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New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (reporting mark NH), commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of the New York and New Haven and Hartford and New Haven railroads, the company had near-total dominance of railroad traffic in Southern New England for the first half of the 20th century.

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
System map, 1918 (not including its temporary acquisition of the NY&OW)
A New Haven Railroad train in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1962
Overview
HeadquartersNew Haven, Connecticut
Reporting markNH
Locale
Dates of operationJuly 24, 1872–December 31, 1968
SuccessorPenn Central Transportation Company
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length2,133 miles (3,433 kilometers)
NH system map ca. 1929

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, raised the cost of acquiring other companies and increased the railroad's construction costs. The company's debt soared from $14 million in 1903 to $242 million in 1913, while the advent of automobiles, trucks and buses reduced its profits. Also in 1913, the federal government filed an antitrust lawsuit that forced the NH to divest its trolley systems.[1]

The line became bankrupt in 1935. It emerged from bankruptcy, albeit reduced in scope, in 1947, only to go bankrupt again in 1961. In 1969, its rail assets were 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conceived merger, Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, becoming the largest U.S. bankruptcy until the Enron Corporation superseded it in 2001. The remnants of the system now comprise Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line, much of the northern leg of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, Connecticut's Shore Line East and Hartford Line, parts of the MBTA, and numerous freight operators such as CSX and the Providence and Worcester Railroad. The majority of the surviving system is now owned publicly by the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, with other surviving segments owned by freight railroads; many abandoned lines have been converted into rail trails.

History edit

Predecessors and formation (1839–1872) edit

 
General offices of the company, New Haven, about 1905
 
Train over the Norwalk River (1914 postcard)

The New Haven system was formed by the merger of two railroads that intersected in New Haven, Connecticut: the Hartford and New Haven Railroad, which began service between New Haven and Hartford in 1839 and reached Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1844, and the New York and New Haven Railroad, which opened in 1848 between its namesake cities.[3] The two companies had a history of cooperation; for a time, they jointly leased the New Haven and Northampton Railroad and coordinated their steamship services with each other.[3][4]

An initial merger attempt between the two in 1870 was rejected by the Connecticut General Assembly, largely over fears that the merged railroad would form a monopoly.[5] But the legislature approved a second attempt just two years later, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was formed on July 24, 1872.[6][7] The newly-combined railroad owned a main line from New York City to Springfield via New Haven and Hartford, and also reached New London, Connecticut via a lease of the Shore Line Railway (leased in 1870 by the New York and New Haven Railroad).[8]

Expansion and acquisitions (1872–1900) edit

The company later leased more lines and systems, eventually forming a virtual monopoly in New England south of the Boston and Albany Railroad.[8] In 1882, the railroad leased the Boston, New York and Airline Railroad, the last railroad in New Haven not controlled by the NYNH&H. This new acquisition gave the New Haven Railroad a connection to Willimantic, Connecticut.[9] Two more companies, the Naugatuck Railroad and the Connecticut Valley Railroad, were leased by the New Haven in 1887.[10] With these two leases, the New Haven was in control of 10 of the 22 railroads in Connecticut at the time.[10]

Early 20th century (1900–1935) edit

 
Bond of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, issued 8 October 1912

Around 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.[11] Charles Francis Murphy's New York Contracting and Trucking company was awarded a $6 million contract in 1904 to build rail lines in the Bronx for the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. An executive at the railroad said the contract was awarded to avoid friction with New York City’s Tammany Hall political machine. In response to this contract, the New York State Legislature amended the city's charter so that franchise-awarding power was removed from the city council and given to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which only became defunct in 1989.[12] 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. 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."[13]

In 1925, the railroad created the New England Transportation Company as a subsidiary to operate buses and trucks on routes where rail service was no longer profitable.[14]

 
1942 advertisement "The Kid in Upper 4." Passenger traffic temporarily swelled during World War II, but the New Haven itself apologized for its poor quality.

