Track 12: CT Passenger Stations, C-CH
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Use link for CTTRAXMAP on Track 11 to locate stations, rail and trolley lines, and POIs.
CAMP STATION/CANAAN [> PINE GROVE]
Use link for CTTRAXMAP on Track 11 to locate stations, rail and trolley lines, and POIs.
CAMP STATION/CANAAN [> PINE GROVE]
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Plainville Historical Society
CAMP STATION/PLAINVILLE [HP&F, c1863]
Located about a mile west of PLAINVILLE station, this was a special stop for the Methodist revival meetings that were held at a church campground. This annual event began in the 1860s and was attended by thousands well into the 1900s. Later incorporated as the New Haven District Camp-Ground Association, the group bought about two acres of land in 1867 at the foot of the road leading from the track to establish this stop from which carriages brought many attendees up to the events. An 1875 article said that "all trains will stop at camp station" on the HP&F and that, through "the liberality of the managers," half-price fares were being charged. Today, the cottage colony, once threatened by urban renewal, has an NRHP designation and endures as the Plainville Campground Association, a recent shot seen at right. Click here for more. Of the several camp meeting railroad station sites, this enclave is most reminiscent today of the one served by the HRR's PINE GROVE depot in North Canaan. The 1918 map at left shows CAMP STATION at the lower red arrow, with the PLAINVILLE station circled to the right. The other map pinpoints the camp location today at the A with the station stop below. We do not know yet what, if any, structure stood here, other than perhaps a platform. The ticket was found with the assistance of the helpful folks at the Plainville Historical Society [click here]. [REFS: HDC/09/02/1863/02; HDC/07/25/1873/02; HDC/08/14/1875/02; HC/05/27/1895/01; HC/07/23/1900/03; HC/08/10/1919/05]
Located about a mile west of PLAINVILLE station, this was a special stop for the Methodist revival meetings that were held at a church campground. This annual event began in the 1860s and was attended by thousands well into the 1900s. Later incorporated as the New Haven District Camp-Ground Association, the group bought about two acres of land in 1867 at the foot of the road leading from the track to establish this stop from which carriages brought many attendees up to the events. An 1875 article said that "all trains will stop at camp station" on the HP&F and that, through "the liberality of the managers," half-price fares were being charged. Today, the cottage colony, once threatened by urban renewal, has an NRHP designation and endures as the Plainville Campground Association, a recent shot seen at right. Click here for more. Of the several camp meeting railroad station sites, this enclave is most reminiscent today of the one served by the HRR's PINE GROVE depot in North Canaan. The 1918 map at left shows CAMP STATION at the lower red arrow, with the PLAINVILLE station circled to the right. The other map pinpoints the camp location today at the A with the station stop below. We do not know yet what, if any, structure stood here, other than perhaps a platform. The ticket was found with the assistance of the helpful folks at the Plainville Historical Society [click here]. [REFS: HDC/09/02/1863/02; HDC/07/25/1873/02; HDC/08/14/1875/02; HC/05/27/1895/01; HC/07/23/1900/03; HC/08/10/1919/05]
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CAMP STATION/WILLIMANTIC [HP&F/NLN, c1860]
Also known as CAMP or CAMP MEETING STATION, this was a stop about a mile and a half south of Willimantic that was served by both the HP&F and the NLN. The Methodist camp meetings began in 1860 and the grounds here were chosen precisely for the access to rail service. The HP&F alone brought four thousand people to the August revival week in 1865 and an 1889 article reaffirmed what by then was undoubtedly the customary stopping of all trains on both roads. Since this station appears on no map or timetable, it was likely used just on these annual occasions. Of the depot here, a Courant reporter in 1865 said it was "nothing more than a station, two sheds constructed of rough boards, with a standing place for shelter in case of rain, and a couple of platforms, being all there is of it." Whether that describes the structure we see in the photos, which looks more a covered freight shelter, is unclear. In the upper photo, the track all the way to the left is the NLN and the ones on the right are the HP&F, paralleling each other out of Willimantic to split just south of here, the NLN going to New London and the HP&F to Providence. The campground up the hill is shown on the 1893 map [middle] and at the red X on the current map. The arrows on both maps show where the station was at the old Plains Rd. crossing. By the early 1900s, the religious fervor was waning and Victorian vacation cottages were replacing the tents, a trend decried by a minister quoted in a 1911 Courant article. By 1915 when the val maps were drawn, there is no longer any station shown [click here], though the shanty still appears. The gate tender seen here would be out of a job by 1910 when, after a decade of delay, a single bridge would finally eliminate the dangers of two successive multi-track grade crossings. We think that both photos date just prior to the completion of that project. [REFS: HDC/08/11/1860/02; HDC/08/29/1863/02; HDC/08/30/1865/02; HDC/09/04/1865/02; HDC/09/07/1865/02; HDC/09/07/1869/02; HC/08/12/1889/06; HC/04/28/1911/15; HC/08/24/1911/11]
Also known as CAMP or CAMP MEETING STATION, this was a stop about a mile and a half south of Willimantic that was served by both the HP&F and the NLN. The Methodist camp meetings began in 1860 and the grounds here were chosen precisely for the access to rail service. The HP&F alone brought four thousand people to the August revival week in 1865 and an 1889 article reaffirmed what by then was undoubtedly the customary stopping of all trains on both roads. Since this station appears on no map or timetable, it was likely used just on these annual occasions. Of the depot here, a Courant reporter in 1865 said it was "nothing more than a station, two sheds constructed of rough boards, with a standing place for shelter in case of rain, and a couple of platforms, being all there is of it." Whether that describes the structure we see in the photos, which looks more a covered freight shelter, is unclear. In the upper photo, the track all the way to the left is the NLN and the ones on the right are the HP&F, paralleling each other out of Willimantic to split just south of here, the NLN going to New London and the HP&F to Providence. The campground up the hill is shown on the 1893 map [middle] and at the red X on the current map. The arrows on both maps show where the station was at the old Plains Rd. crossing. By the early 1900s, the religious fervor was waning and Victorian vacation cottages were replacing the tents, a trend decried by a minister quoted in a 1911 Courant article. By 1915 when the val maps were drawn, there is no longer any station shown [click here], though the shanty still appears. The gate tender seen here would be out of a job by 1910 when, after a decade of delay, a single bridge would finally eliminate the dangers of two successive multi-track grade crossings. We think that both photos date just prior to the completion of that project. [REFS: HDC/08/11/1860/02; HDC/08/29/1863/02; HDC/08/30/1865/02; HDC/09/04/1865/02; HDC/09/07/1865/02; HDC/09/07/1869/02; HC/08/12/1889/06; HC/04/28/1911/15; HC/08/24/1911/11]
CAMPBELL [NYNH&H, c1900?]
This was a stop on the Rockville RR, 1.96 miles from VERNON, when electric service was operated in the early 1900s.
CAMPVILLE1 [NRR, 1849]
This was an original stop on the NRR and was first called CAMP MILLS, as found in an 1850 Litchfield Republican newspaper ad. It appears as CAMPVILLE on the maps that the railroad commissioners began to issue in 1876 and also as such on timetables at least by our 1883 P&L guide. We have no photo yet of this first station. By 1893, it had been the subject of complaint, being "badly out of repair" and causing a visit by the commissioners "with recommendations made for its thorough repair or rebuilding," but before that could be done, it burned on July 4, 1893. [REFS: LR/01/24/1850/04; HDC/06/22/1871/04; NHER/02/14/1891/04; NHER/08/07/1891/04]
This was a stop on the Rockville RR, 1.96 miles from VERNON, when electric service was operated in the early 1900s.
