| | New Haven Railroad Historical Events |
| | Date | | Category | | Event |
| | 9/21/1938 | | Wreck | Excerpt from "The Devastation and Restoration of New England's Vital Life Line" |
| |
| | The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 |
| | |
| | AS a remembrance of the strenuous days we experienced following the floods, hurricane and tidal wave of September 21st, |
| | 1938, the Trustees are presenting each member of the New Haven family with a copy of this graphic record of the damage and |
| | reconstruction of the New Haven Railroad. |
| | New Haven, Conn. - November 30, 1938 |
| | |
| | ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1938, with flood waters already threatening major washouts at important points along the New Haven |
| | Railroad, where tracks paralleled or crossed the swollen torrents of New England's rivers ... suddenly, just before dark, in the |
| | teeth of a howling southwest gale which increased momentarily into hurricane proportions, a steadily rising tide which in |
| | some places rose twenty feet in as many minutes, swept inland along the New England coast-line, across the Shore Line |
| | Route of The New Haven Railroad ... carrying on its crest hundreds of boats, ships, cottages, buildings and wreckage. |
| | Communications by rail, wire and telephone with many devastated areas was completely cut off. No one realized as yet what a |
| | staggering blow had been dealt by this combined hurricane-tidal wave-flood throughout the length and breadth of New |
| | England. But next morning revealed a grim picture of death and desolation. Where yesterday fast freights and through |
| | passenger trains, including the crack Shore Line Limiteds sped in rapid succession between New York and New England |
| | points carrying passengers, mail, express and the vital necessities of life . . . now miles of silent track hung at crazy angles |
| | over yawning chasms, in a hopeless jumble of power lines, signal towers, houses, boats, and thousands of tons of debris. |
| | Further inland at Hartford, Springfield, Norwich, Willimantic and Putnam the hurricane left its toll of felled trees and |
| | communication systems, crumbled freight sheds and roofless factories . . . and to add to the chaos, the raging rivers from the |
| | north broke through dams and temporary dykes, washing out railroad bridges and miles of track . . . rendering useless the |
| | strategic points through which Shore Line trains might have been re-routed. The vital life-line between New England and |
| | points south and west had been effectually severed. It must be restored without delay. Thousands of men were needed for the |
| | Herculean task of rebuilding a railroad. The summoning of trackman, engineers, skilled repair crews and laborers must be |
| | carried out without the help of modern communication systems. In an incredibly short time an army of 5000 men were at |
| | work ... toiling 24 hours a day in 3 shifts ... many of them eating and sleeping in work trains and Pullman cars on the job. |
| | The pictures in the following pages tell the story of devastation and restoration far more graphically than either pen or tongue |
| | could describe it … In 6 Days Freight Service was Established Via Willimantic — In 13 Days Through Passenger Train |
| | Service was Being Operated on the Shore Line Between New York and Boston . . . and NEW ENGLAND'S VITAL LIFE- |
| | 9/15/1940 | | Abandonment | Line from Bridgeport, CT to Stepney, CT, abandoned. |
| | 9/18/1942 | | Milestone | James Humphrey Hustis, 7th President of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, died of a heart attack at |
| | age 78 in White Plains, NY. |
| | Page 5 of 6 |
