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Train Stations of Connecticut There are many train stations in Connecticut. Some have been rebuilt. Some are no longer used and have been converted to other uses. Some have restaurants in them or close by. One of these is Paci's in Southport, Connecticut |
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Hartford's Union Station does busses too! |
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Welcome to our Railroad Stations of Connecticut WebSite
Here's a preview of some of the exciting projects we have put together for you: Our feature article is "Connecticut's Depots" . We have extensive coverage of Connecticut stations (and restaurants in or close to them). We have separate articles on stations in Canaan , Simsbury , New London , Waterbury , Stratford , and Bridgeport . Find out how many train stations are there in Connecticut? See our entire list of Connecticut Stations We have a lot of coverage of Connecticut commuter developments . Commuter Statistics: Metro North Railroad See WCBS NewsRadio 880 talks about Springfield-New Haven If you commute in Connecticut, you should see all about the "Fix My Station Photo Campaign" Commuter Statistics: Metro North Railroad See an in-depth study of Railroad Stations on the Danbury Branch Railroad Stations around the country, art deco stations, and refurbishing Connecticut stations Want to find out all about YOUR station? We show you for each active railroad station in Connecticut: Passenger schedules, driving directions and other information Freight railroad serving this station and contact information Picture of station and, in some cases, history and development plans. |
There is no "brrreeeport" in Connecticut, but there are plenty of towns that are served by freight railroads. Search them out! |
Typical of Connecticut rail towns is Stratford. The West-bound station is a restaurant (see story below). The East-bound station is a helicopter museum. Visitors have taken the trains for years to see such attractions as their Shakespear Festival. |
| Stratford's Shell Station |
It looks just like hundreds of other small town railroad stations, most of which now hold some other type of business than originally intended. We picked it out of a "seafood restaurant" listing in CONNECTICUT Magazine because we felt like fish. As a matter of fact, it was our third choice, because the first two couldn't give us a reservation.
Conveniently located off exit 32 of Interstate 95 on West Main Street in Stratford, Connecticut (phone 203-377-1648), it is easy to find even at night because of the huge overhead catenary of the New Haven line. Pulling into the parking lot is deceptive because Metro-North passengers, of course, fill it up too. Even so, we were glad to have made a reservation. Shell Station has filled the old waiting room with tables, converted the ticket agent's office into a service bar, and basically kept the inside intact. It is a warm, friendly interior. The menu is a single sheet, all fish or pasta except one chicken and one steak. Featured seafood was paella, bouillabaise and shrimp, and scallop curry. Specials of the night included veal and swordfish. This section of the Northeast Corridor, the old New Haven line, is the gateway to New England. One route known as the Harlem River line from Penn Station via Long Island joins the main line from Grand Central at New Rochelle, NY. The Harlem River line carries AMTRAK and continues past New York to Washington while the main line carries the heavy Metro-North commuter traffic. The Harlem River line crosses the Hell Gate bridge into New York City. Commuters end at New Haven while AMTRAK splits and goes to Boston either over the Shore Line route through New London or inland via Springfield. Several AMTRAK runs terminate at Springfield. I ordered lobster bisque and shrimp scampi (I had thought of sauteed lobster and shrimp cocktail). Companion had shrimp cocktail and salmon filet with Julienne carrots with leek sauce. Both meals came with salad, rolls and rice. The history of Stratford and the town itself is similar to that of most of New England. There is the traditional village green with a white church. Because early railroad routes were determined by geographic factors like rivers and because the toll roads were good, the start of railroads in Connecticut was delayed a decade. While the New York-Boston route was important, it was possible to use an all-water or part-water route. The New York & New Haven did not open until 1848. At New Haven it met other existing roads in a Union Station. The Hartford & New Haven had opened in 1838 and went to Springfield by 1844. The Farmington Canal had been converted to a railroad in 1846. The New Haven & New London was built between 1848 and 1852 but a ferry gap existed until 1889 at the Thames River. The Boston & NY Air Line to Middletown and Willimantic came later. It was on this route between Boston and New York that the all-white Ghost Train was operated which provided inspiration for Kipling's story "007". At Bridgeport, the Housatonic connected Long Island Sound with the Western Railroad (now Boston & Albany) at West Stockbridge by 1842. In 1849, the Naugatuck Railroad was completed to Waterbury and Winstead. This joined the New York & New Haven at Devon which is about two miles from the restaurant across the Housatonic River. Desserts sounded good but no go. Metro North's 6:07 from Grand Central due in New Haven at 7:53 passed as we sat down to eat. AMTRAK had more activity during our meal. Train 144 which departs Penn Station at 6:07, passes Stamford at 6:58 and leaves New Haven for Springfield at 7:57 roared through first. Next was train 177 due to arrive in Stamford at 7:07 but running late. It should have gotten into New York at 8:01. It originates in Springfield as train 477. Last through Stratford was train 139 which departs New Haven at 7:30 and arrives in New York at 9:11. At one point. a light engine (I think an AEM-6 electric) roared southbound through the station. It was most likely headed from New Haven to Sunnyside Yard on Long Island. The rail diesel car (RDC) that serves the Naugatuck Valley as far north as Waterbury comes through this station. It interchanges with Metro-North New York-New Haven trains at Bridgeport and then follows the main line to Devon which is just across the Housatonic River from Stratford. Dinner, including glasses of Robert Mondavi's White Zinfandel was $48. |