CAMPVILLE1 [NRR, 1849]
This was an original stop on the NRR and was first called CAMP MILLS, as found in an 1850 Litchfield Republican newspaper ad. It appears as CAMPVILLE on the maps that the railroad commissioners began to issue in 1876 and also as such on timetables at least by our 1883 P&L guide. We have no photo yet of this first station. By 1893, it had been the subject of complaint, being "badly out of repair" and causing a visit by the commissioners "with recommendations made for its thorough repair or rebuilding," but before that could be done, it burned on July 4, 1893. [REFS: LR/01/24/1850/04; HDC/06/22/1871/04; NHER/02/14/1891/04; NHER/08/07/1891/04]
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CAMPVILLE2 [NYNH&H, 1894]
The commissioners say in their annual report in December, 1893 that the burned out depot had not yet been replaced and a letter early in the next year from local residents still complained of the lack of protection from the elements here, so we have dated this structure to 1894. We think that the photo on the upper left, said to have been taken in the Torrington area, is a rear view of this second station. The bridge in the middle left of the shot would be over the Naugatuck River, which ran behind the station at a point just above where the NRR crossed to the river's west bank. Click here for the topographic map and look below 'Harwinton.' While the stream seems a little narrow for the mighty Naugatuck, this may be just a matter of perspective. There appears to be a road in the lower foreground that is also seen on the map. Perhaps the woman in the lower right is the stationmaster's wife and the dog is the family pet. Another photograph, which may be the mate to this one, shows a house that is possibly the family residence on a bluff behind the station. [REFS: CRC41.1893.39; NHER/06/10/1893/03]
The commissioners say in their annual report in December, 1893 that the burned out depot had not yet been replaced and a letter early in the next year from local residents still complained of the lack of protection from the elements here, so we have dated this structure to 1894. We think that the photo on the upper left, said to have been taken in the Torrington area, is a rear view of this second station. The bridge in the middle left of the shot would be over the Naugatuck River, which ran behind the station at a point just above where the NRR crossed to the river's west bank. Click here for the topographic map and look below 'Harwinton.' While the stream seems a little narrow for the mighty Naugatuck, this may be just a matter of perspective. There appears to be a road in the lower foreground that is also seen on the map. Perhaps the woman in the lower right is the stationmaster's wife and the dog is the family pet. Another photograph, which may be the mate to this one, shows a house that is possibly the family residence on a bluff behind the station. [REFS: CRC41.1893.39; NHER/06/10/1893/03]
CAMPVILLE3 [NYNH&H, 1925]
This structure was the former REYNOLDS BRIDGE station that was moved here after CAMPVILLE2 burned in 1925. Passenger service would cease at this and several other stations from Waterbury to Winsted just a year later in 1926 and it is unknown why the railroad would bother to move this structure to a new, sparsely populated location at such a late date. [REFS: HC/06/20/1926/A12]
This structure was the former REYNOLDS BRIDGE station that was moved here after CAMPVILLE2 burned in 1925. Passenger service would cease at this and several other stations from Waterbury to Winsted just a year later in 1926 and it is unknown why the railroad would bother to move this structure to a new, sparsely populated location at such a late date. [REFS: HC/06/20/1926/A12]
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CANAAN1 [HRR, 1842]
The hotel that housed the first station here was built just before the HRR opened to Canaan in 1842. The owner, Colonel Barstow, christened it 'Our House' and a later owner, Major C. Peck, renamed it Peck's Hotel in 1853. The image at upper left reproduces the newspaper photo [middle] that we found in a 1906 Connecticut Western News article and contains the important date clarification of 1853. The accompanying text gives a brief history of the building, which went on later to become the Warner House and says that "the east parlor was used as the waiting room and ticket office until a station was built in 1872." We had wondered if the HRR went some thirty years before building a station in this town and apparently the answer is yes! The 1854LC map shows a depot west of the track and a little farther north of Main St. and now we know that this had to be the freight house and not a passenger station. It is interesting to speculate on what would have happened if the CW had not opened their line through this town in 1871. The HRR may have continued to use the hotel, for which it undoubtedly paid a rental, and possibly never built a depot. Owing to the fact that the CW opened in December, 1871 and used the hotel along with the HRR until the 1872 structure in our next entry was built, the hotel was Canaan's first 'union station.' The hotel also reportedly housed railroad offices at some point and was the southern terminus for the Berkshire Street Railway, whose car is seen in the image at lower right. [REFS: RF/02/15/1842/03; MC/08/22/1855/02; CWN/09/06/1906/01]
The hotel that housed the first station here was built just before the HRR opened to Canaan in 1842. The owner, Colonel Barstow, christened it 'Our House' and a later owner, Major C. Peck, renamed it Peck's Hotel in 1853. The image at upper left reproduces the newspaper photo [middle] that we found in a 1906 Connecticut Western News article and contains the important date clarification of 1853. The accompanying text gives a brief history of the building, which went on later to become the Warner House and says that "the east parlor was used as the waiting room and ticket office until a station was built in 1872." We had wondered if the HRR went some thirty years before building a station in this town and apparently the answer is yes! The 1854LC map shows a depot west of the track and a little farther north of Main St. and now we know that this had to be the freight house and not a passenger station. It is interesting to speculate on what would have happened if the CW had not opened their line through this town in 1871. The HRR may have continued to use the hotel, for which it undoubtedly paid a rental, and possibly never built a depot. Owing to the fact that the CW opened in December, 1871 and used the hotel along with the HRR until the 1872 structure in our next entry was built, the hotel was Canaan's first 'union station.' The hotel also reportedly housed railroad offices at some point and was the southern terminus for the Berkshire Street Railway, whose car is seen in the image at lower right. [REFS: RF/02/15/1842/03; MC/08/22/1855/02; CWN/09/06/1906/01]
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CANAAN2 [HRR/CW, 1872]
When the CW opened in 1871, the newspaper said that a union station was to be built by the two roads so passengers could make easy connections. With the Boston Daily Advertiser saying that the railroads were completing "a handsome and commodious building at Canaan for station purposes, to cost about $15,000" and the Pittsfield Sun reporting that the roof on the "mammoth depot at Canaan Junction" was being "slated" in August, this station probably opened early in September. By October, it was being called "the model depot of Connecticut," though "Wallingford and Windsor people would probably dispute the claim," since attractive structures had just been put up in their towns. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW assets put the road's share of the value of this one at $6,000. Heavily damaged by arson on 10/15/2001, CANAAN2 has been restored to her former elegance, thanks to many groups and individuals who appreciate the rich history this structure represents [click here]. The view in the photo on the right looks north up the HRR line. [REFS: HDC/12/14/1871/02; BDA/08/12/1872/02; PS/08/21/1872/02; HDC/10/26/1872/04; CW/NYNE1880; A37; D38,85; R38]
CANAAN VALLEY [> WHITING RIVER]
When the CW opened in 1871, the newspaper said that a union station was to be built by the two roads so passengers could make easy connections. With the Boston Daily Advertiser saying that the railroads were completing "a handsome and commodious building at Canaan for station purposes, to cost about $15,000" and the Pittsfield Sun reporting that the roof on the "mammoth depot at Canaan Junction" was being "slated" in August, this station probably opened early in September. By October, it was being called "the model depot of Connecticut," though "Wallingford and Windsor people would probably dispute the claim," since attractive structures had just been put up in their towns. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW assets put the road's share of the value of this one at $6,000. Heavily damaged by arson on 10/15/2001, CANAAN2 has been restored to her former elegance, thanks to many groups and individuals who appreciate the rich history this structure represents [click here]. The view in the photo on the right looks north up the HRR line. [REFS: HDC/12/14/1871/02; BDA/08/12/1872/02; PS/08/21/1872/02; HDC/10/26/1872/04; CW/NYNE1880; A37; D38,85; R38]
CANAAN VALLEY [> WHITING RIVER]
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CANNON1 [D&N, 1852]
This station is not shown on the 1856FC map at left but it is seen east of the track on the 1868 Beer's map at right. This was an original D&N stop from 1852. The station burned in October, 1890, in a fire reported to have been arson. This is according to a newspaper article that, interestingly enough, is mistitled to read that the HRR freight station in South Norwalk, the byline town, had burned, which we first thought to mean WILSON POINT. The article text clarifies that the fire started in the grocery store "across the way" from what had to be the station here and soon took CANNON1. It said that the freight depot was destroyed, as well as the waiting room and telegraph station, in what was a combination depot perhaps similar in appearance to D&N stations BETHEL1 and GEORGETOWN1. [REFS: NHER/10/03/1890/01; SL34.4.33][rev011813]
This station is not shown on the 1856FC map at left but it is seen east of the track on the 1868 Beer's map at right. This was an original D&N stop from 1852. The station burned in October, 1890, in a fire reported to have been arson. This is according to a newspaper article that, interestingly enough, is mistitled to read that the HRR freight station in South Norwalk, the byline town, had burned, which we first thought to mean WILSON POINT. The article text clarifies that the fire started in the grocery store "across the way" from what had to be the station here and soon took CANNON1. It said that the freight depot was destroyed, as well as the waiting room and telegraph station, in what was a combination depot perhaps similar in appearance to D&N stations BETHEL1 and GEORGETOWN1. [REFS: NHER/10/03/1890/01; SL34.4.33][rev011813]
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CANNON2 [HRR, 1892]
The second staton was erected sometime between the inspections of the HRR's D&N branch by the railroad commissioners in late 1891 and early 1892. This stop had been named from the start for D&N builder Charles Cannon, who coincidentally died shortly after the new station was built. In December, 1915, the post office here was renamed so as to avoid confusion with Canaan, and the railroad followed suit by changing the name of the station to CANNONDALE. The PUC inspection photo at lower left is dated 10/21/1925 and shows the new name in use. The structure still graces Metro North's Danbury line today in 2012. [REFS: NHER/10/22/1891/04; HC/06/09/1892/02; NHER/06/09/1892/04; HC/12/30/1892/06; SL34.4.33][rev011813]
The second staton was erected sometime between the inspections of the HRR's D&N branch by the railroad commissioners in late 1891 and early 1892. This stop had been named from the start for D&N builder Charles Cannon, who coincidentally died shortly after the new station was built. In December, 1915, the post office here was renamed so as to avoid confusion with Canaan, and the railroad followed suit by changing the name of the station to CANNONDALE. The PUC inspection photo at lower left is dated 10/21/1925 and shows the new name in use. The structure still graces Metro North's Danbury line today in 2012. [REFS: NHER/10/22/1891/04; HC/06/09/1892/02; NHER/06/09/1892/04; HC/12/30/1892/06; SL34.4.33][rev011813]
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CANTERBURY2 [NY&NE, 1877?]
