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More Connecticut Train Stations We have found even more on Connecticut's railroad stations! |
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Andover Connecticut Station In 1847, promoters obtained a charter for The Hartford & Providence Railroad. They intended to build a road from the river docks in Hartford, through Manchester to the quarries in Bolton, on through Andover, Willimantic, Baltic, and Moosup to the Rhode Island border. There they would connect with the Providence & Plainfield. Together the two companies would provide a route from Hartford to Providence. The Hartford & Providence group chose to connect with the New York & Hartford. The New York & Hartford was charted in 1845 and was to construct a rail line beginning at Hartford and ending at Brewster, New York, where it would connect with the New York & Harlem Railroad. Upon hearing the news that a line was now chartered from Providence to Hartford, the New York & Hartford promoters sought to merge with the Hartford & Providence. The union took place in 1849 with the new firm becoming known as The Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad Co. Fishkill-on-Hudson having replaced Brewster as the final western destination. The Hartford, Providence & Fishkill completed the Hartford to Willimantic via Andover track in 1849. By the end of 1898, the New Haven Railroad Company had obtained the rights to the line. Eventually the New Haven bought all of the former Hartford, Providence and Fishkill lines outright. They would run the line through Andover as part of their Highland Division until it was itself taken over by the Penn Central in 1968. In 1975 the State of Connecticut bought the right-of-way as the rails were being removed. Today the Ct. DEP controls it and has designated it as a recreational trail. The railroad played an important role in the development of the town. Being one of the first stations in a relatively large geographical area, Andover became the focal point for passengers and freight. It allowed for the development of several manufacturing plants in Andover. The Case Fibre Board Company (the paper mill) received raw materials and shipped its finished products. The creamery used the railroad to easily reach the important markets of New York and Boston. |
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| Ansonia Station |
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| Beacon Falls Station |
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| Berlin Station |
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| Bethel Station |
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Branchville (Ridgefield) Station (Passenger service on the branch line to Ridgefield itself was available into town until 1925; freight service lasted until 1964.) |
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Branford Station From an old post card |
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| Bristol Station |
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| Cannondale Station |
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JWH Rapid Response Temporary Housing On site containers become residential accommodation, offices and much more! Services we provide are: Transportation to your site. Site preparation for your portable shelter. Assembly of your portable shelter. Subsequent enhancements or moving of your portable shelter. |
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| The two railroad lines serving Canton were - the Collinsville branch of the Canal Line of the New Haven Railroad and the Central New England Railroad. The New Haven line went on to New Hartford, where there was a turntable so they could reverse direction. The Central New England (formerly Connecticut and Western) came from Hartford Ct. via Tariffville and Simsbury to the Farmington River in Canton, where it backed down to the station in Collinsville. It then proceeded west through Winsted, Norfolk and Canaan, Ct. to New York State. |
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| Clinton Station |
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| Collinsville Station |
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| Cos Cob Station |
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| Danbury Station |
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| Danielson Station |
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| Darien Station |
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| Derby Shelton Station |
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| Derby Shelton: Looking down the Housatonic River |
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| Derby Shelton: The Canal |
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East Hampton Station
Courtesy of History Central |
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| East Norwalk Station |
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| Fairfield Station |
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| Glenbrook Station |
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| Greens Farms Station |
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| Hartford Union Station |
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| Kent in 1965 when they ran excursions |
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Lakeville station Lee Beaujon collection See more Central New England Railway. Here is another view of the Lakeville, Connecticut train station. |
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Manchester station From one of our old postcards No passenger service currently exists in town. Freight service from Hartford is provided by Connecticut Southern Railroad. |
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Meriden Station See another picture of the Meriden Station |
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| Milford Station |
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| Mystic Station |
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| Naugatuck Station | |
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New Britain Station
Another one of my post cards |
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New Canaan Station
Courtesy of History Central |
New Canaan Station in 1909
From our postcard collection |
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| New Haven Station |
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| New Haven State Street Station |
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| New London Station |
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There is a significant photograph collection of the New London area at the
Ralph E. Wadleigh Photograph Collection.
Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center,
University of Connecticut Libraries.
