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55-547: The Cape Codder was a pair of day and night passenger trains run by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NH) from the latter 1920s to the mid 1960s, with some brief interruptions. Its distinction was the longest tenure of direct summertime New York City to Cape Cod trains. With the improvement of highways in southeastern Massachusetts, passenger rail traffic diminished, and the Cape Codder service ended with

110-617: A New England Steamship Company connection for Martha's Vineyard , was added for the 1926 season. The two sections ran combined between New York and Buzzards Bay . By 1930, the Woods Hole section operated as a separate train , while the Hyannis section had through sleeping car service to/from Washington, D.C., which connected with the train at New Haven, Connecticut . Both trains operated only with Pullman sleepers and no coaches. The westbound Hyannis section combined at Yarmouth with

165-642: 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. NH introduced ideas for passenger rail travel, including early use of restaurant and parlor cars in

220-752: A lease of the Shore Line Railway (leased in 1870 by the New York and New Haven Railroad). The company later leased more lines and systems, eventually forming a virtual monopoly in New England south of the Boston and Albany Railroad . 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

275-445: 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

330-427: 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

385-442: A reorganization plan approved in federal court, without the vast majority of its previous non-railroad interests, and with a number of unprofitable passenger operations on marginal branches replaced with bus service. In 1948, the company operated 644 locomotives, 1,602 passenger cars and 8,796 freight cars on 1,581 miles of track. After 1951, both freight and passenger service lost money. The earlier expansion had left NH with

440-448: A sleeping car included a central corridor with rooms on either side. At night, each room contained a small single bed, placed longitudinally, which occupied nearly the entire area of the room. The bed could be folded away when not in use, exposing a padded bench seat at one end of the room and a toilet at the other. A small washbasin was also provided. A mid-twentieth century sleeping car could contain approximately 22 roomettes, though it

495-523: A train from Provincetown carrying a sleeper for New York, but the eastbound train only had a bus connection to Provincetown. The Woods Hole section ran combined with the Harpooner , a 1929-introduced New York– Newport / New Bedford train with a Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket steamship connection at New Bedford Wharf . The Provincetown train was dropped for the 1931 season, but both Provincetown and Chatham bus connections were available. Both branches of

550-528: 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. 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

605-406: Is rectangular. Because the bed occupies most of this area when folded down, the toilet cannot be unfolded and used while the bed is down. This means that if the passenger wishes to use the toilet, they must temporarily fold the bed at least partially upwards. The floor-plan in newer roomette cars is somewhat different, and was designed to remedy this shortcoming. The corridor zigzags slightly down

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660-493: Is sufficient to unfold the toilet and wash basin, so that they can be used while the bed is still folded down. Unlike twinettes , roomettes do not include a shower; passengers use a communal shower at the end of the car, and also a toilet in the same location if they wish. Occasionally, older roomettes do not have their own toilet, either. From 1949 to the mid-1990s, the train running between Adelaide and Melbourne , Australia , called The Overland , used roomette cars of both

715-573: The Cape Codder plus the Harpooner operated as a single train, with New Bedford the primary connecting point for steamships. The Harpooner was discontinued by 1933, with Woods Hole again the steamship transfer point. In 1937, the NH inaugurated the Day Cape Codder which would travel daily from New York City to the Woods Hole and the Hyannis branches. The New Haven's Night Cape Codder provided

770-572: 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. 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. An initial merger attempt between

825-573: The Islander and Neptune trains. The Day Cape Codder was suspended during 1945 when railroad equipment was needed for transporting returning soldiers. The Day Cape Codder and Neptune returned in 1946, while the Night Cape Codder and its sleeper cars returned for the summer 1948 season. The Neptune and the Night Cape Codder only operated on Fridays eastbound and Sundays westbound. The Night Cape Codder for most of its years had

880-458: The Islander and Neptune. The Islander only served the Woods Hole branch. All of the daytime trains offered dining car and grill car service. Several lightly-used stations including Middleborough , Onset , Gray Gables , West Falmouth , Sagamore , and Barnstable were dropped in the 1930s and 1940s, while Attleboro was added. During World War II the New Haven suspended the Night Cape Codder, and from 1943 to 1945 it also suspended

935-567: 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 . The New Haven system was formed by the merger of two railroads that intersected in New Haven, Connecticut :

990-564: 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

1045-475: 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

1100-703: The Penn Central system, 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

1155-480: The open sections and private bedrooms. By summer, 1955 the train included modern roomettes as well. The New Haven ended all Old Colony Division passenger service on July 1, 1959, when the state of Massachusetts did not resume a temporary subsidy. New York–Cape Cod service did not operate that summer. However, for the 1960 to 1964 summer seasons, the Day Cape Codder and the Neptune would return. Amtrak operated

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1210-477: The Board of Estimate and Apportionment, which only became defunct in 1989. 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

1265-537: The Bowl. On November 21, 1922, for example, such trains carried more than 50,000 passengers. "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. Roomette In Australia, a roomette is designed for use by one person. The width of each compartment is typically slightly less than half

1320-592: 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". Continuing financial problems forced the New Haven into bankruptcy on July 7, 1961, and federal court judge Robert P. Anderson assumed trusteeship . The railroad reported it would have only $ 9,262,000 in funds to cover expenses of $ 33,480,000 at

