Highland Line

Portion of a New Haven Railroad alignment map of New Britain from 1940 showing roughly the section modeled.

The Highland Line

The Highland line ran from Hartford Station to Bank St. Junction in Waterbury. It parallels the Springfield main tracks through Hartford until it diverges west at Newington Junction. The line crossed the Springfield line at Hartford Yard continuing through East Hartford to Boston as the Midland Line, although  Willimantic was the dividing point between the original Midland and Hartford Divisions. 

Originally double tracked all the way to Waterbury, it was reduced to single track west of Plainville in the '30s. My modeling era ends during the summer of '54 when the line was single tracked from Hartford to Plainville.

The Layout

The layout runs from East Main St. to Burritt St, although Conn Light and Power and Universal Coal Co. (located between Curtis St. and Burritt St.) had to be eliminated. 

The Highland line curved northeast toward Hartford but due to space limitations it initially curves the opposite direction until Stanley Street. Because of this geometry and compression of distance, the Stanley St. crossing is not modeled. The block between High St. and Washington St. is also not modeled properly, although I will try to include the missing block of Russell & Erwin set back from the railroad. 

The design of this part of the layout has changed significantly. Initially, I had designed a switching area on top of the helix with several of the industries represented, but not bearing any relationship to the prototype. Over time I was able to add more of the industries.

The final arrangement allows me to model almost all of the industries on the east side of town with some compromises. I had to eliminate Hardware City Fuel, National Fuel, United Coal & Wood, Loewenthal-McKenna Lumber, and Skinner Chuck from the layout. Since there were ten (!) retail coal dealers, and five building supply/lumber yards on this side of town it's something I can live with. 

The City of New Britain store yard and Berson Brothers are reversed to trailing point instead of facing point switches, and Track 6D is also too short for a proper lead, so the crews will have to pay closer attention to mainline traffic. There wasn't a need (nor space) to add the crossover (the end of Track 6D) between Household Fuel and Carlson & Torrell so that was eliminated.

Track 5C has essentially been eliminated along with 7M* and 7L is connected directly to the mainline instead.

On the west side of town Acorn Oil, Barnesdale Coal & Wood, Conn Light & Power, Universal Coal & Wood, Tuttle & Bailey, and parts of Stanley works had to be eliminated. So many coal and lumber companies!

New Haven Railroad Track Numbering

On the New Haven Railroad, tracks numbered 1-4 are reserved for main tracks only.

The railroad is an east/west railroad, where tracks heading toward Boston are eastbound and New York are westbound.

Tracks on the north or west side of the centerline are identified by odd numbers. Track No. 1 (and, if a four-track main, Track No. 3) are the westbound main tracks. The next track over from the main track (whether it is Track No. 1 or 3), is Track No. 5. The next track over is Track No. 7, then No. 9 and so on. 

Tracks on the south or east side are identified by even numbers. The first eastbound main track is Track No. 2, and the first track that is not a main track is Track No. 6.

Since New Britain only has two main tracks, there are no tracks numbered 2 or 4.

Side track numbering is restarted at each station (town). For example, there is a Track No. 5 in New Britain, and a Track No. 5 in Plainville. This also applies to different lines. In New Britain there is a Track No. 5 on the Highland Line, and a Track No. 5 on the Berlin Line.

Because there may be more than one side track off of the main track, they are further identified by a letter. In most cases these are sequential, starting from the west-most track in town. For example, there is a Track No. 5, then a No. 5A, No. 5B, etc. However, you will note that Track No. 5 itself is out of order with this system.

The majority of industries in New Britain are not directly off of the main track. For example, Track Nos. 7F-K, 8 and others are connected to Track No. 5, not Track No. 1. This is so the switching crews can work industries from Track No. 5 and require less use of the main track.

I've used an asterisk to identify tracks that are not labeled with a track number on any map I have.

Crossings include the direction and distance from New Britain Station, as noted in Employee Time Tables.

List of Side Tracks and Industries Served on the Highland Line

This is a listing of tracks, grade crossings, and industries on the Highland line during the era I model.

Westbound

Industries on the north side of the westward main track (No. 1). 

--38.55 - New Britain/Newington Town Line--

--38.59 - cattle pass bridge--

--38.86 - East St. crossing--

--39.12 - Yard Limits begin--

--39.16 - Piper Brook bridge--

--39.39 - Cemetery underpass bridge--

--39.67 - Smalley St. crossing--

--39.83 - East Main St. crossing--

--Extent of Layout--

--40.23 - Stanley St. crossing--

--40.51 - Elm St. crossing--

--40.74 - Main St. crossing--

--40.84 Washington St. crossing--

--40.93 - High St. crossing--

--40.94 - Lockshop pond bridge--

--41.03 - culvert--

--Myrtle St. crossing--

--41.13 - culvert--

The Myrtle St. crossing is a side track that services Malleable Ironworks, Fafnir Bearing, and Corbin Screw (crossing back over High and Grove St.). A small yard (notated as "Farm Yard") on some maps was there, then reduced to make room for more parking around the end of WWII.

Just after the switch for track over Myrtle St.

This last crossover from Track 5 to 1 is a reverse crossover. Track 5 itself continues into Stanley Works as 5B and across Curtis and Burritt Streets before ending.

The Stanley Works has an extensive set of tracks throughout its property, serviced by their own locomotive.

