Track 12: CT Passenger Stations, L
See TCS Home Page links for notes, abbreviations, and sources.
Use link for CTTRAXMAP on Track 11 to locate stations, rail and trolley lines, and POIs.
Use link for CTTRAXMAP on Track 11 to locate stations, rail and trolley lines, and POIs.
LAKE1 [SRR, c1875?]
This stop was about 2.5 miles west of LITCHFIELD in the town of that name. It was not an original stop on the Shepaug RR when it opened in 1872. The first appearance on a timetable that we have seen is 1882 but, in the vague manner of the day, there are hints that trains may have been stopping here at least as early as 1875. No photo.
This stop was about 2.5 miles west of LITCHFIELD in the town of that name. It was not an original stop on the Shepaug RR when it opened in 1872. The first appearance on a timetable that we have seen is 1882 but, in the vague manner of the day, there are hints that trains may have been stopping here at least as early as 1875. No photo.
Dave Peters Collection
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LAKE2 [SRR, 1889]
The railroad commissioners say in their 1889 annual report that "a new shelter station has been erected during the past year at Lake station," and that probably means, as Lord says, this was the second to be built here. A NYNH&H real estate card has 1875 for the build date of this one, but that was probably for the earlier structure. Like other railroads, the SV took advantage of lakes and ponds as sources of winter revenue. Bantam Lake did the honors here. Lord says that tons of the frozen product were stored in a 700x125-ft ice house here that was 30 feet high and was reached by a spur track just north of this station. [REFS: PTH426.1875.18; CRC37.1889.22; D147]
The railroad commissioners say in their 1889 annual report that "a new shelter station has been erected during the past year at Lake station," and that probably means, as Lord says, this was the second to be built here. A NYNH&H real estate card has 1875 for the build date of this one, but that was probably for the earlier structure. Like other railroads, the SV took advantage of lakes and ponds as sources of winter revenue. Bantam Lake did the honors here. Lord says that tons of the frozen product were stored in a 700x125-ft ice house here that was 30 feet high and was reached by a spur track just north of this station. [REFS: PTH426.1875.18; CRC37.1889.22; D147]
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LAKE SALTONSTALL [NH&NL, 1852?]
This station was in the town of East Haven at a popular recreational spot near the Branford border. According to Hughes, a platform for ice harvesting from the 'mill pond' was put up when the NH&NL opened in 1852, and by 1856 when the "ice skating craze swept over the country, the cars brought crowds of skaters to the lake." It was then that the Lake Saltonstall name came into use for this body of water. According to the ad at right, this location was the eight minutes walking time from the EAST HAVEN station. Unless the photographer took the photo at upper left from (or in!) the water, the view looks north and puts the station the west shore of the lake, which means the 1893 map showing it on the east side is probably incorrect. The suggested walk, probably along the railroad track since no direct roadway access is seen otherwise, would have been a dangerous one. The safer mode of travel would have been the two daily trains each way during the summer season of 1892 for passengers wishing to enjoy the hiking, picnicking and boating on the lake. Somewhere between our 1894 and 1907 timetables, this stop is no longer listed, though seasonal, flag-stop or special-train service may still have been available for LAKE SALTONSTALL. [REFS: HDC/01/27/1854/02; HDC/01/09/1860/02; HDC/10/21/1871/02; DC/09/21/1875/02; Sarah E. Hughes, History of East Haven, p130]
This station was in the town of East Haven at a popular recreational spot near the Branford border. According to Hughes, a platform for ice harvesting from the 'mill pond' was put up when the NH&NL opened in 1852, and by 1856 when the "ice skating craze swept over the country, the cars brought crowds of skaters to the lake." It was then that the Lake Saltonstall name came into use for this body of water. According to the ad at right, this location was the eight minutes walking time from the EAST HAVEN station. Unless the photographer took the photo at upper left from (or in!) the water, the view looks north and puts the station the west shore of the lake, which means the 1893 map showing it on the east side is probably incorrect. The suggested walk, probably along the railroad track since no direct roadway access is seen otherwise, would have been a dangerous one. The safer mode of travel would have been the two daily trains each way during the summer season of 1892 for passengers wishing to enjoy the hiking, picnicking and boating on the lake. Somewhere between our 1894 and 1907 timetables, this stop is no longer listed, though seasonal, flag-stop or special-train service may still have been available for LAKE SALTONSTALL. [REFS: HDC/01/27/1854/02; HDC/01/09/1860/02; HDC/10/21/1871/02; DC/09/21/1875/02; Sarah E. Hughes, History of East Haven, p130]
LAKEVILLE1 [CW, 1871]
This stop was established in the town of Salisbury when the CW opened in 1871. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW assets said this station was in good condition and valued it at $1500. No photo of this first station.
This stop was established in the town of Salisbury when the CW opened in 1871. The 1880 NY&NE appraisal of CW assets said this station was in good condition and valued it at $1500. No photo of this first station.