Financial difficulties (1935–1969) edit

Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles, incl CNE[15]
Year Traffic
1925 1810
1933 916
1944 3794
1948 2223
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. During the 88 stations case, the railroad closed 88 stations in Massachusetts and 5 in Rhode Island in 1938, and unsuccessfully attempted to abandon the Boston-area portion of the Old Colony Division. The twelve-year reorganization resulted in "eight Supreme Court decisions, fourteen circuit court decisions, five district court decisions, and eleven ICC reports."[16]: 862 

In 1948, the company operated 644 locomotives, 1,602 passenger cars and 8,796 freight cars on 1,581 miles of track.[17] 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 operated major commuter train services in New York and Boston (as well as New Haven, Hartford and Providence), but these had always lost money; though heavily patronized, these services operated only during the morning and evening rush hours, and were unable to recover their infrastructure costs. The demise of the New Haven was likely hastened by the 1958 opening of the Connecticut Turnpike, largely paralleling the railroad’s mainline across the state, and the subsequent construction of other interstate highways. With decades of inadequate investment, the New Haven could not compete against automobiles or trucks.

In 1954, the brash 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 acquaintance, Vice President. McGinnis attempted to accomplish many of his financial goals by deferring all but the most essential maintenance. McGinnis also spent lavishly on a new visual identity for the company: green and gold trim was replaced by black, red-orange and white, accompanied by a stylized “NH” emblem. 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 severe damage from the 1955 Connecticut floods.

In 1959, the New Haven discontinued passenger service on the Old Colony Railroad network in southeastern Massachusetts.[citation needed] That year, the company reported close to $11 million in losses. Asked by the Connecticut Public Utilities Commission in February 1960 if the company's survival was in imminent danger, the New Haven's comptroller replied, "Yes, even with the best of management".[18] Continuing financial problems forced the New Haven into bankruptcy on July 7, 1961, and federal court judge Robert P. Anderson assumed trusteeship.[19] The railroad reported it would have only $9,262,000 in funds to cover expenses of $33,480,000 at the year's end. Company president George Alpert blamed "government subsidies direct and indirect to our competitors, and inequitable taxes" for the railroad's deficits, pointing to billions of dollars in federal funding for highways and airports.[19]

Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (incl CNE but not NY Conn)
Year Traffic
1925 3119
1933 2178
1944 5806
1948 4267
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 replaced by a new station 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. Leased by the New Haven since before 1900, the Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W) successfully exited its lease under Penn Central and resumed operating its own line in 1973.[20]

A substantial portion of the former New Haven main line between New York and Boston was transferred to Amtrak in 1976 and now forms the northern leg of the electrified Northeast Corridor, hosting high-speed Acela Express and regional rail service. The main line between New Rochelle and New Haven is jointly owned by the state of Connecticut and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, and is served by the Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line and Shore Line East, providing commuter service from Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal as far eastward as New London, Connecticut. The New Haven Line is coded red on Metro-North timetables and system maps, a nod to the red livery used by the New Haven for the last decade of its history. MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line provides commuter service between Providence and South Station in Boston.

Amtrak took over passenger service on the New Haven–Springfield Line in 1976, and was joined by the state of Connecticut's Hartford Line in 2018.

On August 28, 1980, American Financial Enterprises, Inc., acquired the remaining 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; much of the state’s commuter equipment is painted in McGinnis-era livery, while the iconic "NH" logo appears on everything from rolling stock, station signage, to tourism materials for the city of New Haven itself.

 
A GP40 in Shore Line East service in 2015, painted in New Haven colors to commemorate the NYNHH.

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.[21] Although a new livery was introduced with the opening of the Hartford Line commuter service in 2018, much of its equipment is shared with Shore Line East, of which some continue to bear the McGinnis livery and the rest have been repainted into the new "CT Rail" livery.[21] All of these lines were formerly owned by the New Haven.

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 its 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.

The name of the Hartford Yard Goats Minor League Baseball team reflects the old New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad history and the design of its logo is based on the original NYNHH logo. The team plays in downtown Hartford at Dunkin' Donuts Park, which is adjacent to Hartford Yard, originally built by NYNHH.

