The Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad

	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 Rhinebeck & Connecticut

Introduction to the Rhinebeck & Connecticut

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State Line

At State Line in 1900, CNE 4-4-0 16 and its train are heading west off the west leg of the wye to get to Millerton ; even though the train is coming from the west in the first place. CNE trains used the most northerly route through Silvernails and Copake from the west (see map), because the P&E route (via Ancram Lead Mines) and the ND&C route (via Shekomeko) were not taken over by the CNE until 1907.

J. W. Swanberg collection

MAP: Canaan to State Line in 1932.

This was in deepest depression years, when through traffic on the ex-CNE had dried up, and when the New Haven did not even operate the portion from State Line to Copake.

J. W. Swanberg collection

State Line wye looking west toward Millerton.

Lee Beaujon collection

The shanty was probably used for the register board. Tracks at right run north to Boston Corners This was in September 1938, barely two months after abandonment.

Photo by the late Joseph McMahon Sr.

State Line at the north end of the wye looking south.

Lee Beaujon collection

September 1938

To the left is to Lakeville and right is to Millerton.

Photo by the late Joseph McMahon Sr.

Terraserver photo of State Line.

State Line Road is the Y shape across the center of the photo. The New York/Connecticut line runs up through the center crossing the road where it splits. The CNE roadbed shows as a line of trees across the lower half. Millerton NY is to the left and Canaan Ct is to the right. The line north to Boston Corners and Copake goes northwest off the top left corner. You can clearly see the outline of the wye with oil company buildings and tanks in the middle.

Mt. Riga Station on a sunny day in September 1938. Tracks to the right of the station are NYC Harlem line. CNE tracks were on the left side of the building.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 103

CNE was not using their tracks at Mt Riga in November 1932. Line was abandoned in 1938.

Lee Beaujon Collection

A series of drawings was done by Vic Westman to be published in a book by Bob Adams. Adams passed away before the book was completed and it was never published. Adams made some of the drawings into Christmas cards.

Heyward Cohen Collection

Boston Corners

Boston Corners Station in 1907 when all three lines were in operation. At left is the former P&E and in the center is the former R&C, both now part of the CNE. On the right is the NYC Harlem. The train in the center is the CNE Sunday, Campbell Hall to Hartford run of train No. 202.

Nimke Volume 2 Page 135

P&E third #4 at Boston Corners.

Lee Beaujon Collection

When the CNE took over the P&E, one of the top priorities was to fill in the old wobbly trestle at Halsteads before winter weather set in. The gravel came from the site of the wye just south of Boston Corners.

Nimke Volume 2 Page 16

CNE #26 wrecked at Boston Corners 11 April 1902.

Lee Beaujon Collection

Boston Corners about 1907.

At far left is a CNE work train on the former P&E tracks. Tracks just to the left of the station are fomer R&C. Tracks at right are the NYC Harlem line. At lower right is the target stop signal controlling the diamond.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 105

Here is a trackside view of the target signal at the diamond about 1923. This time it is set to allow the CNE to cross. Gates were normally set against the CNE trains and were opened only when required.

J Swanberg Collection

Boston Corners in 1932 looking north along the NYC Harlem line. Notice in the lower right corner, the crossing diamond has recently been removed. There are ties still scattered on the ground and fresh ballast on the Harlem line.

J Swanberg Collection

	Closer view of the spot where the diamond was removed in 1928. Lee Beaujon Collection
	Another view before the old frogs were picked up. Lee Beaujon Collection

CNE #34 at Boston Corners about 1903.

J Swanberg Collection

Boston Corners Station - 1937. The CNE tracks were to the left across a gully and reached by a wooden footbridge.

Fran Donovan Collection

Boston Corners Station. Tracks in the foreground are the NYC Harlem line. Abandoned CNE tracks were to the left of the station.

