Yep, you read that right. Short version – in a span of about 20 minutes, and without moving my ass more than 15 feet, I was able to catch the freighter Persenk unloading copper plates at the State Pier in New London, a pair of small US Coast Guard cutters (armed with machine guns on the stern) speeding down the Thames River, a Coast Guard HH60J Jayhawk helicopter, Providence & Worcester train NR-2 and Amtrak train 190. Oh, yeah, and as a bonus, some more steel on the Thames River Drawbridge’s new west tower.
I got out a bit late this morning, so I figured I’d aim for at least the Nautilus, and if I could Mill Cove in Ledyard. It was a nice sunny morning – albeit quite windy – so maybe I could get some of the foliage in before that wind knocks it down. While heading north on Thames Street south of the drawbridge, the scanner locked onto the Amtrak frequency. It was Rod on NR-2 calling the Amtrak Shore Line dispatcher for permission to head west to Old Saybrook. Well, I guess all my plans flew out the window and into the wind.
So instead I opted for the overlook to the south of the drawbridge. As I got there I noticed a few things. First the obvious – the freighter Persenk was unloading copper plates across the river at the State Pier. BTW, the plates, I believe, are destined for Phelps-Dodge in Norwich, CT, who is also a large customer of the NECR, getting similar plates in via rail. This is about the fourth ship to deliver these copper plates in the past year. But I digress…the other two things I noticed was that first Amtrak train 190 was heading into the station to pick up passengers. At the same time I saw a pair of US Coast Guard cutters speeding out of the Coast Guard Academy to the north of the bridges. Interesting.
Just before I stepped out of the car the dispatcher came on again – originally he was going to have NR-2 wait for 171 to pass by before he’d let them out onto the corridor. But after looking at things, and getting assurances from the P&W crew that they’d be able to keep ahead of 171, he brought them right out. Cool, that made things a bit more interesting.
So I got out, and first got a shot of just the Persenk moored to the State Pier
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As I was doing that, the USCG cutters were slowing for the no wake zone under the bridges. So I got a shot of one of them passing under the drawbridge.
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As soon as he was clear of the bridge, he opened the throttle and began speeding down the river again. A pair of shots passing the Persenk
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And one with the Amtrak New London station and waving American flag in the background.
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Then the second boat followed suit. I got a shot of this one passing the pier north of the Persenk – you can see the machine gun mounted towards the stern in this shot
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And passing the bow of the Persenk
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While all that was happening, 190 was leaving the station, and NR-2 was beginning their trek down the west leg of the Groton wye. NR-2 began heading onto the bridge from Groton
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Then 171 crossed over the moveable span
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And then a rolling meet on the bridge.
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Then the next two shots I timed to make it look like a really weird consist – NR-2 and 190 coupled together
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And finally a shot of the small NR-2 stretched out over the drawbridge, and the new steel for the west tower.
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At this point, I figured I’d wait around and get a long shot of NR-2 heading off of Shaw’s Cove. While waiting, a fishing boat drifted past the Persenk’s aft section
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A minute or so later, NR-2 was heading off of the Shaw’s Cove bridge
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Then I heard a rapid “thump-thump-thump” reverberate through the air. Only one thing that I know of makes that kind of sound, and it’s made here in Connecticut too. A Sikorsky helicopter. Speeding up the Groton side of the Thames River was a HH60J US Coast Guard Jayhawk (the USCG variant of the Army’s UH60 Blackhawk).
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And I got a shot as they were speeding north, this time with both bridges in the frame
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With the trains, ships (except the Persenk), and aircraft gone, and satisfied with my take, I figured it was time to head back to the office for the day.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
