On the New Haven, 88 Years Ago Today. . .The Great New England Hurricane

September 21, 1938 marks a somber - and for the New Haven Railroad, a devastating - event in history.

Making landfall that day, The Great New England Hurricane was - and remains - the most powerful and deadly storm to hit New England in at least 300 years. It killed an estimated 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes and cost an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019 dollars. Even as late as 1951, you could still see damaged trees and buildings.

The New Haven's Shore Line route was hit especially hard. . .

 

 

 

But the railroad - despite being in receivership after having gone into bankruptcy a few years earlier - restored its many washed-out lines in record time. The little booklet above tells the story:

"On September 21st, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven Railroad where the tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers...suddenly, just before dark, in the teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily to hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line across the Shore Line Route of the New Haven Railroad...carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings, and wreckage. Communications by rail, wire, and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane - tidal wave - flood throughout the length and breadth of southern New England. But the next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where fast freights and through passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds had sped in rapid succession between New York and New England points carrying passengers, mail, express, and the vital necessities of life...now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles over yawning chasms in a hopeless tangle of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic, and Putnam the hurricane had left its toll of felled trees and communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories...and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the north broke through dams and temporary dikes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track...rendering useless the strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and points south and west had been effectually severed. It had to be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackmen, engineers, skilled repair crews, and laborers had to be carried out without the help of modern communications systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5,000 men were at work...toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts...many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job..."

Those of us living in New England a few years back went through "Superstorm Sandy" and got a taste of what The Great New England Hurricane might have been like. But, as it turns out, it was a pretty small taste - as bad as Sandy was, it didn't come anywhere close. Check out this site for an eye-opening comparison of the two storms.

There are fewer and fewer folks that have first-hand memories of that fateful day 88 years ago, but thanks to the extensive coverage the storm received - not to mention the wonders of the internet that allow all that coverage to be easily saved and shared - the heroic efforts of the employees of the New Haven Railroad, including those on the Valley Line and most especially along the Shore Line, will never be forgotten.

On the New Haven, 87 Years Ago Today. . .The Great New England Hurricane

September 21, 1938 marks a somber - and for the New Haven Railroad, a devastating - event in history.

Making landfall that day, The Great New England Hurricane was - and remains - the most powerful and deadly storm to hit New England in at least 300 years. It killed an estimated 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes and cost an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019 dollars. Even as late as 1951, you could still see damaged trees and buildings.

The New Haven's Shore Line route was hit especially hard. . .

But the railroad - despite being in receivership after having gone into bankruptcy a few years earlier - restored its many washed-out lines in record time. The little booklet above tells the story:

"On September 21st, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven Railroad where the tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers...suddenly, just before dark, in the teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily to hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line across the Shore Line Route of the New Haven Railroad...carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings, and wreckage. Communications by rail, wire, and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane - tidal wave - flood throughout the length and breadth of southern New England. But the next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where fast freights and through passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds had sped in rapid succession between New York and New England points carrying passengers, mail, express, and the vital necessities of life...now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles over yawning chasms in a hopeless tangle of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic, and Putnam the hurricane had left its toll of felled trees and communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories...and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the north broke through dams and temporary dikes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track...rendering useless the strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and points south and west had been effectually severed. It had to be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackmen, engineers, skilled repair crews, and laborers had to be carried out without the help of modern communications systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5,000 men were at work...toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts...many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job..."

Those of us living in New England a few years back went through "Superstorm Sandy" and got a taste of what The Great New England Hurricane might have been like. But, as it turns out, it was a pretty small taste - as bad as Sandy was, it didn't come anywhere close. Check out this site for an eye-opening comparison of the two storms.

There are fewer and fewer folks that have first-hand memories of that fateful day 86 years ago, but thanks to the extensive coverage the storm received - not to mention the wonders of the internet that allow all that coverage to be easily saved and shared - the heroic efforts of the employees of the New Haven Railroad, including those on the Valley Line and most especially along the Shore Line, will never be forgotten.

Wordless Wednesday #488 - Springfield/Amherst Big Model Railroad Show

 

Max Miller 1936-2024

 

Max helping catalog images at the NHRHTA Photo Library

I'm very sorry to have to report the passing of Max Miller - a wonderful friend of The Valley Local, the Valley Railroad, the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association and Connecticut railroads in general.

I've known Max ever since my first days working on the Valley Railroad way back in 1987. He was the head of the track crew and a stalwart of the Wednesday night volunteer nights back then. I'll never forget when somebody was passing around photos during one of those nights that he invariably was able to tell you just about everything there was to know about the image - even down to estimating when it was taken by the number of insulators on the telegraph poles!

