Imagine Jack standing on the semi-circular platform at the New London train station. A cadet at Officer Candidate School at nearby Fort Trumbull, he is waiting for the train to come and take him home to Richmond Hill for, shall we say, the Christmas holidays. Now, shift forward some 72 years. The old train station still stands. Only the rolling stock has changed.
Here's a video following the southbound, northbound, and terminal rail action at that station on an overcast morning in 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr7Xd0ai8lE
On the agenda:
2 Amtrak Acela high-speed trains roll through without stopping.
2 Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains make station stops. They are pulled by Siemens electric locomotives and comprise Budd Viewliner I coaches.
2 more Amtrak Acelas pass through without stopping.
2 more Northeast Corridor trains make station stops.
And, then, as a finale, a Connecticut Commuter Rail train (Shore Line East route) comes in from the south and stops. Then, it reverses direction to retrace its path to its point of origin. New London, it seems, is the terminus for this train. Several coaches, including a cab car, are propelled by a retired Amtrak locomotive, a GE Genesis P-42. They are pushed into the station, then are pulled from the station.
The station and platform are semi-circular in design, for the track follows a bend in the Thames River (not the one in England, of course).
Nearby, a ferry boat toots its horn to let nearby river traffic know that it is about to depart on another run out to Block Island. This is where some people think Jack painted the work he labeled "Sand Island."
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