The New Haven Railroad HomePage

A half-century ago, everything in Connecticut was under the New Haven Railroad. Today is a lot different, Amtrak, Metro-North., several freight-only railroads and even some abandoned lines that could be re-started. Check out the best available map of all these with the Connecticut CDOT rail map.

**********

The “Ride to Choate” ; The Railroad from Norwalk to Pittsfield; The Central New England Railway ; Connecticut Trolley Museum; Connecticut Freight Railroads ; Cape Cod Railroads

**********

A New Hudson Bridge, Revived Beacon Line, HYPERLOOP and More

The Maybrook Line was a line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad which connected with its Waterbury Branch in Derby, Connecticut, and its Maybrook Yard in Maybrook, New York, where it interchanged with other carriers.

If one looks at the most popular Pages on our WebSite, over half directly reference the Maybrook Line. Lot’s of folks have an interest in it. The “Maybrook Line” was important to New England before the advent of Penn Central and before the Poughkeepsie Bridge burned. This piece of the railroad carried freight from Maybrook Yard, across the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Hopewell Junction where it joined a line from Beacon. The railroad then went to Brewster, then Danbury, and finally to Cedar Hill Yard in New Haven.

WHY and How To Fix The “MAYBROOK LINE”?

Container port/intermodal facility/rail bridge

The construction of a railroad bridge between New Hamburg and Marlboro is likely the least expensive place to build a Hudson River crossing between Manhattan and Albany. The stone for ramps, sand and gravel for concrete and a steel beam assembly and storage area would be right on sight. All materials and equipment could be transported by barge or boat. The bridge itself would have only four or five piers (the most costly part to build) since the Hudson River is about the same width as it is in Poughkeepsie.

The Hudson River component connects Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties to the world economy (finished goods, spare parts, components parts, raw materials, food stuffs) and the railroad and interstate road components connect these NY counties to the rest of North America (US, Mexico, Canada).

With the container port/intermodal facility/rail bridge, the flow in and out of raw materials, spare parts, partially finished goods, foodstuffs and components will allow for new industries and businesses to locate near this facility and add to the tax base of these three NY counties: Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties.

Although the Dutchess County Airport is a tiny regional airport with a 5,000 foot runway, it has some big potential. The airport land extends a mile Northeast of the present runway end at New Hackensack Road and borders on the former New Haven Maybrook Line/Dutchess Rail Trail. As the NY Air National Guard gets crowded out by international air traffic at Stewart International Airport their operation could be moved over to Dutchess Airport without disrupting the lives of the guard members and their families through forced relocation.

Beacon itself is exploding with “developer” activity, and it needs a trolley or light rail for the city only to transform back into a pedestrian oriented city.

Other activities include: Solidization of rail links in Connecticut to handle increased traffic; a possible HYPERLINK for improved service along the Beacon Line and in/out of New York City

************

Bridgeport Station (old)

**********

The Connecticut Railfan: All About Railroads in Connecticut

Our feature article is “Railroads of Connecticut” .
You should see our historical sketch of the New Haven Railroad
For those interested in the New Haven Railroad, we have 1937 and 1949 Fan Trips . For a modern prospective, we offer “Connecticut Freight Railroads and the Towns they Serve” and extensive coverage of railroad stations in Connecticut .
Next, we cover specific railroads and towns. Pick from this list: Canal Line in New Haven
Hawleyville: 1886 Rail Center
Old Railroads of Connecticut
Connecticut Railroad Branch Lines
Railroads in Monroe Connecticut
Railroads to Winsted Connecticut
Connecticut Central Railroad
Railroad From Norwalk, Connecticut to Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Finally, some specific areas of interest:
Bridgeport General Electric
Bar Cars on the New Haven Railroad
Find out about freight on the Maybrook and what’s up with the Maybrook today .
Express on the New Haven Railroad .
RPO’s on the New Haven .
Read all about a 2006 Trip to Waterbury
The End of the Bar Car
Metro-North Railroad

**********

Interested in Penn Central? New York Central? Pennsylvania Railroad? New Haven Railroad? or in the smaller Eastern US railroads? Then you will be interested in “What if the Penn Central Merger Did Not Happen”. You will also enjoy “Could George Alpert have saved the New Haven?” as well as “What if the New Haven never merged with Penn Central?”

**********

The New Haven Railroad ran some great passenger trains. The New Haven’s crack train between New York (Grand Central Terminal) and Boston was the last all-parlor-car train in North America, retaining its exclusive all-first-class status until mid-1949. See the Merchants Limited, March 1949 schedule.
The Pennsylvania and the New Haven combined on this overnight train connecting Boston and Washington, DC via New York. The Federal – April, 1971

**********

Brill gas car #9022 at Millerton station ready to depart for Poughkeepsie as train #917 due out at 7:50am. Photo taken prior to Apr., 1928 when this train was cut back to originate from Copake instead.

Lee Beaujon collection

Click here to see more about the Central New England Railway

**********

Branchville (Ridgefield) Station

(Passenger service on the branch line to Ridgefield itself was available into town until 1925; freight service lasted until 1964.)