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| New Milford Station. Another view of the New Milford Station |
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| Newtown Station |
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Norfolk, Connecticut station on Station Place is now offices. Three smaller offices and one larger office available for rent in the old stone Train Station, a great, historic building in the Village of Norfolk. All modern amenities. The smaller offices are $550 per month, the larger one $1,500 per month. For more information, contact Tom McGowan at 860-542-5500. |
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| Noroton Heights Station |
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| Norwich Station |
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| Old Greenwich Station |
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Old Saybrook Station
Courtesy of History Central |
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Plainfield Depot
My postcard collection |
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| Plainville Station |
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| Pomfret Station |
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Putnam Station
Courtesy of History Central |
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Putnam Station
From our postcard collection |
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Putnam Bridge
One of my old postcards |
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Putnam Station
One of my old post cards |
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| Redding Station |
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| Ridgefield Station in 1907. While bus service to Branchville replaced the passenger trains in 1925, freight service into the village continued until around 1961 when the last freight train pulled into Ridgefield Supply. Train service over Metro North continues to the Branchville Station also in the town (not village) of Ridgefield. |
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| Riverside Station |
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| Rowayton Station |
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Salisbury station west view late 1920's Lee Beaujon collection Foundation of the water tower still exists. Station is now part of a home at 54 Library St. See more Central New England Railway |
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| Seymour Station |
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Sound View Station Sound View located was between Lyme and Old Lyme All recent information indicates no station between Old Saybrook and New London Do know that signal station 106 at Sound View closed in 1960 |
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| South Norwalk Station |
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Southport Station See Paci's Restaurant |
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| Springdale |
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| Springfield is in Massachusetts, but it is the terminus of the railroad from New Haven through Hartford |
Stamford Station (New) |
Stamford Station (OLD) |
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Stepney Station It exists today as an automotive repair garage |
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| Stratford Station |
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Taconic CT Bob Lord postcard This station was formerly called Chapinville. See more Central New England Railway |
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| Talmadge Hill Station | |
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| Thomaston Station |
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Torrington Station
See a picture of the Torrington Station in 1911 |
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Twin Lakes Station looking east in 1927 CNE 2004 tour guide book See more Central New England Railway |
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| Wallingford Station |
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Waterbury Yard (from station tower)
Photographer worked at the Waterbury Republican-American for two summers. One year he went up into the iconic clock tower that looms over the city. He took pictures and spit off of it. It was awesome. Check another view of the Waterbury Yard |
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| Old postcard of Waterbury Yard |
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| Westbrook Station |
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| Westport Station |
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| Winsted |
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Victoria Station was a restaurant, not a railroad station. Other railroad-related restaurants in Connecticut: Yankee Silversmith Inn / Restaurant has the "Silversmith Parlour Car", an old coach or dining car which serves as part of the dining room. Right on Rt 5 in Wallingford, off the Wilbur Cross Pkwy. The car at the Yankee Silversmith restaurant in Wallingford CT was originally a Philadelphia & Reading coach. It later was purchased by the Belfast & Moosehead Lake, and from there it came to Wallingford I think during the 1960s. At one time there was a "station stops" announcement recording by local rail historian Dave Peters Sr. that played in the "parlour car" as it was called. Dave announced all the stops on the Hartford line circa 1918. Pizzaworks in Old Saybrook is housed in the former Saybrook freight house (relocated slightly from a different track alignment years ago). They have trains running around and part of the old canopy/platform visible inside. Amtrak station is about 20 feet north of the restaurant and the platforms 20 feet south. Trains go flying by at nearly 100 mph. In Cromwell CT there is a seasonal ice cream stand in an ex Amtrak, exx PC, exxx PRR steel caboose, no number available. See the following food/drink related cabooses in CT: Canaan - MEC 658 - Bagel & Sandwich Shop, near Depot; Danbury - RR? #? - Rosy Tomorrow's, 15 Old Mill Plain Rd.; New Britain - PRR? #? - once Brass Lion, later Reno's Cafe, now closed?, 53 Pleasant St.; New Haven - C&O #? - Picadily Square Restaurant, no reports on this one since the mid 1990s; New Milford - B&M 463 - Dolly's Wine Boutique, Railroad St.; & Simsbury - CV? #? - One Way Fair at Depot Restaurant, 4 Railroad St. |
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See our special section on
New Haven Railroad Bridges along the Shore Line
