The New Haven Shore Line in the Penn Central Era 1969-1971

These Super-8 silent films, which I took between 1969 and 1971, are of railroad operations on the ex-New Haven Penn Central Shore Line. Most of the scenes are shot in just two areas--Westport Connecticut and Stonington Connecticut--because at the time I shot them, I was too young to drive!

[@Peasmouldia]

Don't know how this hasn't come up on my KZbin recommendations before. Massive thank you for posting this.

[@OregonRailfan83]

Thank you so much! I didn't rie the NH trackage until the 1990s, then I was oging to Nw Haven and Boaston. Loed the ride, bridges, "coasting" while on the bridges (No catenary) etc. great photos. Thanks you so much. Many happy memories.

[@dock_yard1149]

Cos Cob (Mianus River) was the only overpass that had an actual catenary gap, where electric locos and MU’s had to actually coast thru. All others west of NH had continuous catenary strung. If you felt you were coasting thru any of those it was by train order due to an operational problem with the cat, which was not typical. (Or a restricting signal that coincided with the bridge).

[@bigstuff52]

Absolutely wonderful..Your commentary is fantastic..Thank you..

[@stephentodesco4965]

Nice to see Jim Bradley's place again . He held and open house there in Sept. of 1988 for the New Haven Historical and Technical Society.....What a great day we all had....

[@Stanf954]

Great footage. I remember riding some of those trains to NH and Boston

[@suzannerickles6169]

I love trains and, probably because I was born and grew up in CT, love the New Haven Railroad- first thing I bought online was a poster advertising going to Cape Cod on the New Haven Railroad. Never rode any of the shoreline trains , but I know the area covered in this video. Lots of memories!

[@georgeraymond974]

Thanks very much. I was about 14 at the time and these seemed like normal trains.

[@williammorse8330]

hello - me too.... I was 13 in 1969, living in New London and track walking out into Waterford.... past SS110....

[@lorettacaputo6997]

What a treat to see NH in operation. I have been a fan since my first train ride on NH in 1957, a modeler of NH HO and an ex NYNH&H member. Having seen so many still photos, the only thing missing from this display of the EP 5s is the Hancock air chime sounds. Thanks, this made my day.

[@rkelsey3341]

Thanks for the memories! My uncle was an engineer on the NYNHH from just after WWII until he retired in the early 80s. He had the run from New Haven to GCC and back every morning. I remember how glad he was when they made an overpass out of the last remaining crossing on his run, reducing the chances of hitting a motor vehicle running the safety signals. Another uncle was a Westinghouse brake specialist, and grandpa was a yard supervisor in Belle Dock.

[@notthatdonald1385]

I have fond memories of arriving in Bridgeport on the ferry and seeing all the NH activity from 1965-around 75, thank you for posting this.

[@ianhudson2193]

Having done the Shoreline and its branches in the 90s, I'd have dearly loved to have done it in this era....

[@freespeech1946]

Very good. Commentary VERY well done...thank you.

[@stephentodesco4965]

Awesome... just like I remember.. Thank you

[@jonnybeck6723]

Westort's my old home town... and the station area one of my favorite hang outs

[@charlesmaxim4493]

This was Great seeing the old New Haven in action, Thank You.

[@davidblanc458]

That's amazing! You were preparing for KZbin like 40 years before it became a thing! And I love old trains history

[@djfitzgerald111]

These were the best of times, these were the worst of times... I lived in CT for about six months about 30 years ago. I knew of many of these places from TRains and other magazines. I worked six days a week and never got to see any trains. Thank you for creating these films.

[@gregblowycky5722]

Well...I was a locomotive technician "rider" for many years based out of New Haven. Every day I was somewhere between Philadelphia and Boston supporting AEM-7DC, AEM-7AC, and the notorious HHP-8 locomotives. My duties was to ensure the trains kept moving. My favorite was the AEM-7DC units. They used early electrical and electronic components I could rectify. AEM-7AC locos were very reliable. Oh...the HHP-8 (Hippos) were tough to deal with. Not the right locomotive on the NEC, but we prevailed. Many memories. This is a great video of pre-Amtrak days. Thank you!!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

I gotta give a lot of credit to the people who kept the old equipment running back then. I'm sure they didn't have half the people, money or spare parts they needed to keep the trains running, but they did.

[@samtrak1204]

Superb video with informative commentary about a railroad that has always fascinated me yet know little about. Thank you.