**********

See our special section on New Haven Railroad Bridges along the Shore Line
See a story about Metro-North New Haven line in the Winter of 2010-2011 because of M-2 cars being out of service, unusual snow and other accidents.

What is left of the New Haven Railroad today? Today’s operations over the New Haven

Major Passenger Carriers: Amtrak, Metro-North, MBTA, CDOT (Shore Line East)

Major Freight Carriers: CSX, Norfork Southern

Regional and Short Line Freight Railroads: New York & Atlantic, Housatonic, Naugatuck, Providence & Worcester, Pan Am Southern (Springfield Terminal), Pan Am Railways (Springfield Terminal), Pioneer Valley, Connecticut Southern, Central New England, Bay Colony, Massachusetts Coastal, New England Central (at Willimantic), Branford Steam Railroad.

Various Heritage & Recreational Passenger Operations: Berkshire Scenic, Danbury Railway Museum, Valley Railroad (a/k/a Essex Steam Train & Riverboat), Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, Old Colony & Newport, Newport Dinner Train, Cape Cod Central, Branford (ex-Connecticut Company), Connecticut Trolley Museum (Connecticut Electric Railway Association).

**********

Power station at Cos Cob, Connecticut

The coal-fired steam turbine Cos Cob Power Plant built by Westinghouse in 1907 was a Mission Style structure. It was designated a National Historic Engineering Landmark in 1982 by the ASME and the IEEE. Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places and local and national debate, the plant was decommissioned in 1987 and demolished in 2001.

**********

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.

**********

Old station at Meriden, Connecticut on the Hartford – New Haven line.

**********

Old Railroads of Connecticut, the Armory Branch between East Hartford and Springfield via East Windsor.
We have a great section on key dates in Connecticut railroad history and a story with pictures of New Haven railroad bridges along the Shore Line .
You can find out about the Highland Line between Hartford and Waterbury as well as see many New Haven railroad pictures . We discuss freight along the New Haven Railroad as well as the demise of freight business on the New Haven .

**********

Summary of Rail Freight in Connecticut
Rail Freight Services
Connecticut Transportation Statistics

Central New England Railroad

22 route miles operated

Small sections in Hartford area not covered by Connecticut Southern
Griffin Line and East Windsor Hill Branch

Connecticut Southern Railroad – Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

76 route miles operated

Amtrak Springfield Line: Cedar Int. to Massachusetts Line (trackage rights)
Hartford area; Branches to East Windsor Hill and Manchester
Branches to Bradley and Suffield Cedar Hill Yard (overhead freight only)

CSX

69 route miles operated

Cedar Int. to New York State line Amtrak Springfield Line (Cedar Int. to Massachusetts: overhead freight only)

Guilford/Springfield Terminal/Boston & Maine; Pan Am

105 route miles operated

Watertown Junction to Derby Junction (Trackage rights over Metro North)
Berlin to Waterbury (including Canal Line)
Amtrak Springfield Line (overhead freight only)

Housatonic Railroad

83 route miles operated

Derby Junction to New York State line
Danbury to Massachusetts line

Naugatuck Railroad

20 route miles operated

Watertown Junction to Thomaston

New England Central Railroad – Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

56 route miles operated

Groton to Massachusetts State line

Providence & Worcester Railroad

312 route miles operated

Cedar Int. to New York State line (overhead freight only) New Haven to Rhode Island line (including Belle Dock) Milford to Derby Junction Danbury Branch Derby Junction to Danbury (overhead freight only)

**********

Old postcard of the Madison, Connecticut train station.

See all the train stations of Connecticut. Find out about the Shore Line East railroad station in Madison. An old postcard purchased from Charlie Gunn. More Railway Stations you will enjoy.

**********

It’s been a long time since there was any active passenger railroad station in East Hartford.

We are trying to find some information on old ones there. We have been told that one exists and that it has a train with a face on it for kids.

**********

Wilton, Connecticut station

**********

George Alpert, last president of the New Haven
A story of George Alpert, the last president of the New Haven Railroad. He was president of the New Haven Railroad from 1956 to 1961 when the carrier went into bankruptcy. After he left the railroad, the Interstate Commerce Commission agreed with him that railroads like the New Haven must have federal subsidies to exist.
**********

Stafford Springs, Connecticut

New York State Stations

Pennsylvania Stations

Ohio Stations

New Hampshire & Massachusetts

**********

Oxford, Connecticut station was on the New Haven between Danbury and Waterbury.

**********

Windsor, Connecticut station is on the New Haven to Springfield line and serves Amtrak.

**********

Railroads on Cape Cod

The railroad that operated to Cape Cod was part of the New York, New Haven & Hartford. It went all the way to Provincetown. Except for short lines and tourist railroads, there isn’t much left except a rich heritage.

**********

Ridgefield, Connecticut station, now even the branch is gone.

**********

Darien Station

**********

Driving north from New Haven, Cedar Hill yard cannot be overlooked. Its still used, but not to the extent it was 50 year ago. Imagine, over 9,000 cars handled on one day! Cedar Hill was built between 1910 and 1920. Cedar Hill became in the 1920’s the keystone of the whole New Haven Railroad freight operation. It seems to have started out as a more local facility, then grown into that larger role. Or was the idea of making it the center part of the original intention?

**********