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LAKEVILLE2 [CNE&W, 1891]
The curious thing about this station is that the nomination form for the 1996 NRHP designation says it was built in 1871 as the original CW depot in this village, but Nimke and others say it was put up in 1891 and replaced LAKEVILLE1. According to our research, this station and SALISBURY1 were virtually identical but, through an oddly misfortunate coincidence, we probably do not have a photo of either one! Supporting the assertion that this is the second station here is the fact that the 1891 CNE&W still-extant Stanfordville, NY station looks exactly like this one. We continue to search for answers! [REFS: D48,49,73; N3.97; R61]
The curious thing about this station is that the nomination form for the 1996 NRHP designation says it was built in 1871 as the original CW depot in this village, but Nimke and others say it was put up in 1891 and replaced LAKEVILLE1. According to our research, this station and SALISBURY1 were virtually identical but, through an oddly misfortunate coincidence, we probably do not have a photo of either one! Supporting the assertion that this is the second station here is the fact that the 1891 CNE&W still-extant Stanfordville, NY station looks exactly like this one. We continue to search for answers! [REFS: D48,49,73; N3.97; R61]
LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER1 [HRR, c1865]
While the RRMs use the original name of LANESVILLE exclusively, the railroads changed it to the dual name in 1888 and used that until 1914 when it became simply STILL RIVER. This is a situation, unique we think in the state, where two depot structures had three names and served as stations in four distinct locations and, if simplification is even possible, we have consolidated all the entries here to try to trace this unique evolution. First of all, this was not an original passenger stop on the HRR and so it does not appear on the various timetables we have through 1864, but by 1868 the railroad commissioners were ordering repairs to a depot at LANESVILLE and it does appear as a flag stop on our 1883TT. Late in 1885 the newspaper reported that "the Housatonic railroad company are to move the Lanesville station up near the silica mills in order to save stopping their trains twice, for all freight trains have to stop at both places." This appears to mean that all trains were making an additional freight stop at the mills operated by the Bridgeport Wood Finishing Co., a flourishing manufacturer of paints and wood sealants located about a quarter mile north. The building of a road for the public to get to the new location came at municipal expense and, though the newspaper commented "Our taxes are heavy enough now," the prosperity of BWF as a major local employer seems to have won the day. The abandonment was permitted by the commissioners in 1888. We lucked out in finding the New Milford map of that very year showing the 'Flag Station' still at the first location. According to the newspaper, the old depot itself was moved north, and it is seen in the BWF ad in our next entry. [REFS: RRC6.11 (5/16/1868); CWN/11/29/1872/02; 1883TT; CWN/10/14/1885/03; RRC19.135 (7/30/1888); NMG/09/07/1888/02]
While the RRMs use the original name of LANESVILLE exclusively, the railroads changed it to the dual name in 1888 and used that until 1914 when it became simply STILL RIVER. This is a situation, unique we think in the state, where two depot structures had three names and served as stations in four distinct locations and, if simplification is even possible, we have consolidated all the entries here to try to trace this unique evolution. First of all, this was not an original passenger stop on the HRR and so it does not appear on the various timetables we have through 1864, but by 1868 the railroad commissioners were ordering repairs to a depot at LANESVILLE and it does appear as a flag stop on our 1883TT. Late in 1885 the newspaper reported that "the Housatonic railroad company are to move the Lanesville station up near the silica mills in order to save stopping their trains twice, for all freight trains have to stop at both places." This appears to mean that all trains were making an additional freight stop at the mills operated by the Bridgeport Wood Finishing Co., a flourishing manufacturer of paints and wood sealants located about a quarter mile north. The building of a road for the public to get to the new location came at municipal expense and, though the newspaper commented "Our taxes are heavy enough now," the prosperity of BWF as a major local employer seems to have won the day. The abandonment was permitted by the commissioners in 1888. We lucked out in finding the New Milford map of that very year showing the 'Flag Station' still at the first location. According to the newspaper, the old depot itself was moved north, and it is seen in the BWF ad in our next entry. [REFS: RRC6.11 (5/16/1868); CWN/11/29/1872/02; 1883TT; CWN/10/14/1885/03; RRC19.135 (7/30/1888); NMG/09/07/1888/02]
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LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER2 [HRR, 1888]
The 1888 site for the old LANESVILLE depot structure was closer to the confluence of the Still and Housatonic Rivers where the factory had relocated from its namesake city in 1881 to take advantage of the water power of the Great Falls [click here]. The 1893 topo map shows the village of Lanesville and the red arrow shows the new location of the station. Arguments that included an intended bridge over the track at the new location also support the relocation as a safety move, but it is unclear to us how that would have been true unless the old crossing was eliminated. It seems as though that was never done and the bridge wasn't built either, at least not until much later. But the access road was put in and by December, 1888 the Lanesville correspondent for the New Milford Gazette said "The depot has been moved to the Silica works to the regret of many inhabitants living around here." A more formal HRR announcement said that the old location would now be known as Lanesville siding and would be used for train meets, some car-load freight, and mail service for the village post office, while the relocated station would handle passenger traffic, the area's substantial milk shipments, and, of course, BWF. A 1914 newspaper article would later say that this depot had been "constructed from a freight car or two." That may mean either from the lumber or, more literally, fashioned from a car body which may be possibly be seen in this structure's simple lines, uncharacteristic of other HRR depots. In recognition of the relocation, HRR timetables begin to call this stop LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER and this carried over to the NYNH&H in 1892, the era of the BWF ad. Touting the proximity of the factory to the railroad, the sketch looks north and shows the station on the east side of the track, flanked by BWF buildings. The covered bridge in the distance is for the railroad's crossing of the Still River. With newspapers giving some unhelpfully inconsistent date information, a 1:00 a.m. fire, probably on 8/15/1904, was reported to have damaged the interior and the north part of the station after a semaphore signal lantern exploded. BWF workers living on the factory property came with a hose from a company hydrant and saved the structure, with the south part used as the depot thereafter. The loss was stated variously as four hundred to "several hundred" dollars. [REFS: RRC6.11 (5/16/1868); CWN/10/14/1885/03; RRC19.135 (7/30/1888); NMG/09/14/1888/04; NMG/10/05/1888/02; NMG/12/07/1888/02, supp; 1883TT; HC/08/16/1904/15; DEN/08/18/1904/10; NMG/08/19/1904/03; 1923TT]
The 1888 site for the old LANESVILLE depot structure was closer to the confluence of the Still and Housatonic Rivers where the factory had relocated from its namesake city in 1881 to take advantage of the water power of the Great Falls [click here]. The 1893 topo map shows the village of Lanesville and the red arrow shows the new location of the station. Arguments that included an intended bridge over the track at the new location also support the relocation as a safety move, but it is unclear to us how that would have been true unless the old crossing was eliminated. It seems as though that was never done and the bridge wasn't built either, at least not until much later. But the access road was put in and by December, 1888 the Lanesville correspondent for the New Milford Gazette said "The depot has been moved to the Silica works to the regret of many inhabitants living around here." A more formal HRR announcement said that the old location would now be known as Lanesville siding and would be used for train meets, some car-load freight, and mail service for the village post office, while the relocated station would handle passenger traffic, the area's substantial milk shipments, and, of course, BWF. A 1914 newspaper article would later say that this depot had been "constructed from a freight car or two." That may mean either from the lumber or, more literally, fashioned from a car body which may be possibly be seen in this structure's simple lines, uncharacteristic of other HRR depots. In recognition of the relocation, HRR timetables begin to call this stop LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER and this carried over to the NYNH&H in 1892, the era of the BWF ad. Touting the proximity of the factory to the railroad, the sketch looks north and shows the station on the east side of the track, flanked by BWF buildings. The covered bridge in the distance is for the railroad's crossing of the Still River. With newspapers giving some unhelpfully inconsistent date information, a 1:00 a.m. fire, probably on 8/15/1904, was reported to have damaged the interior and the north part of the station after a semaphore signal lantern exploded. BWF workers living on the factory property came with a hose from a company hydrant and saved the structure, with the south part used as the depot thereafter. The loss was stated variously as four hundred to "several hundred" dollars. [REFS: RRC6.11 (5/16/1868); CWN/10/14/1885/03; RRC19.135 (7/30/1888); NMG/09/14/1888/04; NMG/10/05/1888/02; NMG/12/07/1888/02, supp; 1883TT; HC/08/16/1904/15; DEN/08/18/1904/10; NMG/08/19/1904/03; 1923TT]
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Archives & Spec. Colls, UConn
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LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER3 [NYNH&H, 1905?]