We have added this entry for a second station here because this may have been built with the "considerable improvements" that the railroad commissioners mention in their 1877 annual report. The photo on the right was taken in 1917. The shot on the left was found in the Images of America Canterbury book [p86]. It is reported to be taken in the 1920s with Dr. Helen Baldwin on the platform (dark dress?) waiting for a train to take her back to her New York City medical practice. It presents a bit of a mystery since the siding boards on this structure are vertical, whereas in the other photo they are horizontal. Was the station re-sided? Did the one in the 1917 photo burn and get replaced? We will inquire further. The last station to stand here was sold in 1929 when passenger service was discontinued. According to the book, the building was dismantled, moved and reassembled as a private residence. [REFS: CRC24.1877.20; LR]
We have added this entry for a second station here because this may have been built with the "considerable improvements" that the railroad commissioners mention in their 1877 annual report. The photo on the right was taken in 1917. The shot on the left was found in the Images of America Canterbury book [p86]. It is reported to be taken in the 1920s with Dr. Helen Baldwin on the platform (dark dress?) waiting for a train to take her back to her New York City medical practice. It presents a bit of a mystery since the siding boards on this structure are vertical, whereas in the other photo they are horizontal. Was the station re-sided? Did the one in the 1917 photo burn and get replaced? We will inquire further. The last station to stand here was sold in 1929 when passenger service was discontinued. According to the book, the building was dismantled, moved and reassembled as a private residence. [REFS: CRC24.1877.20; LR]
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CANTON [CW, 1871; depot 1872]
An 1871 article said that, though this was open as a flag stop, the exact location of this station had not yet been settled so we have put the opening in the following year, 1872. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW property said there was a station in good condition here to serve both passengers and freight and valued it at $1500, the same they said the structure at BLOOMFIELD was worth. Nimke says it was built in 1873, that it later became a garage as pictured at lower left, and that it was still up in 1948. A building with similar lines and historic appearance situated nearby has been discounted as being this station still standing in 2012. The photo at lower right looks to be after it was hit by a train, possibly on 5/19/1917. In an article replete with interesting details, the Courant reported that Conductor Charles West and Engineer Edelman were "flying a freight car from the main line onto the siding. The car crashed into the corner of the station, knocking it askew. The switch where the cars are shunted from the main line is about 700 feet from the depot and the sidetrack runs upgrade terminating near the southeast corner of the station so the cars are pushed with considerable force. The freight chain became caught at the foot of the brake rod and the brakeman was unable to stop the car. Station agent G.B. Fenn and an American Telephone & Telegraph man were checking up some express in the corner of the station where the car struck. Agent Fenn heard the whistle for breaks (sic) and jumped for the door and the other man went out the other door, both men getting out of the station just as the crash came. The station has been bumped into several times before but this time it looks as if a new station would be needed. All the posts on the south side of the building next to the tracks are broken off. Three windows are smashed, part of the siding was sprung from away from the timbers, the doors that are shut cannot be opened and the doors that are open cannot be shut. One door opening into the office was lifted from the hinges and landed on the opposite side of the room. The stovepipes in both stoves were disconnected. The telegraph kept ticking on but the electric light wire was broken. The station was pushed about a foot and a half last winter but was jacked back into place. This time, it was moved three or four feet and it looks as if a new station would be necessary. The present structure was built in 1870 when the railroad was built." As far as we know this station, actually built in 1872, was never replaced. The frugality of the times apparently led the CNE to right this wrong. We do note the damage to the roof which would correspond to the southeast corner where the depot was struck. Canton, of course, was the home of the Gra-Rock Co., the third-largest beverage producer in the nation in the late 1920s. In 1927, it reportedly turned out 21,000,000 bottles of products like spring water, said in 1914 to be "the purest water that nature has ever produced," plus soft drinks and flavorings. For this reason, the application to abandon the CNE in 1932 was on all but the Collinsville-Canton section with the 1926 link with the Canal line providing an outlet for the beverage products. CNE rail was otherwise gone by 1938. The Canton Historical Museum [click here] has a great local history collection that was very helpful in this research and is well worth a visit. [REFS: HDC/12/14/1871/02; CW/NYNE1880; HC/05/20/1917/15; A39; D22; N3.23][rev040213]
An 1871 article said that, though this was open as a flag stop, the exact location of this station had not yet been settled so we have put the opening in the following year, 1872. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW property said there was a station in good condition here to serve both passengers and freight and valued it at $1500, the same they said the structure at BLOOMFIELD was worth. Nimke says it was built in 1873, that it later became a garage as pictured at lower left, and that it was still up in 1948. A building with similar lines and historic appearance situated nearby has been discounted as being this station still standing in 2012. The photo at lower right looks to be after it was hit by a train, possibly on 5/19/1917. In an article replete with interesting details, the Courant reported that Conductor Charles West and Engineer Edelman were "flying a freight car from the main line onto the siding. The car crashed into the corner of the station, knocking it askew. The switch where the cars are shunted from the main line is about 700 feet from the depot and the sidetrack runs upgrade terminating near the southeast corner of the station so the cars are pushed with considerable force. The freight chain became caught at the foot of the brake rod and the brakeman was unable to stop the car. Station agent G.B. Fenn and an American Telephone & Telegraph man were checking up some express in the corner of the station where the car struck. Agent Fenn heard the whistle for breaks (sic) and jumped for the door and the other man went out the other door, both men getting out of the station just as the crash came. The station has been bumped into several times before but this time it looks as if a new station would be needed. All the posts on the south side of the building next to the tracks are broken off. Three windows are smashed, part of the siding was sprung from away from the timbers, the doors that are shut cannot be opened and the doors that are open cannot be shut. One door opening into the office was lifted from the hinges and landed on the opposite side of the room. The stovepipes in both stoves were disconnected. The telegraph kept ticking on but the electric light wire was broken. The station was pushed about a foot and a half last winter but was jacked back into place. This time, it was moved three or four feet and it looks as if a new station would be necessary. The present structure was built in 1870 when the railroad was built." As far as we know this station, actually built in 1872, was never replaced. The frugality of the times apparently led the CNE to right this wrong. We do note the damage to the roof which would correspond to the southeast corner where the depot was struck. Canton, of course, was the home of the Gra-Rock Co., the third-largest beverage producer in the nation in the late 1920s. In 1927, it reportedly turned out 21,000,000 bottles of products like spring water, said in 1914 to be "the purest water that nature has ever produced," plus soft drinks and flavorings. For this reason, the application to abandon the CNE in 1932 was on all but the Collinsville-Canton section with the 1926 link with the Canal line providing an outlet for the beverage products. CNE rail was otherwise gone by 1938. The Canton Historical Museum [click here] has a great local history collection that was very helpful in this research and is well worth a visit. [REFS: HDC/12/14/1871/02; CW/NYNE1880; HC/05/20/1917/15; A39; D22; N3.23][rev040213]
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CATHERINE STREET [HRR, 1886]
The railroad commissioners noted the creation of this stop north of Norwalk's downtown in their 1886 annual report. It was probably established by the HRR to build traffic on the line after it leased the D&N in November of that year. The 1915 val map [lower right] shows that the shelter stood in the northeast quadrant of the grade crossing and the shot we took recently [lower left] replicates the view in the val photo at upper right. The PUC inspection shot at upper left is dated 11/24/1924. [REFS: CRC34.1886.57; RAM1908]
The railroad commissioners noted the creation of this stop north of Norwalk's downtown in their 1886 annual report. It was probably established by the HRR to build traffic on the line after it leased the D&N in November of that year. The 1915 val map [lower right] shows that the shelter stood in the northeast quadrant of the grade crossing and the shot we took recently [lower left] replicates the view in the val photo at upper right. The PUC inspection shot at upper left is dated 11/24/1924. [REFS: CRC34.1886.57; RAM1908]
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CEDAR HILL1 [NHM&W, 1870; NYNH&H depot, 1889]
Cedar Hill Jct. had been a stop since the 1870 opening of the NHM&W, but it was located about a half mile north of here until the Air Line connection was moved south to join the Shore Line in 1884. There was a call for a small station to be built at this location in 1885, when a letter to the newspaper said it would be a convenience for people wishing to visit East Rock, Whitneyville, Fair Haven, or just the northern part of New Haven. Interestingly, Pres. Clark himself was riding a train early in 1888 when it began letting people off here and, in response to his inquiry, he was told that "certain trains stopped there"(!) to accommodate passengers who lived in the area and did not want to ride any farther south. Surveying the dangerous situation at the junction of the three divisions, he decided it was indeed a good place for a station. By August, men were working on the foundation with completion expected in the late fall. An 1889 Palladium article gives quite a detailed description of the 65x22-ft building with its slate roof that projected 14 feet out all around it and necessitated the numerous supporting posts that give this station a somewhat unique appearance. The article said it expected the station to open in February. The construction unfortunately forestalled a street extension that New Haven had been contemplating for some time and one report said that the railroad built CEDAR HILL1 in the dead of night to get the jump on the city. The August, 1888 Register article also mentioned that the NYNH&H had purchased a large tract of the salt marsh here at State and James Sts. which would be filled in for freight yards. This would ultimately become the location of the Conn. Co. car barns by 1911 and still is Connecticut Transit property today. The image at upper left was one of three photographs in a late 1909 newspaper article describing the past, present, and future stations here. In it you can make out the shape of the depot that seems to match the center photograph. The other photos show CEDAR HILL1 looking pretty spiffy. At upper right is an interesting southward view of the four-tracked Hartford main with the James St. bridge in the foreground, work that dated to 1888. The companion shot on the lower left shows a buggy approaching the bridge and, in the distance, one can see the connection track for the Manufacturer's Street Railway going south behind the station. The Shore Line track is no longer seen since it was moved northward in the double-tracking of 1892-1894 to a new junction of the three divisions. [REFS: PTH418.1871.20; NHER/12/29/1884/01; NHER/01/26/1885/01; NHDP/11/17/1887/01; CRC36.1888.19; NHER/02/18/1888/01; NHER/08/31/1888/04; NHDP/10/23/1888/04; NHDP/10/30/1888 /04; NHDP/01/29/1889/??; NHAR18.1888.5; CRC37.1889.18; NHER/11/16/1892/01; NHU/10/24/1909/09; NHER/10/30/1909/02; C122: 1881TT]
