Page:Shore Line Electric Railway Predecessor Companies 1961.pdf/13

 car and 25 express and freight trailers. There was no snow plow, the express car being equipped with a heavy steel nose when it was necessary to clear the line after winter storms.

The Norwich or Westerlys carhouse was a brick building, 35 ft. by 167 ft. in area. with tour tracks and a capacity of about 16 double truck cars, and was located across the main line from the power station at Hallville. Two of the tracks were used for car storage and the other two for shop purposes.

Early Operations

ROM the outset, hourly service was provided on the Norwich & westerly Railway and both local and limited cars were run at first. According to street Railway Journal, the limited cars covered 21.7 miles from Franklin square, Norwich, to Dixon Square, Westerly, in 45 minutes and the local cars in 55 minutes.

The limiteds were soon discontinued and the running time for local cars was extended to 1 hour and 10 minutes, permitting some moderation of the schedule speed, cars were dispatched by telephone, and in accordance with standard steam railroad practice, train orders were used, conductors and motormen each receiving copies. According to street Railway Journal, these orders were turned in at the end of every run and were examined daily by the traffic superintendent,

The through fare between Norwich and westerly was as cents, the line being divided into seven 5-cent zones. Workingmen's tickets were sold in books of 100 £01 54.50 while school tickets were available at the rate of 100 tor $3.50.

During 1903, the company began selling round trip tickets between Norwich and Westerly for 69 cents, and in that same year, with the opening of Lincoln Park, a recreation area near the Hallville car-house, round trip tickets valid between Norwich or Westerly and the park were introduced, selling for 15 and 45 cents respectively.

In addition to its passenger service, the Norwich & Westerly Railway did a fairly heavy carload freight business, the principal cargoes being cool and silax. Freight motor No. 1 was equipped with knuckle couplers and the necessary air hoses for handling steam road freight cars, and from the interchange with the New Haven Railroad at Fort Point, coal was hauled to the state Hospital, the railways power house at Hallville. and to other customers along the trolley line, From a mine at Lantern Hill, the Norwich & westerly brought carloads of silax to the railroad connection.

Package and express service was provided on the Norwich & Westerly's passenger cars, the two combination cars, Nos. 7 and 9, being designed for this purpose.

North Stoningion Wreck

HE ONLY really serious accident in the Norwich & Westerly's history occurred on the first of August 1997 when passenger car No. 2 and freight motor No. l collided headon at Avery's crossing in North Stonington. Motorman George H. Lucier of the passenger car and two passengers. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Gardiner, were killed. Both conductors, the other motorman and five passengers were injured.

According to report, the passenger car, hound fur Norwich, was due to meet the freight motor at North Stonington switch, but the runner being a little ahead of time, its crew decided to continue on to wheelers siding. a short distance away.

As the car sped down a grade, the attention or Lucier and his conductor reportedly was distracted by some persons sitting on a stone wall near the track. Suddenly, they heard a warning whistle and saw the freight motor immediately in front of them. The next instant, the cars crashed with terriffic force, causing them to telescope.

The freight motor was nearly

WRECK in which motorman George Lucier and two passengers were killed and five passengers and the other crewmen were injured happened on August 1, 1907. The car was rebuilt at the Hallviiie carhouse and was returned to regular service.