The NH Goodyear-Zeppelin Comet: A Forgotten U.S Experiment

[wallyworld]

Must be the ultimate art deco design...looks fast standing still...

 

http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r012.html

 

[DMUinCT]

The "Comet" was a wonderful train. Rode it many times as a kid. I lived in Cranston RI, my mother was a Boston native who liked to shop there. Providence to Boston, 44 miles in 44 minutes. Low slung with big windows.  The history of it's building and operation on the New Haven Railroad is well documented.  It lasted long and ended its life on Boston commuter service.

[PBenham]

The "Comet" was a wonderful train. Rode it many times as a kid. I lived in Cranston RI, my mother was a Boston native who liked to shop there. Providence to Boston, 44 miles in 44 minutes. Low slung with big windows.  The history of it's building and operation on the New Haven Railroad is well documented.  It lasted long and ended its life on Boston commuter service.

The shop employees at New Haven's Readville shops had entirely different feelings about the "Comet". Its engines were very difficult to access, and needed to be worked on far too often. Source:"New Haven Power" by Jack Swanberg, with some photo captions by publisher, Alvin F. Staufer.

[spikejones52002]

The Zeppelin Comet is a close resemblance to C.B & Q.'s Zephyr or Boston & Maine's Flying Yankee.

 

[DMUinCT]

The Best, The Comet!

Goodyear Rail Zeppelin GRZ-1, to the New Haven, Comet #9200. 

The Burlington Zephyrs and the B & M Flying Yankee were almost the same, built by BUDD from welded Stainless Steel. They were large and heavy compared to the Comet.  The Flying Yankee is in New Hampshire being restored for Tourist service with state funds.  You should be able to RIDE it in 2009.

The Comet was the only one where the design was wind tunnel tested. Speed between Boston and Providence would reach 95 to 100 mph to maintain the 10 daily runs connecting the two capital cities. It was built like an airplane (or Zeppelin), tube design with no underframe.  All Aluminum, rivited like an airliner. Very low with the wheels recessed up into the body, step up to pass between cars.  A total of 160 seats for the 3 car train was great during the Depression, not big enough as business increased.

 

[DMUinCT]

It's no toy, but one would think that its "G" gauge  next to "O" gauge.

[PBenham]

Hindsight being 20/20 I wonder why New Haven only bought the single trainset. But it was not a very good time to buy anything. New Haven was deceived into believing that the depression was the only reason they needed to reorganize. The financial problems the New Haven had were far larger than management could realize, until it was too late. Still, had the "Comet" proven more reliable and had been easier and less costly to keep in service, then the capacity issue could have been solved by running more trainsets. This operating strategy is viable in many European nations, but never caught on here.

[Kevin C. Smith]

New Haven was deceived into believing that the depression was the only reason they needed to reorganize. The financial problems the New Haven had were far larger than management could realize, until it was too late.

I've not been a close follower of the NH so this sounds intriguing-what were the problems? I understand the 1916(?) bankruptcy was caused by inflated prices paid in trying to consolodate as many of the region's lines under NH ownership. What besides the Depression (which I would have thought would be more than sufficient) was behind the 1930's filing?

[DMUinCT]

The building of The New Haven's Comet was financed by the Federal Goverment's "WPA" program as project #3693 at a cost of $250,000.  It made work in New Haven, it made work in Akron, and it made work for Westinghouse who built the two 400 HP diesels.

The mistake made with the Zephyr, Flying Yankee, and Comet was the single truck between the cars making a Fixed train size. This has NOT been repeated with the Amtrak Acela.  If six cars serve the need, than that is what is run. Need more, add a car. HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ONE CAR, REMOVE IT TO FIX IT WITHOUT REMOVING THE WHOLE TRAIN FROM SERVICE.  Amtrak has 20 Acela train sets.  This "one problem" taking down a whole train set explains a lot of the "down time" of the Comet and other 1930s streamliners.

The New Haven Railroad empire may bring visions of a 2-10-2 climbing the Berkshires on its way to Maybrook, a mile long freight under wire on a 4 track main line, but in reality, it was a Passenger Railroad.  Hourly service making a dash in under 5 hours between Boston to New York, including an overnight sleeper.  Heavy Commuter Service into both New York and Boston.  Through service to Washington (DC).  It was "Serving the Industrial Northeast".

In the 1930s Great Depression, it was both inter-city and commuter passenger service that was very hard hit, especially The New Haven. 

[MopacBarrettTunnel]

Out of all the early Streamliners, it was Alco that set the pattern for a FLEXIBLE consist that could easily cope with both passenger volume and equipment breakdowns.

   

The Gulf Mobile & Northern Rebel of 1935 pictured above was the first non-articulated streamliner in the world, employing all the features that would soon sweep the industry: diesel power, individual non-articulated cars {and locomotives}, dramatic styling, and even an ancestral version of "blended" {electric and air} braking.  It's also interesting to note that the GM&N actually had a heavyweight "dry run" of the Rebel six years previously - with the Brill-built "St. Tammany Special' of 1929: