Track 4B - NH&D Main Line

[4.41] Looking again at our 1925 Price and Lee New Haven city directory map, we can see the next three crossings. Dogman's is at the blue arrow. Even though it says Dogburn there, if you follow that road, which is now the Orange-West Haven border, it curves around below to become Dogman Rd. The green arrow points to what the PUC called Milford Rd., perhaps confusing that name with Meloy Rd., which you can see to the lower left. The next crossing at the red arrow is what the PUC and the valuation map calls Old Colony Rd., which we know today as Dogburn La. The yellow arrow is New Haven Ave., which, if followed to the left, goes to Tyler City.

[4.41.1] Clickable image. This is Dogman's crossing, also known as Allen's or Kennedy's, mileage point 4.11, at the blue arrow to the on the map above. This appears on the map to be a dead-end road but on older maps we have seen this road went considerably farther north. Apparently there was a crossing of enough importance to make it onto the official list at this mileage point.

[4.41.2] This photo appeared in the Register along with the front-page story about an accident at Dogman crossing [NHER/06/14/1910/01]. Thomas N. Bronson, a farm hand, was killed when a westbound NYNH&H train hit his milk wagon and two-horse team. The wrecked carriage was dragged 75 feet down the track. Bronson was put aboard the train but died as the train reached Derby. He had just built a home in Tyler City where he intended to live after his upcoming wedding. The railroad commissioners held hearings in 1910 on the dangers of the Orange crossings and decided to put a flagman at Orange Center but not here, even though this was a busy, unprotected point with a dozen or so daily passenger trains each way plus freights and extras.

[4.41.3] Clickable images. These photos have mileage point numbers of 4.29 (1923)and 4.23 (1927) which would place them here, but we have never seen this called Milford Rd. otherwise. The PUC perhaps confused the name with Meloy Rd. which you can see on the map above, and which ran to about this point. They do equate this crossing with Alling's, also called Sheldon's after prominent resident J. Sheldon Alling. The NH&D had a stop here from August of 1871 until June of 1872 when the Tyler City station opened just to the west. In an accident here in 1905 in which Samuel Casner was killed by a train hitting his car, the location was called Plunkitt's crossing in The New York Times but Allings Crossing in the Hartford Courant [NYT/09/25/1905/09; HC/09/25/1905/11]. A warning bell was finally installed here on 7/31/15 because of the new fatality of motorcyclist Paul Jansen on 5/31/1915 [Dkt. 1568] and injuries and damages when "northbound" train #1418 struck Daniel Durkin and his double team at 11:55am on 5/26/1914. The warning devices were removed on 6/16/1927 [Dkt. 4920] shortly after passenger service was discontinued in 1925 and this was made a stop-and-flag crossing for the remaining freight service on the line.

[4.41.4] The blue arrow points to what the valuation maps and the PUC, perhaps following them, called Old Colony Rd., a name found nowhere else thus far in the historical record. Both of these these Milford-Orange city directory maps label the road at this crossing as Dogburn La. The upper map (1953) has the portion of this road starting after the jog at Spring St. labeled as Alling St., which is correct as far back as the 1872 Tyler City prospectus map. The lower map (1927) mislabels this as part of Dogburn Lane, a confusion settled by 1959 in favor of the latter name, which reportedly recalls a native American ritual sacrifice here. The several 'Dog' names are still perplexing today. The Alling name, now gone from this street, endures elsewhere for these historic families, several of whom were still seen in the 1931 Atlas of New Haven County, Connecticut [Dolph & Stewart, plate 29] that we also consulted.

[4.41.5] Clickable image. This photograph shows the Old Colony Rd. crossing, which is found on the valuation maps [click here] for the road we call Dogburn La. The mileage point of 4.60 in this 1924 photograph is correct for this location, with Tyler City station .37 miles west of here. The business car on the rear end of the train is on the east side of the crossing. This either means that the train was backing up to give the inspectors a forward-looking view or that it started at Derby Jct. and is headed eastward for New Haven, though that would put the mileage points in reverse of the westward order in which they proceed on this line.