Operations edit

Passenger edit

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 UAC TurboTrain, 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 passenger trains:[24][25]

Commuter edit

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 2-mile (3.2 km) ride to the Bowl.[27] On November 21, 1922, for example, such trains carried more than 50,000 passengers.[28] "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.[29]

Freight edit

 
Cedar Hill Yard, seen in 1977 under successor Conrail, was the largest rail yard on the New Haven system

Company officers edit

Name From To Term Notes
William D. Bishop July 24, 1872 February 1879 6y/6m
George H. Watrous February 1879 March 1887 8y/1m
Charles P. Clark March 1887 November 1899 12y/8m
John Manning Hall November 1899 October 31, 1903 4y
Charles S. Mellen October 31, 1903 January 9, 1913 9y/8m Also chairman
Howard Elliott January 9, 1913 October 22, 1913 1m/22d Also chairman
James H. Hustis October 22, 1913 August 15, 1914 9m/25d
Howard Elliott August 15, 1914 January 5, 1917 2y/8m Also chairman
Edward Jones Pearson January 5, 1917 March 21, 1918 10m Also chairman
Edward G. Buckland March 21, 1918 February 29, 1920 1y/11m Also chairman
Edward Jones Pearson February 29, 1920 November 27, 1928 8y/8m Also chairman
Edward G. Buckland March 1, 1929 January 3, 1929 2m Also chairman
John J. Pelley January 3, 1929 January 11, 1934 5y/8m
Howard S. Palmer January 11, 1934 August 11, 1948 14y/7m Longest term
Frederic C. Dumaine Sr. August 11, 1948 August 31, 1948 20d Also chairman; shortest term
Laurence F. Whittemore August 31, 1948 December 21, 1949 1y/3m
Frederic C. Dumaine Sr. December 21, 1949 May 27, 1951 1y/5m Also chairman
Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine Jr. May 27, 1951 January 4, 1954 2y/10m Also chairman
Patrick B. McGinnis January 4, 1954 January 18, 1956 1y/9m
George Alpert January 18, 1956 July 7, 1961 5y/5m Also chairman

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Vincent P. Carosso (1987). The Morgans: Private International Bankers, 1854–1913. Harvard UP. pp. 607–10. ISBN 9780674587298.
  2. ^ John L. Weller, The New Haven Railroad: its rise and fall (1969)
  3. ^ a b Poor, Henry V. (1860). History of the Railroads and Canals of the United States of America. New York: John H. Schultz & Co. pp. 196–197, 210–211.
  4. ^ "Railway Connections". Hartford Weekly Times. November 26, 1853. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "Consolidation". Meriden Daily Republican. July 21, 1870. p. 2. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Manual of the Railroads of the United States: For ... 1875/76. 1876. p. 104. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "House of Representatives". Hartford Weekly Times. July 8, 1872. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The rail lines of southern New England : a handbook of railroad history (Second ed.). Pepperell, Massachusetts: Branch Line Press. pp. 16–20, 106–110. ISBN 978-0-942147-12-4. OCLC 874835522.
  9. ^ "Boston and New York Air Line". Hartford Weekly Times. June 29, 1882. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "The Consolidated Leases The Connecticut Valley And The Naugatuck". Meriden Daily Republican. May 23, 1887. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Obituary: Charles Sanger Mellen". New York Times. November 18, 1927. p. 23.
  12. ^ Allen, Oliver E. (1993). The Tiger: The Rise and Fall of Tammany Hall. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. pp. 207–231. ISBN 0-201-62463-X.
  13. ^ (PDF). New York Times. November 3, 1914. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2012.
  14. ^ "New Haven Plans to Operate Buses". The New York Times. June 16, 1925.
  15. ^ The ICC reports show no passenger-miles for NY Connecting, so presumably they are included in NH.
  16. ^ "The New Haven Railroad Reorganization Proceedings, or the Little Railroad That Couldn't". Harvard Law Review. 78 (4): 861–880. February 1965. doi:10.2307/1338796. JSTOR 1338796.
  17. ^ "New Haven Railroad 1948 Annual report". archives.lib.uconn.edu. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "Witness Doubts Railroad Can Survive Without Help". The Day. Associated Press. February 25, 1960. p. 1.
  19. ^ a b "New Haven Set to Reorganize by Court Order". Schenectady Gazette. Schenectady, New York. Associated Press. July 8, 1961. p. 1.
  20. ^ "Providence, Worcester Co. Will Take Over its Railroad". The Telegraph. Nashua, New Hampshire. Associated Press. December 20, 1972. p. 14. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Hartley, Scott A. (January 2019). "50 Years After The New Haven" (PDF). Trains. pp. 24–27. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Timetables (1952): Timetable No. 128: New York–Boston". New York, New Haven & Hartford, "The Friendly New Haven Railroad". www.american-rails.com. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "The Yankee Clipper". American-Rails.com. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  24. ^ Official Guide of the Railways, 1949, New York, New Haven & Hartford section
  25. ^ New Haven timetable, April 24, 1955, http://streamlinermemories.info/Eastern/NH55TT.pdf
  26. ^ a b "Summer-Only Luxury Trains to Maine". James VanBokkelen.
  27. ^ Monagan, Charles A. (2006). Connecticut Icons: 50 Symbols of the Nutmeg State. Globe Pequot. p. 60. ISBN 9780762735488. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  28. ^ "Railroad Handles 50,000 Passengers" (PDF). New York Times. November 26, 1922. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  29. ^ Droege, John Albert (1916). Passenger Terminals and Trains. McGraw–Hill. p. 343. Retrieved February 18, 2011. new haven trains yale bowl.