Cedar Hill Jct. had been a stop since the 1870 opening of the NHM&W, but it was located about a half mile north of here until the Air Line connection was moved south to join the Shore Line in 1884. There was a call for a small station to be built at this location in 1885, when a letter to the newspaper said it would be a convenience for people wishing to visit East Rock, Whitneyville, Fair Haven, or just the northern part of New Haven. Interestingly, Pres. Clark himself was riding a train early in 1888 when it began letting people off here and, in response to his inquiry, he was told that "certain trains stopped there"(!) to accommodate passengers who lived in the area and did not want to ride any farther south. Surveying the dangerous situation at the junction of the three divisions, he decided it was indeed a good place for a station. By August, men were working on the foundation with completion expected in the late fall. An 1889 Palladium article gives quite a detailed description of the 65x22-ft building with its slate roof that projected 14 feet out all around it and necessitated the numerous supporting posts that give this station a somewhat unique appearance. The article said it expected the station to open in February. The construction unfortunately forestalled a street extension that New Haven had been contemplating for some time and one report said that the railroad built CEDAR HILL1 in the dead of night to get the jump on the city. The August, 1888 Register article also mentioned that the NYNH&H had purchased a large tract of the salt marsh here at State and James Sts. which would be filled in for freight yards. This would ultimately become the location of the Conn. Co. car barns by 1911 and still is Connecticut Transit property today. The image at upper left was one of three photographs in a late 1909 newspaper article describing the past, present, and future stations here. In it you can make out the shape of the depot that seems to match the center photograph. The other photos show CEDAR HILL1 looking pretty spiffy. At upper right is an interesting southward view of the four-tracked Hartford main with the James St. bridge in the foreground, work that dated to 1888. The companion shot on the lower left shows a buggy approaching the bridge and, in the distance, one can see the connection track for the Manufacturer's Street Railway going south behind the station. The Shore Line track is no longer seen since it was moved northward in the double-tracking of 1892-1894 to a new junction of the three divisions. [REFS: PTH418.1871.20; NHER/12/29/1884/01; NHER/01/26/1885/01; NHDP/11/17/1887/01; CRC36.1888.19; NHER/02/18/1888/01; NHER/08/31/1888/04; NHDP/10/23/1888/04; NHDP/10/30/1888 /04; NHDP/01/29/1889/??; NHAR18.1888.5; CRC37.1889.18; NHER/11/16/1892/01; NHU/10/24/1909/09; NHER/10/30/1909/02; C122: 1881TT]
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CEDAR HILL2 [NYNH&H, 1909]
The map at the left appeared in the Register late in 1905 and shows that the proposed street extension was up for discussion again. For better connections with the Fair Haven section, the city wanted to lengthen Humphrey St., either building through the station property to meet Lombard St. or somewhat lower to meet Alton St. The Manufacturer's Street Railway had its yard, not shown on the map, exactly in this lower area. Controversy about disrupting that and about how the railroad would bridge Humphrey St. would cause delays until 1911 in finishing the project. The railroad considered abandoning the location completely, with trolley service now cutting into local steam railroad traffic. The public, however, objected and the railroad commissioners ruled that a new station had to be built. During the transition, CEDAR HILL1 was closed and the Union article cited above said that a "makeshift" station, "an old passenger car and a disposed tool car coupled on a siding and bearing in handsome gilt and black the words 'Cedar Hill'" was in use. In this dark image, we can see the outline of the coach and tool car and we can also just make out the NYNH&H lettering. [REFS: NHER/12/17/1905]
The map at the left appeared in the Register late in 1905 and shows that the proposed street extension was up for discussion again. For better connections with the Fair Haven section, the city wanted to lengthen Humphrey St., either building through the station property to meet Lombard St. or somewhat lower to meet Alton St. The Manufacturer's Street Railway had its yard, not shown on the map, exactly in this lower area. Controversy about disrupting that and about how the railroad would bridge Humphrey St. would cause delays until 1911 in finishing the project. The railroad considered abandoning the location completely, with trolley service now cutting into local steam railroad traffic. The public, however, objected and the railroad commissioners ruled that a new station had to be built. During the transition, CEDAR HILL1 was closed and the Union article cited above said that a "makeshift" station, "an old passenger car and a disposed tool car coupled on a siding and bearing in handsome gilt and black the words 'Cedar Hill'" was in use. In this dark image, we can see the outline of the coach and tool car and we can also just make out the NYNH&H lettering. [REFS: NHER/12/17/1905]
Dave Peters Collection
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CEDAR HILL3 [NYNH&H, 1910]
These images are of the station as built [left] and as projected [right] that appeared in the newspaper with the Union article cited above. Construction was expected to start on October 11, 1909 with contractor William Patterson in charge and completion anticipated in about four months. According to the Evening Leader, plans were drawn up by C.W. Lord, architect for the New Haven road, and the building was to have a concrete foundation, walls of terra cotta and brick, a green tiled roof, and stone trimmings. It was to be "heated by steam, with up to date plumbing" and "fitted with the largest electric globes." The cost was expected to be about $6,500. This station stood on the west side of the tracks, between Humphrey and James Sts. The Register reported in April, 1910 that the new station would open on the 25th. It said the 'little Chinese doll house' was "perhaps the neatest station anywhere on the road outside the small suburban stations on the New York and Harlem divisions." The val map shows the layout in 1915. This station has several trains stopping in 1923 but none on our 1937TT, though it was pressed into service again briefly after the 1938 hurricane when high water in the East Cut prevented trains from going to Hartford. The completion of this project was just before the construction of the "mammoth roundhouse" and massive redevelopment of Cedar Hill yard immediately to the north, reported in 1911 by the Courant to be costing between $3.5 and $5M. [REFS: NHEL/10/08/1909/13; NHAR38.1909.7: in progress; NHER/02/14/1910/01; NHER/04/08/1910/09; NHAR40.1911.11: done; HC/03/04/1911/07; NL6.2.4; SL9.3.10][rev121512]
These images are of the station as built [left] and as projected [right] that appeared in the newspaper with the Union article cited above. Construction was expected to start on October 11, 1909 with contractor William Patterson in charge and completion anticipated in about four months. According to the Evening Leader, plans were drawn up by C.W. Lord, architect for the New Haven road, and the building was to have a concrete foundation, walls of terra cotta and brick, a green tiled roof, and stone trimmings. It was to be "heated by steam, with up to date plumbing" and "fitted with the largest electric globes." The cost was expected to be about $6,500. This station stood on the west side of the tracks, between Humphrey and James Sts. The Register reported in April, 1910 that the new station would open on the 25th. It said the 'little Chinese doll house' was "perhaps the neatest station anywhere on the road outside the small suburban stations on the New York and Harlem divisions." The val map shows the layout in 1915. This station has several trains stopping in 1923 but none on our 1937TT, though it was pressed into service again briefly after the 1938 hurricane when high water in the East Cut prevented trains from going to Hartford. The completion of this project was just before the construction of the "mammoth roundhouse" and massive redevelopment of Cedar Hill yard immediately to the north, reported in 1911 by the Courant to be costing between $3.5 and $5M. [REFS: NHEL/10/08/1909/13; NHAR38.1909.7: in progress; NHER/02/14/1910/01; NHER/04/08/1910/09; NHAR40.1911.11: done; HC/03/04/1911/07; NL6.2.4; SL9.3.10][rev121512]
CEMETERY SIDING [> SPRINGDALE CEMETERY]
CENTERBROOK [NYNH&H, c1945]
This appears to have been later bus stop on a 6/8/1947TT, six miles north of ESSEX but is seen as a dot for a stop on the CV on an 1899 map. We need to check with Max Miller on this. [REFS: RAM1899]
CENTERBROOK [NYNH&H, c1945]
This appears to have been later bus stop on a 6/8/1947TT, six miles north of ESSEX but is seen as a dot for a stop on the CV on an 1899 map. We need to check with Max Miller on this. [REFS: RAM1899]
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CENTERVILLE1 [NH&N, 1848]
Often seen spelled as CENTREVILLE, this was an original station on the NH&N and is indicated by the red arrow on the 1868 map at upper left. It is usually designated on timetables as a flag stop. We have no photo yet of whatever structure may have been here. The red X on the map at upper right shows its location today along what was originally the path of the old Farmington Canal that paralleled Whitney Ave., then Cheshire Tpke. The current property lines that we have shown with the dashed red line still reflect the route that once loped northeast through this part of Hamden. We also noted that the access road to the subdivision west of Whitney Ave. on today's map seems to correspond exactly to the path to the CENTERVILLE1 depot that swung south as well to go the spoon factory on the 1868 map. The red arrow on the ca. 1940 aerial photo at lower left shows what appears to be the old ROW behind Hamden's 1924 Memorial Town Hall.
