Passenger Trains > New London, CT/Block Island, RI Trip June 2022

For a couple of days, I did a railfanning trip to Southeastern Ct and Rhode Island. The main point of this trip wasn't so much related to trains. It was to do activities involving my second favorite hobby-ferries. I took Amtrak Train # 174 from NYP to New London on 6/15/22 and spent three nights in NLC. After getting off of Amtrak Train # 174 at NLC, I decided to railfan Amtrak and Ctrail Shore Line East action around New London.

1. Amtrak Sprinter # 610 on the point of Amtrak Train # 174 at NYC Penn Station

2. The very last ACS-64 on the roster leads sb Amtrak NER Train # 175 toward the Bank St Connector Xing in New London.

3. Westbound Ctrail SLE Train # 1685 crosses the Bank St Connector Xing shortly after starting its run at New London Station. This was my very first shot of an M8 Set operating east of New Haven.

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4. Northbound Acela # 2164 is about to cross Bank St Connector a few blocks south of passing NLC Union RR Station.

5. Power Car # 2019 brings up the rear of Acela Train # 2164 just as it is about to pass the Union RR Station.

6. Ctrail SLE Train # 1644 heads away from the Bank St Connector Xing just before finishing its journey at NLC Depot.

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7. Amtrak Acela Train # 2173 about to cross the Bank St Connector alongside Downtown NLC.

8. CTrail SLE train # 1687 heading to NHV is about to depart NLC-picture taken from Water St.

9. Amtrak Train # 176, being led by Sprinter # 639 has just departed NLC Station and is about to cross Gov. Winthrop Blvd at grade.

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10. SB Acela passing the New London Depot

11. An SLE train of M8 cars rests between runs at NLC Depot.

                    Pictures taken on 6/16
12. An SLE train about to finish its journey at the magnificent New London Depot.

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13. Amtrak Train # 171 at NLC Union RR Station behind ACS-64 # 639 

14. Amfeet I Car # 81521 trails on the rear of Train # 171 just after leaving the NLC Depot

15. SLE Train # 1610 almost about to arrive into NLC Station after crossing Shaw's Cove bridge 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 08:52 by Passfanatic.

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16. SLE Train # 1667 resting at NLC station before departure. I took this to Clinton and boy did it feel great looking out of large and clean windows along the Shore Line.

17. Clinton CT Station-looking west

18. Eastbound Ctrail SLE Train # 1618, with a 4 car M8 set, arriving into Clinton Station 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 08:58 by Passfanatic.

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19. Sprinter # 630 leading Northbound Amtrak Train # 172 through Clinton

20. ACS-64 # 607 leading Southbound Amtrak NER Train # 85 approaching Clinton Station.

    After eating lunch in and walking around Downtown Clinton, I took a local bus to Madison to get some railfanning done there.

21. Southbound mid afternoon Acela passing through Madison Station



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:02 by Passfanatic.

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22. The southbound Acela heads away from Madison Station toward its next stop at New Haven Union Station

23. Northbound Acela Train # 2160 approaching the Madison Depot heading to Boston

24. Ctrail SLE Train # 1632 approaching Madison Station heading to New London



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:08 by Passfanatic.

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25. Sprinter # 670 leads Southbound Amtrak Train # 175 into the New London Union RR Station, the former New Haven RR depot.

26. ACS-64 # 600, the David Gunn unit, leads northbound Amtrak NER Train # 176 into NLC Station

   Pictures taken on 6/17/22-this was a day where I rode the Block Island Express Ferry route from New London to Old Harbor on Block Island. After about an hour layover in Old Harbor, I took the Block Island Traditional Ferry back to the mainland, but this time to a village called Point Judith, located in the Town of Naragansett. The ferry terminal here is about 12 miles from the Kingston Amtrak Station. I took two Ripta buses to get from Point Judith to the W. Kingston Amtrak Station.

27. As viewed from the Block Island Ferry this morning, southbound Amtrak Acela Train # 2155 passes the classic NLC depot.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:21 by Passfanatic.

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28. Viewed from the Block Island Express Ferry, we see a Cross Sound Ferry(New London, CT to Orient Point, NY) resting at their docks in New London. On the left if Amtrak and Ctrail's New London Depot

29. Not a single train related object in this picture but this scene shows many of the different ferries that serve Block Island. The one closer to me is of the Block Island Express Ferry coming from New London which I just stepped off of. The one on the left is an approaching Rhode Island Traditional Ferry which is coming from Point Judith Terminal.

30. Kingston Amtrak Station-looking south



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:30 by Passfanatic.

