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Connecticut Passenger Stations - Home Page
Click
on the letter links above for Passenger Stations.
These are the beginnings of a complete, all-time, list of passenger stations
in Connecticut, to include the name(s) of each depot, the town in which it was built, the railroad that built it, the
date of opening and, if possible of closing and/or demise, with additional historical background, and a photograph or two.
We alternate the use of the terms 'depot' and 'station' with no difference in meaning intended.
We
believe that this is something that has never been done before, though some may have attempted and given up on this daunting
task. It may well never be completed to anyone's complete satisfaction in our lifetime, but we hope to make progress based
on the input of a number of individuals, but primarily that of Leroy Roberts whose knowledge of this subject is
encyclopedic. He compiled the initial list and he has provided most of the photographs at Connecticut History Online [CHO]
and the Railroad History Archive [RHA] at the Dodd Center at UConn. All photos
not otherwise credited are from the Leroy Roberts collection. In the shots chosen, we look for ones that best
display the physical attributes of the structure, the signboard being one of the most important criteria. In some cases there
are several images of the same station which you can see when you search in CHO.
To find the station data, we are combing documents, local histories, periodicals, bird's-eye
maps, railroad commissioners' reports, timetables, and other materials. We are comparing images and scrutinizing
them in an attempt to find the many stations for whom no image has yet been identified. Hopefully, even as this evolves, it
will be a reference resource that will be of service to rail enthusiasts, local historians, and serious researchers in all
disciplines.
This is a work in progress. Dates that have extra digits are approximations, hopefully somewhat
obvious, 190010 meaning 1900 to 1910, etc. We strive for the date the particular station was built and that is indicated
by 'blt' in front of the date. Otherwise we use 'lin' for when the line opened, 'est' for when a stop
was established and 'ren' for when it was given a new named The names in brackets after the main station entry are
either earlier [<] or later [>] names for the same station, and usually are cross-listed. A shot of the same structure
with two different signboards is valuable evidence of the station's 'genealogy.'
In some cases, we will note that there was no station building, just a platform or, rarely, nothing at all. For simplicity,
we have dropped the possessive (') from from many of the surnamed stations (e.g. ARNOLD'S) and have
left the S in or omitted it as seemed to be the most common usage. Timetables and signboards were frequently inconsistent
in their spellings.
Any assistance in filling in the gaps will be greatly appreciated and due credit will be offered. Inquiries are welcome regarding the data given here and the sources on which the
data is based. References to works cited are given as letter code/page no., e.g. r17 or R17 is John Roy's Field
Guide, page 17. In order to save space, we have used abbreviations, typically by removing vowels, e.g. mvd=moved. Less
obvious shortcuts for terms like cc=concrete should be in the list below. When in doubt, phoneticize the consonants
and the meaning will hopefully be clear.
As with all TCS material, we encourage the personal and scholarly
use of the data but do not allow wholesale reproduction for any reason.
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ABBREVIATIONS | | | | | | abd=abandoned | | b/b=board and batten construction | | bks=becomes | bk=brick | | b=by | | | cc=concrete | | | cs=because of | ett=emp
tt | | fr=freight | ne-near | | loc=location | op=opened | | pa=passenger | raz-razed | | st=stone | stc=stucco | | sta=station | tt=timetable | | wd=wood
| we/ea/no/so=directions | | v=of | t=to | | | | |
| [code] PRIMARY
SOURCES | | | | | Board of Railroad Commissioners. [All held at Connecticut State Library]
| | | | [CRC] Annual Reports. | | | [RRC] Records (Volumes).
| | [RRD] Documents (Folders). | | | | [RRL] Correspondence.
| | | | | | | | [RRM] Maps.
| | | | | | |
| | | | Other Primary Sources | | | | | | [NHAR] New York, New Haven & Hartford RR Annual Reports. | | | [RAM] State Register and Manual. Conn. Secretary of the State. Town statistics
section lists stations
and state map in rear shows
railroads and stations. | | | | | | | | | | | [code] SECONDARY SOURCES
| | | | | | [A]
Ashman, Robert and Charles Milmine. The Central New England Railroad. 1972. | | | | [B] Blakeslee, Phillip C. Lines West: A Brief History,
Camm Associates. 1974. | | | | [C] Turner,
Gregg M. and Melancthon W. Jacobus. Connecticut Railroads. 1986. | | | | [D] Lord, Robert F. Country Depots in the Connecticut Hills.
1996. | | | [E] Springman, Mary Jane
and Guinan, Betty. East Granby: The Evolution of a Connecticut
Town. 1983. | | | [H] Hill, Everett Gleason. A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven
County. 1918.
| | | | [K] Karr, Ronald Dale.
The Rail Lines of Southern New England. 1995. | | | [NL]
Newsletter. Publication of
the New Haven RR Historical and Technical Association.
| | | [P] Cornwall, L. Peter. In the Shore Line's Shadow: The Six
Lives of the Danbury &
Norwalk Railroad. 1987
| | | [Q] Farnham, Elmer. The
Quickest Route: The History of the Norwich and Worcester
Railroad. 1973. | | | [R]
Roy, John H., Jr. A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight
Houses. 2007 | | | | [SL]
Shoreliner. Publication of the New Haven RR Historical and Technical Association. | | | [S] Snow, Glover. "History of the Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut
River RR.
Connecticut Electric Railway Association, Transportation, (August, 1953) 7: 1-42.
| | [SAS] Lewis, Thomas
R., Jr. Silk Along Steel: The Story of the South Manchester RR. 1976. | | | | [W] Woodward, Charles G. The New London, Willimantic & Palmer Railroad Co. 1941. | | | | | [code] TIMETABLES
| | | | |
[PTT: issue.date.page] Pathfinder
Railway Guide, selected issues online via Google Books.
[1851TT] American
Railway Guide, 1851, online via Google Books
[1893TT] Price, Lee & Co., Railway Guide, vol. 4, no. 1, 1/1893.
[1894TT] NYNH&H Form
C, Lines West, 7/08/1907. [1911TT] NYNH&H Form ADV 220, Lines West, 6/04/1911. [1923TT] NYNH&H Form 220, Lines West, 12/2/1923. [1937TT] NYNH&H Form 200, 4/25/1937. [1947TT] NYNH&H Form 200, 6/8/1947.
[1948TT] NYNH&H Form 200, 4/25/1948. [1956TT] NYNH&H Form 200, 10/28/1956.
[1969TT]
Penn Central Form 200, 1/2/1969. [code] MAPS [1852NH] Smith's Map of New Haven County (Whiteford).
County maps at UConn MAGIC: click here. [1854NL] Map of New London County (Baker)
[1854LC] Clark's Map of Litchfield County (Hopkins)
[1855HC] Smith's Map of Hartford County (Woodford) [1856FC] Clark's Map of Fairfield County (Chace) [1856WC] Map of Windham County (Woodford) [1857TC] Map of Tolland County (Eaton)
[1859MC] Map of Middlesex County (Walling)
[1905RAM] George Cram map in Conn State Register and Manual.
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