Further reading edit

  • Appleton, Edward (1871). History of the Railways of Massachusetts.
  • Blakeslee, Philip C. (1953). A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co.
  • Doughty, Geoffrey H. (2013). "What to do with the New Haven Railroad?". Railroad History. Vol. 20, no. 9. pp. 10–27. Covers the railroad's history from 1951 to 1995.
  • Foster, George H. (1989). Splendor sailed the Sound: The New Haven Railroad and the Fall River Line. ISBN 9780962467400. Details the company's passenger boats
  • Karr, Ronald Dale (1989). Lost Railroads of New England. Branch Line Press. ISBN 0-942147-04-9.
  • Kirkland, Edward Chase (1948). Men, Cities and Transportation, A Study of New England History 1820-1900. Vol. 2. pp. 72–110, 288–306.
  • Middleton, William D.; Smerk, George M.; Diehl, Roberta L. (2007). Encyclopedia of North American Railroads. pp. 742–45.
  • Swanberg, J.W. (1988). New Haven Power 1838–1968: Steam, Diesel, Electric, Mu's, Trolleys, Motor Cars, Buses, & Boats. Medina: Alvin F. Staufer. ISBN 1-112-89975-8.
  • Weller, John L. (1969). The New Haven Railroad: its rise and fall. New York, Hastings House. ISBN 9780803850170.

External links edit

  • New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association
  • New York New Haven And Hartford Railroad Company Stations (complete listing by branch)
  • Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation:
    • HAER No. CT-8, "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Automatic Signalization System, Long Island Sound shoreline between Stamford & New Haven, Stamford, Fairfield County, CT", 45 photos, 30 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
    • HAER No. NY-299, "New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad, Shell Interlocking Tower, New Haven Milepost 16, approximately 100 feet east of New Rochelle Junction, New Rochelle, Westchester County, NY", 21 photos, 22 data pages, 4 photo caption pages
  • University Railroad Collection: New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad at Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Library
  • New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company records at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.
  • A Great Railroad at Work (1942 documentary on New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company)