[4.41.6] This photograph appeared in a 1945 publication entitled Historical notes about Christ Church, West Haven, Connecticut, concerning its two hundred years of existence, 1723-1923. In a section [pp. 96-100] about the creation of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, it says that the school building was consecrated as the chapel on April 19, 1913 by Episcopal Bishop Chauncey Bunce Brewster [click here]. The donation of land by Ferry and Halliwell is acknowledged, as is the deeding of the property to the church after the town schools were consolidated in 1909 and the building was no longer needed for a school.

[4.41.7] Clickable photo. The building on the left, Our Lady of Sorrows Church at 378 Spring St., is the 1874 Tyler City schoolhouse, which was decommissioned in 1909 and remodeled by successive church groups for ecclesiastical purposes. This has meant the addition of the two narrow windows on the south side seen here, the construction of a lower profile sanctuary area on the north end, and stained glass windows throughout. This location is just east of the site of the Tyler City railroad station where classes were first held in 1873. The track ran on the south side of Spring St., just behind where the photographer is standing.

[4.42] This is the 1872 Tyler City station that stood along New Haven Ave. in Orange, built by Philander Ferry and Samuel Halliwell, promoters of the visionary railroad boom town and given to the railroad on condition that trains stop here. In contradiction to many chroniclers, timetables show that trains stopped here regularly until 1877 when, perhaps because the vision was fading, Tyler City became a flag stop, but, even then, with one morning and one evening train stopping here [NHJC/06/04/1877/02]. More frequent regular service returned in the 1880s and 1890s. The station burned on July 4, 1936, the victim of holiday revelry, perhaps not altogether unlike New Haven's Austin depot in 1894: see Track 6, MP 6.7.

[4.43] The Tyler City station is clearly still standing in March of 1934, its outline even recognizable as matching its photo. The building over to its right on the north side of New Haven Ave. is the general store and post office. A few homes just to the west are out of sight here but the visionary Tyler City is undeveloped otherwise. The large rectangle, west of the station and the remnants of Harrison Ave., is the footprint of the factory building built by Samuel Halliwell, one of the 'proprietors' of Tyler City.

[4.43.1] This PUC photo is somewhat problematic. Ferry Ave. was in Tyler City and no other street in Orange is thus far known to have been so named. If you scroll to the right of the same valuation map referred to above [click here], it shows Ferry Ave., 'closed' even in 1915, just east of the Tyler City station. As seen in the 1934 aerial map just above, even 70 years later some of the Tyler City streets are shown going across the NH&D track below New Haven Ave. This northward looking shot fits perfectly for a mileage point of about 5.11, which appears to be what this photograph read before the numerals were altered in black. The 6.17 mileage point would make the location a mile farther west, about where the NH&D crossed Tyler City Rd., which they seem to be calling Ferry Ave, perhaps because of the doctored mileage point on this photo. See MP 4.46.2 for other location. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see that the car is lettered 'England,' likely for the Central New England Rwy., this probably being its #300 business car. The CNE was a property that the NYNH&H controlled as of 1904 and would merge out of existence in 1927. Richard Fleischer notes that there is a useful article about these official business cars in Shoreliner 26.1 (1995) pp. 22-39. This same car appears in the other 9/16/24 PUC inspection photos at MP 4.41.1 and 4.41.5.

[4.43.2] This shot from a 1927 city directory map shows the crossing at Bradley Ave. (blue arrow), by then known as Racebrook Rd. It also shows the next crossings at Lambert and Porter, Tyler City, and Orange Center Rds. NHER/12/27/1909/09 also mentions a Peterson's crossing, just west of Tyler City, perhaps one of the planned streets that show on some maps going across the tracks below New Haven Ave. in the area east of the blue arrow.

[4.43.3] These are two shots of the crossing at Bradley Ave., now Racebrook, Rd., mileage point 5.28 (1927) and 5.34 (1924) from New Haven. The Lewis Bradley farm, ahead on the right, is out of sight in the upper photo. The lower shot shows track heading westward toward Platt Valley Rd. Seen here and elsewhere in these PUC photos are the fences and cattle guards designed to keep livestock from wandering onto the tracks. The guards [click here] were the V-shaped strips of metal or wood that were attached to the ties between and to each side of the rails where the fencing left off at crossings. The vertical placement made it difficult, if not impossible, for cattle to pass these simple barriers.