Lee Beaujon Collection

Here is the CNE side of the station.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 104

This locomotive was built by Rogers locomotive Works in Paterson New jersey in 1871. It became C&W #1 - then CNE&W #1 - later PR&NE #1 - Scrapped in 1893

Fran Donovan collection

Conductor Russell’s report for train #54 from Boston Corners to Hartford with 18 cars on 2 September 1890.

Fran Donovan colletion

If you take a long view at a map of Columbia County, you will notice in the extreme southeastern corner, just above the Dutchess County “Oblong,” an appendage that looks like the proverbial sore thumb. Like the proverbial sore thumb it was not always there. Unlike the sore thumb, it took an Act of Congress to put it there. The little area consists of 1,000 acres of farmland and is known as Boston Corners.

Today there is nothing very remarkable about Boston Corners, it is a serene little community nestled in the Taconic Hills. It consists of farms, a few roads and was once a stop on the New York Harlem Railroad.

Boston Corners may be a peaceful and tranquil setting today but that was not always the case. There was a time in the nineteenth century when it could rival the legendary “Hole in the Wall” made famous by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. That was a time when it was not part of New York State, much less Columbia County. It was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Boston Corners sits above “the Oblong” of the Town of Northeast like a pointed dunce’s cap. (See the map.) Historically it lay in the southwestern part of Massachusetts and was as far removed from its namesake capital as its geographical situation would allow. Besides that, Massachusetts was unable to enforce its jurisdiction on the little community. The highest peaks of the Taconic Hills on the west and the Connecticut line to the south made it inaccessible to that state’s law-enforcement authorities as well as its courts and jails.

Map showing old boundary line, running approximately from Alander Mountain southwest to Boston Corners. (From Columbia County, 1976, courtesy Green River Gallery.)

This was not all bad for Boston Corners; due to lack of law-enforcement the good citizens ran things as they saw fit. Because of their isolation, they did not vote in state elections, nor did they pay state taxes, they supported their own schools. Having neither jail, judge nor jury, they felt they were getting on all right as things were.

In his 1909 History of Dutchess County Frank Hasbrouck said, “Had they been left to themselves their escutcheon might have remained untarnished.” But that was not the case which accounted for a stain on their escutcheon.

An enterprising gentleman from New York City, by the name of Samuel Black, came into their midst. This gentleman saw all kinds of possibilities in Boston Corners. The New York Harlem Railroad was under construction from Amenia and Millerton, and there were stations planned for Boston Corners and Copake. A little above Copake, Mr. Black opened “Black’s Grocery” to accommodate the local people, also an inn and tavern for the benefit of out-of-towners. The inn and tavern did a better business than the grocery as the visitors from the seedier side of the tracks found their way to Mr. Black’s establishment; and Mr. Black prospered. With the coming of the railroad many of his guests came from New York City. In his History of Dutchess County Frank Hasbrouck referred to Black’s clientele as “refugees from the constables of three commonwealths.”

Guests came and went; duels were common; gambling was the order of the day and lawlessness inhabited the land. At this time the sport of boxing was illegal. Prize fights were held in such places as barges, warehouses or any place that seemed to be beyond the law. The location of Boston Corners being ideal for the illicit side of life was a perfect place, and well-suited for prize fighting.

On Wednesday, October 12, 1853, an event took place that would change the face of Boston Corners forever. On that date a brash young fighter from Troy, N.Y., by the name of John Morrissey challenged the famed Yankee Sullivan. Sullivan, age 40, weighed 145 pounds, giving away 30 pounds to the younger Morrissey. Morrissey who was 22 years old, stood 6 foot 2 inches and weighed 175 pounds. The purse for the winner was $2,000 and the fight was held in an abandoned brickyard. Today there is a historic marker at the site, on Undermountain Road just north of the Dutchess County line. Unfortunately the date on the marker—1883—is incorrect. It was estimated that between three and five thousand fight fans converged on Boston Corners the day of the fight. They came from New York City, Albany, Troy and all points in between. Little thought was paid to the fact that the population of Boston Corners was less than 150 people and had only one inn. The fans came; they came by train, by stage, by horse and on foot; all converging on the little hamlet to see what was hoped to be the fight of the century. By fight time many of the fans were well tanked up from liquor they either brought with them or bought on their way south from Black’s Inn. They were not considered the most genteel crowd that ever assembled. An aura of rowdiness hung over the event.