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More Connecticut Train Stations We have found even more on Connecticut's railroad stations! |
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More on Restaurants in Connecticut Greatest kids restaurant in Connecticut is "Pizza Works" in old Saybrook. It's in the old train station. Upstairs there's a big HO scale model train exhibit that's amazingly detailed and runs continuously. Downstairs there are G-scale trains circling the room on a shelf on the upper part of the walls. Outside are the tracks of Amtrak's "Shoreline" division. Harbor Park Restaurant in Middletown offers a view of the swing bridge that carried New Haven's Air Line across the Connecticut River. In Simsbury, an old train station has been converted to One Way Fare, a popular pub. The Nauti Dolphin is a little Italian restaurant right in the Fairfield train station. It's a good place to grab a quick sandwich if you're running late and have a train to catch. There's no seating inside - it's all take out, but the food is excellent. It's not worth making a special trip, but if you've got a few minutes before your train leaves, it's good. The Whaler's Inn in Mystic is closeby the train station. Close by the Greenwich train station is the Delmar Modeled after a Tuscan Villa, this splendid boutique hotel offers a waterside destination where the emphasis is on elegance and European-styled service. The DELAMAR, (Italian for "From The Sea") is the only hotel in Connecticut to have membership in the exclusive Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Snuggled beside a cozy harbor in Greenwich, it features 83 guest rooms including 9 suites. Many rooms have private balconies overlooking its yacht-filled dock and Long Island Sound. The Trackside Brick Oven Pizzeria in Wallingford is a pizza restaurant that uses as its dining room the body of a retired Philadelphia subway car. It is a 1927 rapid transit car (Broad Street subway car) manufactured by JG Brill. Not all old stations are safe yet. In Windsor Locks, one is boarded up. This station has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, since it celebrated its 100th anniversary back in 1975. The station itself was built in 1875, and was operational to the mid-1970s. It is perhaps best known for being the train station where local resident Ella Grasso boarded a train, headed for Hartford and her inauguration as the state's first female governor to be elected outright. Since 1978, Amtrak, owned the station. Amtrak currently has a train that stops at its new location further down Main Street. |
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Railroads in Canaan Connecticut The last section of the old rail line now ends in the northwestern corner of Windsor, near Griffin Road, an area of former tobacco farm land that is now the site of a modern industrial park. It is near Bradley Airport and there has been talk of reviving a short section of the Connecticut Western, now known as the Griffin Line. During I.C.C. hearings prior to the Penn Central merger, it was estimated that one-third of the New Haven's mileage generated 80% of its total revenue. Further-more, 20% of its total miles produced less than 2% of its total freight revenue. During 1962 alone, the New Haven filed applications for the abandonment of 16 segments of branch line totaling 140 miles. Old maps of the New Haven in Connecticut show more lines than those on a California Raisin. Railroads in Connecticut were definitely overbuilt! The state of railroads north of Hartford 100 years ago can be seen from the following letter of September 17, 1888 to the editor of the HARTFORD COURANT: "This morning I left Hartford (by train) with my wife to spend Sunday in Saratoga. On reaching Simsbury I found that the parlor car had been discontinued for the day, and that the train did not even connect with the Fitchburg train for Saratoga! If the management of the road has any excuse for such treatment of the public, let them offer it." |
1872 DEPOT, CANAAN