[4.45] This is the left (northwest) abutment of the bridge in the preceding photo. In 1871 when the railroad came through, the intersection was on a diagonal as was the NH&D overhead bridge. This photo predates 1965. The intersection was redesigned subsequently and presumably the abutment was removed at that time. A residence on the northwest corner of Porter and Lambert Rds. now obscures the embankment behind it. See map below.

[4.46] Lambert Rd., then called Platt Valley Rd., is to the right of 'Derby' on this shot from an 1890 map of Orange. Note the short diagonal portion of roadway paralleling the track on the east under 'O. Treat' and the Platt River running under the track and the road at that point. The culvert location is still visible, when the leaves are off the trees, on the east side of Lambert Rd.

[4.46.1] Clickable photo. Who among us devotees of railroad history would not want a piece of property with an abandoned railroad right of way, an old culvert, and a stream to play in? This shot is of two children enjoying just such a scenario along the Platt River in Orange on the east side of Lambert Rd. The setting corresponds to the point shown on the map just above. The NH&D embankment is in the background and the culvert is behind the boy who is standing on a makeshift bridge of railroad ties. After a century and a quarter of service, this culvert threatened to collapse a few years ago and was shored up with a concrete insert. All vestiges of the beautiful old stone arch appear to be gone now. This culvert may have dated to 1882 when the railroad commissioners reported that some of the Platte (sic) valley trestle was filled in [CRC 30.1883.21].

[4.46.2] Clickable image. This looks plausibly like the crossing of what we know as Tyler City Rd. at a correct mileage point of 6.17, with the track curving westward to the Orange Center station. Though the PUC says this point was also known as Malone's crossing, we know of no one else who called this street Ferry Ave. Like the other curiously mislabeled street names that the PUC used, this one would carry through until the 1938 abandonment when the PUC took this Ferry Ave. off its list of state railroad crossings. See the retouched photo at MP 4.43.1 for discussion of the 'real' Ferry Ave.

[4.46.3] Clickable photo. The Orange station was on Orange Center Rd. where the small shopping center is now. The view looks east. The station was built with $1003 in local funds and presented to the NH&D in a manner somewhat similar to the Tyler City station and relatively common at the time when communities wanted to guarantee that the train would stop in town. Ground was broken early in September of 1871 [NHDP/09/07/1871/01]. According to notes left by the late Harry Grillo, long-time resident and history buff, it was finished within the month, as stated in the newspapers to coincide with the annual Orange Agricultural Fair. Sidney F. Oviatt moved the post office from his house across the town green to the station [see Track 2, MP 2.2.4]. Oviatt, who served as postmaster and station agent until 1887 - he died in 1888 - is likely seen here on the platform. A newspaper article in 1877 reported that there was a cannon on carriage wheels opposite the railroad station, complete with rammer and sponge and a placard saying "Don't strike here" [NHER/08/01/1877/04]. The article does not say whether the cannon was aimed at the station!

[4.46.4] Clickable images. Hand-written and -drawn design plans for the Orange station. These papers are in the OHS collection, along with a list of contributors who 'subscribed' funds to go toward the cost of the structure. The fact that it was built with community moneys allowed this building to become town property, and, after passenger service was discontinued, it was later utilized for municipal services.

[4.47] Clickable image. This map, found recently at OHS, shows that Tyler City was not the only real estate development that the NH&D spawned. Former postmaster Benjamin T. Clark owned a large piece of property on Orange Center Rd. below the new railroad line and depot and had it surveyed, with the apparent intention of creating some 70 building lots seen on this September, 1871 map. This even pre-dates the Tyler City survey maps: see Track 1, MP 1.11+. The Clark home is in the lower center at the corner of what would soon be called Tyler City Rd. The activity here merited a note in the Palladium, which said that eight new dwellings could be counted "within rifle shot" of the depot, two of which were just completed for Messrs. French and Thompson of this city, and that even "the academy" has had its roof "renewed" [NHDP/12/30/1874/04]. This 'academy' was, incidentally, the precursor of the present building on Orange Center Rd. It was sold to Leverett B. Treat and moved to the area in back of Miller's store around 1878 when the newer building was authorized by the town. Most of the extensive development foreseen here never materialized, but the proposed Frank, Clark, and Elizabeth Sts. still show up on municipal maps as late as 1941. The latter two replicate present-day Schoolhouse La. which encloses the center area, now town property that houses Mary L. Tracy school, the fire department and the town hall, the last of which is on the site of the old Clark homestead.

