NEW YORK NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD RAILROAD LANTERN A&W COMPANY NYNH&HRR 1883

Description

NEW YORK NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD RAILROAD
"NEW HAVEN"
This is a RARE piece of Vintage Railroad History made by
THE ADAMS & WESTLAKE COMPANY
for the
NEW YORK NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD  RAILROAD.
This beehive top lantern is marked
THE ADAMS & WESTLAKE COMPANY CHICAGO NEW-YORK PHILADELPHIA N.Y.N.H.& H.R.R
. PATENTED APR. 24, 1883 last date SEPT. 21, 1897. The Corning clear glass globe is embossed
N.Y.N.H.& H.R.R.
Cnx 4.
No cracks some small chips around rims. The Brass Burner is marked
E. MILLER & CO. MADE IN U.S.A.
and is in good working condition. The frame shows pitting, some pin hole repair and had been cleaned in the past. Please view photos and email with questions. Thanks for looking.
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to:
navigation
,
search
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
NH system map
Reporting mark
NH
Locale
Connecticut
Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
Dates of operation
1872?1968
Successor
Penn Central Transportation Company
Track gauge
4 ft
8
1
?
2
in
(
1,435 mm
)
standard gauge
Length
2,133 miles (3,433 kilometres)
Headquarters
New Haven, Connecticut
The
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
(
reporting mark
NH
), commonly known as the
New Haven
, was a railroad that operated in New England from 1872 to 1968, dominating the region's rail traffic for the first half of the 20th century.
Beginning in the 1890s and accelerating in 1903, New York banker
J. P. Morgan
sought to monopolize New England transportation by arranging the NH's acquisition of 50 companies, including other railroads and steamship lines, and building a network of electrified trolley lines that provided interurban transportation for all of southern New England. By 1912, the New Haven operated more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of track, with 120,000 employees, and practically monopolized traffic in a wide swath from Boston to New York City.
This quest for monopoly angered
Progressive Era
reformers, alienated public opinion, resulted in high prices for acquisitions, and increased construction costs. Debt soared from million in 1903 to 2 million in 1913, even as the advent of automobiles, trucks and buses reduced railroad profits. Also in 1913, the federal government filed an anti-trust lawsuit that forced the NH to divest its trolley systems.
[1]
The line became bankrupt in 1935, was reorganized and reduced in scope, went bankrupt again in 1961, and in 1969 was merged with the
Penn Central
system,
[2]
formed a year earlier by the merger of the
New York Central Railroad
and
Pennsylvania Railroad
; Already a poorly conceived merger, Penn Central proceeded to go bankrupt in 1970, becoming the largest bankruptcy in the U.S. until the
Enron Corporation
superseded it in 2001. The remnants of the system now comprise Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, (parts of) Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, Shore Line East, parts of the
MBTA
, and numerous freight operators such as
CSX
and the
Providence and Worcester Railroad
.
[3]
The majority of the system is now owned publicly by the states of
Connecticut
,
Rhode Island
, and
Massachusetts
.
Contents
[
hide
]
1
History
1.1
Expansion and acquisition
1.2
20th century
1.3
Financial difficulties
1.4
Merger with Penn Central (1969-1976)
1.5
The Conrail Era and Beyond (1976-Present)
2
Operations
2.1
Passenger
2.2
Commuter
2.2.1
Yale Bowl trains
2.3
Freight
3
Company officers
4
See also
5
References
6
Further reading
7
External links
History
[
edit
]
Expansion and acquisition
[
edit
]
This article
needs additional citations for
verification
.
Please help
improve this article
by
adding citations to reliable sources
. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(December 2009)
(
Learn how and when to remove this template message
)
General offices of the company, New Haven, about 1905
Train over the
Norwalk River
(1914 postcard)
Common stock issued in 1967
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was formed on July 24, 1872, through the consolidation of the
New York and New Haven Railroad
and
Hartford and New Haven Railroad
. It owned a main line from
New York City
to
Springfield, Massachusetts
via
New Haven
and
Hartford, Connecticut
, and leased other lines, including the
Shore Line Railway
to
New London
. The company later leased more lines and systems, eventually forming a virtual
monopoly
in
New England
south of the
Boston and Albany Railroad
.
The first line of the original system to open was the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, opened from
Hartford
to
New Haven
, with steamship connections to New York in 1839, and to
Springfield
, with rail connections to
Worcester
and
Boston
, in 1844. The New York and New Haven was built later, as it ran parallel to the
Long Island Sound
coast and required many bridges over rivers. It opened in 1848, using
trackage rights
over the
New York and Harlem Railroad
(later part of the
New York Central Railroad
system) from
Woodlawn
in the Bronx area south to New York. From 1913 on,
Grand Central Terminal
served as the New Haven's
New York City
terminal.
