vermonter would exit out the east end of the station tracks and enter the Boston Line at CP-97. To reach the Connecticut River Main Line, the Vermonter and Valley Flyer trains still need to perform a short reverse move back through SPRING and SWEENEY interlockings to cross the Boston Line diamonds and enter former Boston and Maine territory.