Connecticut Connection: Central New England Railway


Bernie Rudberg drove through Canaan on September 1, 2006 and took a couple shots of the station reconstruction. The hammers were banging away when he was there. It is starting to look like a station again.

	Central New England Railway Home Page This page is an overview of the entire railway in Connecticut and New York.
Central New England Railway in New York State This page is an overview of the railway as it existed in New York State.
Central New England Railway in Hopewell Junction This page is about the CNE in the Hopewell Junction area.
Central New England Railway's Great Bridge at Poughkeepsie This page is about the CNE' bridge at Poughkeepsie.
The Rhinebeck & Connecticut This page is about the Rhinebeck & Connecticut which became part of the Central New England Railway.
The Railroads of Pine Plains Pine Plains was the intersection of three railroads, all of which became part of the Central New England Railway.
Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad One of the railroads that formed the Central New England Railway was the Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut. The CNE / ND&C from Dutchess Jct to Matteawan. The CNE / ND&C Glenham to Hopewell Jct. The CNE / ND&C from Hopewell Jct to Millbrook. The CNE / ND&C from Bangall to Pine Plains. The CNE / ND&C from Pine Plains to Millerton.
Connecticut Connection A trip along the Central New England Railway (CNE) from Canaan, Connecticut to the New York State Line.
Maybrook Yard The major freight yard where the CNE connected with other railroads was at Maybrook.
The Maybrook Line across Dutchess County The "Maybrook Line" was important to New England before the advent of Penn Central and before the Poughkeepsie Bridge burned.
The Poughkeepsie Bridge after the 1974 Fire The "Maybrook Line" lost its importance with Penn Central. See the effects of this fire on Eastern Railroading.
P&E in the Poughkeepsie Area Part of the The Central New England Railway (CNE) was the Poughkeepsie & Eastern (P&E)
P&E North of Poughkeepsie Area Part of the The Central New England Railway (CNE) was the Poughkeepsie & Eastern (P&E)
Poughkeepsie & Connecticut One of the railroads that formed the Central New England Railway was the Poughkeepsie & Connecticut.
The Central New England in Connecticut A great WebSite from Tim Dowd on the remains of the CNE in Connecticut
Fishkill Landing The Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut Railroad became part of the CNE. The New York Central ran from New York City to Albany and beyond through the Hudson Valley. The two roads met at Fishkill Landing. The first phase of the NYC rebuilding at Fishkill Landing starting in 1913. The second phase of the NYC rebuilding in 1914 and 1915. New York Central in the Fishkill Landing Area.

Bernie Rudberg's "Connecticut Connection."

A trip along the Central New England Railway (CNE) from Canaan, Connecticut to the New York State Line.

Posed in Canaan right where our CNE 2004 tours began, the CNE's crack "Mountain Express" for Hartford is ready to head east on a summer morning in 1900, with engineer Bill Ahearn (left) and Conductor Frank Smith (third left). Barely visible in far right background is the skipjack coal tipple, with the water tank Behind it.

This is an enlargement of the right hand edge of the above photo. It shows the location of the coal tipple and water tank behind the last train car at the right edge of the picture.

Photo from the J. W. Swanberg collection.

Topo map of the area from Canaan to Twin Lakes CT dated 1946.
The Canaan yard area was between Canaan and the Blackberry River.
The station is the L shape in the middle of the wye on the south side of Canaan.

PR&NE #1254 in the Canaan yard in 1893

Lee Beaujon collection

Canaan Station in the 1940's

Lee Beaujon collection

Sadly, the right half of this historic building burned. It was torched by teenagers. They were caught and now there is a restoration program underway.

At Canaan, the Central New England Railway crossed the Housatonic Railroad.

Both became part of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad.

Canaan Station in the 1940's

Lee Beaujon collection

The tower and the section at right burned. It is now being restored.

Canaan Station looking north in 1968.
Photo by Roger Liller

Canaan water tower in 1968
Photo by Roger Liller

East Main Street Canaan looking west in the summer of 1924.

Lee Beaujon collection

Locomotive in the center is on first class #906 eastbound to Hartford ready to depart at 7:30 AM. In the distance is mixed train #913 headed west to Beacon NY departing at 7:15 AM. At left is PUC inspection train with CNE business car #100 waiting to head south to Danbury.

CNE 4-4-0 #202 on train #8 due to leave for Hartford at 8:45 AM about 1905.

