THE NEW YORK NEW HAVEN AND HARTFORD RAILROAD " SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND " TRAVEL FILM MD52144

American Locomotive (Alco), General Electric, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company teamed up to create this 1950s color film promoting the aforementioned rail line. We see the rolling greens hills and valleys as well as the Atlantic coastline and farmland of Southern New England starting at mark 00:20 as the narrator explains how the region is the cradle of American liberty. Offering “a wholesome way of life” we’re told how the area is also known for its railroads as a train speeds past at mark 01:30, and that the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company is a reminder of the trains that made New England great. We learn of the first diesel electric switcher in New England at mark 01:50 and see passenger and freight trains as well as freight yards such as the Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven, Connecticut (mark 02:38) as the narrator touts their various upgrades and associated benefits. We learn how fright line schedules are coordinated with other railroad companies. The film visits a freight yard in Maybrook, New York, as cars are coupled with engines and cabooses. Near mark 06:00 the film looks at some of the obstacles train lines face, including operating at different elevations including within valleys, each presenting a different power need. At mark 06:45 we learn how diesel electric engines (like the one made by Alco and GE) have alleviated some problems and provide more motoring power while taking a detailed look at the behemoths. “What a powerful puller our diesel electric is,” the narrator boasts at mark 11:41, while continuing to explain how diesel engines make better time than steamers because they do not have to routine make stops for water. Such advancements, the viewer is reminded, are symbols of the train line’s “railroad leadership.”
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[@Loulovesspeed]

When I was a young lad in the mid fifties, a friend of my Dad worked on the old B&M - Boston & Maine RR. He knew Dad had built me a good size train set in the basement, and he gave me a B&M Conductor's hat with my name etched into a brass badge across the front. Running my trains always with my hat on became a standard with me! At the time, I lived in Newington, Connecticut just 1/2 mile from the New Haven Railroad between, Elmwood and New Britain. Twin tracks with a long, long straightaway. Just writing this is taking me back! Loved the sounds of those early diesel electrics and their wonderful air horns at night. Thank you for this unique video, really great, historical footage!

[@ABMP4D3]

I have some old Kent Cochrane footage of Newington Jct, Downtown New Britain and through Plainville back in the 40's and 50's. He was with us for a short time but his videos, and pictures were wonderful. He was a photographer for the US Army in WW2, and very skilled.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@ABMP4D3 - Very cool, thanks for the info!

[@eddieafterburner]

Sad that the once mighty B&M has been diminished to a mere purveyor of baked beans.

[@gregmilliken5538]

I hat several neighbors when I was growing up, that worked for the Boston & Maine, and Maine Central. They bought produce milk, and eggs from our farm. I loved when they stopped by, they always talked with my Dad, and Grampa about politics and always told railroad stories. We don't realize how great our childhood was, those conversations, I wish, sometimes, that I could go back and listen to those old Railroaders again!

[@danielbingamon3895]

My great grandpa was a steam locomotive engineer for this railroad

[@nhyardlimit]

Sadly, how times have changed. Thanks for posting this interesting vid. I love New England RRs. Great film!

[@crudecaboose8382]

This is epic

[@LacyLane1050]

I was born and raised in Maybrook and have shared this video with others from Maybrook. One woman was able to name two of the railroad men in the video. So exciting for us. Thank you for making and sharing this video ❤

[@mackpines]

6:42 Damn, that PA looks sharp! The orange makes it look even more awesome.

[@mikesalvatore6868]

FA loco for freight .

[@josephschuster1494]

Sir, those diesels were FA’s, not PA’s. FA’s had 4 wheeled trucks, while PA’s had 6 wheeled trucks.

[@sarjim4381]

The last steam run on the New Haven was April 27, 1952 so this film must be earlier than that. Alco FA #0406 was delivered in October, 1947. The last FA freight diesels were all delivered between July and October, 1948. My guess is the film was made sometime in early to mid-1949.

