Well, I got out late again this morning – but I figured it was worth a shot to see where I could pick up some action. As things unfolded, it turned out that a mile or so away was far enough to catch Providence & Worcester train NR-2, Amtrak train 171, some armed US Coast Guard escorts and a US Navy Los Angeles class fast attack submarine. Oh, yeah, and also throw in an Amtrak track car going in 2 directions, a fishing boat and a Coast Guard buoy tender. That’s a whole lotta action to pack into 15 minutes!
As I was driving north, of course the scanner was on. As I passed by the Electric Boat shipyard, the P&W frequency lit up with someone counting down remaining cars. Hmmm, I guess they were in Fairview already – maybe I could get up to the Thames River drawbridge overlook and catch them heading across the river. Yeah, that would work.
Boy was I wrong! As I passed Garbo Lobsters, the Amtrak Shore Line dispatcher called NR-2 and asked if they were ready for the Rule 241! Crap, that meant they were already across the Thames and ready to head back east to track 4! So I might have bent (or maybe fractured) the speed limit and got to the parking lot along the Thames just in time for NR-2 to start their way across the bridge. I grabbed a few shots of the short train crossing the river.
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Pretty good timing. A look to the south, and there was a fishing boat – what looked like the Thom Thumb from the other day – working the traps along the channel. And in the background was the US Coast Guard cutter Abbie Burgess, a buoy tender, so of course I had to get both in the frame.
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OK, well, now that NR-2 was clear on track 4, I figured I’d head closer to the bridge and get a couple shots of just the bridge. Right as I parked the car and got out, an Amtrak track car started across the bridge.
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Then I got my shots of the bridge. Got one of the tower, then one wider one of the entire bridge.
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And I got a closeup of the top of the tower.
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Why, you may be asking? Well, this piece came over the NECR and was delivered to New London about a month ago. Ron Chouinard got a picture of it up in Worcester on CSX heading for the NECR in Palmer, MA. Here’s the photo he got of it loaded on the depressed center flatcar. Pretty neat seeing it in transit, and finally in place on the bridge.
After I got that I figured I was finished. So I packed up, and headed south. As I was driving, the Amtrak frequency came alive again with the dispatcher giving the track car that just crossed over the river a Rule 241 to head back east to the west leg of the Groton wye. OK, I’ll stop and get a shot back at the other spot. So I did just that.
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But as he was crossing, a noise behind me caught my attention – a fast moving motor boat. After I got the shot and swung around, an armed US Coast Guard rigid hull inflatable was speeding up to the fishing boat working the pots in the channel. He ordered the fishing boat out of the channel.
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That meant only one thing – a sub was heading north. OK, I’ll stick around a couple more minutes. Hell, I’ve only been here 10 minutes so far anyways! As that was happening, the scanner came alive again – Amtrak train 171 just hit the Midway detector and was heading this way. Interesting – the bridge was still lined for rail traffic, and the sub was showing no signs of slowing down. More on this in a bit…stay tuned.
As the boat complied with the Coastie’s orders, he tore ass up the river to secure the path of the sub.
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And a moment later, the USS Providence made its appearance.
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So I got my normal series of photos of the passing boat
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Then one of the smaller USCG cutter on the rear, with the sub’s ruder in the shot
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A quick swap for the wide angle, and a shot with both the cutter and sub
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Hmmm, the bridge is still down. Just as I was thinking that, a familiar rattle & rumble came across the water – 171 just rolled onto the bridge. Cool, I can get a sub/train meet!
First one with 171 just entering the frame
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Then one with 171, the Providence and the Coast Guard escort.
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Odd that they wouldn’t request an opening. Typically the Navy has precedence over train traffic, but this time it didn’t seem like an opening was requested. A quick look down gave me my answer – it was low tide. It looks like they had a good 6-8 feet of clearance under the bridge deck.
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And there was one more USCG escort vessel – one I’ve never seen before.
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Pretty cool! Not too bad of a haul for 15 minutes in southern Groton.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