20th century
[
edit
]
About the beginning of the 20th century, New York investors led by
J. P. Morgan
gained control, and in 1903 installed
Charles S. Mellen
as President.
[4]
Morgan and Mellen achieved a complete monopoly of transportation in southern New England, purchasing other railroads and steamship and trolley lines. More than 100 independent railroads eventually became part of the system before and during these years, reaching 2,131 miles at its 1929 peak. Substantial improvements to the system were made during the Mellen years, including electrification between New York and New Haven. (
See
Electrification of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad
.) Morgan and Mellen went further and attempted to acquire or neutralize competition from other railroads in New England, including the
New York Central
's
Boston and Albany Railroad
, the
Rutland Railroad
, the
Maine Central Railroad
, and the
Boston and Maine Railroad
. But the Morgan-Mellen expansion left the company overextended and financially weak.
In 1914, 21 directors and ex-directors of the railroad were indicted for "conspiracy to monopolize interstate commerce by acquiring the control of practically all the transportation facilities of New England."
[5]
Financial difficulties
[
edit
]
Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles, incl CNE
[6]
Year
Traffic
1925
1810
1933
916
1944
3794
1960
1291
1967
954
Source: ICC annual reports
Under the stress of the
Great Depression
the company became bankrupt in 1935, remaining in trusteeship until 1947. Common stock was voided and creditors assumed control.
After 1951 both freight and passenger service lost money. The earlier expansion had left NH with a network of low-density branch lines that could not pay their own maintenance and operating costs. The freight business was short-haul, requiring switching costs that could not be recovered in short-distance rates. They had major commuter train services in New York and Boston (as well as New Haven, Hartford and Providence), but these always lost money, unable to recover their investment providing service just twice a day during rush hour. The demise of the New Haven may have been hastened by the opening of the
Connecticut Turnpike
in 1958 and other interstate highways. With decades of inadequate investment, the New Haven could not compete against automobiles or trucks.
In 1954 the flashy
Patrick B. McGinnis
led a
proxy fight
against incumbent president
Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine Jr.
, vowing to return more of the company's profit to shareholders. McGinnis won control of the railroad and appointed Arthur V. McGowan, a longtime McGinnis acquaintance, Vice President. McGinnis attempted to accomplish many of his financial goals by deferring maintenance. McGinnis also spent money on a flashy new image for the company: green and gold trim was replaced by black, red-orange and white. McGinnis and McGowan had
Chrysler Imperial
automobiles custom made so that they could travel along the railroad's tracks to their country estates in
Litchfield County, Connecticut
. When McGinnis departed 22 months later he left the company financially wrecked, a situation exacerbated by
hurricane
damage in 1955.
In 1959 the New Haven discontinued passenger service on the
Old Colony Railroad
network in southeastern Massachusetts. Despite this and other cutbacks the New Haven again went into bankruptcy on July 2, 1961.
Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (incl CNE but not NY Conn)
Year
Traffic
1925
3119
1933
2178
1944
5806
1960
2809
1967
2928
Source: ICC annual reports
Merger with Penn Central (1969-1976)
[
edit
]
Promenade Street Tower
, opened in 1909, controlled the eastern approaches to
Providence Union Station
. It operated into the Amtrak era, and was closed in 1986.
At the insistence of the
Interstate Commerce Commission
, the New Haven was merged into
Penn Central
on December 31, 1968, ending rail operations by the corporation. Penn Central was bankrupt by 1970 and the New Haven corporate entity remained in existence throughout the 1970s as the Trustee of the Estate pursued just payment from Penn Central for the New Haven's assets.
A substantial portion of the former New Haven main line between New York and Boston was transferred to
Amtrak
in 1976 and now forms a major portion of the
electrified
Northeast Corridor
, hosting high-speed
Acela Express
and
regional rail
service. The main line between
New Rochelle
and New Haven is owned by the state of
Connecticut
within its borders and the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
within New York borders, and is served by
Metro-North
and
Shore Line East
, which runs to New London, Connecticut. The
MBTA
's
Providence/Stoughton Line
provides commuter service from
Providence
to
South Station
in Boston.
On August 28, 1980, American Financial Enterprises, Inc., acquired the assets of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company when the plan for reorganization was approved by the court and the company was reorganized. This brought to an end the 108-year corporate history of the storied railroad, and the end to the 19-year saga of its second bankruptcy reorganization. American Financial Enterprises would become the largest single stockholder of Penn Central Company shares by the mid-1990s, controlling 32% of the stock of the company.