This dormered, combination station, with small freight platform and stub-ended siding, was built most likely in 1905. That it was on the west side of the Berkshire Division track is apparent with the flat terrain in the background, in stark contrast to hilly area seen behind the earlier station which was on the east side. The 1905 NYNH&H annual report, issued in June, confirms the fact that a new station was built here, perhaps partially as a result of the 1904 fire but, curiously, no mention of the construction or the change of location, southward again almost back to where it started, has been found in the newspapers. The only reference we came across is in May, 1905, when wrangling yet again over highway improvements led to the comment that the Consolidated road had "spent thousands of dollars in giving us one of the nicest depots of its kind to be found anywhere on the Berkshire Division" and roads should be built to better serve it. How could a new depot be planned and built with no mention beforehand and no progress reports in the newspaper? Did it appear magically? Where were the railroad commissioners hearings? The 8/15/1907 wreck in the photo at upper right at least corroborates the appearance of the depot at that time. The railroad's annual reports for 1913 and 1914 mention that the double-tracking and realignment through Brookfield and New Milford was to include the "remodeling and relocation of the present Still River station," which we cover in our next entry. The 1912 real estate map at lower left shows the location of the 1905 station, the layout of the grounds, and the coming new alignment passing right through the depot, hence the reason it had to be moved. The shot at lower right shows a train going under the Lanesville Rd. overpass that was part of the improvements of 1913. The photo shows a rail car parked on the old main just beyond the bridge where the 1905 depot stood. The highway overpass was probably removed when today's Still River Drive was built and dwindling rail traffic did not justify a new bridge. A freak auto mishap in 1975 reported a car dangling two-thirds of the way off the side of the bridge. No one was injured but the young driver was fined for going too fast for the wet road conditions. Penn Central was contacted to replace the guardrail that was knocked to the tracks below. The image at bottom left is a snapshot from our CTTRAXMAP and shows all four station locations and the quarter-mile distance within which they stood. [REFS: CRC53.1905.26; NHAR35.1905.7; NMG/05/26/1905/04; DEN/08/15/1907/04; NHAR42.1913.11; NHAR43.1914.21; HC/11/09//1974/28C; HC/05/14/1975/51D]
This dormered, combination station, with small freight platform and stub-ended siding, was built most likely in 1905. That it was on the west side of the Berkshire Division track is apparent with the flat terrain in the background, in stark contrast to hilly area seen behind the earlier station which was on the east side. The 1905 NYNH&H annual report, issued in June, confirms the fact that a new station was built here, perhaps partially as a result of the 1904 fire but, curiously, no mention of the construction or the change of location, southward again almost back to where it started, has been found in the newspapers. The only reference we came across is in May, 1905, when wrangling yet again over highway improvements led to the comment that the Consolidated road had "spent thousands of dollars in giving us one of the nicest depots of its kind to be found anywhere on the Berkshire Division" and roads should be built to better serve it. How could a new depot be planned and built with no mention beforehand and no progress reports in the newspaper? Did it appear magically? Where were the railroad commissioners hearings? The 8/15/1907 wreck in the photo at upper right at least corroborates the appearance of the depot at that time. The railroad's annual reports for 1913 and 1914 mention that the double-tracking and realignment through Brookfield and New Milford was to include the "remodeling and relocation of the present Still River station," which we cover in our next entry. The 1912 real estate map at lower left shows the location of the 1905 station, the layout of the grounds, and the coming new alignment passing right through the depot, hence the reason it had to be moved. The shot at lower right shows a train going under the Lanesville Rd. overpass that was part of the improvements of 1913. The photo shows a rail car parked on the old main just beyond the bridge where the 1905 depot stood. The highway overpass was probably removed when today's Still River Drive was built and dwindling rail traffic did not justify a new bridge. A freak auto mishap in 1975 reported a car dangling two-thirds of the way off the side of the bridge. No one was injured but the young driver was fined for going too fast for the wet road conditions. Penn Central was contacted to replace the guardrail that was knocked to the tracks below. The image at bottom left is a snapshot from our CTTRAXMAP and shows all four station locations and the quarter-mile distance within which they stood. [REFS: CRC53.1905.26; NHAR35.1905.7; NMG/05/26/1905/04; DEN/08/15/1907/04; NHAR42.1913.11; NHAR43.1914.21; HC/11/09//1974/28C; HC/05/14/1975/51D]
Dave Peters Collection
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Columbia University
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New Milford Historical Society
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LANESVILLE AND STILL RIVER4 [NYNH&H, 1914]
The first report of changes coming here was early in 1913 when the Courant said that "the Still River passenger and freight station in this town will be abandoned and a new passenger station put up on the western side of the tracks, about 300 feet north of the present depot, while the new freight station, on the opposite side of the tracks, will be about 1000 feet north of the present location." An article in August revised this to say that the PUC had approved the NYNH&H's petition to "substitute a new combination passenger and freight station at a new location" on the abandonment of the present stations, the figurative plural misleading since the 1905 station was a single, combination depot. The plan for dual stations was probably given up to cut costs but even greater economy was at work since the 'new' station apparently was the 1905 depot relocated north and positioned on the opposite side of the track. The val photo at upper left is dated 9/15/1916 and shows the remodeled depot lengthened with double freight doors seen at the far end. The 1934 aerial photo at upper middle shows the relocated station at the lower red arrow, still with the dormer but it is now facing away from the track, and what may be the earlier