Jump to content

Housatonic Railroad

From Alfawiki
Housatonic Railroad Company, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryRail transport
Founded1983
FounderJohn Hanlon Jr.
Headquarters
New Milford
,
United States
Area served
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York
ProductsFreight rail transport, passenger excursions (historically)

Regional railroad: 1836–1898

The Housatonic Railroad, initially named the 'Ousatonic Railroad', received its charter in May 1836 to construct a route from Bridgeport, Connecticut heading northward to the Massachusetts border, following the Housatonic River corridor. Passenger and freight operations commenced on February 19, 1840, between Bridgeport and New Milford, with the line extending to the state boundary by December 1, 1842.

Incorporated on April 13, 1837, the Berkshire Railroad was established to continue the track north to West Stockbridge, where it connected with the West Stockbridge Railroad and the planned but never built Lee and Hudson Railroad. This segment was completed by December 1, 1842, and subsequently leased by Housatonic starting January 1, 1843.

The West Stockbridge Railroad, chartered in 1831 and formally incorporated April 5, 1836, extended westward from West Stockbridge to State Line, linking with the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad which led toward the Hudson River in New York. This line opened on August 10, 1838, and was leased by the Berkshire Railroad—and thus under Housatonic control—in 1844. Although the Western Railroad (later known as Boston and Albany) acquired the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad in 1854, the West Stockbridge Railroad remained part of Housatonic's holdings.

The last segment of the main line was created through incorporation on March 20, 1847, as the Stockbridge and Pittsfield Railroad, which branched off at Van Deusenville in Great Barrington heading north to Pittsfield. This section became operational on January 1, 1850, and was leased shortly thereafter by Housatonic.

Housatonic briefly managed the Pittsfield and North Adams Railroad, which ran north from the Western Railroad east of Pittsfield to North Adams, before returning control to Boston and Albany during the early 1870s.

The Danbury and Norwalk Railroad began service in 1852 connecting Danbury southward to Norwalk. The New York, Housatonic and Northern Railroad, chartered in 1863 to run from White Plains northeast via Danbury to Brookfield on the Housatonic line, was constructed only for the section north of Danbury. Leased by Housatonic in 1874 and fully acquired in 1881, this expansion extended Housatonic’s network. In 1887, Housatonic also leased both Danbury and Norwalk Railroads along with their branches reaching Ridgefield and Hawleyville, including an extension to Wilson Point.

The New Haven and Derby Railroad, chartered in 1864 with plans to connect New Haven westward to Derby and north to Ansonia as part of a proposed Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge route, commenced operations in 1871. Subsequent extensions linked it to Shelton and Botsford by late 1888; Housatonic assumed lease of this line in July 1889.

On July 1, 1892, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad entered into a lease agreement with Housatonic Railroad establishing its Berkshire Division, fully merging it on March 29, 1898.

New Haven's Berkshire Division: 1892–1969

By the conclusion of New Haven’s management period, sections of Housatonic’s original main line south of Botsford had been abandoned. The former New Haven branch operated solely eastward to Derby. The stretch between Brookfield and Hawleyville was also discontinued; traffic was rerouted via the Danbury branch combined with former lines of the New York and New England Railroad. While the Danbury and Norwalk route remained operational, most branches—including the original main line extending to State Line, Massachusetts—were discontinued.

Following New Haven’s merger into Penn Central on January 1, 1969, these lines were designated as follows:

Penn Central and Conrail: 1969–1983

Passenger operations ceased on April 30, 1971, just prior to Amtrak taking over Penn Central’s passenger services. The journey from Danbury to Pittsfield lasted approximately two hours and 45 minutes. By 1974, the central portion between Boardman Bridge in New Milford and Canaan, Connecticut was discontinued. This section was left out of Conrail during its 1976 formation and was acquired by the State of Connecticut. In 1982, the Boston and Maine Railroad purchased the northern stretch beyond Canaan, designating it as the Canaan Running Track. Conrail maintained operations south of New Milford until January 1, 1983, when the historic Danbury and Norwalk Railroad line was transferred to the Metro-North Commuter Railroad, becoming its Danbury Branch.