Often seen spelled as CENTREVILLE, this was an original station on the NH&N and is indicated by the red arrow on the 1868 map at upper left. It is usually designated on timetables as a flag stop. We have no photo yet of whatever structure may have been here. The red X on the map at upper right shows its location today along what was originally the path of the old Farmington Canal that paralleled Whitney Ave., then Cheshire Tpke. The current property lines that we have shown with the dashed red line still reflect the route that once loped northeast through this part of Hamden. We also noted that the access road to the subdivision west of Whitney Ave. on today's map seems to correspond exactly to the path to the CENTERVILLE1 depot that swung south as well to go the spoon factory on the 1868 map. The red arrow on the ca. 1940 aerial photo at lower left shows what appears to be the old ROW behind Hamden's 1924 Memorial Town Hall.
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CENTERVILLE2 [NH&N, 1880]
When the Canal line was relocated in 1880, the stop for this part of Hamden had to be changed because CENTERVILLE1 was on the abandoned section along Whitney Ave. Reports that CENTERVILLE2 was where the Arthur Murray dance studio is today at 2838 Old Dixwell Ave. must be in error, though that address is along the old ROW. The correct location is seen on the 1893 map at left, east of the track and just above the crossing of Dixwell Ave. which was at grade in 1880. The overpass, with plans dated 1920 in the RG 041 map collection at CSL, is part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway today. This flag stop was approved by the railroad commissioners for abandonment on 1/24/1905 because of trolley competition cutting into railroad patronage. We have no photo yet of CENTERVILLE2. The 1915 val maps show the original canal and railroad pretty much all along the NH&N even where there were no remnants when the surveyors visited 65 years after the canal was discontinued. The snippet at middle shows the area around the Wilbur Cross Pkwy, with the original alignment at the blue arrow, here on the west side of Dixwell Ave., and the 1880 ROW to the east at the red arrow. The image at right is from our CTTRAXMAP, the link to which can be found on Track 11, and shows the realignment that began just below Putnam Ave. and ended at West Woods Rd. in Mount Carmel. The original ROW, as best we can determine it from the val maps, is traced in red and the 1880 realignment is the blue line. [REFS: RRC24.67 (7/8/1880); RRC24.82 (7/20/1881); RRC24.249 (1/24/1905); CRC53.1905.5; PUC Map 765]
When the Canal line was relocated in 1880, the stop for this part of Hamden had to be changed because CENTERVILLE1 was on the abandoned section along Whitney Ave. Reports that CENTERVILLE2 was where the Arthur Murray dance studio is today at 2838 Old Dixwell Ave. must be in error, though that address is along the old ROW. The correct location is seen on the 1893 map at left, east of the track and just above the crossing of Dixwell Ave. which was at grade in 1880. The overpass, with plans dated 1920 in the RG 041 map collection at CSL, is part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Greenway today. This flag stop was approved by the railroad commissioners for abandonment on 1/24/1905 because of trolley competition cutting into railroad patronage. We have no photo yet of CENTERVILLE2. The 1915 val maps show the original canal and railroad pretty much all along the NH&N even where there were no remnants when the surveyors visited 65 years after the canal was discontinued. The snippet at middle shows the area around the Wilbur Cross Pkwy, with the original alignment at the blue arrow, here on the west side of Dixwell Ave., and the 1880 ROW to the east at the red arrow. The image at right is from our CTTRAXMAP, the link to which can be found on Track 11, and shows the realignment that began just below Putnam Ave. and ended at West Woods Rd. in Mount Carmel. The original ROW, as best we can determine it from the val maps, is traced in red and the 1880 realignment is the blue line. [REFS: RRC24.67 (7/8/1880); RRC24.82 (7/20/1881); RRC24.249 (1/24/1905); CRC53.1905.5; PUC Map 765]
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Dave Peters Collection
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CENTRAL VILLAGE [N&W, 1840]
The location is seen on the 1856WC map. The stop was established in 1840 in the town of Plainfield by the N&W. We suspect that there was an earlier station but we have no evidence and so have not listed it as of yet.
The location is seen on the 1856WC map. The stop was established in 1840 in the town of Plainfield by the N&W. We suspect that there was an earlier station but we have no evidence and so have not listed it as of yet.
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CHARTER OAK PARK1 [HP&F, 1874]
This stop was created for the horse-racing track and adjacent park grounds that opened in 1874. On opening, the track facilities were said to be second to none in the country, the grandstand reportedly modeled on the one at Saratoga. The 60-ft wide New Park Ave. was cited as "a good approach for driving" to be used by those not coming by train to this attraction that was said to be the pride of Hartford, even though it was just outside the city limits. Additional rail service was supposedly coming from a new station being established on the NYNH&H near the entrance to the park, likely the OAKWOOD depot. Two platforms apparently served as CHARTER OAK PARK1 and trains began stopping here thereafter for fairs and periodic special events. The 1893 map [right] clarifies the location of the park between the PARKVILLE and the ELMWOOD stops and the other map shows the streets today. [REFS: HDC/07/21/1871/02; HDC/07/30/1874/02; DC/08/17/1874/02; HDC/08/25/1874/02; HDC/06/22/1880/02; HC/02/09/1906/01]
This stop was created for the horse-racing track and adjacent park grounds that opened in 1874. On opening, the track facilities were said to be second to none in the country, the grandstand reportedly modeled on the one at Saratoga. The 60-ft wide New Park Ave. was cited as "a good approach for driving" to be used by those not coming by train to this attraction that was said to be the pride of Hartford, even though it was just outside the city limits. Additional rail service was supposedly coming from a new station being established on the NYNH&H near the entrance to the park, likely the OAKWOOD depot. Two platforms apparently served as CHARTER OAK PARK1 and trains began stopping here thereafter for fairs and periodic special events. The 1893 map [right] clarifies the location of the park between the PARKVILLE and the ELMWOOD stops and the other map shows the streets today. [REFS: HDC/07/21/1871/02; HDC/07/30/1874/02; DC/08/17/1874/02; HDC/08/25/1874/02; HDC/06/22/1880/02; HC/02/09/1906/01]
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CHARTER OAK PARK2 [NYNH&H, c1910]
The station seen in this 1916 photo looks to be similar to CEDAR HILL3 and others built in the early 1900s. It could only have stood at the end of the trolley loop along the railroad track but the 1909 map [right] shows no separate railroad station at the red arrow on the NYNH&H parcel and the the 1915 val map [middle] shows none either. The flag stop is shown on a 1914TT and it is on the official list of stations in 1928 as well. Aside from regular local traffic, Luna Park, which began operations here in the summer of 1906, the race track, and the annual Connecticut State Fair each must have drawn large numbers of rail and trolley customers who, we are left to assume, all used the single station. The NYNH&H's adjacent OAKWOOD stop, nowhere to be found on the maps either, probably was eliminated between 1895 and 1898 with the takeover of the NY&NE. Luna Park reportedly closed in 1918 and the race track shut down in 1940, according to the book Hartford Trolleys [p50]. The group in the photo is a Pratt and Whitney outing, an eerie foreshadowing of the company's later purchase of the park to move its operations here from downtown Hartford. [REFS: HC/01/24/1940/06][rev100212]
The station seen in this 1916 photo looks to be similar to CEDAR HILL3 and others built in the early 1900s. It could only have stood at the end of the trolley loop along the railroad track but the 1909 map [right] shows no separate railroad station at the red arrow on the NYNH&H parcel and the the 1915 val map [middle] shows none either. The flag stop is shown on a 1914TT and it is on the official list of stations in 1928 as well. Aside from regular local traffic, Luna Park, which began operations here in the summer of 1906, the race track, and the annual Connecticut State Fair each must have drawn large numbers of rail and trolley customers who, we are left to assume, all used the single station. The NYNH&H's adjacent OAKWOOD stop, nowhere to be found on the maps either, probably was eliminated between 1895 and 1898 with the takeover of the NY&NE. Luna Park reportedly closed in 1918 and the race track shut down in 1940, according to the book Hartford Trolleys [p50]. The group in the photo is a Pratt and Whitney outing, an eerie foreshadowing of the company's later purchase of the park to move its operations here from downtown Hartford. [REFS: HC/01/24/1940/06][rev100212]
CHASES MILLS [NYNH&H, c1900]
This apparently was a factory stop in the northwestern fringe of Waterbury in the 1900s. It appears on a list that the current NRR uses on their excursion tickets but they have been unable to identify the date of the timetable the list was based on. This grainy photo shows an old coach parked on a siding and notations in the margins indicate that this is the passenger platform here in the Waterville section of town. The NYNH&H used coaches elsewhere for industrial stops, e.g. BELAMOSE, for temporary facilities after fires, e.g. BOLTON1 and DERBY3, and for expanded facilities where needed, e.g. SCOTLAND2.