station standing at the upper arrow. The red arrows in the sky shot at lower middle point to the same positionings. The 1915 val map at lower left shows the station on the east side of the new line and the former main dead-ended at the river and retained as a spur to serve BWF. An interesting detail to note is that, unlike the 1905 footprint, the remodeled depot shows agent's bay outcroppings on both sides of the station, likely because adding a new one facing the track was easier than spinning the station around. Amazingly, no news articles, even in the by-then, eight-page New Milford Gazette, have yet been found that bear witness to events that surely must have drawn crowds of onlookers. How, for example, was the station moved? One suggestion is that the Berkshire rails were greased and the structure was pulled by horse, iron or otherwise. Compounding the confusion, the Danbury News said that the station being abandoned was the one "made from a freight car or two," showing no knowledge at all of the 1905 depot. According to the Gazette, the 'new' station was first used on 2/13/1914 but, with some ever dissatisfied, it said that "people are wondering why it was moved so much nearer to New Milford, making it about as easy to walk to New Milford as to take the train." Slight exaggeration perhaps, but certainly in keeping with the almost comical sequence of events and relocations here! What is only one more miscue among so many is that the val map has 'BP' instead of 'FP' on the footprint, indicating erroneously that it was a brick passenger station when the val photo shows it was a frame structure. The image on the envelope at upper right, unfortunately, does not show a train running behind the BWF complex but it does give some idea of the extent of what had become a world-renowned manufacturer of paints and finishes by the early 1900s. BWF later morphed into Lithowhite Silex Co. and, as the mineral became harder to find on the property and profits turned to losses, the land and valuable Housatonic River water rights were sold to CL&P in 1927. Notes in the copious collection of railroad materials at the New Milford Historical Society [click here] say that Still River "disappeared forever on 9/26/1926." Slightly contradicting that, we find it still in the Official List of 1928 but not on public timetables thereafter. The photo at lower right was taken on a 10/22/2011 field trip. The view looks north along the 1913 alignment, later single-tracked and in use by today's HRR, and it shows the Still River bridge abutments for the old main just to the east. Many thanks to NMHS for their assistance and to New Milford Public Library [click here] for their several courtesies and the use of the NMG microfilm, by far the most complete copy in the state. [REFS: HC/03/14/1913/03; HC/08/08/1913/05; DN/02/11/1914/11; NMG/02/20/1914/05] [rev032213]
The first report of changes coming here was early in 1913 when the Courant said that "the Still River passenger and freight station in this town will be abandoned and a new passenger station put up on the western side of the tracks, about 300 feet north of the present depot, while the new freight station, on the opposite side of the tracks, will be about 1000 feet north of the present location." An article in August revised this to say that the PUC had approved the NYNH&H's petition to "substitute a new combination passenger and freight station at a new location" on the abandonment of the present stations, the figurative plural misleading since the 1905 station was a single, combination depot. The plan for dual stations was probably given up to cut costs but even greater economy was at work since the 'new' station apparently was the 1905 depot relocated north and positioned on the opposite side of the track. The val photo at upper left is dated 9/15/1916 and shows the remodeled depot lengthened with double freight doors seen at the far end. The 1934 aerial photo at upper middle shows the relocated station at the lower red arrow, still with the dormer but it is now facing away from the track, and what may be the earlier station standing at the upper arrow. The red arrows in the sky shot at lower middle point to the same positionings. The 1915 val map at lower left shows the station on the east side of the new line and the former main dead-ended at the river and retained as a spur to serve BWF. An interesting detail to note is that, unlike the 1905 footprint, the remodeled depot shows agent's bay outcroppings on both sides of the station, likely because adding a new one facing the track was easier than spinning the station around. Amazingly, no news articles, even in the by-then, eight-page New Milford Gazette, have yet been found that bear witness to events that surely must have drawn crowds of onlookers. How, for example, was the station moved? One suggestion is that the Berkshire rails were greased and the structure was pulled by horse, iron or otherwise. Compounding the confusion, the Danbury News said that the station being abandoned was the one "made from a freight car or two," showing no knowledge at all of the 1905 depot. According to the Gazette, the 'new' station was first used on 2/13/1914 but, with some ever dissatisfied, it said that "people are wondering why it was moved so much nearer to New Milford, making it about as easy to walk to New Milford as to take the train." Slight exaggeration perhaps, but certainly in keeping with the almost comical sequence of events and relocations here! What is only one more miscue among so many is that the val map has 'BP' instead of 'FP' on the footprint, indicating erroneously that it was a brick passenger station when the val photo shows it was a frame structure. The image on the envelope at upper right, unfortunately, does not show a train running behind the BWF complex but it does give some idea of the extent of what had become a world-renowned manufacturer of paints and finishes by the early 1900s. BWF later morphed into Lithowhite Silex Co. and, as the mineral became harder to find on the property and profits turned to losses, the land and valuable Housatonic River water rights were sold to CL&P in 1927. Notes in the copious collection of railroad materials at the New Milford Historical Society [click here] say that Still River "disappeared forever on 9/26/1926." Slightly contradicting that, we find it still in the Official List of 1928 but not on public timetables thereafter. The photo at lower right was taken on a 10/22/2011 field trip. The view looks north along the 1913 alignment, later single-tracked and in use by today's HRR, and it shows the Still River bridge abutments for the old main just to the east. Many thanks to NMHS for their assistance and to New Milford Public Library [click here] for their several courtesies and the use of the NMG microfilm, by far the most complete copy in the state. [REFS: HC/03/14/1913/03; HC/08/08/1913/05; DN/02/11/1914/11; NMG/02/20/1914/05] [rev032213]
