I wouldn't doubt that they are not controlled if not owned by DEEP and/or DoT. With the the highway and Amtrak crossing over them, also wouldn't doubt that DEEP doesn't consider the area wetlands.

If you look at the birds eye views on Bing: http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NDEuMTc0M ... MlMjBjdA== the pond on the west side of the highway just above the power lines, there is what looks to be an oil slick, maybe 500 feet from the highway at the southeast corner of the pond. In 3 views it is a tight circle, but in the east facing view it is partially dispersed. Either something fell off the highway and never recovered or there is a tank of oil down there (or oil fired locomotive) after all the Battleships of Pearl Harbor are still releasing small droplets of fuel oil to this day.

Wouldn't doubt that the former Solo Styrofoam plant wasn't the brickyard's location (on Old Brickyard Lane).

Rich C.

Here are a couple of USGS topo maps of the area, one from 1893 and the other from 1966. I've circled the location of the pond on both maps (red circle for 1893, blue circle for 1966). As you can see, it wasn't there in 1893, which means it's not natural, and it also borders a railroad ROW -- what I believe may be the Middletown RR built in 1844.

-Philip Marshall

That's something I didn't expect to see... Interesting find.


I'd be kind of iffy if that's actually oil from something under the water... I'd be more inclined to believe it's just junk off the surface of the road. Really the only way to tell would be to take a sample and test it, see what's there. As for checking it, who say's you have to dive and scour the whole pond? If someone has a good enough fish finder, or something to that effect, couldn't you use it to first locate objects of interest, mark them, and come back at a later date?

You could do that with a magnetometer. I am not sure about a fish finder. It would be interesting to find out who owns the property as a starting point. Maybe the owner has a connection to the history of the pond.

Two possibilities.

Vulcan
2625 3/1917 0-4-0T Std 10x16 30” 3031 38000#
C P Merwin Brick Co #2, Berlin, Conn
Eastern Brick Co

3416 3/1924 0-4-0T 42” 9x14 30 ½ ” 3895 29000#
Richard Murray Brick Co #2, Berlin, Conn

John, where did you get the details on the locomotives in use in Berlin CT?

I spoke with my coworker today, and I had the story a little wrong, his wife's grandfather was the one who told him about it and he was there working the day the shovel accidentally broke through and flooded the mine. He said it was either during WWII or right before the war. Given the fact that there was a strike going on right around that time the clay pits were likely not on the best footing. WWII would have needed a lot of quickly built factories and bricks were likely not that necessary at the time. My coworker said that his wife's grandfather specifically mentioned it being a steam locomotive that was lost.

The bigger question however would be where in the hole the locomotive was located. Some of the pits would have been filled in to build route 9 so if it happened to be under the highway it likely would be difficult to find. On the other hand if it was on the other side of the shovel it would likely be ok. My coworker also said that the Berlin historical society most likely would have all the info on what happened that night. I think I will try to get there this Saturday and do some further digging.

With so many cheap UAV's out there I wonder why no one makes any cheap underwater ROV's to go exploring with.

More possibilities.

Brookville
- - - - 4/14/1919 B 36” Gas/Mech
American Brick Co, Berlin, Conn

- - - - 1/1920 36” Gas/Mech
American Brick Co., Berlin, Conn

Whitcomb
1112 6/1920 B 36” MO 8T Wisc 5 ¾ x7
R O Clark & Son Brick Co., East Berlin, Conn

11981 5/1925 B 36” MO Climax TU 5 ½ x 7 8T 24”
R O Clark & Son Brick Co., East Berlin, Conn
Returned and scrapped - 6/1931 – Parts used for old locomotives

12354 12/1926 B Std MO Climax TU 5 ½ x 7 8T 24”
Somers Lumber Co, Somers, Mont
Returned - Rebuilt to -Stock Locomotive - 2/1930
E R Morehouse Co #6, Camden, N J - 11/1934
Eastern Brick Co, Berlin, Conn - 5/1940

The locomotive information came from lists provided by Bob Lehmuth. I checked Baldwin, Porter and Davenport as well.

A locomotive submerged in another quarry.

https://ottawadivers.wordpress.com/tag/locomotive/

John thanks for posting that just wondering what do the following abreviations mean?
"12354 12/1926 B Std MO Climax TU 5 ½ x 7 8T 24”

A 2ft gauge climax down there untouched would sure be a really neat find.

If only it were in England I bet half the people reading this thread would be scrambling to get there and pull it out first kind of like this one;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug6hmnUvTps

The best part is there likely is enough rail down there to make for one heck of a fun backyard railroad when you finish your restoration!

Both ponds on the east side of Rt. 9 are owned by a company listed as CRP LLC. http://www.berlingis.com/ags_map/default.htm?MBL=10-1-76A-4B.

The land is actually occupied by CWPM, http://www.cwpm.info/pages/index.asp, a waste removal and recycling company. This company appears to affiliated with CRP.

If you are going to proceed, I would start by calling them, or better yet, stopping in.

That part at the end about the rail equipment in the quarry is about as ideal as it gets in terms of what they found and how visible it is.

You asked what this means:
"12354 12/1926 B Std MO Climax TU 5 ½ x 7 8T 24”

Builder's Number 12354
built December 1926
0-4-0
Standard gauge
Model MO
Climax gas engine Model TU
5 1/2 x 7 inch cylinders
8 tons
24" wheels