york, haven, hartford, railroad, reporting, mark, commonly, known, consolidated, simply, haven, railroad, that, operated, principally, england, region, united, states, from, 1872, december, 1968, founded, merger, york, haven, hartford, haven, railroads, compan. The New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad reporting mark NH commonly known as The Consolidated or simply as the New Haven was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31 1968 Founded by the merger of the New York and New Haven and Hartford and New Haven railroads the company had near total dominance of railroad traffic in Southern New England for the first half of the 20th century New York New Haven and Hartford RailroadSystem map 1918 not including its temporary acquisition of the NY amp OW A New Haven Railroad train in Bridgeport Connecticut in 1962OverviewHeadquartersNew Haven ConnecticutReporting markNHLocaleConnecticut Massachusetts New York Rhode IslandDates of operationJuly 24 1872 December 31 1968SuccessorPenn Central Transportation CompanyTechnicalTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeLength2 133 miles 3 433 kilometers NH system map ca 1929Beginning 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 raised the cost of acquiring other companies and increased the railroad s construction costs The company s debt soared from 14 million in 1903 to 242 million in 1913 while the advent of automobiles trucks and buses reduced its profits Also in 1913 the federal government filed an antitrust lawsuit that forced the NH to divest its trolley systems 1 The line became bankrupt in 1935 It emerged from bankruptcy albeit reduced in scope in 1947 only to go bankrupt again in 1961 In 1969 its rail assets were 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 went bankrupt in 1970 becoming the largest U S bankruptcy until the Enron Corporation superseded it in 2001 The remnants of the system now comprise Metro North Railroad s New Haven Line much of the northern leg of Amtrak s Northeast Corridor Connecticut s Shore Line East and Hartford Line parts of the MBTA and numerous freight operators such as CSX and the Providence and Worcester Railroad The majority of the surviving system is now owned publicly by the states of Connecticut Rhode Island and Massachusetts with other surviving segments owned by freight railroads many abandoned lines have been converted into rail trails Contents 1 History 1 1 Predecessors and formation 1839 1872 1 2 Expansion and acquisitions 1872 1900 1 3 Early 20th century 1900 1935 1 4 Financial difficulties 1935 1969 1 5 Merger with Penn Central 1969 1976 1 6 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 linksHistory editPredecessors and formation 1839 1872 edit nbsp General offices of the company New Haven about 1905 nbsp Train over the Norwalk River 1914 postcard The New Haven system was formed by the merger of two railroads that intersected in New Haven Connecticut the Hartford and New Haven Railroad which began service between New Haven and Hartford in 1839 and reached Springfield Massachusetts in 1844 and the New York and New Haven Railroad which opened in 1848 between its namesake cities 3 The two companies had a history of cooperation for a time they jointly leased the New Haven and Northampton Railroad and coordinated their steamship services with each other 3 4 An initial merger attempt between the two in 1870 was rejected by the Connecticut General Assembly largely over fears that the merged railroad would form a monopoly 5 But the legislature approved a second attempt just two years later and the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad was formed on July 24 1872 6 7 The newly combined railroad owned a main line from New York City to Springfield via New Haven and Hartford and also reached New London Connecticut via a lease of the Shore Line Railway leased in 1870 by the New York and New Haven Railroad 8 Expansion and acquisitions 1872 1900 edit The company later leased more lines and systems eventually forming a virtual monopoly in New England south of the Boston and Albany Railroad 8 In 1882 the railroad leased the Boston New York and Airline Railroad the last railroad in New Haven not controlled by the NYNH amp H This new acquisition gave the New Haven Railroad a connection to Willimantic Connecticut 9 Two more companies the Naugatuck Railroad and the Connecticut Valley Railroad were leased by the New Haven in 1887 10 With these two leases the New Haven was in control of 10 of the 22 railroads in Connecticut at the time 10 Early 20th century 1900 1935 edit nbsp Bond of the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company issued 8 October 1912Around 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 11 Charles Francis Murphy s New York Contracting and Trucking company was awarded a 6 million contract in 1904 to build rail lines in the Bronx for the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad An executive at the railroad said the contract was awarded to avoid friction with New York City s Tammany Hall political machine In response to this contract the New York State Legislature amended the city s charter so that franchise awarding power was removed from the city council and given to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment which only became defunct in 1989 12 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 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 