New London Northern Railroad
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | New London, Willimantic and Springfield Railroad |
| Founded | 1847 |
| Fate | Leased by Central Vermont Railroad in 1871; operations later assumed by New England Central Railroad in 1995 |
| Headquarters | New London, Connecticut , United States |
Area served | Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont |
| Parent | Central Vermont Railway (from 1871), Canadian National Railway (later), New England Central Railroad (from 1995) |
The New London Northern Railroad functioned as a rail line extending from New London, Connecticut northward to Brattleboro, Vermont, operating under the umbrella of the Central Vermont Railway. After a period of ownership by the Canadian National Railway, its management transitioned to the New England Central Railroad. Significantly, it was the sole through railroad in Connecticut that was not under the control of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
History
Initially chartered in May 1847 as the New London, Willimantic and Springfield Railroad, its purpose was to establish a connection from New London on the Long Island Sound northward through Willimantic, Connecticut to Springfield, Massachusetts. The company underwent a name change in April 1848 to become the New London, Willimantic and Palmer Railroad, shifting its northern endpoint to Palmer, Massachusetts. The railroad commenced operations in segments between 1849 and 1850, running from New London through Norwich and Willimantic up to Palmer.
A steamship service complemented the rail line by linking New London with New York City across Long Island Sound.
The Amherst and Belchertown Railroad, established in 1851 and operational by 1853 between Palmer and Amherst through Belchertown and Dwight, faced bankruptcy in 1857. It was subsequently reorganized in 1858 as the Amherst, Belchertown and Palmer Railroad.
On April 1, 1861, the New London Northern Railroad took over from the New London, Willimantic and Palmer Railroad. By 1864, it had acquired the Amherst, Belchertown and Palmer route, extending its reach northward to Amherst. By 1867, the line had expanded further to Millers Falls on the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad.
The Central Vermont Railroad leased the New London Northern on December 1, 1871, designating it as their Southern Division. This connection was facilitated through use of the Vermont Valley Railroad along with the Brattleboro Branch of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad.
The Ware River Railroad, which operated from Palmer to Winchendon between 1870 and 1873, was leased by the New London Northern until April 1873 before control shifted to the Boston and Albany Railroad.
On May 1, 1880, New London Northern acquired the Vermont and Massachusetts branch extending from Millers Falls up to Brattleboro, completing its northern expansion. Earlier that year, it had leased the narrow gauge Brattleboro and Whitehall Railroad, which provided a branch line northwest from Brattleboro to South Londonderry; this line never reached Whitehall, NY.
In 1896, ownership of Central Vermont passed to the Grand Trunk Railway; later in 1923 Grand Trunk merged into Canadian National Railway.
After declaring bankruptcy in 1905, the Brattleboro and Whitehall Railroad reorganized as the West River Railroad and converted its tracks to standard gauge.
On February 3, 1995, operations of this route from New London northward to East Alburg, Vermont were assumed by New England Central Railroad following approval by the Interstate Commerce Commission in December 1994.
Branches
- Palmertown
The Palmertown Branch extended westward from Montville, Connecticut reaching Palmertown, Connecticut.
- Fitchville
The Fitchville Branch connected west from Fitchville Junction located in northwest Norwich, Connecticut out to Fitchville, Connecticut.
- Flynt's Granite
The Flynt Granite Company maintained ownership and direct operation of the Flynt's Granite Branch Railroad, serving its quarries situated in Monson, Massachusetts.
Passenger service
Following its acquisition by the Central Vermont Railway, the NLN's passenger operations were listed as a division of CV in 20th-century schedules. Central Vermont continued to provide passenger trains along the Brattleboro–Amherst–Palmer–Norwich–New London corridor until September 27, 1947. The Mansfield station served as a convenient rail access point for the University of Connecticut located in Storrs. Passenger trains were reinstated in 1989 when Amtrak redirected the Montrealer to run over this route, initially calling at New London, Amherst, and Palmer; Willimantic was incorporated as a stop two years later in 1991. This service was discontinued once more in 1995.