Since I have found so many old railroad stations converted to restaurants, I have decided to continue being a restaurant critic. The Canaan Depot is located at the junction of Routes 7 and 44. The restaurant always looks crowded because the bus company that replaced the railroad picks up from the parking lot. The restaurant also looks busy because the staff seats the front window first. However, we found no trouble being seated without reservations. Beware though -- summer is probably different. The Canaan Depot is located at the junction of Routes 7 and 44. The restaurant always looks crowded because the bus company that replaced the railroad picks up from the parking lot. The restaurant also looks busy because the staff seats the front window first. However, we found no trouble being seated without reservations. Beware though -- summer is probably different. Featured was a special, $18.72 for two entrees. Service was good and the waitress seemed eager to please. The menu was adequate but not extensive. It is about the only decent action within miles, especially on a Tuesday night when some other restaurants between Albany and Canaan are closed. I ordered Coquille St. Jacques with wild rice while companion opted for the 10 ounce steak and baked potato. Trains to Campbell Hall are advertised on a fascinating blackboard (dated 1891) in the lobby. There were 36 trains/day at that time. The depot was built a year after the railroad from Hartford was built. Rail pictures adorn the walls. While you are waiting for your meal, take time to wander around and peer at them. A small section of debris-covered, abandoned railroad track is all that remains of the Connecticut Western Railroad, once a major transportation link to the west from Hartford. During the late 1880's and the early years of this century, trains followed miles of track that tied northwestern Connecticut towns to the Hudson River Valley and the Pennsylvania coal fields. The Hartford & Connecticut Western Railroad was opened in 1871 and provided passenger and freight service for nearly 70 years from Hartford to Winsted and New York State. It abandoned passenger and most freight service during the 1930's. About a half-dozen years ago, the last freight trains stopped running on the remaining bit of Connecticut Western's tracks, about eight miles, from near Hartford's Union Station to Bloomfield and into Windsor. Connecticut Western trains once stopped in Bloomfield, Tariffville, Simsbury, Canton, Collinsville, Pine Meadow, New Hartford, Winsted, Norfolk, Canaan, Twin Lakes, Salisbury, Lakeville (all in Connecticut) and Millerton in New York. These trains even reached Rhinecliff, Hopewell Junction and Poughkeepsie. Numerous small connecting railroads were involved in this route. Typical of these was the Poughkeepsie & Eastern, which ran 45 miles from Poughkeepsie to Millerton. It was chartered in 1866, opened in 1872, and sold to the Poughkeepsie, Hartford & Boston. In 1877 it was consolidated with the Hudson River & Boston to form the New York & Massachusetts Railway. The Lakeville Branch from Canaan lasted until just a few years ago. In the early 1890's, the Philadelphia & Reading put together a group of small railroads known as the Central New England & Western to form an outlet for anthracite coal. In addition to the line reaching from Hartford to Canaan and into New York State, they consolidated the Poughkeepsie Bridge & Railroad Company. After a series of bankruptcies/reorganizations, the New Haven purchased the route in 1904, thus acquiring the Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River. Except for the portion that formed New Haven's freight route to Maybrook, it was operated separately until 1927 when it was fully absorbed by the New Haven, only to be mostly abandoned in 1938. |
This is what Bridgeport's station looks like today. |
Here's the old Bridgeport station. This is from an old post card found in St Joseph, Michigan |
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Here's another of the old Bridgeport station. This is from an old post card found in St Joseph, Michigan |
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RailwayStation.com has provided a
1942 Quiz Book on Railroads and Railroading. Here's some interesting questions and answers: How many passenger and freight stations are there in the United States? In 1939 there were approximately 59,000 railway passenger stations, and in 1936 there were approximately 67,000 railway freight stations, in the United States. It is estimated that cities and towns served by railroads and the territory adjacent to railway lines embrace more than 98 per cent of the total population of the country. |
How many train stations are there in Connecticut?
In order to count the train stations in Connecticut, we have to first classify them. The first thing we have done is to determine: how many Amtrak stations? How many Metro North stations? How many Shore Line East stations? How many joint stations between these agencies? Now our work gets more difficult. How many abandoned stations remain? Of these, how many have been restored? Anyway, watch our progress! |
Union Station. New London's Gem |
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Commuter Statistics: Metro North Railroad, New Haven Division
Ever wonder which stations had the most inbound passengers each day? Here's the list: 1. Stamford (6185) 2. Larchmont (3534) 3. New Rochelle (3472) 4. Greenwich (3052) 5. Bridgeport (3039) 6. New Haven (3020) 7. Fairfield (2702) 8. Port Chester (2457) 9. Mamaroneck (2440) 10. Pelham (2400) 11. Westport (2326) 12. Rye (2303) 13. Harrison (2207) 14. South Norwalk (1953) 15. Mt. Vernon East (1866) 16. Darien (1382) 17. Milford (1205) 18. New Canaan (1173) 19. Noroton Heights (1134) 20. Old Greenwich (955) 21. Stratford (925) 22. Cos Cob (825) 23. Riverside (679) 24. Green's Farms (549) 25. East Norwalk (531) 26. Rowayton (485) 27. Springdale (446) 28. Glenbrook (439) 29. Talmadge Hill (379) 30. Southport (233) 31. Danbury (226) 32. Branchville (195) 33. Bethel (182) 34. Wilton (178) 35. Cannondale (115) 36. Waterbury (105) 37. Merritt-7 (97) 38. Redding (59) 39. Naugatuck (38) 40. Derby-Shelton (27) 41. Seymour (26) 42. Ansonia (23) 43. Beacon Falls (7) See the full station list (and number of parking spaces) for all of Metro North |
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