The Poughkeepsie & Connecticut Railroad

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	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.

One of the railroads that made up the Central New England Railway was the Poughkeepsie & Connecticut

The P&C Railroad

The P&E Railroad had been in operation about 16 years before the big RR bridge in Poughkeepsie was completed in 1888. The bridge company had intentions of acquiring the P&E RR to connect eastward across Dutchess County to reach railroads in Connecticut. By the time the big bridge across the Hudson River was completed, the P&E had been renamed PH&B and then NY&M. The management of NY&M would not sell the railroad to the bridge company. To get around this problem, the bridge company built a 28 mile long railroad parallel to the NY&M and called it the P&C, Poughkeepsie & Connecticut. This new line ran from the bridge in Poughkeepsie northeastward bypassing most of the towns served by the NY&M. It did however serve Stanfordville and Pine Plains. North of Pine Plains, the P&C went into Columbia County and connected to the R&C RR at Silvernails to reach Connecticut. Small communities like McIntyre, Stissing and Pine Plains then had three railroads, the ND&C, the NY&M and the P&C.

There were places along the line where the two competing railroads were only a few feet apart. They actually crossed at two points. The P&C passed over the rival NY&M on a bridge at McIntyre. Near Salt Point they crossed in an open field. At Stissing the lines ran only a few feet apart through a narrow valley.

By 1907 both lines had been consolidated into the CNE Rwy. Shortly after the CNE gained control, a new rail connector was built in Pine Plains. This was a short S curve of tracks connecting the NY&M ( now back to P&E ) to the P&C line to Silvernails. After the connector was built the CNE abandoned the P&C line south of Pine Plains. The P&C had lasted barely twenty years from 1889 to 1909.

Poughkeepsie & Connecticut (Reading Railroad) Timetable

This rail route used the P&C tracks through Dutchess County in 1893.

Click on timetable to see full-size version

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PR&NE Engine #5 at Poughkeepsie
Stickels collection
Early in its life, the P&C was called the Philadelphia, Reading and New England RR.

USGS map of the Salt Point area dated 1899.
The PR&NE (P&C) crossed the P&E near Salt Point in the upper right corner of this map

Click on map to enlarge.

NASA Satellite map of the Salt Point area

NASA satellite view of the Salt Point area
The PR&NE (P&C) (blueish line) crossed the P&E (yellowish line) near Salt Point.

P&C crossing of the P&E near Salt Point
Photo by the late Ken Shuker
The P&C RR crossed the P&E RR at two points. One was the bridge at McIntyre and the other was in this open field near Salt Point.

Join the Abandoned Railroads Forum
The Central New England Railway (CNE) was a railroad across northern Connecticut and west across the Hudson River in New York. It eventually became part of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route (an alliance between railroads for a passenger route from Washington to Boston) and later a line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

P&C trestle at Hibernia
Nimke Vol 1 Pg 117
The former P&C roadbed crosses the Taconic Parkway just south of Hibernia Rd. About a quarter mile east the P&C crossed the Wappingers Creek on this trestle. The trestle is gone but the stone abutments are still there.

P&C Abutment at Hibernia in 2005
Photo by B L Rudberg
The fellow in the photo is Joe Mato.

Join the New York & New England/Central New England Forum
at RAILROAD.NET

USGS map of the Stanfordville area dated 1899. The P&E comes in at left and crosses under the P&C at McIntyre. At right is the ND&C through Bangall. All three railroads went through McIntyre but there was no connection at that point. The P&E joined the ND&C farther north at Stissing Junction. There was no connection to the P&C.

Click on map to enlarge.

NASA Satellite map of the Stanfordville area

NASA satellite view of the Stanfordville area. The P&E (yellowish line)comes in at left and crosses under the P&C (bluish line) at McIntyre. At right is the ND&C (purple line) through Bangall. All three railroads went through McIntyre but there was no connection at that point. The P&E joined the ND&C farther north at Stissing Junction. There was no connection to the P&C.

P&C Trestle south of Stanfordville.
Nimke Vol 1 Pg 121
This trestle was located about a half mile south of Stanfordville. Later it was filled in.

P&C freight house in Stanfordville in 1968.
From the collection of Roger Liller

The P&C Station in Stanfordville was built in 1891.
Austin McEntee collection

P&C station in Stanfordville in 1968.
From the collection of Roger Liller

P&C Station in Stanfordville in 1995
Photo by the late Ken Shuker

P&C Bridge at McIntyre
Nimke Vol 1 Pg 123
This bridge took the P&C over a low area and then over the P&E RR. The P&E was under the high section in the distance. Many of these stone abutments are still in the woods near Rte 82.

USGS map of the area south of Pine Plains dated 1899. The P&C is marked as “New England”. Early in it’s life one of the names was Philadelphia, Reading & New England RR.

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)
The Central New England Railway
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