LAUREL [> BENVENUE]
LAWRENCE [> COLEBROOK]
LEAVENWORTH MILLS [> STEPNEY1]
LAWRENCE [> COLEBROOK]
LEAVENWORTH MILLS [> STEPNEY1]
LEBANON1 [NLN, 1849]
[REFS: W37: small, like NTown?, $300, auth 9/3/1850]
[REFS: W37: small, like NTown?, $300, auth 9/3/1850]
LEBANON2 [CVT, 1877]
[REFS: CRC24.1877.18]
[REFS: CRC24.1877.18]
LEETES ISLAND1 [NYNH&H, c1880]
Double tracking was completed from New London to here by June, 1891 and work from here to New Haven was in progress thereafter. No photo. [REFS: NHER/04/01/1880/01; NYH/07/30/1882/07; NHAR20.1891.4]
Double tracking was completed from New London to here by June, 1891 and work from here to New Haven was in progress thereafter. No photo. [REFS: NHER/04/01/1880/01; NYH/07/30/1882/07; NHAR20.1891.4]
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LEETES ISLAND2 [NYNH&H, 1898]
This saltbox-style structure was noted in the railroad commissioners report for 1898. [REFS: CRC46.1898.19]
This saltbox-style structure was noted in the railroad commissioners report for 1898. [REFS: CRC46.1898.19]
LEETES ISLAND3 [NYNH&H, 1938]
The article in The Branford Review that we found about the pending demolition of BRANFORD3 said that the railroad intended to replace that station with a small shelter like the one here. Hence, we have added a listing for a third station here that we assume looked similar to BRANFORD4 and probably also came in the wake of the 1938 hurricane. [REFS: BR/08/17/1939/01]
The article in The Branford Review that we found about the pending demolition of BRANFORD3 said that the railroad intended to replace that station with a small shelter like the one here. Hence, we have added a listing for a third station here that we assume looked similar to BRANFORD4 and probably also came in the wake of the 1938 hurricane. [REFS: BR/08/17/1939/01]
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LEONARDS BRIDGE [NHM&W, 1873]
Stop established in the town of Lebanon by the NHM&W in 1873. [REFS: NHER/06/04/1888/01]
Stop established in the town of Lebanon by the NHM&W in 1873. [REFS: NHER/06/04/1888/01]
LIBERTY HILL [> CHESTNUT HILL]
LILY LAKE [> SOUTH KENT]
LILY LAKE [> SOUTH KENT]
Dave Peters Collection
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LIME ROCK1 [HRR, 1871]
An examination of timetables shows that this was not an original stop on the HRR. The "new Lime Rock Depot" was reported by the Pittsfield Sun to be "nearly completed" early in 1871 and said to be intended to take pressure off the FALLS VILLAGE depot in the handling of the "large business" of the Barnum Richardson Co. The company's co-founder, William H. Barnum, would become HRR president on 2/23/1872 and hold the office for many years, last serving in 1888 and exiting when New York interests got control of the HRR. This depot burned in 1914. [REFS: PS/02/02/1871/01; CWN/07/28/1871/02; PS/02/29/1872/02; CWN/04/30/1903/04: Borden's creamery; D80; R54]
An examination of timetables shows that this was not an original stop on the HRR. The "new Lime Rock Depot" was reported by the Pittsfield Sun to be "nearly completed" early in 1871 and said to be intended to take pressure off the FALLS VILLAGE depot in the handling of the "large business" of the Barnum Richardson Co. The company's co-founder, William H. Barnum, would become HRR president on 2/23/1872 and hold the office for many years, last serving in 1888 and exiting when New York interests got control of the HRR. This depot burned in 1914. [REFS: PS/02/02/1871/01; CWN/07/28/1871/02; PS/02/29/1872/02; CWN/04/30/1903/04: Borden's creamery; D80; R54]
LIME ROCK2 [NYNH&H, 1915]
MERWINSVILLE2 was moved here in 1915.
MERWINSVILLE2 was moved here in 1915.
LISBON [> JEWETT CITY/H]
LITCHFIELD/N1 [NRR, 1849]
The original station was built when this stop was established by the NRR in 1849 and we assume that it looked like ANSONIA1 and NAUGATUCK1. Though the 1854LC map has this area labeled properly as East Litchfield, the stop on the NRR was LITCHFIELD. According to an article in the Courant, a new depot was built here in 1875. The railroad commisioners say nothing about this nor do any other newspapers, so what happened to LITCHFIELD1 - fire is the usual culprit - is not yet known. Hopefully an NRR annual report is lurking somewhere to clear this up. [REFS: HDC/08/06/1875/03]
The original station was built when this stop was established by the NRR in 1849 and we assume that it looked like ANSONIA1 and NAUGATUCK1. Though the 1854LC map has this area labeled properly as East Litchfield, the stop on the NRR was LITCHFIELD. According to an article in the Courant, a new depot was built here in 1875. The railroad commisioners say nothing about this nor do any other newspapers, so what happened to LITCHFIELD1 - fire is the usual culprit - is not yet known. Hopefully an NRR annual report is lurking somewhere to clear this up. [REFS: HDC/08/06/1875/03]
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LITCHFIELD/N2 [NRR, 1875]
This station is newly found to have been built in 1875. It would become EAST LITCHFIELD some time between our 1890 and 1894TTs, shortly after the NYNH&H leased the NRR in 1887. One would think the renaming would have only happened in 1898 when the NYNH&H got control of the Shepaug RR and added another LITCHFIELD to its list of stations but the name was always appropriate for the depot that served the eastern part of this town. The 1916 val photo reflects the changes made in 1911 that included the realignment of track, the elimination of grade crossings, and even the re-channeling of the Naugatuck River flowing just to the east. The language of the day called even a slight relocation an 'abandonment' but, as we have seen elsewhere, it was the location that was abandoned, not the stop or even the station building. It looks to us like it was moved to a new foundation that gave it a higher profile, with concrete curbing and a new roof the finishing touches. This station, along with several others on the old NRR from Waterbury to Winsted, lost passenger service in 1926. [REFS: HC/02/02/1911/05; HC/02/09/1911/07; HC/02/25/1911/14; HC/03/25/1911/06; HC/06/20/1926/A12]
