Midway

In 2012, my son, Aidan and I were researching the remains of a historic building associated with the Central Vermont (CV) railroad in New London, Connecticut. I last saw the roundhouse used to store steam locomotives when I lived in the city in the late 80's. The Central Vermont Roundhouse burned down in 2002, just before Aidan was born. Years later he was homeschooled, and part of his history lesson involved what a friend calls "urban exploration."



Central Vermont Rail Yard                           Edward J. Ozog

Searching the site Aidan and I found tracks, railroad spikes, coal, a lot of what we affectionately called "train junk." In the picture above on the left, Aidan is standing in front of a brick structure known as the "flammable paint shed." The right image from 1956 is from the same angle and shows the turntable, steam engine CV467 (2-8-0) and a coal hopper in the distance. The crumbling brick building is the last structure standing at the site. Online searching led us to a gentleman named, John Paganoni, who built an extraordinarily detailed model of the New London CV Roundhouse. We exchanged many emails about railroad history. One day, Mr. Paganoni asked,

"Do you know where the Midway Roundhouse is located? I read in a book that it was near the town of Groton."

Midway Engine House Circa 1911

Groton is mostly known for submarines due to the defense contractor Electric Boat and the Naval Submarine Base. I wasn't aware that there was anything associated with the railroad industry in Groton. I knew of Midway Pizza, a local Italian restaurant. There was also a neighborhood circled by a road called Midway Oval. Electric Boat had a facility called "Midway" in the same area.

Aidan and I dove into an online search which unearthed a lot of information about the Midway rail yard. It was build in 1904 as a refueling stop for steam engines. The location and name was derived from the fact that it was mid way between Boston and New York City. The large facility had a 20 stall roundhouse with a 95 foot turntable, a coal hopper, and sand depot. Sand is still used today for traction on the rails. The facility closed after a decade of decline. The buildings were razed in 1939 after more powerful steam engines made the stop in Midway unnecessary.



Map of Midway

Although we found a lot of information online, we didn't discover any maps that would have helped us locate the facility. Aidan and I visited the public library in Groton to look for any information on railroads in the area. A very helpful person found a 1981 article about the Midway rail yard in the Shoreliner, a magazine about the history of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The article included a hand drawn map from 1935 which yielded only one key geographic feature, a body of water called Poquonnock River.

Aidan and I returned to the internet to orientate our copy of the map to any of the number of available online charts. Before long we determined that the Midway facility was located at Bluff Point State Park. We also discovered that a small land bridge that led to nowhere near the parking lot at the state park was the original railroad bed dating back to 1858. It was rerouted to its present position when the Groton Airport was built in 1929.

Old Rail Bed at Groton Airport

In the image above the land bridge is marked by the left arrow. Midway is located at the lower left, just below Bluff Point State Park. The blue line across the airport is the old railroad bed. The arrow on the right identifies the existing rail line. We discovered an aerial view online which clearly showed the remains of the Midway facility. In the image below the arrow marks the outline of the Midway roundhouse.

Remains of the Midway Roundhouse

My wife, Christine, and I recalled exploring the area years earlier and found many of the features identified on the map. At the time we hadn't a clue what any of the structures were.

Tracks Inside the Roundhouse

Now, my son and I had unearthed an answer for Mr. Paganoni. A few days later we explored the site and discovered rails that were once inside the roundhouse and piles of fine sand dotted with lumps of coal which were destined to power steam engines plying the east coast in the 1920's.



Sand and Coal

In a newspaper article from 1939, we read that when a roundhouse was demolished workers often left tools in the pits, used by mechanics to access the underside of the engines. It was an act of respect as they laid the implements of their trade to rest. Aidan and I spent three summers excavating a pit by hand, hoping to find those tools left so many years ago. We found numerous artifacts including, bottles, boots, bits of newspaper, plates and eating utensils. We got down three feet before the pit flooded. The smallest things that Aidan and I discovered were historically significant to us. One of the interesting things we unearthed was a bottle embossed with the following inscription,

FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS THE SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE

Markings on the bottom of the bottle indicate that it was made by the Brockway Glass Company in 1942 at the plant located in Ada, Oklahoma. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, some legislators wanted to hamper bootlegging by making it illegal to reuse empty glass bottles. The inscription appeared on all liquor bottles sold in the United States between 1935 and 1964.

In 2015 Midway was designated a State Archaeological Preserve which halted any further investigation on our part. I'm glad someone is looking into the site for historical significance. Aidan is a senior in high school now so he no longer has time for urban exploration. Occasionally, I visit Midway and wander among the ruins and think of the time when I stumbled upon the site with my wife while we were dating, when I rediscovered it with our boys years later, and when people lived and loved a life long ago working for the railroad.

Editor’s Note: Originally published on February 9, 2017, this post marked the halfway point for the Year of the Blog.

Model Train Subculture



 Tyco Train

Our two sons and I like trains. My interest goes way back to my childhood when my prized toy was a Tyco Spirit of 76 train set which I still have. It's the only thing that survived from my adolescence. Our son, Aidan, discovered the train in a box in the basement. Together we set it up, and to our dismay, we couldn't get it running. So we decided to have the gaudy, red, white and blue engine fixed. Our first stop was the local hobby shop.

Now, the first thing you have to know about model train shops is that no one there will actually speak to you. Most shops are affiliated with a model train club, and so they know all the regulars. At our local hobby shop, they didn't want to bother with a father and son likely looking for some Thomas and Friends. I did manage to show them my broken engine which they quickly wrote off as junk, not worth repairing. So we decided if it couldn't be fixed, then we would replace the old engine.

