New Deal Comet

Above: The Comet train, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company. The train was financed with a PWA loan. Its initial passenger service run was between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. According to the train's Wikipedia page, it ran from 1935 to 1951 (in its later years it ran a more local route around Boston). Photographer and year unknown, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: A photograph of passengers aboard the Comet. A 1935 brochure created by the New York, New Haven and Hartford boasted: "Inside are deep seats of extra width, low, without the need for footrests... indirect lighting... air-conditioning, thermostatically controlled, with the warmed or cooled fresh air entering the car through slots near the ceiling... rubber inserts and insulation to obviate noise and vibration, specially designed shock absorbers... in fact, every device of modern engineering has been employed to make The Comet a thing of grace and beauty... a luxuriously comfortable new-type train." Photo also from the brochure.

Above: A poster advertisement for the Comet, showing the "pencil beam" light used to alert motorists of the Comet's approach. The design of the Comet gave it "an unbelievable rate of acceleration" (David Dietz, "Dawn of the Diesel Age," The Indianapolis Times, September 7, 1935, p. 7). Unknown artist, scanned from a personal copy.

Above: From the New York, New Haven and Hartford's 1935 brochure. Scanned from a personal copy.

Above: The brochure touted the Comet's "Ultra-Modern" design and engineering. Scanned from a personal copy.

Above: The brochure's description of the Comet's speed and safety. Scanned from a personal copy.

Above: Part of a longer article about the Comet, from The Indianapolis Times, September 7, 1935, p. 7. The image seems to highlight the less-polluting nature of the Diesel-electric Comet vs. the traditional smoke-belching steam trains. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.