[4.47.0] Judging by the dress style, probably an 1890s shot of what appear to be school-age children and teachers or chaperones, perhaps taking the train into New Haven for the day. The supporting post on the corner of the platform is listing seriously, possibly after being hit by a wagon, though the one to its right appears to have been shimmed also after settling into the ground.

[4.47.1] Clickable photo. Another view of the Orange station, looking east toward Tyler City and New Haven, ca. 1908. This amount of activity at the station probably indicates a special event, perhaps the Orange Fair, an annual event that went back at least to 1871 when the NH&D opened. Mary Woodruff [p. 122; see Track 1] says the fairs, with dwindling attendance, lasted until a final one was held at Savin Rock in West Haven in 1916. An Orange Country Fair was reinstituted in 1975 and is now in its 34th year. The cars on the siding to the right show some pretty active freight business at that time as well.

[4.47.2] Probably an early 1900s shot with a Frisco box car on the siding that served the Woodruff seed warehouses located there and other community businesses. Most every picture we have seen, including the 1934 aerial view, shows three or four freight cars here. The wagon is perhaps picking up merchandise. Back as far as 1856, Everett B. Clark and Frank Woodruff started separate seed production operations that would flourish, with Clark's evolving by 1927 into the Associated Seed Growers, or ASGROW [click here]. These companies, plus an active farming community needing feed and fertilizer shipments, helped delay the abandonment of the line from Derby Jct. until 1941. Freight service on the portion from Orange center to West Haven was discontinued in 1932: see Track 2, MP 2.54.

[4.47.3] Clickable images. The upper image looks south on Orange Center Rd. in 1924 and shows the Scobie store on the right and the Woodruff seed warehouses on the left. If you look closely at the edge of the station on the left side of the shot, you can see that it is not yet the firehouse as of this 9/16/1924 photograph. The doors and windows are unaltered and there appears to be a young boy on the platform. The middle photo shows the Orange Center station as the volunteer fire department in 1927. This transformation came about later in 1925 after passenger service ended on June 25. The platform has been removed and it looks like the driveway has been built up to the level of the newly installed garage door. At the risk of brightening this picture excessively, we tried to illuminate the box cars sitting on the siding that served the Woodruff warehouses. The lower photo is the view west from Orange Center Rd., with the runaround track for the station looking already disconnected at the switch. The Ridge Rd. overpass is also visible farther down the line. We also cannot help but notice the several telephone poles on the left (south) side of the track, each with five crossarms close to the ground and holding 10 or so wires and glass insulators. This crossing was the only one in Orange busy enough in 1910 for the railroad commissioners [RRC 23: 200; see also MP 4.41.3, above] to order an attendant and a sign saying "Flagman On Duty for Express and Through Trains Only," a posting that the railroad's "chief engineer" suggested in 1918 should be replaced "by one in conformity with present standards" [Dkt. 2963]. This probably means that no Pittsfield-bound through trains were using this line any longer and also that all remaining local trains stopped here as well, thus eliminating the need for a flagman.

[4.47.4] When passenger service was discontinued in 1925, the post office was moved to Scobie's store right across Orange Center Rd. The station building, put up by the residents and thus owned by the town, became the first headquarters of the volunteer fire department, as pictured here probably in the 1940s. Thereafter it was used by the town highway department and was later offered to the American Legion post, which declined on account of the building's condition. It was torn down in 1948 and the useable lumber went into the construction of the Orange Shopping Center and Cadwell's Pharmacy. The 1.52-acre station property, inherited by the NYNH&HRR from the NH&D/HRR, was sold to the town on July 21, 1942. This information also comes from Harry Grillo.

[4.47.6] The Scobie Bros. store, probably in the late 1800s. This was the Orange center post office after it was moved from the depot when Sidney Oviatt, likely in 1887, gave up his duties as postmaster and stationmaster on account of ill-health. He died the following year. The post office was again moved later to the Woodruff seed warehouse on the siding at the railroad station and finally to the present building just to the south on Orange Center Rd. Elbert Scobie, himself later postmaster, produced a series of postcards that were printed in Germany and captured life as it was in Orange in the early 1900s. The railroad station view at MP 4.47.1 is one of his cards. OHS has the full set in their collections.

