Jump to content

Poughkeepsie and Connecticut Railroad

From Alfawiki
Central New England Railway
Company typeRailroad
IndustryRail transport
Founded1899
Defunct1927
FateMerged into New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
Headquarters
Hartford, Connecticut
,
United States
Area served
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York
ProductsRail transport services

The Central New England Railway served as a rail connection between Hartford, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts, stretching westward across northern Connecticut and crossing the Hudson River via the Poughkeepsie Bridge to reach Maybrook, New York. It was an integral segment of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Route, a cooperative network that enabled passenger travel from Washington to Boston. Purchased by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (commonly known as the New Haven) in 1904, the CNE operated independently until its consolidation in 1927. By the 1930s and 1940s, most of the system had been discontinued; however, certain portions remain active today under the management of the Central New England Railroad and Housatonic Railroad.

Hartford west: 1868–1889

Incorporated on June 25, 1868, the Connecticut Western Railroad was established to construct a line from Hartford westward to the New York border, aiming to connect with the Dutchess & Columbia Railroad near Millerton, New York. The railroad reached completion on December 21, 1871, leasing the eastern segment of the D&C to gain access to the New York & Harlem Railroad at Millerton. Its only branch line extended southward into Collinsville, Connecticut, finalized in December 1874. Financial difficulties led to bankruptcy on April 27, 1880, after which it reorganized as the Hartford & Connecticut Western Railroad on March 31, 1881.

Concurrently, the Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad was chartered in New York on June 29, 1870, with plans to build a route from Rhinecliff on the Hudson River eastward to the Connecticut boundary to connect with the Connecticut Western. This line commenced operations on April 14, 1875, running from Rhinecliff east to Boston Corners, New York. Between Boston Corners and the state line, service was provided through trackage rights over the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railroad, which linked both Connecticut Western and Dutchess and Columbia at that juncture.

On July 1, 1882, ownership of the Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad transferred to Hartford & Connecticut Western, establishing an uninterrupted route from Hartford to the Hudson River. Following bankruptcy issues faced by the Poughkeepsie & Eastern in the 1880s, on January 26, 1884 H&CW acquired outright the section east of Boston Corners that had previously been accessed via trackage rights.

Poughkeepsie Bridge: 1871-1899

Multiple initiatives were proposed to replace ferrying rail cars across the Hudson River south of Albany with a permanent bridge. One early concept was introduced by the Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge Company in 1868, which planned a crossing from Anthony's Nose to Fort Clinton near where today's Bear Mountain Bridge stands.

Ultimately realized was the Poughkeepsie Bridge project. Chartered in June 1871, construction culminated with its inaugural train crossing on December 29, 1888. The Hudson Connecting Railroad (chartered in 1887) extended southwest from this bridge, while the Poughkeepsie & Connecticut Railroad (P&C) was established to proceed northeast. Unable to purchase the Poughkeepsie, Hartford & Boston Railroad outright, this company constructed a parallel P&C line that connected at Silvernails, NY. By 1889 these lines consolidated into the Central New England & Western Railroad (CNE&W), which leased control of Hartford and Connecticut Western Railroad—thereby creating a continuous route from Hartford across the Hudson River to Maybrook and Campbell Hall—a key rail junction.

In 1889, the Delaware & New England Railroad was created as a holding company for both CNE&W and the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company. The Dutchess County Railroad was chartered in 1890 to link Poughkeepsie southeastward to Hopewell Junction for connection with the New York & New England Railroad (NY&NE). Opening in 1892 provided NY&NE direct access across the bridge.

The Reading Company (RDG) took control of CNE&W and Poughkeepsie Bridge Company in January 1892, expanding its presence into New England through ownership of Pennsylvania’s Poughkeepsie & Boston Railroad. These entities merged under Philadelphia, Reading & New England Railroad (PR&NE) in August that same year but defaulted on payments by May 1893. The final restructuring resulted in establishment of the Central New England Railway (CNE) on January 12, 1899.