--41.20 - Stanley Works footbridge (overgrade)--

--Extent of Layout--

--41.27 - Stanley Works footbridge (overgrade)--

--41.28 - culvert--

--41.36 - Curtis St. crossing--

--41.40 - culvert--

--41.52 - Stanley Works tunnel--

--41.72 - West Main St. bridge (overgrade)--

--42.13 - Corbin Ave. bridge (overgrade)--

--42.14 - Yard Limits end--

--42.69 - Wooster St. crossing--

--42.76 - Quinnipiac River bridge- 

--43.05 - New Britain/Plainville Town Line--

Eastbound

Industries on the south side of the eastward main track (No. 2)

--38.55 - New Britain/Newington Town Line--

--38.59 - cattle pass bridge--

--38.86 - East St. crossing--

--39.12 - Yard Limits begin--

--39.16 - Piper Brook bridge--

--39.39 - Cemetery underpass bridge--

--39.76 - Smalley St. crossing--

--39.83 - East Main St. crossing--

--Extent of Layout--

--40.23 - Stanley St. crossing --

--40.51 - Elm St. crossing--

--40.74 - Main St. crossing--

--40.84 - Washington St. crossing--

--40.93 - High St. crossing--

--40.94 - Lockshop pond bridge--

--41.03 - culvert--

--Myrtle St. crossing--

--41.13 - culvert--

--41.20 - Stanley Works footbridge (overgrade)--

--Extent of Layout--

--41.27 - Stanley Works footbridge (overgrade)--

--41.28 - culvert--

--41.36 - Curtis St. crossing--

--41.40 - culvert--

--41.52 - Stanley Works tunnel--

--41.72 - West Main St. bridge (overgrade)--

--39.16 - Corbin Avenue bridge (overgrade)--

--42.14 - Yard Limits end--

--42.69 - Wooster St. crossing--

--42.76 - Quinnipiac River bridge- 

--43.05 - New Britain/Plainville Town Line--

Signals in New Britain

Yard Limit Boards, speed limit signs, ring posts, and other permanent signs are Fixed Signals, and a semaphore is a Block Signal.

The Highland from East Hartford to Plainville was in Automatic Block territory. All of these semaphores were removed in the summer of 1954 when the Highland Line was single-tracked. At that time, from Newington west the Highland was in Manual Block territory.

The semaphores are an unusual left-hand, upper-quadrant signals with three aspects. That means they are mounted to point to the left side of the mast and use positions from horizontal to vertical. They are designed to be fail-safe. That is, power keeps them in either the angled or vertical position. If power is lost, they fall to the most restrictive (horizontal) position.

Restricted speed is not more than 15 mph prepared to stop short of train, engine, obstruction, or switch not properly lined and to look out for broken rail.

In Automatic Block Signal territory, the signals operate automatically through track circuits, and switch circuits. The signals are numbered sequentially, originally from Hopewell Junction. They carry an "E" prefix, and the series ended roughly 99 miles later at Signal Station 217 in East Hartford (signal 98.9 was the last in the series).

The hardware to the right of the switch stand above is a switch circuit controller. The arm that goes under the rail to the right is attached to the points. When the switch is reversed (thrown against the main) the controller sends that information to the signal control box to set the signal aspect on the semaphore.

Signal 88.5 (and 88.4) between Allen St./Smalley St. and E. St., looking west toward New Britain.

The eastern extent of Yard Limits begins just to the east of bridge 39.16, about 1,200 feet behind the photographer. Fairview Cemetery is on the left. On the layout this is the signal at the top of the east helix.

Continuing west is Signal 87.3 (and 87.4) just east of Elm St. Note the dummy post on the signal on the right. That indicates that the track to the right of the main track - Track No. 5, the one closest to the signal mast - is not governed by signals.

The signal on the left side is 87.4 for eastbound trains. The governing signal is always to the right of the track (on the engineer's side).

There are two other fixed signals in this photo. The post with an R is a ring post. Whistle signals were not used through New Britain, this tells the engineer when to ring the bell for the crossing.

Right behind that is a speed board, setting a 20 mph speed limit. The only trains running faster than that within yard limits were the regular (passenger) trains.

Signal 86.7 (and 86.8) at Myrtle St. looking west. This is the last signal that will be on the layout, near the entrance of the west helix.

The large building on the left is Fafnir Bearing, and straight ahead is Stanley Works. The brick building on the right is Vulcan Iron Works, and is actually across Myrtle Street, which is beyond the chain link fence behind the gondolas.

Signal 85.6 looking west with the Corbin Ave. overpass just behind the photographer.

Directly across the track is Signal 85.6 at Corbin Ave., this time looking east toward New Britain. You can see the Yard Limit Board informing crews they are entering the western extent of Yard Limits. Also note the telltale, the thin wires hanging across the track. In earlier days, if a brakeman was on top of a car and felt the telltale on their back, they would know to immediately drop prone on top of the car because of an upcoming obstruction (in this case, the Corbin Ave. overpass).

Richard C. Carpenter Maps

Richard C. Carpenter was born in Wethersfield, CT and was the town planner for Wilton, CT and later the executive director of the Southwestern Regional Planning Agency of CT. He also served on the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission. He has sadly passed away, but produced five volumes of a series of books called A Railroad Atlas of the United States in 1946. Volume 2 covers New York and New England.

He generously sent me the hand-traced or hand-drawn maps he made of New Britain in the process of researching for the Atlas. The completed book did not include detail maps of the New Britain area.

1949

1949

1959

1976