TITANIC RAILROAD: The Southern New England
by Larry Lowenthal.
The Story of New England's Last Great Railroad War.
First Edition.
TITANIC RAILROAD: The Southern New England by Larry Lowenthal. Brimfield, MA: Marker Press, 1998. Hardcover. 8.5" x 11" size. 264 pages with more than 200 illustrations, detailed route maps, and color dust jacket with original color painting by Fred Johansson.
The story of New England's last railroad war and how the sinking of the Titanic may have derailed the construction of the Southern New England Railroad.
The book presents a great deal of biographical information on Charles M. Hays and his immediate family and is the closest approach to a biography of him. T are several photos of him and related subjects.
Railroad specialty books of this type rapidly become scarce and increase in value.
LOW SHIPPING CHARGE OF $3.50.
From the dust jacket:
Light winter snows bring out man-made changes in the landscape. Could that possibly be a railroad grade high up on Fenton Mountain in Brimfield? Why is it t?
It was, indeed, a railroad grade, built by the "Old Grand Trunk," according to long-time residents. The same company was responsible for the weird concrete monoliths you see scattered between Palmer and Providence. But the Grand Trunk was a Canadian railroad. What was it doing in southern New England?
"Something about the great liner Titanic," was the reply. "The ship was carrying gold to build the railroad: after it sank, work had to stop -- that's the story I heard."
Every question about this mysterious railroad seemed to open a door to a larger question. Like the iceberg that sank the Titanic, most of the substance is invisible, almost as if the remains on the surface are meant to disguise the full magnitude of the project.
What seems at first to be a relatively minor railroad branch some 85 miles long is actually the outward evidence of New England's last railroad war. In 1910 railroads were still dominant -- attracting gifted, ambitious, and often unscrupulous men and vast sums of capital.
Just when the New Haven Railroad, backed by the Morgan financial power, seemed to have achieved a transportation monopoly in New England, it was challenged by the Grand Trunk, a bold rival drawing on British capital. The resulting conflict caused political repercussions that reached the White House and became a defining incident in the Progressive era.
Alway fascinating to people living along the route, the uncompleted Southern New England Railroad -- the true name of the "Old Grand Trunk" -- reflects the larger political and economic issues of its time. It is a story that combines elements of mystery and drama, with a cast of characters that would delight a novelist.
, at last, after many years of preparation, is the remarkable story of the Southern New England Railroad and its far-ranging consequences.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Larry Lowenthal has been a historian with the National Park Service for many years, working on diverse projects throughout the Northeast.
History occupies much of his spare time as well, and he has written several transportation-related books, among them are the following:
Iron Mine Railroads of Northern New Jersey -- Morris County Traction Company -- The Lackawanna Railroad in Northern New Jersey -- From the Coalfields to the Hudson (the story of the Delaware & Hudson Canal).
Soon after moving to Brimfield, Massachusetts in 1981, Larry began hearing about the legendary "Old Grand Trunk" RR. With some of that line's most conspicuous structures located a mile or two from his home, it was hard to resist being drawn into this fascitinating, almost mythical story. Investigation soon revealed that this effort to build a seemingly small branch line from Palmer, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island represented a climactic episode in New England Railroa...
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