We lost touch after I left the railroad, but our paths crossed again many years later at the big Springfield train show. He'd heard about our efforts to catalog the NHRHTA photo library and offered to help out. I'd recently moved to within 30 minutes of his home and, remembering his extensive knowledge about the New Haven Railroad, I couldn't accept his offer fast enough.

But we really hit it off over our mutual love of the New Haven's Connecticut Valley Line. In fact, he was one of the two primary influences behind my choosing to model the line. He was so kind and generous not only with his time and knowledge of the line, but his impressive collection of photos was - and continues to be - the foundation of all my prototype research.

Lots of folks had encouraged him to somehow get all of that knowledge into a book - and he worked on it for many years, always adding to it. I'll always cherish the time he and I went up to the UCONN railroad archive to spend a day doing research for it. Thankfully, he finally did - literally write the book - about the Valley Line.

In addition to his kindness and generosity, Max was also one of the least assuming men you'd meet - which had a way of hiding his wide-ranging experience with everything from steam shovels to how best to handle glass plate negatives. I'll miss his usual greeting whenever somebody would approach him with a question, an artifact, or a photo - "Whatchagot?" Then he'd consider whatever you came to him with and would invariably come up with just the right answer or information from his encyclopedic mind.

I could certainly go on about what an impact Max has had not only on my hobby, but my life. Suffice it to say he will be well and sorely missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him and having him be a part of their lives.

Obituary & Arrangements

On the New Haven, 86 Years Ago Today. . .The Great New England Hurricane

 September 21, 1938 marks a somber - and for the New Haven Railroad, a devastating - event in history.

Making landfall that day, The Great New England Hurricane was - and remains - the most powerful and deadly storm to hit New England in at least 300 years. It killed an estimated 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes and cost an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019 dollars. Even as late as 1951, you could still see damaged trees and buildings.

The New Haven's Shore Line route was hit especially hard. . .

But the railroad - despite being in receivership after having gone into bankruptcy a few years earlier - restored its many washed-out lines in record time. The little booklet above tells the story:

"On September 21st, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven Railroad where the tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers...suddenly, just before dark, in the teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily to hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line across the Shore Line Route of the New Haven Railroad...carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings, and wreckage. Communications by rail, wire, and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane - tidal wave - flood throughout the length and breadth of southern New England. But the next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where fast freights and through passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds had sped in rapid succession between New York and New England points carrying passengers, mail, express, and the vital necessities of life...now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles over yawning chasms in a hopeless tangle of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic, and Putnam the hurricane had left its toll of felled trees and communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories...and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the north broke through dams and temporary dikes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track...rendering useless the strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and points south and west had been effectually severed. It had to be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackmen, engineers, skilled repair crews, and laborers had to be carried out without the help of modern communications systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5,000 men were at work...toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts...many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job..."

Those of us living in New England a few years back went through "Superstorm Sandy" and got a taste of what The Great New England Hurricane might have been like. But, as it turns out, it was a pretty small taste - as bad as Sandy was, it didn't come anywhere close. Check out this site for an eye-opening comparison of the two storms.

There are fewer and fewer folks that have first-hand memories of that fateful day 86 years ago, but thanks to the extensive coverage the storm received - not to mention the wonders of the internet that allow all that coverage to be easily saved and shared - the heroic efforts of the employees of the New Haven Railroad, including those on the Valley Line and most especially along the Shore Line, will never be forgotten.

NERPM 2024 Coming Soon!!

Howdy folks! Just starting to recover from the latest legislative session which adjourned this week and am trying to catch up on some life-things quickly so I can get to the hobby things!

But I didn't want another day to go by before I posted a reminder to be sure and make plans to attend the 

New England/Northeast

Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet

May 31 - June 2

I've often mentioned that this RPM (held in Springfield, MA) is, IMO, second only to the Big Railroad Hobby Show (also held in Springfield, MA) on the MUST DO list during the year.

It's really that good.

LOTS of fantastic clinics, inspirational modeling, and great time with friends is the least you'll enjoy if you attend.

So be sure to make plans now to join us - you can find the registration info and all the other details at the website - https://www.nerpm.org

And if you want a little taste of what it was like last year, check out my report here.

Hope to see you there!

This is getting a little ridiculous - and a Tuesday Tip

My last actual update was way back on January 18 - before the big Springfield/Amherst show. Since then, all I've posted have been photos - and even those haven't been posted so often. I've missed more than a few Wordless Wednesdays along the way.