Lee Beaujon collection

H&CW #3

Fran Donovan collection

PH&B RR #2 “Hartford”. Formerly NY&M #2, P&E #2

Roger Liller collection

Westbound train at Canaan station.

CNE 2004 tour guide book

2-4-4 built by Rogers in 1848

Fran Donovan collection

CW RR #1 “State Line”, H&CW #1, CNE&W #1, PR&NE #1, Scrapped 1899

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Eastbound train at Canaan station.

Fran Donovan collection

View westbound from Canaan station diamond 1938.

Nimke Volume 3, Page 70

Looking toward Church street the building to the right of the tracks is the former ice house.

Church street crossing in Canaan 1925.

Nimke Volume 3, Page 71

Church Street Canaan looking east - 19 October 1927

Lee Beaujon collection

This was only 2 months before passenger service ended between Millerton and Hartford.

PR&NE #11 in the east end of the Canaan yard 1893

Lee Beaujon collection

View westbound from the Church street crossing in Canaan in 1927.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 72

Canaan yard complex is in the background.

Westbound view of the Canaan yard in 1893.

Nimke Volume 3, Page 72

The coaling tower is to the left of the racks in the distance.

Canaan coal tipple in the 1890's

CNE 2004 tour guide book

View eastbound toward Church street from the top of the coal tower.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 72

Eastbound toward Church street from the middle of the Canaan yard.

Nimke Volume 3, page 73

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This is the bridge over the Blackberry River at the west end of the Canaan yard.

Wreck of CNE&W #11 in the Canaan yard 27 July 1892

Lee Beaujon collection

This wreck happened at 3:00 AM at the west end of the yard near the coal loader.

Wreck of CNE&W #11 in the Canaan yard 27 July 1892

Lee Beaujon collection

Story of the July 1892 wreck in Canaan yard

Lee Beaujon collection

PR&NE yard in Canaan 1893

Lee Beaujon collection

Note the coal loader in the left background.
Yard wye track to the right.

Canaan coal tower, boiler house and water tower in1891.
Lee Beaujon collection

Canaan yard looking west from Church St. 1940s.

Lee Beaujon collection

CNE&W engine house in Canaan 1891

Lee Beaujon collection

Unused by the mid 1890's.
Blew down in a storm in the late 1890's.

NH Flanger S-54 on the ashpit track in the Canaan yard.

Lee Beaujon collection

CNE&W Canaan coal tower built in 1891 - torn down 1906.

Lee Beaujon collection

View looking west across the Blackberry River bridge

Looking west over the Housatonic River.

CNE 2004 tour guide book

Topo map of Twin Lakes and Chapinville which later became Taconic station.
Survey of 1884-5

The following was typed by Austin McEntee from an old newspaper clipping.

The morning mail today brings a message from a Canaan banker who is an authority on the CNE railway and its history. Read on:
In regard to the Washining station west of Canaan, about 1910 the east shore of Twin Lakes experienced a building boom and several influential men built quite elaborate cottages and landscaped their grounds. Among them were two wholesale druggists from Philadelphia and an insurance executive from Hartford, Charles S. Blake. During the construction these men persuaded the railroad to install a siding and many cars of materials were unloaded at this point, which was adjacent to the highway leading to the east shore of Twin Lakes from Canaan at the crossing. A roofed passenger shelter was built and a name selected – Blake's Summit. With the renaming of the stations on the line, Chapinville became Taconic and Blake's Summit was given the Indian name for the larger of the Twin Lakes -- Washining. The writer well remembers it as he had occasion to use this station stop one Sunday afternoon. The conductor was Mr. Simmons and he neglected to pull the bell cord to signal the engineer to stop. His disposition was not the best, as I recall, and he made the engineer back the train several hundred yards rather than let me drop off as they slowed down, which incidentally was near my destination.
ALLYN FULLER

View east at Washining station October 1927

Bob Lord photo

This station was formerly called Blake’s Summit.

Taconic CT

Bob Lord postcard

This station was formerly called Chapinville.

Fly Along the Central New England Railway! If you have "GOOGLE EARTH" installed on your computer, you can "fly" along the routes of the Central New England Railway with the "PLACEMARK" below: (Click to get GOOGLE EARTH)
Canaan, Connecticut to State Line, New York The Central New England Railway
We will be adding more routes Because many of the locations on our tour have varying "resolutions" of the pictures, you may need to stop the tour and adjust the height you are viewing. On several locations, you may also stop the tour and click on the placemark icon for more information. Tell us where you want to fly and give us any of your comments