[@psyclonejack1523]

Very informative. I really enjoyed the video. Wished some of those great locomotives were still around.

[@nhyardlimit]

wow what a great find! awesome and informative vid! Thanks.

[@oriontheraptor8119]

I really like new havens paint choice

[@KenDrPH]

I love this film, thanks for sharing…I have an EP 5 Jet replica that Lionel made in 1960…an absolute classic!

[@douglasalan5783]

Thank you for filming and sharing these wonderful memories of the PC on the Shore Line! Nice narration, too.

[@williammorse8330]

thank-you for uploading this great footage and commentary... brought back memories of being a teenager in New London and the treat of riding the turbo train into New York, seated two rows behind the engineer or fireman...

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

I never got to ride the US TurboTrain, but I did ride the CN TurboTrain once. And the view from the dome was a real railfan treat!

[@casperfriendly47]

Fantastic! Great footage of a bygone era (pushing 50 years already!); excellent camerawork with perfect and interesting composition in great settings; and the narrative is wonderful...pertinent facts and interesting details (I wonder what became of those busses!) with fine economy of words. Thanks for sharing. And praise how cool YT is!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Thanks!

[@patriciabreckenridge4248]

Forgot to mention the apple orchid, in the neighborhood of my venturing. The Summertime in New Britain was a welcome mat, spending 2 months of sheer happiness. Away from New York, & savoring the moment. Like good flavor in food. Smile. My.uncle had a garden, neighborhood barbershop he owned, and was a very nifty versatile carpenter, by trade. I kept my all time visits to, New Britain, Bristol, Hartford, & New Haven. Cousins, relatives, friends, were always around. The parents too, no absentee status at all. Lots of love nonstop. I practically lived up the way, until I finished school in NY itself. Furthered my education throughout respectfully. Military, college, trade, skill or career, was the goal for achievement. Professors & teachers taught us well, didn't leave any stones left unturned. Not in those days, for sure. Structure, education, standards, principles, discipline, was the route to take. It all paid off, life & disappointment came come about, but aim at a goal, and then beyond, and look ahead at brighter lights. That's it! We have to stand tall! I never wanted to become an engineer, but loved the gratification of progression. Subways was the same thing in, a bygone era. Humbly grateful that I was able to, experience all the good of historical times, before me.

[@jakeg1967]

Great comment about the smoke in the Bridge car. My Dad commuted and played bridge on the train, many times a few extra hands as the trains were often delayed. He had a few extra drinks too. Both my parents smoked like chimneys and our house had "Smog alert" (as I called them) days when the smoke level was down to 3ft above the floor. Different times back then!

[@marvinwatkins8889]

They way this guy sounds and speaks, I feel that I'm at a cross between a lecture hall with a professor thst sounds like Peter Yarrow and at someone's house watching home movies. Great and historical footage.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Your comment made my day. Thanks.

[@cfbodman2]

I remember watching these trains from my backyard in West Haven. I was in awe the first time I saw the turbo

[@fleetwin1]

So cool, I remember those old fl9s and cool passenger cars....I remember many of those bridges in Ct, especially in Westport.

[@billkreusser7378]

This assortment of New Haven rail American Old time Shoreline action is a Blast 👍

[@choirboyfromhell1]

Wonderful video...thank you for saving this.

[@Ken-eh6pf]

Awesome footage and commentary. I am amazed how much technical detail you provided...kudos.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Thanks! Some I already knew, some came from reading, some online.

[@billthomas8205]

What a gem!!!

[@dougorr9724]

Great video of the old railroad, I grew up in Monroe CT. And would love to see some old videos of the Berkshire line that ran through Monroe and Stevenson. They stopped running through here in the early 60s when I was 5 years old but I still remember the passenger trains coming through

[@superfortressstudios]

Thank you for uploading this, it's hard to find videos of the PC

[@chrish3329]

This video is amazing!!! It was really interesting to see the e unit and the freight diesel together as well as all the trains. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheCondoInRedondo]

Thank you so much! I miss the old, leaky Washboards I used to take between NR and GC.

[@nfd1960]

thanks for uploading this, it's great to see some of NH last locos in action, it's also refreshing to have a someone who knows the true facts behind the history of the NYNHH

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

+nfd1960 Thanks for the thumbs-up. Aside from the NYTimes archives and Wikipedia, my primary sources of information were Scott Hartley's THE NEW HAVEN RAILROAD--THE FINAL DECADES and John L. Weller's THE NEW HAVEN RAILROAD--ITS RISE AND FALL.

