Berkshire (NH train)

The Berkshire was a New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad ('New Haven') named train running from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was the longest-running north–south train in Litchfield Hills of western Connecticut and the Berkshires of Massachusetts. From New York City it followed the New Haven Line to South Norwalk, the Danbury Line to Danbury and the Berkshire Division to Pittsfield. It began in the 1940s and ran until 1968. The train was preceded by the Berkshire Express, of c.1938-c.1943.[1][2] It terminated at Pittsfield Union Station until 1960, when the New Haven moved it to another station in the city.[3]

Berkshire
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusDiscontinued
LocaleNortheastern United States
PredecessorBerkshire Express
First serviceca. 1946
Last service1968
Former operator(s)New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
Route
StartNew York City
EndPittsfield, Massachusetts
Distance travelled154 miles (248 km)
Average journey time4 hours, 22 minutes, northbound
4 hours, 30 minutes, southbound
Service frequencyDaily, except Sunday (1955)
Train number(s)Southbound: 141
Northbound: 144
On-board services
Seating arrangementsCoach
Catering facilitiesDiner-lounge (1955)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

While the route operated each day excepting Sunday, there were local stops unnamed trains available on Sundays. At peak years of post-World War II service the route was supplemented by other named trains for the New Haven's Berkshire Division route: Housatonic, Lichtfield, Mahaiwe, Mahkeenac, Taconic.[4]

The route served as a path to country homes of New Yorkers,[5] as well as to towns such as Canaan and New Milford in the transportation service-neglected northwest Connecticut, an area lacking Interstate highways or major airports. The route south of Danbury Union Station towards South Norwalk station was electrified until 1961.[6] North from New Milford to Canaan, short of the Connecticut-Massachusetts state line, the route followed the Housatonic River. In summer months the train made stops in Lenox, Massachusetts, the town hosting the Tanglewood Music Festival.[7]

Decline

By 1961 the Berkshire was cut to a Friday north-bound run; the Litchfield operated as a Sunday evening route from Pittsfield to New York. The diner-lounge was eliminated by 1961 in favor of parlor cars.[8] Finally, in 1968, the Berkshire name was dropped, and unnamed trains served the route until 1971 when the New Haven successor Penn Central discontinued service on the line.[9][10]

References
  1. "New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Table 18". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 71 (3). August 1938.
  2. New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad timetable, November 14, 1943, Table 6
  3. Lynch, Peter E. (2005). New Haven Railroad passenger trains. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company. pp. 58–65. ISBN 978-0-7603-2288-8.
  4. New Haven Railroad June 2, 1955 Timetable, Table 11
  5. HISTORY OF RAIL LINES IN THE REGION: BERKSHIRE RAIL LINE HISTORY' https://web.archive.org/web/20080129205049/http://www.hvceo.org/transport/railhistory.php
  6. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. p. 53. ISBN 9780942147124.
  7. New Haven Railroad June 2, 1955 Timetable, Table 11
  8. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June, 1961, New Haven Railroad section, Table 12
  9. Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. p. 57. ISBN 9780942147124.
  10. New Haven timetable, May 12, 1968, Table 9
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