This apparently was a factory stop in the northwestern fringe of Waterbury in the 1900s. It appears on a list that the current NRR uses on their excursion tickets but they have been unable to identify the date of the timetable the list was based on. This grainy photo shows an old coach parked on a siding and notations in the margins indicate that this is the passenger platform here in the Waterville section of town. The NYNH&H used coaches elsewhere for industrial stops, e.g. BELAMOSE, for temporary facilities after fires, e.g. BOLTON1 and DERBY3, and for expanded facilities where needed, e.g. SCOTLAND2.
CHATHAM [> EAST HAMPTON]
CHENEYVILLE [> SOUTH MANCHESTER]
CHENEYVILLE [> SOUTH MANCHESTER]
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CHERRY BROOK1 [CW, c1876]
This was a CW flag station in the town of Canton. Though the photo at left seems to say 1872 in the lower right corner, this stop was not on timetables or station lists in 1871-1872 and the earliest reference to it we find is on the first of the railroad commissioners maps, issued in 1876. The 1880 appraisal of CW property by the NY&NE said there was a shed here to serve both passengers and freight and valued it at $100. The photo at top right shows a train speeding west past the small open-faced structure, the corner of which can be seen on the left above the highway-bridge guard rail over Cherry Brook which flowed alongside the station and into the Farmington River. In reporting on an accident in 1893, the newspaper said "the depot at Cherry Brook is now a thing of the past. The lordly pile now lies piled up to one side of the P. & R. track, a total wreck. This state of things is due to the fact that last Thursday night [1/5/1893] an eastbound freight train ran off the track at the Cherry Brook station and collided with the depot... This idea of having trains run into the depots is an entirely new one and is bold in its originality; we can only say 'what next?'" The bottom left shot looks west at the station in the distance, with the river on the south side of the railroad line. All three images show the jutted overhang of the front roof line which would not appear when the shattered station was rebuilt. [REFS: HDC/12/21/1871/02; RRM1876; GED1879; 1880 CW/NYNE; 1882TT: yes; HDC/01/10/1893/07; CWN/01/12/1893/03]
This was a CW flag station in the town of Canton. Though the photo at left seems to say 1872 in the lower right corner, this stop was not on timetables or station lists in 1871-1872 and the earliest reference to it we find is on the first of the railroad commissioners maps, issued in 1876. The 1880 appraisal of CW property by the NY&NE said there was a shed here to serve both passengers and freight and valued it at $100. The photo at top right shows a train speeding west past the small open-faced structure, the corner of which can be seen on the left above the highway-bridge guard rail over Cherry Brook which flowed alongside the station and into the Farmington River. In reporting on an accident in 1893, the newspaper said "the depot at Cherry Brook is now a thing of the past. The lordly pile now lies piled up to one side of the P. & R. track, a total wreck. This state of things is due to the fact that last Thursday night [1/5/1893] an eastbound freight train ran off the track at the Cherry Brook station and collided with the depot... This idea of having trains run into the depots is an entirely new one and is bold in its originality; we can only say 'what next?'" The bottom left shot looks west at the station in the distance, with the river on the south side of the railroad line. All three images show the jutted overhang of the front roof line which would not appear when the shattered station was rebuilt. [REFS: HDC/12/21/1871/02; RRM1876; GED1879; 1880 CW/NYNE; 1882TT: yes; HDC/01/10/1893/07; CWN/01/12/1893/03]
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CHERRY BROOK2 [PR&NE, 1893]
The last line of the 1893 CWN article cited above said that "a later report is that the depot has been set up again." This photo and others like it were taken after the rebuilding, with the shortened front roof line now giving the depot more of a saltbox look. The 1916 val map shows this station as simply CHERRY per the ICC's 1915 safety order that favored one-word station designations. It also seems to have this structure labeled as 'Frt Shed' and, in fact, this depot looked long enough to cover some merchandise as well as passengers in both of its incarnations. This location was the scene of numerous mishaps before and after CHERRY BROOK2 was built but the structure survived and was reportedly sold and removed in 1930 [LR]. [REFS: CWN/01/12/1893/03; NYHT/08/14/1895/09; NHER/08/18/1900/03; D24]
The last line of the 1893 CWN article cited above said that "a later report is that the depot has been set up again." This photo and others like it were taken after the rebuilding, with the shortened front roof line now giving the depot more of a saltbox look. The 1916 val map shows this station as simply CHERRY per the ICC's 1915 safety order that favored one-word station designations. It also seems to have this structure labeled as 'Frt Shed' and, in fact, this depot looked long enough to cover some merchandise as well as passengers in both of its incarnations. This location was the scene of numerous mishaps before and after CHERRY BROOK2 was built but the structure survived and was reportedly sold and removed in 1930 [LR]. [REFS: CWN/01/12/1893/03; NYHT/08/14/1895/09; NHER/08/18/1900/03; D24]
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Dave Peters Collection
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Cheshire Historical Society, Cheshire, CT
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CHESHIRE [NH&N, 1848]
The depot is marked, appropriately enough, with the letter 'C' in the shot at upper left from the 1882 Bailey bird's-eye map [click here]. Built in 1848 by the NY&NH which was then leasing the Canal line, this station looks like its cousins, SIMSBURY1 and GRANBY, both of which are still extant. The railroad commissioners said this one was remodeled in 1886. The heavy scalloped brackets were presumably replaced at that time by the stick-style ones seen in later photos and the structure was apparently expanded as well, since it looks considerably smaller on the map than it does in later shots. Many thanks to the Cheshire Historical Society [click here] for permission to use their photos posted in several listings. The newspaper item at lower right finally clarifies the fate of this depot. At age 111, it was destroyed by fire on 11/14/1959 in its last incarnation as Chipwich Caterers. [REFS: CRC34.1886.9]
The depot is marked, appropriately enough, with the letter 'C' in the shot at upper left from the 1882 Bailey bird's-eye map [click here]. Built in 1848 by the NY&NH which was then leasing the Canal line, this station looks like its cousins, SIMSBURY1 and GRANBY, both of which are still extant. The railroad commissioners said this one was remodeled in 1886. The heavy scalloped brackets were presumably replaced at that time by the stick-style ones seen in later photos and the structure was apparently expanded as well, since it looks considerably smaller on the map than it does in later shots. Many thanks to the Cheshire Historical Society [click here] for permission to use their photos posted in several listings. The newspaper item at lower right finally clarifies the fate of this depot. At age 111, it was destroyed by fire on 11/14/1959 in its last incarnation as Chipwich Caterers. [REFS: CRC34.1886.9]
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CHESHIRE JUNCTION [NYNH&H, 1902]
We are now listing this as a passenger stop, based on the recollections of a local resident whose family owned the land where the PROSPECT station once stood. He says a relative used to take the Canal line down from Massachusetts in the early 1900s and transfer to the Waterbury line at the junction and take the train to Prospect. A review of timetables at the Peters Railroad Museum in Wallingford revealed nothing about this interchange, but we did notice that this was a registry station, which meant all trains had to stop, the conductors had to sign in, and there was a day operator as well. We have underlined the D and the R in the newly added 1905 ETT at middle right. Assuming the operator did not sit on a rock by the side of the track, there must have been some kind of structure here. This interesting and somewhat mysterious location was where the MW&CR bridged the Canal line in 1888. The photos show the west [top left] and east [top center] brownstone abutments, with the Canal line track still in place in 1985. This point would become pretty active in 1902 when the junction was created by the Cheshire 'loop,' seen on the 1907TT map [top right], on the satellite map [middle left] in yellow, and on the 1915 val map [middle center] in red. The bridge over the Canal line, removed in 1925, is highlighted in yellow on the val map. Pres. John M. Hall described the loop in the 1902 annual report as "a short and inexpensive cut-off about 2,000 feet in length, which makes a direct route and furnishes frequent service between New Haven and Waterbury, two growing cities of Connecticut." Indeed, this routing cut a 75-minute trip to 50 minutes and it also made what was then the Middletown, Meriden and