This station is newly found to have been built in 1875. It would become EAST LITCHFIELD some time between our 1890 and 1894TTs, shortly after the NYNH&H leased the NRR in 1887. One would think the renaming would have only happened in 1898 when the NYNH&H got control of the Shepaug RR and added another LITCHFIELD to its list of stations but the name was always appropriate for the depot that served the eastern part of this town. The 1916 val photo reflects the changes made in 1911 that included the realignment of track, the elimination of grade crossings, and even the re-channeling of the Naugatuck River flowing just to the east. The language of the day called even a slight relocation an 'abandonment' but, as we have seen elsewhere, it was the location that was abandoned, not the stop or even the station building. It looks to us like it was moved to a new foundation that gave it a higher profile, with concrete curbing and a new roof the finishing touches. This station, along with several others on the old NRR from Waterbury to Winsted, lost passenger service in 1926. [REFS: HC/02/02/1911/05; HC/02/09/1911/07; HC/02/25/1911/14; HC/03/25/1911/06; HC/06/20/1926/A12]
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LITCHFIELD/S [SRR, 1871]
Train travel in the hinterlands didn't get much more elegant than at the Shepaug station in Litchfield center, the shire town for the county with its magnificent views of the surrounding area. The Courant reported in July, 1871 that the 25x75-ft Gothic structure was being built and in August that it was nearly completed, with the second story intended for railroad offices. Rails for the line on the north end, it said, were being carted from the NRR's Litchfield station and when the Shepaug was finished, the article continued, it would make the county seat "more easily accessible and do away with the necessity of a six mile stage route to the hill," meaning the steep trek that Conn. Rte. 118 still makes today. And so it did for nearly 80 years before the Shepaug was abandonded in 1948. The photo at upper left is a Benton and Drake from the 1930s. The upper middle and right are probably from the turn of the century, and the real estate map at middle left shows the layout of the facilities in 1922. With passenger service declining, the second story and the wings were removed and the remainining portion turned 90 degrees, probably in 1941, as seen in the photo at lower middle. The shot at lower right shows recent addition on the south end as what is left of the original station continues in commercial use. [REFS: HDC/07/31/1871/04; HDC/08/01/1871/02; WH/09/08/1871/02; DN/07/03/1872/02; D145; R62]
Train travel in the hinterlands didn't get much more elegant than at the Shepaug station in Litchfield center, the shire town for the county with its magnificent views of the surrounding area. The Courant reported in July, 1871 that the 25x75-ft Gothic structure was being built and in August that it was nearly completed, with the second story intended for railroad offices. Rails for the line on the north end, it said, were being carted from the NRR's Litchfield station and when the Shepaug was finished, the article continued, it would make the county seat "more easily accessible and do away with the necessity of a six mile stage route to the hill," meaning the steep trek that Conn. Rte. 118 still makes today. And so it did for nearly 80 years before the Shepaug was abandonded in 1948. The photo at upper left is a Benton and Drake from the 1930s. The upper middle and right are probably from the turn of the century, and the real estate map at middle left shows the layout of the facilities in 1922. With passenger service declining, the second story and the wings were removed and the remainining portion turned 90 degrees, probably in 1941, as seen in the photo at lower middle. The shot at lower right shows recent addition on the south end as what is left of the original station continues in commercial use. [REFS: HDC/07/31/1871/04; HDC/08/01/1871/02; WH/09/08/1871/02; DN/07/03/1872/02; D145; R62]
LOCKWOODS [> NOROTON]
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LOFTY CREST [NYNH&H, c1900]
This was a small flag station on the NRR in Watertown, above WATERVILLE and below JERICHO. We found the upper left photo accompanying a news story about the discovery of a man's decomposed body at what was said to be an abandoned station. The building was described as "15 feet square, of brick with a solid stone underpinning." Since there was no opening "in the cellar," it was necessary to tear away a large portion of the flooring to get the body out. The report states further that "a crowd of the morbidly curious, including many boys of supposedly tender age filled the building and greatly hampered the work of the Coroner and his assistants." The 1915 val map corroborates that abandoned status and clarifies the location of the stop as just below Frost Bridge Rd. Assuming the streets have not been altered significantly, the today map [lower left] shows the station at the red X. Mt. Tobe, just across the river, might well have provided the 'lofty crest' as some kind of local attraction that caused a railroad stop to be created but we also wonder if the station was somehow connected with the cable railroad that the NRR operated to quarry stone from the mountain. That odd piece of track has been noted before on the 1892 topo map and we have sketched it onto the today map as well. Both the cable railroad and LOFTY CREST are tantalizing mysteries we would like to know more about. [REFS: WA/07/27/1909/00][rev032213]
This was a small flag station on the NRR in Watertown, above WATERVILLE and below JERICHO. We found the upper left photo accompanying a news story about the discovery of a man's decomposed body at what was said to be an abandoned station. The building was described as "15 feet square, of brick with a solid stone underpinning." Since there was no opening "in the cellar," it was necessary to tear away a large portion of the flooring to get the body out. The report states further that "a crowd of the morbidly curious, including many boys of supposedly tender age filled the building and greatly hampered the work of the Coroner and his assistants." The 1915 val map corroborates that abandoned status and clarifies the location of the stop as just below Frost Bridge Rd. Assuming the streets have not been altered significantly, the today map [lower left] shows the station at the red X. Mt. Tobe, just across the river, might well have provided the 'lofty crest' as some kind of local attraction that caused a railroad stop to be created but we also wonder if the station was somehow connected with the cable railroad that the NRR operated to quarry stone from the mountain. That odd piece of track has been noted before on the 1892 topo map and we have sketched it onto the today map as well. Both the cable railroad and LOFTY CREST are tantalizing mysteries we would like to know more about. [REFS: WA/07/27/1909/00][rev032213]
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Trumbull Historical Society
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Trumbull Historical Society
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LONG HILL [HRR, 1840?]