13 In 1925 the railroad created the New England Transportation Company as a subsidiary to operate buses and trucks on routes where rail service was no longer profitable 14 nbsp 1942 advertisement The Kid in Upper 4 Passenger traffic temporarily swelled during World War II but the New Haven itself apologized for its poor quality Financial difficulties 1935 1969 edit Revenue passenger traffic in millions of passenger miles incl CNE 15 Year Traffic1925 18101933 9161944 37941948 22231960 12911967 954Source 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 During the 88 stations case the railroad closed 88 stations in Massachusetts and 5 in Rhode Island in 1938 and unsuccessfully attempted to abandon the Boston area portion of the Old Colony Division The twelve year reorganization resulted in eight Supreme Court decisions fourteen circuit court decisions five district court decisions and eleven ICC reports 16 862 In 1948 the company operated 644 locomotives 1 602 passenger cars and 8 796 freight cars on 1 581 miles of track 17 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 operated major commuter train services in New York and Boston as well as New Haven Hartford and Providence but these had always lost money though heavily patronized these services operated only during the morning and evening rush hours and were unable to recover their infrastructure costs The demise of the New Haven was likely hastened by the 1958 opening of the Connecticut Turnpike largely paralleling the railroad s mainline across the state and the subsequent construction of other interstate highways With decades of inadequate investment the New Haven could not compete against automobiles or trucks In 1954 the brash 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 acquaintance Vice President McGinnis attempted to accomplish many of his financial goals by deferring all but the most essential maintenance McGinnis also spent lavishly on a new visual identity for the company green and gold trim was replaced by black red orange and white accompanied by a stylized NH emblem 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 severe damage from the 1955 Connecticut floods In 1959 the New Haven discontinued passenger service on the Old Colony Railroad network in southeastern Massachusetts citation needed That year the company reported close to 11 million in losses Asked by the Connecticut Public Utilities Commission in February 1960 if the company s survival was in imminent danger the New Haven s comptroller replied Yes even with the best of management 18 Continuing financial problems forced the New Haven into bankruptcy on July 7 1961 and federal court judge Robert P Anderson assumed trusteeship 19 The railroad reported it would have only 9 262 000 in funds to cover expenses of 33 480 000 at the year s end Company president George Alpert blamed government subsidies direct and indirect to our competitors and inequitable taxes for the railroad s deficits pointing to billions of dollars in federal funding for highways and airports 19 Revenue freight traffic in millions of net ton miles incl CNE but not NY Conn Year Traffic1925 31191933 21781944 58061948 42671960 28091967 2928Source ICC annual reports Merger with Penn Central 1969 1976 edit nbsp Promenade Street Tower opened in 1909 controlled the eastern approaches to Providence Union Station It operated into the Amtrak era and was replaced by a new station 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 Leased by the New Haven since before 1900 the Providence and Worcester Railroad P amp W successfully exited its lease under Penn Central and resumed operating its own line in 1973 20 A substantial portion of the former New Haven main line between New York and Boston was transferred to Amtrak in 1976 and now forms the northern leg of the electrified Northeast Corridor hosting high speed Acela Express and regional rail service The main line between New Rochelle and New Haven is jointly owned by the state of Connecticut and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York and is served by the Metro North Railroad s New Haven Line and Shore Line East providing commuter service from Manhattan s Grand Central Terminal as far eastward as New London Connecticut The New Haven Line is coded red on Metro North timetables and system maps a nod to the red livery used by the New Haven for the last decade of its history MBTA s Providence Stoughton Line provides commuter service between Providence and South Station in Boston Amtrak took over passenger service on the New Haven Springfield Line in 1976 and was joined by the state of Connecticut s Hartford Line in 2018 On August 28 1980 American Financial Enterprises Inc acquired the remaining 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 amp Worcester Bay Colony Boston amp 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 nbsp 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 much of the state s commuter equipment is painted in McGinnis era livery while the iconic NH logo appears on everything from rolling stock station signage to tourism materials for the city of New Haven itself nbsp A GP40 in Shore Line East service in 2015 painted in New Haven colors to commemorate the NYNHH 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 21 Although a new livery was introduced with the opening of the Hartford Line commuter service in 2018 much of its equipment is shared with