[4.47.7] Click to enlarge thumbnail at left. This map appeared in the Register on June 14, 1942 in a feature article on the New Haven Railroad. The blue arrow shows the line only as far as the center of Orange, although even this portion of the line was out of service as of May 1941. This coincided with the opening of the first leg of the Wilbur Cross Pkwy that year and the state's refusal to build a railroad bridge over the parkway. As we now know, this map accurately reflects track still on the ground as of mid-1941, rails on the eastern portion from Orange to West Haven, taken up by 1939: see Track 2, MP 2.5.4. Track on the Derby Jct. to Orange portion was probably taken up later in 1941 or in 1942 for steel needed in the war effort.

[4.48] Clickable photo. Judging by the considerably lower level of the NH&D right of way, we are going to assume that a bridge was always needed here after the railroad was put in. It may, in fact, always have been the wooden structure seen in this photo at mileage point 6.84. This street, called Ridge Rd. today and on maps back to the 1920s, was also known as Henry Clark's Road - he lived a short distance south of this point - as well as Orange Rd. and Milford Rd or Old Milford Rd.

[4.49] This is another scan from the 1934 aerial map collection. The road running on the right is Grassy Hill Rd. with an overhead railroad bridge. The next bridge to the left is over the Wepawaug River. Unfortunately, the PUC photographs we have do not include bridges over water. It is not known if any photos survive of the 'tin bridge' over the river here. The furthest bridge to the left is over Cranberry Rd. See the following photos. The Wilbur Cross Pkwy, of course, is not yet been built.

[4.50] Clickable photo. This shot is of the NH&D bridge over what is now Grassy Hill Rd., CT Rte. 121. The writing on the bottom of this photo identifies as mile point 7.19 in 1929 at Wappowaug Rd., named for what is more commonly spelled as the Wepawaug River. The short distance between the Orange Rd. undercrossing and this overpass shows the start of a westward climb on the old NH&D. The business car seen in use in the 10/14/1929 inspection photos, also at MP 4.48, 4.51, and 4.53, was NYNH&H No. 4, ex 400, pictured in Shoreliner 26.1 (1995), p. 26, 32.

[4.50.1] Clickable photo. When the American Legion turned down the Orange station building, they settled in on another part of the NH&D line at 630 Grassy Hill Rd. Behind their building one of the abutments for the 'tin bridge' over the Wepawaug River was still standing in the late 1970s. We happened on the unfortunate destruction of that monument for new home development. The abutment is on the west side of the river as seen here. The construction of the "substantial stone abutments" for a bridge to replace the original crossing of the Wepawaug were noted by the railroad commissioners as being built in 18823 [CRC (1883) 30: 21].

[4.50.2] Clickable image. This scan from OHS shows a steam-powered sawmill belonging to one of the members of the Alling family, ubiquitous throughout Orange and West Haven, being operated along Cranberry Rd. in Orange, north of the NH&D line. The photo is dated as 1908 and the care that the NYNH&H is giving the railroad line now in its possession is obvious in the straight-as-an- arrow profile and reinforced abutments at the overpass beyond the mill operation.

[4.51] Clickable image. This photo is of the NH&D bridge over Cranberry Lane that went west off Grassy Hill Rd. right where the Wilbur Cross Pkwy was built in 1941. This is mile point 7.57 in the 1929 photo. A short dead-end piece still exists off the southbound entrance ramp. The north abutment of this bridge is still standing and visible when the leaves are off the trees on the north side of the parkway just east of the service area. Just west of this point was the Turkey Hill flag stop, where the school entrance meets Turkey Hill Rd.

[4.51.1] Two shots of the north abutment for the bridge over Cranberry La. It still stands just east of the service area on the southbound side of the Wilbur Cross Pkwy, just as it did ca. 1980 when these photos were taken. The south abutment was removed during the construction work in 1940-1941. A little beyond this point is Turkey Hill road which was an NH&D flag stop until 1881. We believe that a small shed stood here for passengers at one time. Among the artifacts found here are glass insulators, spikes, and rail braces, all of which are in the collection of the Orange Historical Society.