Morrissey was not a skilled boxer but a brawler who was considered a favorite over Sullivan. From the beginning of the fight Sullivan displayed his boxing skill against his young and bigger opponent. By the end of the first round Morrissey’s left eye was blackened and blood was coming from his nose. Each of the following rounds were repeats of the first with Sullivan badly punishing Morrissey. For thirty-six grueling rounds Sullivan beat his heavier opponent, but Morrissey refused to stay down. In the 37th round, as Sullivan tried to throw Morrissey to the floor, both fighters’ handlers charged into the ring and there was a free-for-all. In an attempt to restore order, the referee called the fighters to the center of the ring to resume the fight. Morrissey responded, but in the confusion Sullivan failed to answer the referee’s call. The referee declared Morrissey the winner with the title of “Champion of America.”

What happened next has become known as “The Sack of Millerton” (though it all took place several miles north of that benighted village). A melee broke out in the crowd at the referee’s decision. The riot spilled out of the brickyard into neighboring farms. The rioters started looting on their way back to the train. Farms were ransacked, pantries were looted for food, hogs were slaughtered and roasted along the road. The Boston Corners community was stripped of every edible thing that could be found. Some local people managed to flag down a freight train to take them to a safer location.

New York authorities moved in to restore order and arrested the most innocent of the crowd, the two boxers. The boxers were held on $1,500 bail each. Sullivan jumped bail and was last heard of on the West Coast. Morrissey paid a $1,200 fine and became the toast of New York. He made friends with the Tammany Hall politicians who controlled New York City politics. The “famous fight” changed Boston Corners forever. The good citizens petitioned to New York State and the U.S. Congress to bring them into the jurisdiction of New York. On January 3, 1855 an Act of Congress changed the state line and made Boston Corners officially part of New York. Meanwhile, John Morrissey became a respected citizen. He married a highly-educated young lady who urged him to change his ways and develop good personal habits. He fought once more in 1858, when he successfully defended his title against John Heenan.

After the birth of his son, Morrissey moved with his family back to Troy, where he entered politics. He was twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and twice to the U.S. Senate. He was a gambler and was involved in gambling establishments in New York City and Saratoga including the famous Saratoga race track.

In 1877 Morrissey became ill during his second campaign for the U.S. Senate. He won the election but never took his seat. He died at the Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga Springs on May 1, 1878, at the age of 47. An estimated crowd of 12,000 stood outside the church in Troy to pay their respects to an American Champion.

Copake

H&CW #17 at Copake. H&CW RR operated the line from 1882 to 1889.

Lee Beaujon Collection

Postcard view of Copake Station dated August 1920.

Nimke Volume 2 Page 39

Copake Station looking east in September 1927.

Lee Beaujon Collection

Copake Station on a rainy day in March 1932.

Heyward Cohen Collection

These gasoline powered rail buses were used in place of steam trains for the last few years of passenger service. They ran to Poughkeepsie in the morning and returned in the afternoon. Rail Bus #9020 was a Brill car built in 1925 that had a 120 hp gasoline engine and a manual transmission similar to trucks. Service was discontinued by the NH RR in September 1933.

Copake Station in 1993.

Photo by J W Swanberg

Copake Station in 1999

Photo by Lee Beaujon

Poughkeepsie & Eastern RR #2 named “Olivia” built by Rogers in 1893.

Became CNE #204 and was scrapped in 1913.

Fran Donovan collection

Notice that the front coupler is slotted to accept link and pin couplings. It also has air brake lines. Just behind the front coupler is the wooden “armstrong” handle used to move the turntable. There is a second handle to the left of the tender.

Trestle at Halsteads being filled by gravel from Boston Corners wye.

Nimke Vol 2 Page 16

Many train loads of gravel were needed to fill in the trestle at Halsteads.

