Steam Switchers in New Britain

New Britain Engine Servicing post 1909, pre 19??

In its early years, New Britain was the home terminal for locomotives for Berlin and Bristol, in addition to the locally assigned switchers. 

Early on, the engine servicing had a small turntable as shown on the 1895 and earlier Sanborn maps.

By 1901 the turntable had been removed:

And by 1909 the layout in the photo above is in place:

Sometime prior to my era, the engine houses were torn down (or perhaps burned down?)

New Britain Engine Assignments 1919 to 1925

3/10/19

• 2405 (T-2-b class 0-6-0) New Britain switcher
• 2410 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2527 (U-3 class 0-6-0) New Britain switcher

7/10/19

• 2405 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2464 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2527 (T-2-b) Stored New Britain

8/10/19 and 12/10/19

• 1721 (C-11-b class 4-4-0) Berlin Branch passenger service
• 2405 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2464 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher

8/10/20
Home terminals are now listed, so we can see what other locomotives originate in New Britain.

• 1728 (C-11-a class 4-4-0) Berlin Branch passenger service
• 2405 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher

3/10/21
The first locomotive (#100) is assigned to the Hartford division, the rest are assigned to the Waterbury division.

• 100 (F-3 class 2-8-0) New Britain Switcher
• 1636 (C-3-a class 4-4-0) Spare East Hartford
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2433 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher (M.D. - assigned to Mechanical Department)
• 2460 (T-2-b) Bristol Switcher
• 2461 (T-2-b) New Britain Switcher

9/25/21

• 100 (F-3) Berlin Switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2433 (T-2-b) Stored Waterbury
• 2460 (T-2-b) Bristol Switcher
• 2461 (T-2-b) New Britain Switcher

3/1/22

• 100 (F-3) Berlin Switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2460 (T-2-b) Bristol Switcher
• 2461 (T-2-b) New Britain Switcher

6/11/22

• 100 (F-3) Stored East Hartford
• 120 (F-3) Berlin switcher
• 1633 (C-10) Berlin Branch
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2460 (T-2-b) Bristol Switcher
• 2461 (T-2-b) New Britain Switcher

5/15/23

• 100 (F-3) Berlin switcher
• 1621 (C-3-a) Berlin Branch
• 2410 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2460 (T-2-b) Bristol Switcher

9/30/23

• 103 (F-3) Berlin switcher
• 1621 (C-3-a class 4-4-0) Berlin Branch
• 2376 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2460 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher

1/1/24

• 116 (F-3) Berlin switcher
• 1621 (C-3-a) Berlin Branch Passenger Service
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2460 (T-2-b) New Britain-Bristol switcher

1/1/25

• 102 (F-3) Dumped save fuel
• 216 (P-1 class 2-8-0) Plainville switcher (temporary)
• 340 (K-1-b class 2-6-0) Berlin switcher
• 1622 (C-3-a) Berlin branch
• 2376 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher
• 2428 (T-2-b) New Britain switcher

I don't have any Engine Assignments between 1925 and 1949, although I do have a Locomotive Utilization report for April 20, 1948. However, by that time the T-2-b switchers had already been replaced in New Britain by the DEY-4s (44-tonners). During this period the engine houses were torn down (or perhaps burned down?) and the canopy in front of the Railroad Arcade was removed, and the Waterbury Division was eliminated.

In 1935 the passenger service between New Britain and Berlin stations were replaced by bus. In 1919/20 there were 20 daily weekday round trips between the two stations, less than 2.5 miles apart. It appears that based on the 1924/25 assignments that the Bristol switcher was eliminated, and some time later the Berlin switcher would be too.