[4.51.2] Clickable images. These are shots of the Turkey Hill Rd. crossing, which was a flag stop here when the NH&D opened and lasted until 1881 [CRC (1882) 20:32]. This crossing was also known as Taylor's in later years. OHS has a number of railroad artifacts that were found here, including insulators, spikes, and an old style rail brace, used to prevent rails around curves from shifting. Click on the thumbnail at left for larger view. The upper photo looks north. The fences in the right rear may be along Grassy Hill Road or simply marking a farmland boundary in rural Orange of the 1920s. The lower photo shows the track heading northwest toward Derby-Milford Rd.

[4.51.3] Clickable image. This shot from the 1927 city directory map shows the area west of Orange Center, with the crossings of Ridge Rd., the next being Wepawaug Rd. (Grassy Hill Rd. today), then the Wepawaug River, and then Cranberry La., all of which we have just toured. The map goes on to show the Turkey Hill Rd. grade crossing, the points where the overhead bridges stood on Derby-Milford Rd (red and yellow arrows), and the grade-level Tynan's crossing, all of which are seen in the next several photos.

[4.52] The Derby line has turned almost due north through Orange's rural fields. Vestiges of the town's farming heritage can be seen in the two cattle bridges at the arrows in this scan of the area above Turkey Hill Rd. which is seen running across the bottom of this shot. Even in 1934 these bridges were probably in use for the passage of livestock in this community with very strong agricultural roots. These cattle bridges are reportedly still in existence today and we hope to get pictures when we arrange visits with the current property owners.

[4.55] Clickable photo. The north abutment towers over Derby-Milford Rd. pretty much today as it did over a century ago, though what appears to be the raising of the pavement level may have stolen a little of its stature. Coming upon this massive roadside monument still must elicit surprise and awe from passing motorists, as it first did to us many, many years ago and inspired the life-long pursuit of ferroequinology. One has to admire the determination of the NH&D to build with the 'air line'-like obstacles this work presented. See the next item for more.

[4.55.1] Clickable photos. If the north abutment isn't a treat enough, park your car off the road across from it and look around at what is left on the other side of the dismantled south abutment. This amazingly tall and well-preserved culvert (top photo) still looms large with its keyhole-like facade. If you are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, don't. It is pitch black because the other end is so much shorter and less conspicuous, along the road just a little further east (bottom photo). The conduit under the embankment must have been a few hundred feet long, almost making the two facades seem like totally distinct structures. The work of filling in the 300-ft long and 50-ft tall trestle here and constructing the culvert to channel Davis Brook through the newly created embankment was done in 1883 [CRC31.1884.17].

[4.55.2] Clickable photo. The NH&D ran on the elevated ledge seen in the middle of this shot. This is on your right as you are driving toward Derby. Our eyes could be deceiving us but the grayish matter to the left may be cinders left from days long gone. The third crossing of Derby-Milford Rd. was up ahead at the 964 address where the track was on a diagonal, heading for Derby Jct. Rails were still sticking out of the pavement there back in the late 70s.

[4.55.3] Clickable image. This rare photo shows NH&D #30 headed for New Haven and, judging by the cattle fences, just approaching Tynan's grade crossing on today's Derby-Milford Rd. This crossing name has been verified in the PUC report sheets that accompanied their photographs. The date is of this shot sometime after #30's arrival in early May, 1888 and before the 1892 NYNH&H takeover. See details about this engine on Track 3 at MP 3.2.6. It was said to be "largest locomotive in the state" and capable of hauling "25 passenger or freight cars up 100-ft grades of Derby line." It had air brakes and was designed from the special drawings of NH&D Master Mechanic Kettendorf [NHER/05/12/1888/04]. Flying along here, it seems unfazed as it pulls a mere three-car consist, typical of the Derby line locals.

[4.55.4] Clickable image. The top photo is the view the engineer was looking at in the picture just above as he approached Tynan's crossing going east. In this shot, the post seen on the outside of the curve, about 100 feet from the crossing, was a flanger warning sign. The flanger cleared snow and ice with the plow blade lowered between the rails. The sign warned the operator to raise the blade ahead of crossings and switches to avoid damage. The gentleman over to the right may be one of the photographers and the 'suitcases' on the ground to the left may well be the bulky equipment that they used in those days.