[@nfd1960]

rboylan like I said thanks for having good info, I have both these books and a few more, total all together 30 books on the rail roads in the Northeast, I fell in love with the NH in the late 60s because I grow up near their Cedar Hill yard, at the time it seemed to be a busy place, I witnessed the take over of the NH by PC and Conrail, The NH became a sad state of things, I still visit Cedar Hill which is a minor back water shell of what it was, now owned by the Ct DOT and CSX, I have renewed hope for what is Left of the NH with the break up of Conrail and the increasing need for mass transit, the most recent is Ct DOTs finishing the Electric over head line to Boston, but many of the old branch lines are owned bt Ct DOT and they are working towards returning passenger service, both the Berkshire line to Mass and Naugatuck to Torrington are in the works,

[@ursusarctos59]

nfd1960 Just to reiterate what others have said, this a beautifully done video. Your deep love for the railroad infuses every frame. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[@ruffian2952]

It is also 'refreshing' to revisit the Shoreline where I worked.Eastbound freight was probably CB2.

[@hirampriggott1689]

Every time i hear that intro to Chicago's Make Me Smile, I think I'm going somewhere. ...and I am!

[@billynage]

How great that you were able to document these wonderful trains!

[@fleetwin1]

So cool. I spent a great deal of my childhood riding my biker over the westport bridge just hoping a train would come by....

[@TheOldTeddy]

Outstanding, Sir.

[@ivyblue1664]

How light that traffic was on the turnpike in the background, the trains are not the only thing that's changed.

[@centraljerseyconrailinnsca5676]

Great video thanks for sharing!

[@Greatdome99]

Very nicely done and narrated.

[@michaelsmulik]

Great footage and commentary.

[@cookode]

I love this footage. Looks so interesting to see the old Jets in PC black while operating passenger.

[@StephenCarlBaldwin]

Wow -- this is terrific footage. So glad you were out and about to grab this footage of an unbelievably diverse era!

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Thanks!

[@bobbender2922]

Nice, thank you.

[@jonnybeck6723]

I used to travel from the Westport & Saugatuck to GCS... Thanx

[@Espee9180]

Fantastic footage and commentary.

[@gunvald833]

1st class video, sad to see the trains shrink in consist and the diners and parlor cars vanish. First class travel is hard to find in today' s world.

[@Justin.87]

Very well done, Sir. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[@tomblack6972]

In those days the fare between Boston and NYC was $10.00 and for $2.00 more you could sit in the parlor car. The Merchants Limited had a dining car for dinner.

[@swampyankee555]

Great job, thanks !!!!

[@dbtrains172]

Contrary to one vice-over comment, all electric freight locomotives were gone from NH rails after April 1969.

[@coreypage2851]

Trains looked so much nicer back then.... Its a shame I never got to see these running (at least on the mainline)

[@ABMP4D3]

Wow, this is some awesome footage!

[@gavinoctavien1400]

Thanks for sharing

[@eoinpkav152]

Nice

[@enlightenedjohnson]

Great vid, thanks!

[@albertcyphers1532]

A good portion of the New Haven rolling stock sits in a switching yard in Derby Conn

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

If you're interested in New York-area commuter operations, be sure to check out my video of electric operations on the Hudson division: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKOufnWvh6p2Y7s

[@66kprdwd]

Nice footage.

[@Bombardier2199]

A year before the M2 was born

[@colin9072]

Found the video because I was curious about the New Haven, likes the video Because if Chicago...

[@angeldjcuba61]

Excellent documentation

[@BP-rj8yr]

When I waa a little kid, I would ride the trains from Berlin into NYC. It was great, especially going through the yard near New Haven, They were still running Steam helpers in the yard.

[@jonnybeck6723]

I regret missing a chance to ride with the GG-1 pulling... Also @ 12:03 That's a cool one Thanx again... 'Memories' (la la la)

[@KNS1996DFS]

2:53 Wow, you never see freight on the New Haven Line during the day.

[@sardu55]

Keep waiting for Tom Rath to appear on his way to Southport. Or Sloan Wilson.

