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CDOT details upcoming Waterbury Branch, Devon Bridge projects
A map of the area is always appreciated.
It is a 3-track main line east of Devon to New Haven, with tracks numbered south to north as 4-2-1; at the east end of Devon Interlocking (now known as CP-261), Track 1 splits to become tracks 1 & 3, so from CP-261 west the tracks are numbered 4-2-1-3. West of the drawbridge are crossovers, eastbound tracks 4 to 2, 2 to 1, 1 to 3; east of the drawbridge is the beginning of the Waterbury Branch, northbound, diverging off from Track 3. A wye track connects the Branch southbound to Track 3 eastbound, this was how NYNH&H and PC freight trains between Cedar Hill and Maybrook (NY) yards would run. As the article mentions, the New Haven Line trains would stop at a short platform on Track 3 east of the connection, the Waterbury trains at a short platform on the Wye track, otherwise the Branch trains would have to pull into and change ends within the interlocking (it is push-pull operation). I’m sure residents of the heavily-populated Devon community wouldn’t mind a permanent station stop, however, as they currently have to drive into downtown Milford, or cross the Housatonic River to Stratford, to access Metro-North service.
Replacing “old” rail that was replaced in 2012? No way.
Very poor proofreading here. The work involves removing 5 miles of old rail that was already replaced in 2012? Is it old or deffective?
This is almost verbatim of what the Connecticut Department of Transportation news release says, except that it omitted the following sentence: “The track was removed in 2012 to make way for the installation of new track, which has been completed.” It sounds like a clean up job of rail that’s been lying next to the Waterbury Main Track since it was replaced. While I like the image of commuters detraining at Devon, and hop, skipping across the ties to the west side of the Housatonic River, I believe that transfers both to and from the Waterbury Branch will be made at the temporary Devon Transfer Station, which is what Metro North’s brief news release states. I passed by Devon yesterday, and there was some activity by the east leg of the Wye, and what looked to be a stockpiling of new construction materials.