Unfortunately for this blog, the Valley Local Facebook group is much easier to post to. And even that has suffered these past couple of months due to a variety of things including the before and aftermath of the Springfield show, coming down with COVID, the start of my legislative session, helping a friend dismantle his layout, and having the basement flood. But not all of you are on Facebook, so you haven't seen any of those updates.

As for the layout, I have managed to do some more scenery in Saybrook - including installation of some walkways, finally finished the Sunset Diner in Cromwell - including a sign, and I ripped out and redid the scenery at Camp Bethel.

The last post in pictures showed all that, as well as the mocking up I'm doing in Middletown, and some photos of Pete's layout demolition. That last post is from over a month ago. For the last two weekends since then, I've been dealing with the basement flood and cleanup. Fortunately, the layout wasn't damaged.

I guess all this is by way of some excuse explanation for why the blog has suffered. I just don't have the time right now to keep up with it as regularly as I'd like. And what time I do have, I'd rather spend working on the layout rather than writing about it. Hopefully this'll change for the better when my time frees up after May 8 . . .

In the meantime, I will try to post here when I can share something quick and especially helpful - like window glazing. . .

I discovered a building I'd received some time ago from Bill Maguire had some windows that needed "glass." They're really nicely done windows - with top and bottom sashes on different planes, like the prototype. So, instead of cutting two little pieces of clear styrene really precisely per window (otherwise there would have been a gap between the "glass" and the lower sash), I decided to use some Microscale Micro Kristal Klear for glazing. I applied it with a toothpick around the edges of each opening, and then "pulled" it across the opening to basically create a bubble that covered the opening.

Then I set them aside to dry, face up. . . 

That ended up being a HUGE fail since the glazing oozed down to the work surface, essentially gluing the windows to the bench. Fortunately, I realized my mistake in time to pull up the windows and redo the glazing.

This time, I had them dry face down . . .

I'm pretty pleased with how they came out - especially when compared to the time it would have taken to cut up 12 little squares of styrene. If the sashes were on the same plane, I could have just gotten by with one large piece of styrene - not precision cut to fit - per window. But this process is quick enough.

If you try this technique, here are some Pro Tips:

• Use the point of a toothpick to apply with some precision.
• Apply to the back so you don't get any (or only little) material on the front.
• Don't be bashful about the amount of material you use, just don't use so much you goop it all over the window. The material does shrink a bit when drying, so you need enough to be able to "pull" it over the entire opening.
• Let the windows dry face down and/or on wax paper so they don't stick to the surface you're drying them on.

As they say, your mileage may vary, but I like this technique enough that I plan to use it in the future - unless/until I find some pre-cut microscope glass that'll fit :^)

Let me know if you try out the Kristal Klear and what you think about it.

And thanks also for sticking around. Unlike Facebook, I have no idea how many folks actually read the blog anymore, so it's good to know that you're out there.

In the meantime, I hope to make some more progress on the layout - and hope to have more time to share it with you here!

Till later...

A Quick Update . . .

As you can see from yesterday's post, I haven't given up on the blog - though it may look like it. Suffice it to say that the past four weeks have been unusual.  The Missus and I were supposed to leave the morning of December 23rd to head down south to visit my family for the holidays. In fact, we were all packed - presents and everything - & ready to go that Friday night, but I came down with some sort of bug (not COVID, fortunately) that laid me out for over a week. Long story short - we didn't get to visit my family and between being sick, the holidays, and ramping up for the 2024 legislative session, things haven't been quite normal.

But layout progress - though often thwarted - has continued, at least a little bit. I have folks literally from around the world visit during the Big Railroad Hobby Show (aka "Springfield" aka "The Big E show" aka "The Amherst Show")) later this month, so I want to get some more stuff done.

As of the last layout update, I'd finished the Bethel cottages and was getting ready to start on the scenery. I did some ground goop and placed the foundations, but progress there has pretty much stopped while I try to figure out how to proceed. I have to figure out the photo backdrop - and 2 of the 3 foundations have "settled" & are no longer dead level, making me consider ripping them out and doing them over again...

So I turned my attention to the Saybrook Scene, which is the first thing visitors see when they come down the basement. Once BillS did the structures and scenery there (I don't even want to hazard a guess as to how long ago THAT was!), I turned my attention to the rest of the layout. But it's become High Time to ballast the track there, and finish up the scenic details and other scenery - not to mention the Route 1 overpass, photo backdrop, etc.

Check out the photos from yesterday to see how things stand there as of now . . .