[@NERJ607]

My god this is different from now

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

in the winter of 1978 took a trip on the national limited to harrisburg. walked around the station for photos, and there were 4 or 5 of those former NH EP5s, there.(all in PC lettering) they were a mess, not running, busted windows etc,,,,, also, the temp was very cold,,,,,burrrrrrrr,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[@TonyFleetwood]

i thoroughly enjoyed this. great job! can you tell me if when and where the yellow and blue fl9's ran in ct?

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

After my time, I'm afraid--perhaps somebody else can answer your question.

[@williammorse8330]

hello - once I saw one in Shoreline service running through Millstone in the summer of 1969 and that was the only time.

[@dock_yard1149]

The yellow-blue FL-9 scheme was for NYC commuter use under MTA (NY) then Conrail. These units would typically only be found serving the ex-NHRR main west of New Haven (mainly for the 2 diesel-only branches), plus on the diesel-only parts of the Harlem & Hudson (ex-NYCRR) lines.

[@daf827]

The PC may have been a disaster from the start, but this video is very enjoyable. Fine footage and sharp commentary. I grew up watching the NHRR on the Shore Line, so this video brings back many fond memories. I’m glad you filmed these trains. Do you have more footage? If so, please post!

[@coffeehugger]

My dad was a switchman in Harford for over 25 years.

[@DawnOfTheDead991]

It's amazing how these corporations ruined passenger traffic on one of the few lines that could be profitable

[@dock_yard1149]

The railroads of the time were ruined by competing modes of transportation (truck for freight, cars & planes for passengers). It was a very tough time, and private RR companies still operating passenger trains were deep in the red and had little money for doing anything more than paying crews and keeping equipment band-aided enough to keep running (barely). Private corporations have to “perform” for stockholders first, and as I said, the RRs simply could not due to what I mentioned above - it was desperation in board rooms. We are lucky that state and local gov’ts took over commuter lines to sustain services, and that Amtrak was born in 1971 to operate longer-distance routes. Many will complain about both of those types of service modes, but such folks never experienced the awfulness of riding the rails prior to about 1985. I experienced that as a young person, and I’m grateful every time I use commuter or Amtrak in this era, because it is luxury by comparison.

[@leoross5777]

the FL_9s lasted forever. im glad they did. i used to see a few in DOT 'new haven' livery

[@interstellarphred]

Riding in the dome of the Turbo was the best! with the driver's view. The speeds in the electric territory were faster than the Acela runs there, the last time I was on it. BTW- it is turBINE not tur-bin which is headgear worn by a Sikh

[@mysticrailroad]

great video :)

[@hirampriggott1689]

2:26 "There is so much smoke in the cars by now that the bridge players can't see their hands very well"....that is all cigarette and cigar smoke while they are playing cars, not diesel smoke. December 2019 I rode a NJ transit train on the main Line powered by GP40 painted in CNJ heritage blue & yellow, and I was in the front car. The loco which was made in 1968 or 1969 was so smoky that the fumes entered the front car i was in was unbearably toxic and nauseous. So the smoke is talked about here, I suspect is just a thick blue haze of tobacco smoke....otherwise the passengers would be gagging, with irritated eyes.

[@dock_yard1149]

That’s mostly true (tobacco products), but relatively few FL-9‘s had reliable 3rd rail systems in their older years (prior to 1980’s era rebuilds by Metro North), so they had to be “illegally” operated under diesel power thru the full length of the Park Ave tunnel. There was no smoke evacuation system in there, and hardly any airspace above the trains, so the exhaust invariably seeped into the aging passenger cars.

[@mile290productions3]

Mystic has to be the strangest.

[@fridmun2]

Awesome footage and narration! One minor correction: narration says Turbotrain run was 4:40. I think timetable included in the video is more like 3:40.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Yup. My bad.

[@C93739]

Can I use this in my short film? You will have credits obviously.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

What part did you want to use? There may be publicly-available alternatives. You can email me. I'm rwboylan on gmail.

[@alcobufff]

HI I'm Putting together a KZbin video on the Guilford D&H merger. May I use some of this footage?

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

I'm generally pretty reluctant to let others use my original footage. Can you tell me what, specifically, you want to use?

[@120446219]

Have been searching for years for footage like this of the same era of the New Haven from Oak Point to the Car Floats in Bayridge Brooklyn..but no success ..I live near Fresh Pond yard and saw many a E44 NH Electric in 1967..part of the New York Connecting. the tracks in Middle Village by Juniper park were my home away from home ..was there all the time as a kid and then some.. its like a ghost town now except for the New York and Atlantic and CSX Garbage train.