Shore Line East of which some continue to bear the McGinnis livery and the rest have been repainted into the new CT Rail livery 21 All of these lines were formerly owned by the New Haven 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 its 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 The name of the Hartford Yard Goats Minor League Baseball team reflects the old New York New Haven and Hartford railroad history and the design of its logo is based on the original NYNHH logo The team plays in downtown Hartford at Dunkin Donuts Park which is adjacent to Hartford Yard originally built by NYNHH Operations editThis article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad news newspapers books scholar JSTOR 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 Springfield or Willimantic 22 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 operated from Grand Central Terminal to Hartford Springfield and beyond The premier New York Boston passenger service was the Merchants Limited leaving Grand Central and South Station simultaneously at 5 PM Also prominent was the Yankee Clipper 23 with 1 PM departures For many years these trains carried no coaches only parlor cars 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 UAC TurboTrain 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 passenger trains 24 25 Ambassador New York Montreal Bankers New York Springfield Bar Harbor Express Washington D C Ellsworth Maine overnight all Pullman summer only Bay State New York Boston Berkshire New York Danbury Pittsfield Bostonian New York Boston Buttermilk Bay Boston Hyannis and Woods Hole Colonial Washington Boston Commander New York Boston Connecticut Yankee New York Quebec City via Boston amp Maine B amp M Quebec Central Railway Cranberry Boston Hyannis and Woods Hole Dan l Webster New York Boston Day Cape Codder New York Hyannis Woods Hole summer only Day White Mountains New York Berlin New Hampshire via B amp M East Wind Washington D C Portland Maine via PRR and B amp M summer only 26 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 Housatonic New York Danbury Pittsfield Litchfield New York Danbury Pittsfield Mayflower New York Boston Merchants Limited New York Boston Montrealer Washington D C Montreal via PRR Canadian National CN Central Vermont Railway CV and B amp M overnight Murray Hill New York Boston Narragansett New York Boston overnight Nathan Hale New York White River Junction overnight 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 Night White Mountains Washington D C Bretton Woods overnight summer only North Wind New York Bretton Woods summer only Nutmeg Boston Franklin Hartford Waterbury Owl New York Boston overnight Patriot Washington D C Boston Pilgrim Philadelphia Boston overnight Puritan New York Boston Quaker Philadelphia Boston overnight Sand Dune Boston Hyannis and Woods Hole Senator Washington D C Boston Shoreliner New York Boston State of Maine New York Portland Bangor via B amp M and Maine Central Railroad or MEC 26 overnight Valley Express New York White River Junction Washingtonian Montreal Washington D C via PRR CN CV and B amp M overnight William Penn Philadelphia Boston overnight Yankee Clipper New York Boston Commuter edit Commuter service from New York ran through New Rochelle to Stamford New Canaan Danbury and on to Pittsfield and through Bridgeport to 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 2 mile 3 2 km ride to the Bowl 27 On November 21 1922 for example such trains carried more than 50 000 passengers 28 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 29 Freight edit nbsp Cedar Hill Yard seen in 1977 under successor Conrail was the largest rail yard on the New Haven systemMajor freight yards were at South Boston Taunton Fall River New Bedford Providence Northup Avenue Yard 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 amp M interchange for traffic for Taunton New Bedford and Fall River Company officers editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Name From To Term NotesWilliam D Bishop July 24 1872 February 1879 6y 6mGeorge H Watrous February 1879 March 1887 8y 1mCharles P Clark March 1887 November 1899 12y 8mJohn Manning Hall November 1899 October 31 1903 4yCharles S Mellen October 31 1903 January 9 1913 9y 8m Also chairmanHoward Elliott January 9 1913 October 22 1913 1m 22d Also chairmanJames H Hustis October 22 1913 August 15 1914 9m 25dHoward Elliott August 15 1914 January 5 1917 2y 8m Also chairmanEdward Jones Pearson January 5 1917 March 21 1918 10m Also chairmanEdward G Buckland March 21 1918 February 29 1920 1y 11m Also chairmanEdward Jones Pearson February 29 1920 November 27 1928 8y 8m Also chairmanEdward G Buckland March 1 1929 January 3 1929 2m Also chairmanJohn J Pelley January 3 1929 January 11 1934 5y 8mHoward S Palmer January 11 1934 August 11 1948 14y 7m Longest termFrederic C Dumaine Sr August 11 1948 August 31 1948 20d Also chairman shortest termLaurence F Whittemore August 31 1948 December 21 1949 1y 3mFrederic C Dumaine Sr December 21 1949 May 27 1951 1y 5m Also chairmanFrederic C Buck Dumaine Jr May 27 1951 January 4 1954 2y 10m Also chairmanPatrick B McGinnis January 4 1954 January 18 1956 1y 9mGeorge Alpert January 18 1956 July 7 1961 5y 5m Also chairmanSee also edit nbsp Railways portalEMD FL9 a dual power electro diesel locomotive EP 5 electric locomotive FM P 12 42 a streamlined locomotive Joy Steamship Company List of