Waterbury RR, owned and operated by the NYNH&H, a more useful part of its system. The loop went into service on 5/18/1902, according to the ever-reliable Phil Blakeslee, who is corroborated by the Register and by the 1902 Pathfinder timetable [bottom left] and he says the loop trains were well patronized. Pres. Mellen would later testify before the ICC [click here] that, in the face of the coming trolley competition, if the railroad was unable to get financial control of the opponent, CR&L, the plan was to do battle by double-tracking the Canal line from Mt. Carmel to the loop and electrifying the line to Waterbury. Undaunted, the CR&L's local affiliate, the Cheshire Street Railway, pushed ahead to open in the fall of 1905 and, apparently thinking better of the fight by then, the railroad summarily withdrew the loop trains by October. Aside from the obviously questionable investment in a railroad line that so closely paralleled the trolley, we know neither why the fight was given up before it even started nor when the loop, around which the plan centered, was removed. The system maps apparently are not reliable since the 1902 loop does not even show up until 1905 [top right], the year the service ended, and then it stays on the maps at least until 1911! Just four years later, the val map still shows NYNH&H ownership of the loop parcels it purchased in 1902 but there is no sign of the loop itself. That is strangely at odds with TARIFFVILLE1 where the val map shows the Canal branch wye that was abandoned some 45 years earlier! Nothing about this has yet been found in the railroad commissioners records, though this kind of internal matter was probably outside their jurisdiction, and there is no mention in the newspapers about the abandonment. Registry station, operator's structure, possible transfer point, loop track, all gone without a jot, a trace, or a photo shedding any light on the enigma that was CHESHIRE JUNCTION. [REFS: NHAR31.1902.5; CRC50.1902.19; HC/01/28/1902/02; NHER/05/16/1902; Blakeslee, Lines West, p5 (Camm ed.), online click here; HC/05/07/1904/07; HC/08/02/1905/14; HC/08/11/1905/03; HC/08/17/1905/02; NYNH&H ETT42a (7/2/1905)]
We are now listing this as a passenger stop, based on the recollections of a local resident whose family owned the land where the PROSPECT station once stood. He says a relative used to take the Canal line down from Massachusetts in the early 1900s and transfer to the Waterbury line at the junction and take the train to Prospect. A review of timetables at the Peters Railroad Museum in Wallingford revealed nothing about this interchange, but we did notice that this was a registry station, which meant all trains had to stop, the conductors had to sign in, and there was a day operator as well. We have underlined the D and the R in the newly added 1905 ETT at middle right. Assuming the operator did not sit on a rock by the side of the track, there must have been some kind of structure here. This interesting and somewhat mysterious location was where the MW&CR bridged the Canal line in 1888. The photos show the west [top left] and east [top center] brownstone abutments, with the Canal line track still in place in 1985. This point would become pretty active in 1902 when the junction was created by the Cheshire 'loop,' seen on the 1907TT map [top right], on the satellite map [middle left] in yellow, and on the 1915 val map [middle center] in red. The bridge over the Canal line, removed in 1925, is highlighted in yellow on the val map. Pres. John M. Hall described the loop in the 1902 annual report as "a short and inexpensive cut-off about 2,000 feet in length, which makes a direct route and furnishes frequent service between New Haven and Waterbury, two growing cities of Connecticut." Indeed, this routing cut a 75-minute trip to 50 minutes and it also made what was then the Middletown, Meriden and Waterbury RR, owned and operated by the NYNH&H, a more useful part of its system. The loop went into service on 5/18/1902, according to the ever-reliable Phil Blakeslee, who is corroborated by the Register and by the 1902 Pathfinder timetable [bottom left] and he says the loop trains were well patronized. Pres. Mellen would later testify before the ICC [click here] that, in the face of the coming trolley competition, if the railroad was unable to get financial control of the opponent, CR&L, the plan was to do battle by double-tracking the Canal line from Mt. Carmel to the loop and electrifying the line to Waterbury. Undaunted, the CR&L's local affiliate, the Cheshire Street Railway, pushed ahead to open in the fall of 1905 and, apparently thinking better of the fight by then, the railroad summarily withdrew the loop trains by October. Aside from the obviously questionable investment in a railroad line that so closely paralleled the trolley, we know neither why the fight was given up before it even started nor when the loop, around which the plan centered, was removed. The system maps apparently are not reliable since the 1902 loop does not even show up until 1905 [top right], the year the service ended, and then it stays on the maps at least until 1911! Just four years later, the val map still shows NYNH&H ownership of the loop parcels it purchased in 1902 but there is no sign of the loop itself. That is strangely at odds with TARIFFVILLE1 where the val map shows the Canal branch wye that was abandoned some 45 years earlier! Nothing about this has yet been found in the railroad commissioners records, though this kind of internal matter was probably outside their jurisdiction, and there is no mention in the newspapers about the abandonment. Registry station, operator's structure, possible transfer point, loop track, all gone without a jot, a trace, or a photo shedding any light on the enigma that was CHESHIRE JUNCTION. [REFS: NHAR31.1902.5; CRC50.1902.19; HC/01/28/1902/02; NHER/05/16/1902; Blakeslee, Lines West, p5 (Camm ed.), online click here; HC/05/07/1904/07; HC/08/02/1905/14; HC/08/11/1905/03; HC/08/17/1905/02; NYNH&H ETT42a (7/2/1905)]
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These photos show the trolley crossing over the Canal line, north of the Cheshire railroad station and south of the MM&W bridge at CHESHIRE JUNCTION. The shots at left and middle show the remains in 1985, both of the monolithic central pier and the eastern abutment. These, plus the western abutment, are all still extant in 2012. The unattributed online photo at right looks north at a car crossing the bridge with a remnant section of the Farmington Canal running on the eastern side of the railroad line. Recollections are that the trolleymen used to let the cars roar down the incline before bringing them to a safe stop at Scott's Junction opposite Cheshire's Waverly Inn. That photo and the beautifully documented satellite map [above, middle left] were supplied by Bob Schreitmueller. Bob once lived on Peck Lane, right in the midst of all this railroad history. He watched Canal line trains going by in the late 1950s and early 1960s and has done considerable rail and trolley research on his own in this area. He also scanned the copy of Glover A. Snow's history of the MW&CR that is available online from the Wolcott Historical Society [click here]. As an update to Bob's satellite map, we visited the site recently with John Roy who later biked farther south to discover the exact point at which the loop came off the Canal line. The only correction he would make to Bob's yellow line would be to have it go further north above the two houses whose property lines may well reflect the arc of the loop itself. [rev112012]
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Connecticut Historical Society
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Connecticut Historical Society
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CHESHIRE STREET [M&W, 1888, opened as HOUGHS MILL]
The 1915 val map [click here] pinpoints the location of the Hough's Mill crossing and the station that appears on the August, 1888 timetable. The val map snippet on the left puts the station, correctly, in Cheshire, while the 1893 topographic map at top middle, with the tick mark above the C, seems to put it in Meriden. The westward-looking photo at top right shows the station beyond the mill building and on the south side of the MW&CR line. When the grade crossing just west of the mill was eliminated, the small structure was apparently moved across the track. Called CHESHIRE STREET thereafter to reflect the highway name changes in the area, it is not on our 1900TT but it is on the 1907TT, with two weekday trains stopping here daily each way. By the 1911TT, there is a lone 7:30 a.m. train from Meriden and a single 5:10 p .m. return from Dublin St., with all the intermediate stations marked as flag stops. This last train was probably run to accommodate commuting workers, especially those bound for the jewelry factory that operated here ca. 1912 when an extra car had to be put on. Rail service from Meriden to Waterbury ended in 1917 and the track came out in 1924. The lower middle photo is an enlargement of the one at lower right. The view looks east to show the station in the distance beyond the crossing of the Quinnipiac River. The val photo at lower left is dated 8/30/1916. [REFS: NHER/03/26/1890/03; R1.671; S14,26+]