and New Haven Signal Stations Includes New Haven Railroad history from 1844 to 1967. How the Farmington Canal was converted to a railroad. Naugatuck Line and other abandoned railroads in Connecticut. The Essex Steam Train. Story of the 'Pullmans on a hill' |
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Connecticut's Railroad Depots 1987 was a good year for Connecticut rail stations. A brand new station opened in busy Stamford, the historic Hartford station restoration was completed, and progress continued in commuter-heavy New Haven. The Stamford project is part of the Federal Railroad Administration's 11-year old $2.19 billion program to improve rail travel from Washington to Boston. Of that amount, about $119 million was earmarked for rebuilding 15 stations. Other beneficiaries included Union Station in New Haven which opened in 1985 and New London. Hartford's $19.5 million Union Station, financed by another Federal program, recently opened after a restoration that took nearly 18 years of planning and construction. Plans for Stamford's Transportation Center (dubbed "train station in the sky" because it sits atop the Northeast Corridor's four-track main) were first announced in 1980 but construction did not begin until 1983 because of legal site acquisition problems. But in 1984 when the station was 85% complete an engineer found a structural problem. Much of the project had to be demolished and redesigned. It became a laughing stock as well as a safety concern to commuters. Luckily, it did not become another Mianus River Bridge or L'Ambiance Plaza. Reconstruction didn't begin until April 1986. Meanwhile commuters made do waiting in makeshift plywood shacks on the southbound platform and in the shabby 92 year old station on the northbound side. The Federal program allocated $24 million for the Stamford station. Connecticut contributed $5 million, and the city of Stamford $11 million including land acquisition. The station blends in well with the rest of modern downtown Stamford. It looks like a concrete cube from the street and like a girdered, glassy skywalk from the platform. The interior of the second floor concourse is cold and empty. Tickets are sold here and passengers can wait on black painted chairs. The station is designed for 15,885 Metro-North and AMTRAK passengers but currently 7,900 use the terminal daily. Future plans call for additional platforms. Many feel that it is already obsolete. The 850-car parking garage is already at capacity and additional parking must be found. The surrounding towns which feed passengers are growing at a rapid rate. It is felt that the outside escalators could cause problems with breakdowns. There is a downtown bus shuttle that meets every train and was started to try and cut down on the 40000 cars that enter and leave Stamford every day at 9am and 5pm. In the next few years, Stamford is going to need more workers but it does not have much affordable housing. It feels good rail links to areas with affordable housing will be vital. Much affordable housing remains along the Metro-North branch lines to Danbury and Waterbury. To make larger-scale commuting from areas like Waterbury, Derby and Danbury more possible, these lines must be made more efficient. More safety gates can be installed where the railroad crosses streets and raised platforms can be built to reduce "dwell" time. Hartford's Union Station is a Romanesque-style brownstone originally conceived by famous architect George Keller in 1887. In recent years the station fell into disrepair coinciding with the decline of passenger railroading in America and with an urban exodus to suburbia. As well as preserving a beautiful building, Hartford created a transportation center in which trains, buses, cabs and airport limousines would be located centrally close to shops and restaurants. Hartford is an important central stop in AMTRAK's Northeast Corridor, with approximately 18 trains carrying more than 800 passengers through the station each day. In addition, CONRAIL freights pass through Union Station daily, picking up and unloading freight at various rail sidings in the area. The station is owned by the Greater Hartford Transit District. This municipal corporation is composed of 13 member towns and is charged with ownership, operation and regulation of land transportation within its area. As well as Union Station, it has 24 commuter busses and 132 elderly/disabled vans. In addition to AMTRAK, bus and taxi operators, the first floor of the station contains several restaurants, a newsstand, hair salon, gift shop and bank machines. The upper floors contain professional offices, including Halcyon Ltd., the private development partner in the station. Private capital, including the big insurance companies headquartered in the city, assisted in the development. There is much downtown redevelopment including a proposed new office tower that will be the tallest building in New England. Perhaps the future will see growth in commutertrains. Ideal candidates to provide this service would be the SPV-2000 rail diesel cars that Connecticut purchased in 1979. Now stored in New Haven because they did not work out on the New Haven-Springfield run, they could be rebuilt for Hartford-area commuter service. As the automobile-choked Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) becomes even more intolerable, the New Haven line of Metro-North is experiencing a renaissance. Roughly 225 trains carry 85,000 riders a day. In the early 1970's, passengers on the New Haven line numbered 17 million annually; today there are 25 million. This is more than AMTRAK carries nation-wide. 54 new cars (M4 Triplets) are joining the existing fleet of 270 cars. Of Japanese extraction, these cars are built in Brooklyn. Currently, the fare recovery on the New Haven is 47%. The 53% short fall ($84 million) is made up 60% by Connecticut and 40% by New York. Ridership between New Haven and Grand Central increased 9.5% between 1985 and 1987 while Stamford to Grand Central only increased 6%. Ten years ago, people went to Fairfield and Norwalk to find affordable housing, now they are extending to Milford and New Haven's suburbs. For this reason New Haven is becoming more important. While most work on the station is done, the parking garage and platforms remain to be completed. The years ahead should prove to be ones of growth in Connecticut rail travel. |
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Signal Stations of the New Haven Railroad |
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Includes New Haven speed limits and trackage rights Also sections on Bridgeport and State Line interchange Click here or on picture to see full story. |
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