1375-860: 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

1430-485: The NH was purchased by PC, which operated the train. Other passenger trains: 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

1485-801: The New Haven Railroad a connection to Willimantic, Connecticut . Two more companies, the Naugatuck Railroad and the Connecticut Valley Railroad , were leased by the New Haven in 1887. With these two leases, the New Haven was in control of 10 of the 22 railroads in Connecticut at the time. 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. Charles Francis Murphy's New York Contracting and Trucking company

1540-434: The New Haven Railroad's discontinuing of passenger rail service to Cape Cod. The Cape Codder began operating on July 3, 1925 – the first through train between New York City and Cape Cod – providing overnight sleeper service during the summer season. The eastbound train ran to Hyannis on Friday nights, with the westbound return to Grand Central Terminal in New York on Sunday nights. A section serving Woods Hole , with

1595-543: The New York–Cape Cod Cape Codder , similar to the New Haven's service, from 1986 to 1996. 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 1968. Founded by

1650-534: 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. The state of Connecticut frequently alludes to the New Haven in its modern transportation projects; much of the state’s commuter equipment

1705-415: 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

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1760-492: The basic designs described above, the majority being of the older design. The term "roomette" dates from 1937, when the first sleeping cars with such accommodations were constructed by the Pullman Company . The roomette was an innovation for its day, providing a relatively economical, fully-enclosed sleeping accommodation for the individual traveler: a marked change from the open-berth sleeping accommodations that were

1815-433: 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. Under McGinnis, Knoll Associates

1870-454: The car, and the floor-plan of each roomette forms a trapezium with two right angles . The bed occupies the rectangular area closest to the side of the car, and there remains a small right-angled triangular area of floor space which remains clear, its hypotenuse adjacent to the corridor, which zigzags the opposite way once at the start of each roomette on each side, dovetailing with the triangular area in each roomette. This extra floor space

1925-548: 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. A substantial portion of

1980-504: 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

2035-651: The iconic NH logo. 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. 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

2090-489: The interior of a never-built design for articulated commuter coaches. When McGinnis departed in 1956, 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. That year, the company reported close to $ 11 million in losses. Asked by

2145-516: 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. 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

2200-498: 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,

2255-411: The narrow width of the compartment, when the bed is folded down, it occupies most of the floor-space of the compartment. In older designs, the bed could occupy most of the room. Roomettes often have their own toilet and wash basin which folds into the wall, as well as hot and cold taps. In older-style roomette cars, the corridor runs down the car in a straight line, and the floor area of the compartments

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2310-485: The night train service to the same branches on Cape Cod (daily except Sunday eastbound, and daily except Friday and Saturday westbound). Similar to the earlier incarnation, the Night Cape Codder also ran in an express fashion, bypassing Stamford and only stopping at New Haven before stopping again in Wareham. The NH at this time ran additional daytime trains operating only on Fridays, Cape Cod bound, and Sundays, westbound,

2365-630: The railroad were indicted for "conspiracy to monopolize interstate commerce by acquiring the control of practically all the transportation facilities of New England." 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. Under the stress of the Great Depression the company became bankrupt in 1935, remaining in trusteeship until 1947. Common stock

2420-471: 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. 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

2475-590: The standard of the era. Roomette and other private-room sleeping accommodations quickly gained popularity, and became the standard in the United States after World War II . Similar equipment later became commonplace in Canada and Mexico as well. The basic roomette design pioneered by Pullman remained standard in North America until well after the advent of Amtrak in 1971. The roomette section of

2530-556: 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

2585-518: 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. 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

2640-650: 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

2695-523: The two in 1870 was rejected by the Connecticut General Assembly , largely over fears that the merged railroad would form a monopoly. 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. 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

2750-479: The width of the sleeping car it is in, with a corridor running down the centre and the compartments on both sides. The number of roomettes in a sleeping car can vary slightly, but it is commonly 16, 18, or 20. The bed in a roomette folds into one of the end walls of the compartment when not in use, and a seat folds upwards to replace it. Thus the bed is parallel to the side of the train, in contrast to twinette berths, which are perpendicular to it. Because of

2805-484: 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. At the insistence of the Interstate Commerce Commission, the New Haven was merged into Penn Central on December 31, 1968, ending rail operations by

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2860-559: 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

2915-501: Was more common for a car to include a mix of roomettes and other private-room sleeping accommodations. The most common sleeping car type of the era contained ten roomettes and six "double bedrooms", which were designed for use by two people. Sleeping cars containing roomettes of this basic design remain in use today in Canada. Amtrak designed new types of sleeping-car accommodations when it began constructing new long-distance equipment in

2970-562: Was retained to design a new visual identity for the company. Green and gold trim on rolling stock was replaced by black, red-orange and white, accompanied by a stylized "NH" emblem. Knoll employed architect Marcel Breuer to design the interiors and exterior styling of the three experimental trainsets – the Dan'l Webster , John Quincy Adams , and Roger Williams – that were ordered in 1955. Breuer also designed new station buildings for Rye and New London , neither of which were built, as well as

3025-777: 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." The railroad emerged in September 1947 under

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