[@rexracernj7696]

Great stuff here! Really good footage of this long-gone route + good insight on the business case for rapid dieselization.

[@rapman5791]

I lived on one of the mainline tracks in central Massachusetts, I used to love standing on the side of the tracks watching the various freight trains roll by and read all the different names of RR companies on the boxcars. I just loved the different liveries and designs each separate company employed. Each was distinct in its own design. 🚂

[@mvg2x34]

Fun to see the diesels when they were brand new! Must have been a lot of fun for the engineers to get trained and then work a brand new loco.

[@southpenn7973]

no I-95 yet ...but soon ...the beginning of the end for this wonderful railroad

[@wecanthandletruths]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@hartmutlorentzen9659]

To improve the quality this great video should be digitally remastered. Thanks for presentation, from Germany

[@Musicradio77Network]

8:08 is the original Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge is now the “Walkway Over the Hudson”, and it’s right next door to the Mid Hudson Bridge.

[@train5974]

It is about 1,000 feet north of mid hudson bridge.

[@mshotz1]

IN the 1970's, it caught on fire and the metal was damaged to the point it could not support a train. Meant the end of The Lehigh and New England, which took the trains from Maybrooke to Bethlehem.

[@train5974]

The bridge fire was arson by penn central.

[@phuturephunk]

@@train5974 Was that ever proven? Considering how much of a clown shoe the Penn Central was before they went under, I could totally see it happening, but was that proven or is it still folklore?

[@DA0470]

The NH served Southern New England until around Christmas 1968. It was bought by Penn Central. Nowadays, the NH is served by both Norfolk Southern also CSX.

[@ortlu-ro9yn]

Great to see those DL109's in action

[@torquetrain8963]

One of my favorites too. A real brute with two 539t straight six torque monsters with Buchi Turbos.

[@ABMP4D3]

They were beautiful, not one survived to this day, last few went to Mexico and were scrapped in the 1980s.

[@josephschuster1494]

Yes, the DL109’s were sleek.

[@donolbers9446]

Surely GE and Alco co-oped in,, if they didn't completely pay for, the production of this. Those shiny PA's.look pretty nice though. I guess I should watch it through 😉

[@gregggoss2210]

Very cool video. Wish it was back then. I hate what we have become.

[@torquetrain8963]

Aint that the truth. From independent entrepreneurs based on Judeo Christian values into an immoral cesspool of lazy hate filled welfare bums.

[@illmerica322]

Hate yourself, I'm not you nor have I become what you have

[@fleetwin1]

so cool!

[@chuxproductions1090]

Wonderful! I was looking to see if Warwick RI was mentioned, for 4 years I lived on an old Station site in now West Warwick but could never find History of it except for the still standing sand Tower on Natick Road!!!

[@wildwoodskier]

cool

[@glenbearh9109]

Just yesterday I was at the Hopewell junction restored station. They did a good job. Maybe one day Metro North will use these tracks to connect the Hudson to the Harlem.

[@joepreterotti7963]

My father told me that when he rode on New Haven RR passenger cars pulled by steam engines in the 1930’s and 1940’s era sometimes, before Diesel engines replaced them, that sometimes the hot cinders from the Steam Engine smoke 💨 would get into the passenger cars and settle on the inside window sills, where the passengers would get burned slightly if they rubbed against those inside window sills.

[@Zuzuyatts]

I can hear Sir Topham Hat naysaying this gloating triumph of diesel over steam!

[@filanfyretracker]

I had no clue that Danbury had a line going directly east out of it at one time. Of course growing up there but by the time I was born the only train into Danbury was commuter line into NYC. apparently their yard used to see 100+ trains a day at time. most were freight for the hat factories of course but still crazy to think how much train capacity even a small city used to need to function.

[@shawnloughran8083]

The line is still there. Runs from Danbury to the Harlem line by Brewster (the ice pond) then to Hopewell junction. Hopewell to the Hudson line at beacon.