The Conrail Era and Beyond (1976-Present)
[
edit
]
Freight operations on former New Haven lines passed to
Conrail
with its government-overseen creation on April 1, 1976. During the subsequent 23 years, Conrail withdrew from much of that territory, abandoning some track and handing other lines over to the Providence & Worcester, Bay Colony, Boston & Maine, Connecticut Central, Pioneer Valley, Housatonic, and Connecticut Southern railroads. Those lines still operated by Conrail in 1999 became part of
CSX Transportation
as the result of the breakup of the Conrail system.
NH logo created by
Herbert Matter
during the McGinnis era (1954-1956)
The state of Connecticut frequently alludes to the New Haven in its modern transportation projects; many
Metro-North Railroad
engines are painted in McGinnis-era livery, while the familiar "NH" logo has appeared on everything from station signs to passenger cars.
The
Connecticut Department of Transportation
has painted its diesel commuter rail locomotives used on the non-electrified Danbury and Waterbury
Metro North
branches, as well as its
Shore Line East
operation, in the "McGinnis Scheme", composed of white, black, and orange-red stripes with the iconic NH logo. All of these lines were formerly owned by the New Haven Railroad.
The
Valley Railroad
, a preservation line based in Essex, Connecticut that runs both steam and diesel traction, has painted the authentic script-lettering insignia of the original "New York, New Haven and Hartford" railroad on the tenders of their resident steam locomotives, 2-8-0 Consolidation type Number 97, and 2-8-2 Mikado type number 40. There is a third steam locomotive in restoration to running order, a Chinese SY-class Mikado, formerly known as the 1658, it is being renumbered and painted as New Haven 3025, and is to be based on a Mikado-type engine that was typical to the New Haven.
Operations
[
edit
]
This article
needs additional citations for
verification
.
Please help
improve this article
by
adding citations to reliable sources
. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(March 2007)
(
Learn how and when to remove this template message
)
Passenger
[
edit
]
Passenger trains ran between Grand Central Terminal and Boston's South Station via Providence about hourly during the day (11 weekday trains each way in 1940).
Several passenger trains a day including the overnight
Federal
ran between
Washington, D.C.
and New York (
Penn Station
) via PRR and on to Boston.
Passenger service from Grand Central Terminal to
Hartford
,
Springfield
and beyond.
The premier New York-Boston passenger train was the
Merchants Limited
, leaving Grand Central and South Station at 5 PM. Also prominent was the
Yankee Clipper
, with 1 PM departures. For many years these trains carried no coaches; only parlor cars and dining and lounge cars.
NH introduced ideas for passenger rail travel, including early use of
restaurant
and
parlor cars
in the steam era, and more during the transition to diesel. NH was a pioneer in many ways; in streamliners with the
Comet
, in the use of
Diesel multiple units
(DMUs) in the U.S. with both Budd's regular
Budd Rail Diesel Cars
(RDCs) and the all-RDC
Roger Williams
trainset, in the use of rail-adapted buses, in lightweight trains such as the
Train X
-equipped
Dan'l Webster
, and in experimentation with
Talgo
-type (passive tilt) equipment on the train
John Quincy Adams
.
An audacious experiment was the
United Aircraft
Turbo Train
, which with
passive tilt
,
turbine engines
and light weight attempted to revolutionize medium distance railway travel in the U.S. Sponsored by the
U.S. Department of Transportation
, the Turbo Train holds the U.S.
railway speed record
of 170 mph, set in 1968. The NH never operated the Turbo in revenue service, as the NH was purchased by PC, which operated the train.
Other notable passenger trains:
[
citation needed
]
Bankers
(New York-Springfield)
Bay State
(New York-Boston)
Berkshire
(New York-
Danbury
-
Pittsfield
)
Bostonian
(New York-Boston)
Colonial
(Washington-Boston)
Commander
(New York Boston)
Day Cape Codder
(New York-
Hyannis
/
Woods Hole
)
(summer only)
Day White Mountains
(New York-
Berlin, New Hampshire
via B&M)
East Wind
(Washington, D.C.-
Portland, Maine
, via PRR and B&M)
(summer only)
[7]
Federal
(Washington, D.C.-Boston)
(overnight)
Forty-Second Street
(New York-Boston)
Gilt Edge
(New York-Boston)
Hell Gate Express
(
New York (Penn Station)
-Boston)
Merchants Limited
(New York-Boston)
Montrealer
(Washington, D.C.-
Montreal
, via PRR,
Canadian National
[CN],
Central Vermont Railway
[CV], and B&M)
Murray Hill
(New York-Boston)
Narragansett
(New York-Boston)
Nathan Hale
(New York-Springfield)
Naugatuck
(New York-
Winsted, Connecticut
)
Neptune
(New York-Hyannis/Woods Hole, )
(summer only)
New Yorker
(New York-Boston)
Night Cape Codder
(New York-Hyannis/Woods Hole)
(overnight, summer only)
Owl
(New York-Boston)
(overnight)
Patriot
(Washington, D.C.-Boston)
Pilgrim
(Philadelphia-Boston)
Puritan
(New York-Boston)
Quaker
(Philadelphia-Boston)
Senator
(Washington, D.C.-Boston)
Shoreliner
(New York-Boston)
State of Maine
(New York-
Portland
/
Bangor
via B&M and MEC)
[7]
Washingtonian
(Montreal-
Washington, D.C.
