One of the railroads that made up the CNE 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.

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

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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.

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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

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NASA satellite view of the Salt Point area

The PR&NE (P&C) (blueish line) crossed the P&E (yellowish line) near Salt Point.

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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.

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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.

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P&C Abutment at Hibernia in 2005

Photo by B L Rudberg
The fellow in the photo is Joe Mato.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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P&C freight house in Stanfordville in 1968.

From the collection of Roger Liller

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The P&C Station in Stanfordville was built in 1891.

Austin McEntee collection

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P&C station in Stanfordville in 1968.

From the collection of Roger Liller

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P&C Station in Stanfordville in 1995

Photo by the late Ken Shuker

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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.

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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.

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P&C Culvert in Pine Plains

From the Austin McEntee collection
This is Old Orchard Lane near the intersection with Lake Rd in Pine Plains. The P&C line was abandoned and torn out about 1909 when the CNE decided to use the parallel P&E line.

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Another P&C Culvert at Pine Plains

Photo by the late Ken Shuker
This cut stone culvert is near the Lake Road crossing in Pine Plains.

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Finding P&C rails in 1994

From the Austin McEntee collection
These sections of 50 pound rail were in the woods near the Lake Road crossing in Pine Plains. The men in the photo are the late Ken Shuker, Lou Grogan and Dave Williams.

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P&C to P&E Connector

From the Austin McEntee collection
After the CNE took over both lines, they built a short connector track in Pine Plains. Shortly after that they abandoned the P&C line and used the former P&E. This photo shows a part of the curving connector roadbed in Pine Plains.

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P&C north of Pine Plains

From the Austin McEntee collection
This is a view of the P&C roadbed along the side of a hill north of Pine Plains. The photo was taken from the Pine Plains to Silvernails road near the Columbia County line.

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