New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad precursorsReferences edit Vincent P Carosso 1987 The Morgans Private International Bankers 1854 1913 Harvard UP pp 607 10 ISBN 9780674587298 John L Weller The New Haven Railroad its rise and fall 1969 a b Poor Henry V 1860 History of the Railroads and Canals of the United States of America New York John H Schultz amp Co pp 196 197 210 211 Railway Connections Hartford Weekly Times November 26 1853 Retrieved October 29 2021 Consolidation Meriden Daily Republican July 21 1870 p 2 Retrieved October 29 2021 Manual of the Railroads of the United States For 1875 76 1876 p 104 Retrieved October 17 2017 House of Representatives Hartford Weekly Times July 8 1872 Retrieved October 29 2021 a b Karr Ronald Dale 2017 The rail lines of southern New England a handbook of railroad history Second ed Pepperell Massachusetts Branch Line Press pp 16 20 106 110 ISBN 978 0 942147 12 4 OCLC 874835522 Boston and New York Air Line Hartford Weekly Times June 29 1882 Retrieved October 29 2021 a b The Consolidated Leases The Connecticut Valley And The Naugatuck Meriden Daily Republican May 23 1887 Retrieved October 29 2021 Obituary Charles Sanger Mellen New York Times November 18 1927 p 23 Allen Oliver E 1993 The Tiger The Rise and Fall of Tammany Hall Addison Wesley Publishing Company pp 207 231 ISBN 0 201 62463 X Indict 21 in deals of the New Haven PDF New York Times November 3 1914 Archived from the original PDF on November 8 2012 New Haven Plans to Operate Buses The New York Times June 16 1925 The ICC reports show no passenger miles for NY Connecting so presumably they are included in NH The New Haven Railroad Reorganization Proceedings or the Little Railroad That Couldn t Harvard Law Review 78 4 861 880 February 1965 doi 10 2307 1338796 JSTOR 1338796 New Haven Railroad 1948 Annual report archives lib uconn edu Retrieved December 27 2020 Witness Doubts Railroad Can Survive Without Help The Day Associated Press February 25 1960 p 1 a b New Haven Set to Reorganize by Court Order Schenectady Gazette Schenectady New York Associated Press July 8 1961 p 1 Providence Worcester Co Will Take Over its Railroad The Telegraph Nashua New Hampshire Associated Press December 20 1972 p 14 Retrieved October 23 2021 a b Hartley Scott A January 2019 50 Years After The New Haven PDF Trains pp 24 27 Retrieved October 30 2021 New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Timetables 1952 Timetable No 128 New York Boston New York New Haven amp Hartford The Friendly New Haven Railroad www american rails com Retrieved June 29 2021 The Yankee Clipper American Rails com Retrieved March 20 2018 Official Guide of the Railways 1949 New York New Haven amp Hartford section New Haven timetable April 24 1955 http streamlinermemories info Eastern NH55TT pdf a b Summer Only Luxury Trains to Maine James VanBokkelen Monagan Charles A 2006 Connecticut Icons 50 Symbols of the Nutmeg State Globe Pequot p 60 ISBN 9780762735488 Retrieved February 18 2011 Railroad Handles 50 000 Passengers PDF New York Times November 26 1922 Retrieved February 18 2011 Droege John Albert 1916 Passenger Terminals and Trains McGraw Hill p 343 Retrieved February 18 2011 new haven trains yale bowl Further reading editAppleton Edward 1871 History of the Railways of Massachusetts Blakeslee Philip C 1953 A Brief History Lines West Of The New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co Doughty Geoffrey H 2013 What to do with the New Haven Railroad Railroad History Vol 20 no 9 pp 10 27 Covers the railroad s history from 1951 to 1995 Foster George H 1989 Splendor sailed the Sound The New Haven Railroad and the Fall River Line ISBN 9780962467400 Details the company s passenger boats Karr Ronald Dale 1989 Lost Railroads of New England Branch Line Press ISBN 0 942147 04 9 Kirkland Edward Chase 1948 Men Cities and Transportation A Study of New England History 1820 1900 Vol 2 pp 72 110 288 306 Middleton William D Smerk George M Diehl Roberta L 2007 Encyclopedia of North American Railroads pp 742 45 Swanberg J W 1988 New Haven Power 1838 1968 Steam Diesel Electric Mu s Trolleys Motor Cars Buses amp Boats Medina Alvin F Staufer ISBN 1 112 89975 8 Weller John L 1969 The New Haven Railroad its rise and fall New York Hastings House ISBN 9780803850170 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association New York New Haven And Hartford Railroad Company Stations complete listing by branch Historic American Engineering Record HAER documentation HAER No CT 8 New York New Haven amp Hartford Railroad Automatic Signalization System Long Island Sound shoreline between Stamford amp New Haven Stamford Fairfield County CT 45 photos 30 data pages 3 photo caption pages HAER No NY 299 New York New Haven amp Hartford Railroad Shell Interlocking Tower New Haven Milepost 16 approximately 100 feet east of New Rochelle Junction New Rochelle Westchester County NY 21 photos 22 data pages 4 photo caption pages University Railroad Collection New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad at Thomas J Dodd Research Center University of Connecticut Library New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company records at Baker Library Special Collections Harvard Business School A Great Railroad at Work 1942 documentary on New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad amp oldid 1184353967, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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