The 1915 val map [click here] pinpoints the location of the Hough's Mill crossing and the station that appears on the August, 1888 timetable. The val map snippet on the left puts the station, correctly, in Cheshire, while the 1893 topographic map at top middle, with the tick mark above the C, seems to put it in Meriden. The westward-looking photo at top right shows the station beyond the mill building and on the south side of the MW&CR line. When the grade crossing just west of the mill was eliminated, the small structure was apparently moved across the track. Called CHESHIRE STREET thereafter to reflect the highway name changes in the area, it is not on our 1900TT but it is on the 1907TT, with two weekday trains stopping here daily each way. By the 1911TT, there is a lone 7:30 a.m. train from Meriden and a single 5:10 p .m. return from Dublin St., with all the intermediate stations marked as flag stops. This last train was probably run to accommodate commuting workers, especially those bound for the jewelry factory that operated here ca. 1912 when an extra car had to be put on. Rail service from Meriden to Waterbury ended in 1917 and the track came out in 1924. The lower middle photo is an enlargement of the one at lower right. The view looks east to show the station in the distance beyond the crossing of the Quinnipiac River. The val photo at lower left is dated 8/30/1916. [REFS: NHER/03/26/1890/03; R1.671; S14,26+]
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CHESTER1 [CV, 1871]
The Valley Railroad has this building in the photo as their yard office at the former site of the GOODSPEEDS passenger station. According to Max Miller, CV historian, it is the remaining portion of the 1871 CHESTER1 depot [click here] and John Roy reiterates this. This depot stood above the cove at the northeast corner of the Dock Rd. crossing, as shown on the map above. In 1874 the railroad wanted to eliminate it in favor of the LORDS FARM flag stop just to the south on the map. See both stops on the 1871 timetable. The railroad commissioners gave their approval but the town challenged the decision. The case went all the way to the state Supreme Court and the abandonment was forestalled. With an amended plan, CHESTER1 was discontinued and the railroad commissioners said that "trains now make South Chester their only stopping place in that town. This station, according to Max, closed on 11/5/1874 and went on to become part of a private residence until the remaining portion was donated back to the Valley RR. [REFS: HDC/08/25/1871/02; DC/09/15/1874/02; 41 Conn. 348; CRC22.1875.19; R40]
The Valley Railroad has this building in the photo as their yard office at the former site of the GOODSPEEDS passenger station. According to Max Miller, CV historian, it is the remaining portion of the 1871 CHESTER1 depot [click here] and John Roy reiterates this. This depot stood above the cove at the northeast corner of the Dock Rd. crossing, as shown on the map above. In 1874 the railroad wanted to eliminate it in favor of the LORDS FARM flag stop just to the south on the map. See both stops on the 1871 timetable. The railroad commissioners gave their approval but the town challenged the decision. The case went all the way to the state Supreme Court and the abandonment was forestalled. With an amended plan, CHESTER1 was discontinued and the railroad commissioners said that "trains now make South Chester their only stopping place in that town. This station, according to Max, closed on 11/5/1874 and went on to become part of a private residence until the remaining portion was donated back to the Valley RR. [REFS: HDC/08/25/1871/02; DC/09/15/1874/02; 41 Conn. 348; CRC22.1875.19; R40]
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Dave Peters Collection
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CHESTER2 [CV, 1871, opened as LORDS FARM]
This started out as a flag stop on the 1871 timetable above, a "station in the same town a short distance below" CHESTER1 on opening day [HDC/08/25/1871/02]. The first mention of the SOUTH CHESTER depot is in a newspaper article which indicates that tickets were being sold there as of July 14, 1872. A humorous incident was noted when some newlyweds were expected at this stop where a "chariot" made from a hack attached to a "couple of gaily decorated oxen" awaited to take them to their honeymoon destination. The pair mistakenly detrained at CHESTER1 and had to be transported by a gentleman named 'Bummer' to meet their wedding entourage! The controversy over which depot would remain was resolved in 1874 when this one was chosen and CHESTER1 abandoned. The photo at the lower right is CHESTER2 in its present incarnation as a private residence, its enlarged girth apparently due to pushing out the walls under the overhang and the brick facing added to the original Carpenter Gothic structure. [REFS: DC/08/14/1872/02; HDC/11/13/1872/04; HDC/10/23/1874/02; HDC/01/20/1877/04]
This started out as a flag stop on the 1871 timetable above, a "station in the same town a short distance below" CHESTER1 on opening day [HDC/08/25/1871/02]. The first mention of the SOUTH CHESTER depot is in a newspaper article which indicates that tickets were being sold there as of July 14, 1872. A humorous incident was noted when some newlyweds were expected at this stop where a "chariot" made from a hack attached to a "couple of gaily decorated oxen" awaited to take them to their honeymoon destination. The pair mistakenly detrained at CHESTER1 and had to be transported by a gentleman named 'Bummer' to meet their wedding entourage! The controversy over which depot would remain was resolved in 1874 when this one was chosen and CHESTER1 abandoned. The photo at the lower right is CHESTER2 in its present incarnation as a private residence, its enlarged girth apparently due to pushing out the walls under the overhang and the brick facing added to the original Carpenter Gothic structure. [REFS: DC/08/14/1872/02; HDC/11/13/1872/04; HDC/10/23/1874/02; HDC/01/20/1877/04]
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CHESTER3 [VRR, 1976]
The QUINNIPIACK depot was donated to the Valley RR in 1976, refurbished, placed at the site and renamed as the successor to CHESTER2, which had been moved to become a private residence some years earlier. Photo on left was taken on 8/2/2010.
The QUINNIPIACK depot was donated to the Valley RR in 1976, refurbished, placed at the site and renamed as the successor to CHESTER2, which had been moved to become a private residence some years earlier. Photo on left was taken on 8/2/2010.
CHESTNUT HILL1 [NHW&W, 1873, opened as LIBERTY HILL; B&NYAL depot, 1880]
Apparently no depot stood here until 1880, a cause of complaint to the railroad commissioners that resulted in one being built. Known first as LIBERTY HILL, the name was changed effective 11/1/1884 and, coming after the 1882 NYNH&H lease of the then-B&NYAL, it may have been to distinguish this stop from another Consolidated station, though we can think of no other such stops at that time. [REFS: RRC12.60 (5/28/1879): no depot; CRC27.1880.27; NB/04/28/1880/??; NHER/10/17/1884/04: C122: 1881TT= LH]
Apparently no depot stood here until 1880, a cause of complaint to the railroad commissioners that resulted in one being built. Known first as LIBERTY HILL, the name was changed effective 11/1/1884 and, coming after the 1882 NYNH&H lease of the then-B&NYAL, it may have been to distinguish this stop from another Consolidated station, though we can think of no other such stops at that time. [REFS: RRC12.60 (5/28/1879): no depot; CRC27.1880.27; NB/04/28/1880/??; NHER/10/17/1884/04: C122: 1881TT= LH]
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CHESTNUT HILL2 [NYNH&H, c1911?]
This second station was 100 feet east of the old location. The Air Line was straightened, relocated, and improved in a massive 1909-1911 project. We do not know if the positioning of this depot was affected by that work. [REFS: RRC12.246 (date?)]
This second station was 100 feet east of the old location. The Air Line was straightened, relocated, and improved in a massive 1909-1911 project. We do not know if the positioning of this depot was affected by that work. [REFS: RRC12.246 (date?)]
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CHEWINK [NY&NE, c1882]
The ca. 1902 railroad commissioners map at left appears to show that this was a stop east of NORTH WINDHAM. When it was created and for what purpose if any it served is unknown and we have not seen it on any timetables. A newspaper article mentions the collision of two freight trains "at Chewink turnout, Goshen," which places it in the town of Chaplin. Chewink Rd. on the present day map is the most likely location of this stop at the intersection of what is now the Air Line Rail Trail. [REFS: NHER/12/11/1882/01; CRC31.1884.19]
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The ca. 1902 railroad commissioners map at left appears to show that this was a stop east of NORTH WINDHAM. When it was created and for what purpose if any it served is unknown and we have not seen it on any timetables. A newspaper article mentions the collision of two freight trains "at Chewink turnout, Goshen," which places it in the town of Chaplin. Chewink Rd. on the present day map is the most likely location of this stop at the intersection of what is now the Air Line Rail Trail. [REFS: NHER/12/11/1882/01; CRC31.1884.19]
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