[4.55.5] Clickable image. This photo looks westward at Tynan's crossing and, curiously, has no flanger warning sign, though there was still passenger and freight service in 1924 when this picture was taken. The 'birdhouse' on the right probably holds the warning bell, the 'A' of the "V A" visible-audible signals ordered by the PUC and installed at this crossing on 12/2/1916 [Dkt. 1726]. The V-A signals were removed on 6/16/1927 when this was made a stop-and-flag crossing, after passenger service ended in 1925 [Dkt. 4920].

[4.55.6] Clickable image. This northward-looking photo shows the Hall discs on posts facing the roadway in both directions, the 'visible' grade crossing signals for motorists. These devices were obsolete as automatic block signals by this time and were being 'recycled' [click here]. Among the reasons was their implication as a cause of the 9/2/1913 rear-end collision at North Haven between the Bar Harbor and White Mountain Express trains which killed 21 passengers and injured 35 people [click here]. On the track at the right is NYNH&H business car No. 5, which apparently did the inspection honors on 9/21/1923. A drawing that shows its opposite side of this car, with its slightly different window configuration, is seen in Shoreliner 26.1 (1995), p. 33. Our thanks to Richard Fleischer for his help with these details.

[4.56] Clickable lower photo. Another original NH&D structure endures but not for much longer. See DOOMED on our home page. This attractive culvert stands west of Derby-Milford Rd. at the base of what was still a tall, filled embankment ca. 1980 when the upper shot was taken. The NH&D was not built on trestle here to start, as we have learned from the work currently being done, so this culvert complex must date to 1870 or 1871. The culvert channeled Oil Mill Creek under the railroad. The lower shot was taken on March 28, 2009. The fill has been cut away to expose and repair the central portion of the conduit, some of which had collapsed recently [click here]. The facades, this is the one on the west side, are identical, in good shape, and it seemed as though they were going to be preserved, they are not. This is on Mount St. Peter R.C. Cemetery property. Heading due northwest at this point, the NH&D is about to begin the descent down to the eastern bank of the Housatonic River to parallel the Naugatuck RR track to Derby Jct.

[4.56.1] This shot is from the southeast portion of the 1893 Derby quadrangle topographic map. Click here for a backward look at the NH&D route through the town of Orange just traversed on the southwest portion of the New Haven quadrangle. The steep westbound descent, just above the red arrow, is where Christopher Kelly and other passengers riding the first regular train from Ansonia to New Haven had to get out and push the consist up the grade back in 1871 [ES/07/17/1907/06]. The red arrow also marks where Two Mile Brook flows through the culvert in the photo above.

[4.56.2] These are two shots of the Derby cut, ours in 1980 and as immortalized on postcard probably 100 years earlier. We will be checking the city directories for when the Kennedy store operated in Derby. The card credits identifying the locale would seem to make this definitive. There is no other cut that we know of in Derby and the angle of the photo matches ours, both above and below in the next item.

[4.56.3] This is a south-facing shot looking back toward the Derby cut. The height clearly shows the eastbound grade, perhaps 50 feet in a half-mile, likely the most challenging on the Derby line. No wonder Christopher Kelly and his fellow passengers had to push the first train from Ansonia up this incline on August 9, 1871 [AES/07/17/1907/06]. Stalled engines at Turkey Hill would be a periodic occurrence until the NH&D acquired more powerful locomotives. Down to the right is the NRR track at river level. Dark patches of dirt or cinder ballast are still seen here on the right of way forty years after the line was torn up.

[4.56.4] Clickable photos. These locations are reached by heading west toward Derby and taking a left off of Rte. 34 onto Chapel St. and then a right onto Burtville Ave. The Waterbury line is at the foot of the road. This is the exact point where the NH&D reached river level alongside the NRR (upper photo). It would begin a little beyond here to swing a bit to the right to curve back around to cross the NRR diagonally on the diamond at Derby Jct., which is just up ahead. Some of the embankment that the NH&D once descended westward is still evident behind the warehouse at the end of the Burtville Ave. (lower photo). St. Peter Cemetery is farther up on the ridge overlooking this point.

Continue your tour from Derby Jct. to Ansonia on Track 4C.


				TylerCityStation.Info Track 4B - NH&D Main, West Haven to Derby Jct.



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