Since I got water in my basement last weekend (another setback we don't need to get into :^), I lost a few more good layout work days, so I doubt I'll be able to get this scene finished in time for the Springfield show, but at least I'm making progress despite all the challenges. #DoOneThing  has really helped make sure progress, even if it's slow...

Speaking of #DoOneThing, if you don't mind Facebook, remember there's a Valley Local group over there. You don't have to love FB to parachute into the cool groups over there and follow the progress. And, I hate to admit it, it's a *lot* easier to post quick progress pics there as I'm working. So be sure to check it out.

That said though, I do plan to do more regular posting here - and was, until I got derailed a bit this past month. So thanks for your patience and hopefully you'll stay tuned!

In the meantime - Happy New Year!

(which reminds me - I haven't done an "Accomplishments/Goals" post in forever...)

The NHRHTA and a New Train Show

Lots going on lately on the Valley Line between manufacturer visits, new articles coming out, and even a little layout work in between. But here are a couple more things happening 'round here . . .

The NHRHTA has a new President

I've been a member of the New Haven Railroad Historical & Technical Association (NHRHTA, Inc.) since the late 1980s and have been it's Photo Librarian for the past 20 years or so. During that time - in fact, for the last 43 years - the Association has been ably led by either Bill Dulmaine, Wayne Drummond, or Bill Dulmaine (for a second stint :^) So when Bill decided it was time to retire and asked whether I'd consider filling his position, I was reticent at first since he leaves such huge shoes to fill! But I decided to accept because I'm excited about the future of the NHRHTA and look forward to helping keep the memory of the New Haven Railroad alive for future generations.

With that goal in mind, one of my first efforts as the NHRHTA's new President is to promote our Association at as many train shows as we can.

There's a New Train Show in CT

And the first opportunity will be at a BRAND NEW train show that's coming up next Sunday, October 29, sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society (of Springfield show fame) and directed by my friend Dave Owens (of NERPM fame). Anyone familiar with Dave or Springfield can expect this new show to be pretty great right out of the gate. There are a number of vendors already booked (including Ron's Books, Tom's Trains, Steve Magnani/Hobby Gallery, a tool vendor, and several Lionel and American Flyer dealers), and your truly will be there as well, flying the NHRHTA flag with my friends Randy, Pieter, Dick, and Charlie.

So I hope you'll make plans to come out and support Dave and the show. Admission is only $8 and benefits the Rockville High School Music Department. And if you're able to make it, be sure to stop by the NHRHTA table to say "Hi!" - and consider becoming a member! :^)

On the New Haven, 85 Years Ago Today. . .The Great New England Hurricane

September 21, 1938 marks a somber - and for the New Haven Railroad, a devastating - event in history.

Making landfall that day, The Great New England Hurricane was - and remains - the most powerful and deadly storm to hit New England in at least 300 years. It killed an estimated 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes and cost an estimated $5.6 billion in 2019 dollars. Even as late as 1951, you could still see damaged trees and buildings.

The New Haven's Shore Line route was hit especially hard. . .

But the railroad - despite being in receivership after having gone into bankruptcy a few years earlier - restored its many washed-out lines in record time. The little booklet above tells the story:

"On September 21st, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven Railroad where the tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers...suddenly, just before dark, in the teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily to hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line across the Shore Line Route of the New Haven Railroad...carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings, and wreckage. Communications by rail, wire, and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane - tidal wave - flood throughout the length and breadth of southern New England. But the next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where fast freights and through passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds had sped in rapid succession between New York and New England points carrying passengers, mail, express, and the vital necessities of life...now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles over yawning chasms in a hopeless tangle of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic, and Putnam the hurricane had left its toll of felled trees and communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories...and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the north broke through dams and temporary dikes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track...rendering useless the strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and points south and west had been effectually severed. It had to be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackmen, engineers, skilled repair crews, and laborers had to be carried out without the help of modern communications systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5,000 men were at work...toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts...many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job..."

Those of us living in New England a few years back went through "Superstorm Sandy" and got a taste of what The Great New England Hurricane might have been like. But, as it turns out, it was a pretty small taste - as bad as Sandy was, it didn't come anywhere close. Check out this site for an eye-opening comparison of the two storms.

There are fewer and fewer folks that have first-hand memories of that fateful day 85 years ago, but thanks to the extensive coverage the storm received - not to mention the wonders of the internet that allow all that coverage to be easily saved and shared - the heroic efforts of the employees of the New Haven Railroad, including those on the Valley Line and most especially along the Shore Line, will never be forgotten.