This stop was originally called BEERS MILL and possibly dates to the 1840 opening of the HRR, though it does not appear on early timetables, as was sometimes the case with minor stations. The stop was named for the grist mill that operated here on the Pequonnock River and both station and mill are seen on the 1874 map [upper left]. The map also shows the celebrated landmark, Parlor Rock [see P stations], just to the north of the depot. An 1851 HRR Fourth of July broadside lists BEERS MILL as a stop, though it is unclear if it was a station manned by an agent by that time and it later appears under the name LONG HILL, a flag station, on an 1883TT. We do not know if this structure dated back to 1840 or if it was preceded by another depot. The shot at upper middle looks westward toward the station, probably at the turn of the century. The val photo [upper right] is dated 1916 and the shot at lower left shows the corner of the freight house, across Beers Mill Rd., at the red arrow. The freight house still stands in 2012 on Rte. 25 in Monroe by the old post office, another smallish structure, and it became one of the first Subway sandwich shops in the area, according to Bernie Sippin, former owner of the property who remembers the move. The 1915 val map [lower middle], annotated by our friends at the Trumbull Historical Society [click here], shows the arrangement of the station grounds at the time. The freight bills at lower right date from after the NYNH&H 1892 takeover of the HRR. Beers Mill Rd. is Whitney Ave. today and the old station platform site is a major access point for the HRR right of way that is now a popular recreational trail. Click here for more. THS has verified that, after passenger service ended in 1932, this station was dismantled and reassembled as a residence on nearby Moose Hill Rd. in Monroe, where it still stands in 2013. Many thanks to Kevin Daly and Bill Bracco for their interest and enthusiasm in 'tracking' this down. We wonder if there was any newspaper coverage and would appreciate hearing if anyone has an article on this locally historic event. According to Monroe land records, it was 1937 for the move, but we have a 1940 inventory of NYNH&H railroad properties that lists the Long Hill passenger station, with rented tenements, as to be disposed of. So now we at least know what was going on upstairs! We are told by THS that credit for preserving information about the move goes to the late Michael "Mickey" Sciortino, a first-generation Italian-American and well-known Long Hill resident who avidly researched Trumbull history. Born in 1907 and still active in business and civic affairs until he passed away in 2006 at the enviable age of 99, Mickey donated his material and photo collection to THS where his memory and his labors are treasured today. [REFS: HDC/09/11/1874/01; HDC/07/21/1875/04; HDC/08/26/1875/04; HDC/12/05/1876/02][rev032213]
This stop was originally called BEERS MILL and possibly dates to the 1840 opening of the HRR, though it does not appear on early timetables, as was sometimes the case with minor stations. The stop was named for the grist mill that operated here on the Pequonnock River and both station and mill are seen on the 1874 map [upper left]. The map also shows the celebrated landmark, Parlor Rock [see P stations], just to the north of the depot. An 1851 HRR Fourth of July broadside lists BEERS MILL as a stop, though it is unclear if it was a station manned by an agent by that time and it later appears under the name LONG HILL, a flag station, on an 1883TT. We do not know if this structure dated back to 1840 or if it was preceded by another depot. The shot at upper middle looks westward toward the station, probably at the turn of the century. The val photo [upper right] is dated 1916 and the shot at lower left shows the corner of the freight house, across Beers Mill Rd., at the red arrow. The freight house still stands in 2012 on Rte. 25 in Monroe by the old post office, another smallish structure, and it became one of the first Subway sandwich shops in the area, according to Bernie Sippin, former owner of the property who remembers the move. The 1915 val map [lower middle], annotated by our friends at the Trumbull Historical Society [click here], shows the arrangement of the station grounds at the time. The freight bills at lower right date from after the NYNH&H 1892 takeover of the HRR. Beers Mill Rd. is Whitney Ave. today and the old station platform site is a major access point for the HRR right of way that is now a popular recreational trail. Click here for more. THS has verified that, after passenger service ended in 1932, this station was dismantled and reassembled as a residence on nearby Moose Hill Rd. in Monroe, where it still stands in 2013. Many thanks to Kevin Daly and Bill Bracco for their interest and enthusiasm in 'tracking' this down. We wonder if there was any newspaper coverage and would appreciate hearing if anyone has an article on this locally historic event. According to Monroe land records, it was 1937 for the move, but we have a 1940 inventory of NYNH&H railroad properties that lists the Long Hill passenger station, with rented tenements, as to be disposed of. So now we at least know what was going on upstairs! We are told by THS that credit for preserving information about the move goes to the late Michael "Mickey" Sciortino, a first-generation Italian-American and well-known Long Hill resident who avidly researched Trumbull history. Born in 1907 and still active in business and civic affairs until he passed away in 2006 at the enviable age of 99, Mickey donated his material and photo collection to THS where his memory and his labors are treasured today. [REFS: HDC/09/11/1874/01; HDC/07/21/1875/04; HDC/08/26/1875/04; HDC/12/05/1876/02][rev032213]
LORDS FARM [> CHESTER2]
LOVETTS [> VERSAILLES1]
LOVETTS [> VERSAILLES1]
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LYMAN VIADUCT1 [NHM&W, 1873]
We have no photo yet of this station. Holding its place is an early shot of the viaduct itself. This impressive structure was 1100 feet long and 137 feet high and is still standing though it was buried in a 1913 fill operation that was almost as impressive as the original construction. The viaduct was completed in 1873 for the crossing of Dickinson Creek and the adjacent ravine. Often said to be in East Hampton, the entire structure is seen on the 1915 val map as being immediately over the Colchester border and entirely in that town. The red arrows mark the abutments on either end of the viaduct and the red circle farther to the east is the station itself. This engineering feat was named for David Lyman, the pioneering promoter of the NHM&W. Later reorganized as the B&NYAL, this line was touted as part of the shortest and potentially fastest route between Boston and New York, the adverse grades and the curves that made it somewhat less than an 'air line' notwithstanding. As Richard Fleischer points out, even with the shortest distance between terminals, the Air Line route did not ultimately offer any speed advantage. He cites an 1888 study in Scientific American of the fastest passenger trains between most of the principal cities of the US. All three routes between New York and Boston offered six-hour trains: Boston & Albany at 234 miles, NY&NE at 213 miles, and Shore Line at 229 miles. Average speed of the fastest train/all trains: B&A, 39.0/35.4 mph; NY&NE, 35.5/31.1 mph; SL, 38.2/32.7 mph. Average distance between stopping stations: B&A, 33.5 miles; NY&NE, 53 miles; SL, 32.7 miles. Trains each way per day: B&A, 4; NY&NE, 5; SL, 4. Still, the distance advantage of the Air Line route was not lost on the NYNH&H when it later got control of both the B&NYAL and the NY&NE, but plans to straighten it and reduce the grades were judged too costly and New York-Boston traffic was left predominantly to the Shore Line. [REFS: SA/09/08/1888/148]