, via PRR, CN, CV and B&M)
William Penn
(Philadelphia-Boston)
Yankee Clipper
(New York-Boston)
Commuter
[
edit
]
Commuter service from New York ran to
New Rochelle
,
Stamford
,
New Canaan
,
Danbury
(and on to
Pittsfield
),
Bridgeport
,
New Haven
, and
Waterbury
(and on to
Hartford
and
Winsted
).
Commuter service from Boston went to destinations on the OC system of
Greenbush
,
Plymouth
,
Brockton
/Campello,
Middleboro
,
Hyannis
/
Woods Hole
on
Cape Cod
,
Fall River
,
Newport
,
New Bedford
and
Providence
,
Woonsocket
, Needham Heights, West Medway and
Dedham
.
Yale Bowl trains
[
edit
]
Beginning November 21, 1914, the railroad operated special trains to bring football fans to and from the new
Yale Bowl
stadium in New Haven. Passengers rode extra trains from Springfield, Boston, and especially New York to the New Haven Union Station, where they transferred to trolleys for the two-mile ride to the Bowl.
[8]
On November 21, 1922, for example, such trains carried more than 50,000 passengers.
[9]
"There is nothing which can be compared with the New Haven's football movement except a record of one of the mass-movements incidental to the European war," one observer wrote in 1916.
[10]
Freight
[
edit
]
Major freight yards were at
South Boston
,
Taunton
,
Fall River
,
New Bedford
,
Providence
,
Worcester
,
Springfield
,
Hartford
,
Waterbury
,
New Haven
(the major Cedar Hill hump
classification yard
), Maybrook (another hump yard and interchange point for western connections), New York
Harlem River
and New York
Bay Ridge
(where interchange was made with the PRR and other railroads in
New Jersey
, via barge (
car float
)).
Multiple through freight trains traveled at night between
New York
or
Maybrook
and Cedar Hill yard and on to
Boston
. Other through freights served the yards above as well as intermediate points and also State Line (New York Central interchange),
Brockton
,
Framingham
and
Lowell
(B&M interchange for traffic for Taunton, New Bedford and Fall River).
Company officers
[
edit
]
Name
From
To
Term
Notes
William D. Bishop
7/24/1872
2/1879
6y/6m
George H. Watrous
2/1879
3/1887
8y/1m
Charles P. Clark
3/1887
11/1899
12y/8m
John M. Hall
11/1899
10/31/1903
4y
Charles S. Mellen
10/31/1903
9/1/1913
9y/8m
Also Chairman
Howard Elliott
9/1/1913
10/22/1913
1m/22d
Also Chairman
James H. Hustis
10/22/1913
8/15/1914
9m/25d
Howard Elliott
8/15/1914
5/1/1917
2y/8m
Also Chairman
Edward Jones Pearson
5/1/1917
3/21/1918
10m
Also Chairman
Edward G. Buckland
3/21/1918
2/29/1920
1y/11m
Also Chairman
Edward Jones Pearson
2/29/1920
11/27/1928
8y/8m
Also Chairman
Edward G. Buckland
1/3/1929
3/1/1929
2m
Also Chairman
John J. Pelley
3/1/1929
11/1/1934
5y/8m
Howard S. Palmer
11/1/1934
8/12/1948
13y/9m
Longest term
Frederic C. Dumaine, Sr.
8/12/1948
8/31/1948
20d
Also Chairman, Shortest term
Laurence F. Whittemore
8/31/1948
12/21/1949
1y/3m
Frederic C. Dumaine, Sr.
12/21/1949
5/27/1951
1y/5m
Also Chairman
Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine Jr.
5/27/1951
4/1/1954
2y/10m
Also Chairman
Patrick B. McGinnis
4/1/1954
1/18/1956
1y/9m
George Alpert
1/18/1956
7/7/1961
5y/5m
Also Chairman