The New Housatonic Railroad (1983–present)

In 1983, John Hanlon Jr. established a new entity named the Housatonic Railroad to lease 34 miles of track owned by the State of Connecticut, extending from Boardman Bridge in New Milford northward to Canaan. Excursion services commenced in November 1984 between Canaan and just south of Cornwall Bridge at Belsprings Siding. By 1989, passenger runs reached further south into New Milford, connecting with the Boston and Maine Railroad (under the Guilford Rail System) in Canaan as well as with Conrail in New Milford. That April, Housatonic began serving a plastics manufacturing facility operated by Becton, Dickinson and Company in Canaan; however, a washout near Falls Village disrupted the line shortly thereafter and remained unrepaired for over a year.

Expansion into Massachusetts and New York

The Housatonic Transportation Company was incorporated in Delaware on January 2, 1991 as a holding company managing railroad assets such as the operating Danbury Terminal Railroad and property-owning Maybrook Properties. In that same month, Housatonic acquired Guilford trackage known as the Canaan Running Track extending north to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, establishing an interchange with Conrail.

In December 1992, the Danbury Terminal Railroad expanded its reach by acquiring Conrail tracks and rights across southwestern Connecticut and southeastern New York. Maybrook Properties purchased the former New Haven line—then called the Danbury Secondary Track—stretching from Beacon, New York to Hopewell Junction, New York, and continuing eastward from Hopewell Junction to Derby, Connecticut. The Danbury Terminal operated this Maybrook-owned rail corridor. Additionally, it secured Conrail’s former trackage rights along Metro-North's Harlem Line between White Plains, New York and Dover Plains, New York, extending further north to Wassaic, New York over tracks owned by the New York and Harlem Railroad but leased to Conrail. The company also obtained overhead trackage rights over Metro-North's Waterbury Branch, running from Derby south to Devon, Connecticut, a line freight-operated by the Providence and Worcester Railroad. Furthermore, Housatonic completed its mainline by acquiring the segment from New Milford to Berkshire Junction near Danbury. These acquisitions significantly expanded both network coverage and clientele, with operations officially commencing on January 2, 1993.

While freight customers persisted along Metro-North’s Harlem Line, HRRC initially lacked direct service privileges. Temporary forwarding of shipments via Metro-North crews originating from Danbury ceased as clients increasingly turned to trucking alternatives. On December 31, 1996, the Danbury Terminal Railroad was merged into the Housatonic Railroad.

Since 1984, the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum has operated passenger excursions between Lee and Great Barrington on tracks owned by Housatonic. After suspending services in 1989 due to track deterioration, state funding facilitated necessary upgrades. Excursion operations resumed in 2003 from the refurbished Lenox station with scheduled runs extending to Lee and Stockbridge.

2008 to present

In 2008, the Housatonic Railroad Company (HRRC) investigated the possibility of reinstating commercial passenger service between Danbury and Pittsfield, initiating a formal evaluation in May 2010. The estimated cost to upgrade the railway for passenger operations ranged from $100 million to $150 million, not including expenditures for rolling stock.

By 2011, HRRC decided against renewing its contract with Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum (BSRM) for running passenger excursion trains on its lines. According to HRRC spokesperson Colin Pease, maintaining the Berkshire Scenic Railway's use of Housatonic-owned tracks was no longer practical.

In July 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) approved the acquisition of 37 miles of the Berkshire Line from HRRC. This move aimed to enhance rail connectivity toward New York City by improving both passenger and freight services linking Massachusetts and Connecticut. The transaction was completed in February 2015.

On October 14, 2020, a tragic incident occurred in North Canaan, Connecticut, when a HRRC maintenance vehicle struck and fatally injured an employee. This event prompted an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

In June 2021, Metro-North Railroad filed to terminate HRRC’s trackage rights over New York’s Beacon Line and sought abandonment of the line. In response, HRRC submitted a formal objection to this proposal.

See also

References

General
  • Scott Hartley, The new Housatonic Railroad, Trains, October 1994
  • Philip C. Blakeslee, A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co., 1953, Catskill Archive
  • Railroad Retirement Board, Employer Status Determinations for Danbury Terminal Railroad Company, Maybrook Properties Incorporated, and Housatonic Transportation Company
  • Surface Transportation Board decision FD_33310_0, Housatonic Railroad Company, Inc.--Corporate Family Transaction Exemption—Danbury Terminal Railroad Company, December 27, 1996

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Housatonic_Railroad&oldid=65601"