[@dock_yard1149]

Sorry to nitpick- but E-44’s were originally PRR units. You’re thinking of the E-33’s, which were built for the Virginian RR, and sold at a bargain price to the NHRR when VRR ended their electric infrastructure. E-33 was a Penn Central designation, the New Haven classed them as EF-4. They were solid performers, very powerful, and a few of the original 10 kept running for Conrail into the late 1980’s. They (and E-44’s) were more doomed by Conrail’s own elimination of catenary on their PA lines than by their old age.

[@vonmazur1]

Ah, the Vomit Comets, the Washboards...4400's...Bounced up and down like a ship in a storm...

[@jonnybeck6723]

"...and it's just another whistle stop"

[@michaelpanasuik7283]

Really enjoyed the video. Is that your car @15:04 in the video? Looks like a 66 or 67 Fountain Blue Tempest or GTO.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

When I shot these films, I was too young to drive. I got to locations on bicycle with a tripod strapped to my back!

[@rapturebound197]

@@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo you are rare and remarkable ..and to think you did this before you were of driving age is even more astonishing. God obviously gave you a gift, a job and a camera. Thank you for recording days gone by to be enjoyed half a century later.

[@robertklose2140]

Does anyone know why Amtrak's Northeast Regional still stops so long in New Haven, even though the line is now electrified for its entire length? (The reason for the long stop used to be to change over from diesel to electric.) It seems to me that a briefer stop could shave a nice little chunk of time off the run.

[@Josh442]

Just a guess that it's syncing up with the Springfield line.

[@kevinhoward9593]

Wow the Turbo Train was almost faster then the Acela between Boston and New York. only 3 minutes difference. How did the Turbo Train get into GCT on its own power if diesels weren't allowed into the station unless it was an emergency?

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

The US TurboTrain sets were equipped with third-rail shoes and operated electrically into GCT.

[@Greenelectra78]

@@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo I think you mean UT-United Technologies/Pratt&Whitney.

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

At the time, the company was known as United Aircraft.

[@Robbi496]

Of course, the infrastructure is much improved, but there was more diversity in equipment back then?

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Between bankruptcy, proxy fights and the merger, there were a lot of management changes at the New Haven, which was reflected in the mish-mash of motive power and rolling stock.

[@TruthBlitzMedia]

Very cool video although I am not a fan of Penn Central. I know other factors played into this but they destroyed in a few short years what the New Haven built.

[@dock_yard1149]

The PC merger was a very bad mistake, and it was headed by the arrogant ex-CEO of Pennsylvania RR. He hated the NYC and NYNH&H lines & crews, and made sure they got nothing but garbage equipment and ignored all their suggestions. To be bankrupt only 2-3 years into its existence speaks for itself. But as I commented elsewhere for this clip, passenger railroading in the 60s-70s era was a complete LOSER due to growing popularities of cars/trucks (interstate highway system) and airlines expansion (who don’t have to own ROWs or even their own airports, unlike RRs must). You are right, the damage PC inflicted on the NYNH&H was enormous, and it’s taken decades of time to rectify a lot of that. But unfortunately many routes had to be abandoned and will never be reborn, as there’s no financial justification to make such investments in the present era. “It is what it is”.

[@DavidMaurand]

no graffiti on the cars

[@wildbill9919]

Back in those days did the police hassle railfans the way they do today?

[@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo]

Things were a lot looser in the '60's and '70's. But there were fewer fans then, too.

[@rapturebound197]

As is always the case some knucklheads ruin it for everybody else. I worked for the Denver & Rio Grande Western RR as a signal maintainer starting in the fall of 1970. There were very few restrictions or barriers to observe trains back then but people started doing extremely stupid things such as run into the 7 mile long Moffat Tunnel right after a train entered. Most of them were not railfans..there really weren't many back then.. just your typical nitwit out to do something stupid and ended up dead because if it. Consequently the RR's had to crack down on anybody on their right-of-way due to lawsuits from idiots involved in accidental deaths.

[@RaisedLetter]

How to butcher a recording of Make Me Smile

[@dock_yard1149]

Yeah, especially when there’s no other recording of that track anywhere in existence for you to enjoy... Get real...