Central New England Railway: 1899-1927

Starting in 1899, the CNE initiated construction of a branch line stretching from Tariffville, Connecticut to Springfield, Massachusetts. Due to legal challenges posed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH), the East Granby and Suffield Railroad was established in 1901 to create a bypass loop circumventing disputed territory, linking with the Boston & Albany Railroad at Agawam Junction. This detour opened in September 1902. After NH purchased the contested land at a low cost in early 1903, CNE completed the originally planned route and commenced passenger operations by March of that year. The loop continued to be used for freight traffic only until May 1904.

In 1904, NH obtained financial control over CNE primarily to secure strategic routes connecting to the Poughkeepsie Bridge and Maybrook lines. While CNE maintained operational independence, NH assumed leasing responsibilities of the Dutchess County Railroad in December 1904 to facilitate bridge access. By June 1907, NH consolidated several lines it controlled—including the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad and the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railway—into CNE. These mergers extended CNE’s reach from Millerton southwestward to Beacon on the Hudson River and included parallel tracks near Poughkeepsie. Additionally, by 1915, former NY&NE trackage from Hopewell Junction to Danbury was transferred under CNE control.

In 1910, CNE discontinued its main line segment between Poughkeepsie and Pine Plains, opting instead for parallel routes via the Poughkeepsie & Eastern Railway and Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut Railroad. Connections were constructed at both ends of this abandoned section.

During the early 1920s, NH maintained control over access to CNE lines but limited integration with its wider network. Passengers traveling east-west were required to transfer at Campbell Hall or Waterbury stations.

The Massachusetts portion of the Springfield Branch was abandoned in 1921 after fewer than twenty years of service. In 1925, the former P&E line running northeast from Ancram Lead Mines to Boston Corners was discontinued; combined with partial abandonments on Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut lines, this left only one active route from Pine Plains into Connecticut via former Poughkeepsie and Connecticut and Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroads.

New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and successors: 1927-

On January 1, 1927, CNE was formally merged into NH. That same year, NH terminated most passenger operations on former CNE routes except for service between Copake, New York southwest through Stanfordville, Pleasant Valley, and Poughkeepsie, which persisted until at least January 1932.

Among NH’s east-west corridors, CNE featured the steepest grades; consequently, most bridge traffic was routed over former NY&NE lines to Hopewell Junction. In 1932, the segment of the former Rhinebeck & Connecticut Railroad running southeast from Copake to the state border was abandoned, effectively splitting the CNE network. In 1937, NH removed tracks between Waterbury and Southbury, severing a vital east-west link connecting mid-Hudson Valley points (Campbell Hall and Poughkeepsie) with eastern Connecticut destinations such as Willimantic.

Additional abandonments took place in 1938: the main line segment from East Canaan eastward to Tariffville was closed alongside the Springfield Branch. The main line and former Rhinebeck & Connecticut routes northeast and east of Poughkeepsie and Rhinecliff were also discontinued, as were parallel lines extending east from the state border to Lakeville. The stretch between East Canaan and Canaan was abandoned in 1940; later, in 1965, service between Lakeville and Canaan ceased.

The Hartford & Connecticut Western Railroad (H&CW), owned by NH via CNE but not merged during NH’s bankruptcy era in the mid-1930s, submitted a reorganization plan on December 31, 1937. It was ultimately absorbed into NH on September 18, 1947—alongside other properties such as the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad and Old Colony Railroad—by which time most of H&CW’s trackage had been abandoned except for its easternmost section.

By the time NH merged into Penn Central in 1969, only two portions of the original CNE remained: a western segment from Maybrook across the Poughkeepsie Bridge southeast along the Dutchess County Railroad toward former NY&NE lines; and an eastern segment reaching northern Bloomfield, CT from Hartford. The western portion formed part of what became known as the Maybrook Branch, extending eastward over former NY&NE tracks to Derby. Following closure of the Poughkeepsie Bridge on May 8, 1974, track west of Hopewell Junction on this branch was abandoned. In 1976 these remaining lines were incorporated into Conrail. Subsequently acquired by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, this segment saw operations resume under the Central New England Railroad on an 8.7-mile section called the Griffins Industrial Track beginning in January 1999. Meanwhile, a short original CNE segment in Canaan is still operated by the Housatonic Railroad, serving a limestone quarry as well as preserving service at the historic Canaan Union Depot.

References

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Poughkeepsie_and_Connecticut_Railroad&oldid=70656"