[@mshotz1]

"12 cyl engine designed to run hundred of thousand of miles with out over haul" No, Model 244 engines shook themselves apart

[@bboomer1948]

Very good video. One can see why Steam Locomotives were replaced. The toxic pollution, for one.

[@Martmns]

Great video but there is something with the audio.The volume is extremely low.

[@josephschuster1494]

Audio quality decreases with the passage of time.

[@garysprandel1817]

Obviously made prior to the FRA mandate for headlights to be on at all times.

[@johneddy908]

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad merged with the New York Central and Pennsylvania railroads to become Penn Central in 1968. It succumbed to bankruptcy and its assets were taken over by Conrail, which is today divided between Norfolk Southern and CSX.

[@andybaldman]

Great film. Audio is too low though.

[@flashcar60]

The lack of a dynamic brake on steam engines could have been solved by adding a set of valves acting like the Jake Brake on a truck. I wonder why the brilliant George Westinghouse didn't come up with the idea.

[@donolbers9446]

I was wondering if the reversing (Stephenson's?) gear could be set to do the same thing.

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

13:31 all those crossovers & Devon (and there was a set of crossovers on the other side too, back then) - imagine the nightmare if they were still in place/used in this layout, and a train derailed in terms of the traffic backup on the railroad. 0 _ o

[@Inquisitor6321]

4:04 What is that? Do I see side rods on the wheels of the tender????

[@geoffreysahs7650]

Sometimes if a tender has a booster, that set of trucks will have side rods.

[@flashcar60]

@@geoffreysahs7650 Yup; steam is routed to the booster, which has its own steam-driven motor, probably a turbine. Traction improves when you put thrust where the weight is.

[@SueBobChicVid]

What am I seeing at 4:03? That tender's rear boggy appears to have the wheelset tied together with side rods. What is that for?

[@SueBobChicVid]

@Berkshire 759 Thanks. Something I didn't know existed. Now I can look it up.

[@donolbers9446]

That is called a booster, they are powered in hopes of more tractive effort while starting, and perhaps to help make it over the hill.

[@Bob.W.]

Not pulling any punches on the merits of the 3 unit Alcos versus diesels. Lol. Bet they washed them before filming.

[@maestromecanico597]

Very nice...but ultimately the diesel could not save the New Haven.

[@thatlowesguy5544]

Funny how the narrator try's to talk up the diesel saying it used to take 2 steamers to get up the hill. Clearly it took3 diesels in the video to accomplish the same as the steam. Lol.......SMH

[@woodalexander]

With one crew.

[@woodalexander]

And less maintenance.

[@Ripleyripper]

Is it too late to tell the narrator he pronounced 'Devon' wrong?

[@jagboy69]

He's probably pushing up daisys.

[@andybaldman]

How is it pronounced?

[@Ripleyripper]

@@andybaldman Dev-On, not Dev-uhn

[@ABMP4D3]

@@jagboy69 The narrator was Lowell Thomas, passed away in 1981.

[@jagboy69]

​@@ABMP4D3Yup, Daisy's and even a tree or two!

[@danhoyland142]

I know that Alcos have their good qualities but dam, the new haven had a nice streak of making bad but progressive decisions. I found it funny their first purchase was 15 alcos that they probably scrapped in 10 years.

[@johnpsymqepdfq8492]

An amazing looking property in 1950. Too bad all the business went to the trucks; and the industry disappeared from the area. But, the S&P 500 went from 200 to 3000 during the intervening 70 years so we're 15 times better off.

[@rustyrail5853]

REALLY ???

[@dannyjones3840]

It was a great road until McGinnis killed it

[@ABMP4D3]

He wound up in Danbury Federal Prison for what he did to the B&M, he was taking payouts from GM to sink the New Haven.

[@0759trainz]

2:32 you can see several EF-1s. Possibly being serviced