Mass Bay RRE’s charter train heads north into the U.S. Sub Base at Groton, CT

Providence & Worcester Fall Circle Tour 2010

We ran north beside the Thames River, easing through the U.S. Navy Submarine Base to our next photo stop, under the Route 2A bridge at MP 9.2. After another single runby, we crossed the Shetucket River to Norwich and continued through the Taft Tunnel, the oldest rail tunnel in use in North America. (The Portage Railroad tunnel in Pennsylvania is older, but sees no trains.) At 3:42 PM, we went by Plainfield, P&W’s Connecticut operating base, and arrived in Putnam at 4:13 PM. Here we made a stationary photo stop next to the sturdy brick Putnam station. We then rolled through Webster at 4:40 PM, noting the P&W Railroad Club’s equipment display there, and arrived back at South Worcester at 5:17 PM.

We enjoyed a fine fall day for this trip – our sixth 2010 excursion that ran in bright sunshine. Our “ticket lift” showed 177 passengers, with 70 seated in the parlor car and observation car.