Nimke Vol 2 Page 21

Before filling this trestle was 66 feet high.

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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.

Ancram

This station was originally called Ancram Lead Mines but the name was changed to Ancramdale in the 1920's.

Publication # 1 of the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society Page 23

Former P&E station at Ancramdale 6 Sept 1927.

Lee Beaujon Collection

Ancram station on 2 July 1938, just months before abandonment.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 111

This siding at Ancram served the H. U. Rockefeller coal and feed business.

Nimke Volume 3 Page 111

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Pine Plains

PINE PLAINS - Former P&E Ry station looking West with NH RR Class K-1 locomotive #392 (2-6-0) about ready to depart for Ancramdale. Photo taken by former CNE fan Thomas B. Annin in Nov., 1932. This station stopped being used as a passenger station after the P&E was taken over by the CNE in 1907 and all trains went to the CNE (former ND&C line) station after that. It was necessary to make a back-up move from ND&C Jct. to the station when this was done and, of course, the reverse was done for trains headed for Boston Corners and beyond. In the late 1920's and early 1930's, this station building was office of the area's Track Supervisor.

Lee Beaujon collection

P&E station at Pine Plains looking east.

Nimke Vol 3, p 141

PINE PLAINS - P&E Jct. which was located about 1/7th of a mile North of ND&C Jct. Track to left went to the former P&C RR at West Pine Plains and beyond north to Silvernails, Copake, Boston Corners and Millerton via State Line. Line to right was the old P&E Ry line to Boston Corners and Millerton via State Line. This connection between the lines was built after the CNE took over the former P&E Ry in 1907.

Photo taken in May, 1937 about a year before abandonment.

Lee Beaujon collection

1892 pass for the ND&C RR and the Clove Branch RR.

B L Rudberg collection

Silvernails

Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wheeler and guest at Silvernails.

Martin Wheeler - William P. Fahey collection

Silvernails agent Martin Wheeler by the locomotive “General” at the New York Worlds Fair 24 Sept. 1939

One year after Silvernails station closed.

Martin Wheeler - William P. Fahey collection

Train time at Silvernails.

Martin Wheeler - William P. Fahey collection

New steel bridge for Silvernails in 1901.

Martin Wheeler - William P. Fahey collection

F B Ficher and Steve Masten at Silvernails about 1909.

The boy in the cab is Ray Wheeler, son of Silvernails agent Martin Wheeler.

Martin Wheeler - William P. Fahey collection

This water column still stands at the north end of where the CNE yard used to be. It is now a dirt road on a horse breeding farm. The farm owner preserves the water column and had it painted in honor of our 2004 CNE Spring tour visit.

B. L. Rudberg Photo

H&CW #3 in 1885. Built by Rogers in 1871.

Fran Donovan collection

SILVERNAILS - Northeast view of station (with Agent Martin J. Wheeler out front) as taken by former CNE fan Thomas B. Annin in Summer of 1935. Wheeler started work with the H&CW RR in the Silvernails station beginning in 1889 and remained there until the lines through the area were abandoned in July, 1938. After abandonment he bought the station and lived in it.

Lee Beaujon collection

SILVERNAILS - Track diagram as drawn up by former CNE fan Robert B. Adams. There is an error, however, in his location of the old turntable. Old railroad issued track diagrams show the turntable as having been located between the main line and the north leg of the wye track.

Lee Beaujon collection

Eastbound arriving at Silvernails from Rhinecliff.

Nimke Volume 2, Page 65

Elizaville

Railroad building along the former CNE roadbed near Mt Ross.

B. L. Rudberg photo

The abutments for bridge 15.53 remain along the Roeliff Jansenkill near Mt Ross. This is a popular fishing area and is stocked with trout every spring. There is easy walking access along the former CNE roadbed. B. L. Rudberg photo

Elizaville station is now a private residence.

Photo by the late Austin McEntee

Elizaville bridge #21.35

Photo by the late Austin McEntee

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