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31. Kingston Amtrak Station-looking north

32. The restored former New Haven station building at Kingston Station

33. Southbound Amtrak Acela Train # 2169 doing full 150 mph track speed oast Kingston, RI Station



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:33 by Passfanatic.

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34. Amtrak ACS-64 # 634 leads Southbound Northeast Regional Train # 137 into Kingston Station heading to DC. I took this back to NLC.

35. Amtrak's Shaw's Cove Bridge

36. Eastbound SLE Train # 1632 crosses Shaw's Cove Center Swing Bridge only a minute before arriving at its last stop of Union Station. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 09:40 by Passfanatic.

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37. Sprinter # 670 leads Southbound Amtrak NER Train # 175 into NLC Station heading to NYP

38. Westbound SLE Train # 1685 departs the classic NLC Station. The read and black on the M8 cars blend in fine with the color of the NLC Station building

39. SLE Train # 1685 heads away from NLC Station



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 10:19 by Passfanatic.

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40. Amtrak Acela Train # 2164 about to cross Gov Winthrop Blvd Xing in NLC

41. WB Ctrail SLE Train # 1687 running along Hamilton St

42. Northbound Amtrak Train # 176 running along Hamilton St in NLC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 10:25 by Passfanatic.

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43. Southbound Acela passing alongside Hamilton St heading to NYP and DC

44. Eastbound SLE Train # 1638 running along Hamilton St in NLC just south of Shaw's Cove Bridge. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 10:26 by Passfanatic.

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Thanks for a wonderful narrative of a great trip.  Lots of planning must have gone into it.

I expected you might take the ferry across Long Island Sound to Greenport NY, and take the LIRR back to NY Penn for a complete circle trip.

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The picture at Madison shows what looks like a grade crossing or low level boarding area.  I don't think the M8 or Acela trains have low level boarding, so is this for Amtrak regional service?

Shame there’s no more old knackered looking P40’s you can do now up to New London. It used to be fun thrashing under the wires on those.

No interest in wire scraping I’m afraid.

Englishman in America

Posted from iPhone

Pictures from Saturday 6/18/22

45. Southbound Amtrak Acela Train # 2249 crossing Shaw's Cove just after clearing Downtown NLC

46. Southbound Amtrak Train # 195 about to cross Gov Winthrop Blvd at grade shortly before arriving at the New London Station

47. Westbound Ctrail SLE Train # 3621 departs New London Station-picture taken from New London Waterfront walkway


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 16:23 by Passfanatic.

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48 and 49. Southbound Amtrak Acela Train # 2251 running alongside Downtown NLC on a nice Saturday morning

50. Amtrak Sprinter # 609 leads NE Regional Train # 150 into NLC Station, located behind me and out of view.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/22 16:26 by Passfanatic.

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Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Thanks for a wonderful narrative of a great
> trip.  Lots of planning must have gone into it.
>
> I expected you might take the ferry across Long
> Island Sound to Greenport NY, and take the LIRR
> back to NY Penn for a complete circle trip.
>
> ===============
>
> The picture at Madison shows what looks like a
> grade crossing or low level boarding area.  I
> don't think the M8 or Acela trains have low level
> boarding, so is this for Amtrak regional service?

Thanks. No time for heading back to NJ by way of Long Island. I've taken the Cross Sound Ferry a couple of times plus the LIRR Greenport Line many times all the way to Greenport. The LIRR service to Greenport is very infrequent. Plus after you get off the train in Greenport, you still have 9 miles to get to Orient Point where the CSF leaves from. I don't mean to turn this discussion into buses but I will keep the bus info very short. Suffolk County Transit runs the S92 bus route which you can take from Greenport to Orient Point.Believe it or not, the Hampton Jitney Bus runs a bit more frequently to Greenport from Manhattan(East Side near GCT) than the train and some of those trips continue on to Orient Point. All of the times I have taken the CSF, I have used the Hampton Jitney to connect to Orient Point since it stops adjacent to the ferry terminal.

Back to the trains-for a lot of the duration of this year is not a great time to be riding any LIRR line that traverses the stretch of the Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville because of ongoing third track project. Lines like the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Greenport extension are definately affected. With the LIRR ride to Greenport already long enough plus having to get to Orient Point from Greenport, unless if you are not in a rush, it's not worth going through the extra hassle to have to go "around the world" to even get to Greenport.

A lot of planning was done for this trip. I agreed with my job to work half a day on the 15th of June. Had I decided to call out the entire day, then I might have given the eastbound trip through Long Island some more thought. I do plan to make a trip to Greenport in the next couple of years. It may or may not involve a trip to NLC on it.