We have no photo yet of this station. Holding its place is an early shot of the viaduct itself. This impressive structure was 1100 feet long and 137 feet high and is still standing though it was buried in a 1913 fill operation that was almost as impressive as the original construction. The viaduct was completed in 1873 for the crossing of Dickinson Creek and the adjacent ravine. Often said to be in East Hampton, the entire structure is seen on the 1915 val map as being immediately over the Colchester border and entirely in that town. The red arrows mark the abutments on either end of the viaduct and the red circle farther to the east is the station itself. This engineering feat was named for David Lyman, the pioneering promoter of the NHM&W. Later reorganized as the B&NYAL, this line was touted as part of the shortest and potentially fastest route between Boston and New York, the adverse grades and the curves that made it somewhat less than an 'air line' notwithstanding. As Richard Fleischer points out, even with the shortest distance between terminals, the Air Line route did not ultimately offer any speed advantage. He cites an 1888 study in Scientific American of the fastest passenger trains between most of the principal cities of the US. All three routes between New York and Boston offered six-hour trains: Boston & Albany at 234 miles, NY&NE at 213 miles, and Shore Line at 229 miles. Average speed of the fastest train/all trains: B&A, 39.0/35.4 mph; NY&NE, 35.5/31.1 mph; SL, 38.2/32.7 mph. Average distance between stopping stations: B&A, 33.5 miles; NY&NE, 53 miles; SL, 32.7 miles. Trains each way per day: B&A, 4; NY&NE, 5; SL, 4. Still, the distance advantage of the Air Line route was not lost on the NYNH&H when it later got control of both the B&NYAL and the NY&NE, but plans to straighten it and reduce the grades were judged too costly and New York-Boston traffic was left predominantly to the Shore Line. [REFS: SA/09/08/1888/148]
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Copyright NHRHTA
LYMAN VIADUCT2 [NYNH&H, 1906]
This depot stood at the east end of viaduct on the south side of the track, as presumably did its predecessor. Click here for the 1915 val map. The top two photos look west with the viaduct out of sight beyond the station. The shot at middle left shows a westbound train approaching the station and not coming off the viaduct as it might appear. Behind the train is, in fact, the bridge, seen on the val map, that once allowed Bull Hill Rd. to pass under the tracks. That bridge was probably taken out with the removal of the tracks and a parking area at the old station site now serves those wishing to enjoy the Air Line Rail Trail. With its spectacular views, this station was a popular picnic destination for civic and religious groups in the late 1800s. The station area plan on the data sheet at lower left shows 1906 build date.
This depot stood at the east end of viaduct on the south side of the track, as presumably did its predecessor. Click here for the 1915 val map. The top two photos look west with the viaduct out of sight beyond the station. The shot at middle left shows a westbound train approaching the station and not coming off the viaduct as it might appear. Behind the train is, in fact, the bridge, seen on the val map, that once allowed Bull Hill Rd. to pass under the tracks. That bridge was probably taken out with the removal of the tracks and a parking area at the old station site now serves those wishing to enjoy the Air Line Rail Trail. With its spectacular views, this station was a popular picnic destination for civic and religious groups in the late 1800s. The station area plan on the data sheet at lower left shows 1906 build date.
LYME1 [NH&NL, 1852]
This stop was established in the town of Old Lyme in 1852 when the NH&NL opened and the location is seen on the 1854NL map. A newspaper article in 1872 said important changes were being made to the right of way between this and the CONNECTICUT RIVER depot on the opposite shore. In some ways this may have been the culmination of the work in building the 1870 bridge across the river that enabled the discontinuance of the ferry that had run since the NH&NL opened. The other major river crossing, the Thames, would not be bridged until 1889, each feat making the Shore Line a more competitive route to Boston. We have no photo yet of LYME1. [REFS: C/10/23/1872/02]
This stop was established in the town of Old Lyme in 1852 when the NH&NL opened and the location is seen on the 1854NL map. A newspaper article in 1872 said important changes were being made to the right of way between this and the CONNECTICUT RIVER depot on the opposite shore. In some ways this may have been the culmination of the work in building the 1870 bridge across the river that enabled the discontinuance of the ferry that had run since the NH&NL opened. The other major river crossing, the Thames, would not be bridged until 1889, each feat making the Shore Line a more competitive route to Boston. We have no photo yet of LYME1. [REFS: C/10/23/1872/02]
LYME2 [NYNH&H, 1875]
We moved this photo here because it is more likely LYME2 than LYME1, with the ca. 1880 tower in the distance. The Courant said in 1875 that the plans had been drawn up and the contract awarded "for the erection of a large depot at Lyme proper" and that, as soon as it was free of frost, ground would be broken for the foundation. The railroad commissioners mention in their 1876 annual report that a new depot needed here had been completed and "it was all that could be required." [REFS: HDC/03/30/1875/04; CRC23.1876.21]
We moved this photo here because it is more likely LYME2 than LYME1, with the ca. 1880 tower in the distance. The Courant said in 1875 that the plans had been drawn up and the contract awarded "for the erection of a large depot at Lyme proper" and that, as soon as it was free of frost, ground would be broken for the foundation. The railroad commissioners mention in their 1876 annual report that a new depot needed here had been completed and "it was all that could be required." [REFS: HDC/03/30/1875/04; CRC23.1876.21]
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LYME AND BLACK HALL [NYNH&H, 1907]
This station replaced the separate LYME2 and BLACK HALL2 depots in Old Lyme in 1907. Even before this, the railroad had begun to petition for combining closely adjacent stops. Permission was refused here earlier in 1906 until the need to change the right of way for the new Connecticut River bridge was factored in and approval was given later in the year. At 2,000 feet west of the old BLACK HALL station, the new location at Way's Crossing was about midway between the two older depots. LYME AND BLACK HALL was "nearing completion" in April, 1907. The NYNH&H annual report of June, 1909 said that "new or increased facilities" had been provided during the year at Lyme. [REFS: RRC38.15,17,30 (4/16/1906); HC/03/13/1906/17; HC/04/20/1907/17; HC/07/27/1907/17; NHAR38.1909.7; SL16.2.9]
This station replaced the separate LYME2 and BLACK HALL2 depots in Old Lyme in 1907. Even before this, the railroad had begun to petition for combining closely adjacent stops. Permission was refused here earlier in 1906 until the need to change the right of way for the new Connecticut River bridge was factored in and approval was given later in the year. At 2,000 feet west of the old BLACK HALL station, the new location at Way's Crossing was about midway between the two older depots. LYME AND BLACK HALL was "nearing completion" in April, 1907. The NYNH&H annual report of June, 1909 said that "new or increased facilities" had been provided during the year at Lyme. [REFS: RRC38.15,17,30 (4/16/1906); HC/03/13/1906/17; HC/04/20/1907/17; HC/07/27/1907/17; NHAR38.1909.7; SL16.2.9]
