Passenger Trains > Grade Crossings on the NEC?

I just returned from Boston-NYC on a Southbound Regional. I was surprised to see we passed through a grade crossing-lights, gate, and all - I think it was about a mile North of Mystic, CT. How could this be - Or was I seeing things?

Stonington CT and New London CT both have grade crossings.

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stonington CT and New London CT both have grade
> crossings.
>

There are perhaps a half-dozen crossings remaining in that area. It was determined in the mid-1990s that, because of track curves in that area and proximity to coastal water, that it was unnecessary as well as impractical to close them or replace them with overpasses.

Yes.
I believe the neighbors in Stonington decided they didn't want an overpass, and that was that.

(Amtrak didn't want a replay of the Niantic mess.)

Posted from Android

I was once (say, 20 years ago) told by a close student of the scene that there are four grade crossings on the NEC. Two in fact in New London; they are both blocked by the train when it is in the station.

There are 3 in New London, and they're not all blocked by trains standing in the station.

There's also still a crossing at Miner Lane in Waterford, one at School Street in West Mystic, one at Broadway Ave right next to the Mystic station, one at Wamphassuc Point Road in Stonington, two more on what appear to be private roads just east of Stonington, and Palmer Street in Pawcatuck. Some of these I remembered, others I found while looking at Google Earth to confirm the ones I knew about were still there. I can confirm Miner Lane was still active as of May, because I heard trains blowing for it while I was photographing them nearby at Shaws Cove in New London.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/17 14:20 by toledopatch.

Also of note, Miner Lane in Waterford is where the first car vs Acela accident happened.

There's at least one in Rhode Island as well at one of the points where the Shore Line runs along Narragansett Bay.

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There's at least one in Rhode Island as well at
> one of the points where the Shore Line runs along
> Narragansett Bay.
>

Those are all gone. The last one in Rhode Island was at a remote, tiny road between Kingston and East Greenwich that was closed during the electrification project. Bridges were built in East Greenwich, the place where the tracks run along Narragansett Bay, in the mid/late 1980s.

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DavidP Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There's at least one in Rhode Island as well at
> > one of the points where the Shore Line runs
> along
> > Narragansett Bay.
> >
>
> Those are all gone. The last one in Rhode Island
> was at a remote, tiny road between Kingston and
> East Greenwich that was closed during the
> electrification project. Bridges were built in
> East Greenwich, the place where the tracks run
> along Narragansett Bay, in the mid/late 1980s.

Thanks for the update. I rode the Acela in its early days, and have often wondered whether those crossings were still there.

I wonder how the private crossing expense was handled? Given the clout of the area I would expect Amtrak paid the entire bill.

Posted from Android

There are 11 grade crossings on the main spine of the NEC all in Connecticut, and all between MP 120 and MP 141. In Mile post order:

Miners Lane
Bank St
State St
Gov Winthrop Blvd
School St
Broadway
Latimer Point Rd
Wamphassuc
Walkers Dock
Freemans Island
Palmer St.

When was the last crossing south of NYC eliminated?

TheApostleGreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When was the last crossing south of NYC
> eliminated?

Sometime in the late '70s or the '80s AFAIR.

TheApostleGreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When was the last crossing south of NYC
> eliminated?

Not sure the exact date but it would have been between 1986 and 1988 and the two crossings to go last were Glendale, and Hillmead Roads just north of the Capital Beltway in Maryland.

Was there a grade crossing at MIDWAY in South Brunswick NJ?

Posted from Android

MW4man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TheApostleGreen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > When was the last crossing south of NYC
> > eliminated?
>
> Not sure the exact date but it would have been
> between 1986 and 1988 and the two crossings to go
> last were Glendale, and Hillmead Roads just north
> of the Capital Beltway in Maryland.
I think the Glenn Dale, MD crossing was closed in 1984. For several years afterwards, the sign announcing the closure date was still in place along that road, right near the High's convenience store.

I thought it was a little later than that, but you're probably right.


casco17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MW4man Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > TheApostleGreen Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > When was the last crossing south of NYC
> > > eliminated?
> >
> > Not sure the exact date but it would have been
> > between 1986 and 1988 and the two crossings to
> go
> > last were Glendale, and Hillmead Roads just
> north
> > of the Capital Beltway in Maryland.
> I think the Glenn Dale, MD crossing was closed in
> 1984. For several years afterwards, the sign
> announcing the closure date was still in place
> along that road, right near the High's convenience
> store.

Yes, Ridge Road just east of Midway Interlocking. One of the first to be eliminated in the NECIP project.


Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Was there a grade crossing at MIDWAY in South
> Brunswick NJ?
>
> Posted from Android