Thomas the Tank Engine

When it comes to model trains, the expense and sophistication can get well beyond the range of a mere toy. Today, model trains are operated with controllers that employ Digital Command and Control (DCC), a standardized protocol which allows the operation of multiple trains independently on the same track. Aidan researched the whole thing and was adamant that our replacement engine should be DCC enabled. Oh, and by the way, never call them "toy trains." Men who are serious about model railroading don't take kindly to the t-word.

Armed with marginal terminology, the two of us jumped back into the subculture of model trains and tried to hold our own in our local hobby shop. They ate us alive. We wanted a DCC compatible engine that looked like the one I had as a kid. They told us to come back when we knew what we were talking about. Now, I shouldn't be surprised because on the way into the shop I saw a sign in the window that read,

"If you don't like our sense of humor, let us know so we can laugh at you."

These guys meant business. So Aidan did some more studying, and we visited other shops in our quest to replace the engine. He got online and registered at a model train forum in order to ask questions. On the general thread, Aidan asked,

"How many trains can a typical DCC controller run?"

A simple questions requiring a whole number for an answer. He was lambasted for asking a DCC question on the wrong thread. One respondent said,

"If you don't know by now, you probably never will."

Not to be out done, Aidan found a thread about vintage Lionel train sets and posted this,

"I wonder if anyone can help me? My dad inherited my grandfather's Lionel 400e Presidential train set. We set it up at the beach. It ran for a while, but now it won't go. We checked the user's manual that we found in the original box. Any help will be greatly appreciated."

Some explanation is needed here for you non train heads. The 400e Presidential is arguably the rarest Lionel train. Almost no Lionel train boxes survive to today, and the manuals are mostly unheard of. In one day, there was at least 500 responses indicating what dumb asses we were for ruining such a rare train. My father's never had a Lionel train which we tried to operate at the sandy beach. Aidan just wanted to mess with these unsocial train nerds.

In the middle of winter, we attended the largest model train show on the east coast, the Amherst Railway Society's Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Twenty-five thousand people converge on the site for the two day event. We learned quite a bit while wandering around the extensive train layouts and retail booths. We actually found some people who would talk to us. My wife, Christine, even enjoyed it. She was the only woman in a two mile radius.

In the spring we were on vacation when we stumbled across a yard sale after breakfast. I never go to yard sales because I don't want to buy someone else's trinkets and baubles for 75 cents when I got plenty of my own. For some reason, I found myself pulling over to the side of the road, much to the dismay of the rest of my family. Christine made a beeline for the old, tattered, musty paperbacks. She often buys grocery bags full of used books. I watched her finish a novel one time, put it down, then reach randomly into the bag for another, then resume reading.

"Aren't you even gonna read the title?" I asked.

"I know I want to read it. It's in the bag," she responded.

I often wonder if she mixes together the plots of several books. Like if I ask her what's she reading, she would say, 

"A young woman, fresh out of college, meets a business magnate with a rabid dog who goes to a school for wizards."
 

William and Aidan
with the Rare Find

In and amongst all the assorted crap that people sell at yard sales, Aidan unearthed a small blue box embossed with train graphics. He made his way back to me in great excitement. I read the label in disbelief. Inside was a Spirit of 76 themed engine made by a company called Athearn. Not knowing if it runs, we bought it for the yard sale price of five dollars.

Aidan's research led him to believe with some conviction that older engines like this one could be retrofitted with a DCC card so it could operate independently on the track. We went back to the local hobby shop with our new, old engine. I warned Aidan that these dudes will likely laugh at us, then send us packing. We checked our pride at the door as we entered.

Aidan placed the blue box on the counter and asked for the modifications in what sounded to me to be perfectly delivered model train vernacular. The dude looked quizzically at the box, picked it up then carefully removed the contents. He inspected the engine, then the box, followed by the spec sheet which was still in the box.

"This is an early Athearn," he declared.

Customers in the shop began congregating around the counter, some marveling at the box as much as the engine itself. The guy yelled into the back room,

"Ted, you have to come see this."

U33B Seacoast GE Diesel

A bearded middle aged guy with magnifying goggles on his forehead made his way to the front counter. Ted inspected the engine closely. He placed it on a small section of powered track and drove it a short distance in both directions. He pulled his goggles down as he scrutinized the undercarriage. Ted looked at the spec sheet, then spent an unusual amount of time inspecting the box. When he was done, he lifted his goggles, then cradled the engine on his forearm as if it was a rare bottle of wine.

"This is a first generation Athearn, probably 1970 or 71. It's in remarkable condition. It's complete with the box and the instruction sheet. The box has a scallop insert typical of first generation models. Can I ask you where you got it?"

"Yard sale," Aidan answered.

Ted continued, "Do you mind if I ask what you paid for it?"

"Five dollars."

"Well, this engine is valued at..."

Ted looked to Aidan then to me, then lovingly to the engine resting on his arm.

"$150."

The customers began clapping. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to clap too. I swear I thought I heard someone gasp. It took some convincing before Ted agreed to install a DCC card into our rare find since he was reluctant to modify such a pristine relic. He kept the engine in the shop for an extra week after he completed the installation because people kept coming in to see it. He relayed an offer of $250 from a customer which we declined.

Now when Aidan and I go into the local hobby shop, they greet us by our names, always calling me "Bob." Ted even occasionally comes out from the back room to ask us if we discovered any more rare finds. That's how we broke into the inner circle of the model train subculture. Ironically, we replaced our engine with one that was slightly older, but better made. It pulls the train I played with as a kid, driven by the next generation of consummate railroad enthusiasts.

Editor's Note: Originally posted on November 3, 2016.