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Back to Letterboxing The Great East Thompson Train Wreck Letterboxes (4) Placed: 10-5-03 Clues revised 5/5/07 From Interstate 395 get off exit 99, from the south take a right at the end of the ramp, and from the north take a left at the end of the ramp onto RT. 200. Keep going until you come to a stop sign, then take a left onto RT. 193. This is the intersection of routes 200 and 193. From the intersection of route 200 and 193 in Thompson Connecticut, head northeast on route 193. You will travel 1.6 miles down route 193 and come to a Y in the road. Leave route 193 here and bear right onto East Thompson Road. You will pass the raceway golf course, quickly followed by the Thompson Speedway, then a cemetery. After traveling 3.1 miles from route 193, be sure you bear right at the next Y, staying on East Thompson road. From this Y continue another .7 mile to your destination. The parking area is just around a sharp curve in the road. Park on the left side of the road in a sandy parking spot. To know if this is the correct spot, look across the street: you will see a yellow gate on a little hill. You will be going over there later on. Now, get out of your car and follow the path up the hill that is on your side of the road. You are already parked and walking on the site of the only 4 train wreck in the history of the United States. As you walk, you see that the old rail line is very bumpy. This is caused by modern off road vehicles. Be careful, they move pretty fast sometimes. Keep walking until you see a pile of wooden boards on the right side of the trail. Just 62 steps ahead is a 5 way trail intersection. Walk over to the old lumber. Notice that you are on overgrown pavement. This is the site of one of the structures of the original railroad station. From the pile of boards, you will find a very small path just to the left. Go on that small, short path. Several steps in, it comes to a V shaped oak tree up against an embankment. Go left along the embankment 7 steps to a rock. Move the 4 smaller rocks to reveal the Southbridge Freight Local Letterbox. Named in honor of the unsuspecting train that was in the East Thompson station on that fateful morning of December 4th 1891. Go back to the rail line and walk 62 steps. You will come to what almost looks like a rotary. There is a five way intersection. Take a reading of 290 degrees. This points through a small group of birch trees to a trail opening with 4 big rocks in front of it. Take this trail. This is the old Spur track to Southbridge Mass. The trail may be muddy or wet. A bypass trail runs along side the old RR line just to the left of it on slightly higher ground. It will get you around the muddy section. Pass a 4 way intersection. Keep walking down this trail as it goes between 2 ponds or swampy areas. The pond on the left ends as the trail takes a dip to a lower beach like area. Take your first left after this. This trail brings you into the Doris Shaw Wildlife Sanctuary. Keep going on this trail, passing over a wooden bridge, (if the water level is high it may be a floating bridge) until you come to an intersection. Be careful, it could be easy to miss this turn. Take a very sharp left here between 2 big pine trees. Just as you come down a small hill, you will see 2 pines that are leaning over the trail on the right. From this tree take a reading of 345 degrees and walk 12 steps to a big pine tree. Behind the pine under a flat rock is the Express Freight 212 Letterbox. This box is named after the first train out of Putnam to crash into the train that was sitting in the East Thompson Station. Stay on this trail and proceed the way you were going. The trail will go over an old dam and quickly come to a 4 way intersection. Go straight here, on the trail going 120 degrees. If this trail is flooded, go back the way you came, back over the wooden bridge to the Southbridge spur track. Turn right and go back between the two ponds. Take your first trail to the right after the pond on the right. This will take you to the same 4 way intersection. At this intersection go left up the small hill at 120 degrees. You will see a stone wall that runs alongside the trail on your left. Watch the wall as you walk along the trail. You pass an opening in the wall and next see the end of the wall. Now start looking for a pine tree on your right that turns into a 3 sister tree about 6 feet high. Just in front of this the trail turns left around another pine that has a chunk out of the side of it. From the 3 sister pine, take 16 steps to the left, off the trail to another pine that turns into a 3 sister tree about 10 feet off the ground. The base of this pine is dark due to a fire that was in the area. From the tree at 60 degrees walk another 34 steps in the same direction to the erratic boulder which you can see. Look on the southwest side of the boulder along the ground under a rock overhang covered by sticks to find the Long Island and Eastern States Express letterbox hidden behind some smaller rocks. The box is named after the second train that crashed into the debris at East Thompson. Go back to the trail and keep walking in the direction way you were going. You will soon come to an intersection. Go left here. This is the old railroad line between Putnam and East Thompson that three of the trains traveled just before ending their journey as part of the spectacular train wreck in East Thompson. You are now headed back towards your car. Just before getting to the 5 way intersection, you might want to explore the remains of the old train roundtable to the left in the woods. At the 5 way intersection, go straight, passing by box #1 to get back to where you parked. You will come to your vehicle. This is the site of the old railroad bridge that crossed over the road in 1891. Cross the road and go around the yellow gate. Follow the straight railroad line until you come to a wooden bridge that crosses the line overhead. While under the bridge, look to your right. At the base of the small retaining wall, look on the left side. Behind 3 pieces of old lumber is a hole that hides the Norwich Steamboat Express Letterbox. You do not have to go up the hill to find this box. It is at ground level. This box is named in honor of the last train to end its' ride into history in East Thompson. Go back the way you came to your vehicle. Before you set out, please read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer. |