New Canaan Branch
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| New Canaan Branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| New Canaan station in New Canaan, CT. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | regional rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Metro-North | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Stamford, CT to New Canaan, CT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terminals | Stamford New Canaan |
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| No. of stations | 5 (+1 proposed) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Connecticut DOT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | New Canaan RR (1868-1879) Stamford & New Canaan RR (1883-1884) NY,NH&H (1884-1969) Penn Central (1969-1971) ConnDOT (lessor 1971-1976, owner 1976-present) Metro-North (operator 1983-present) |
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| Character | Commuter rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track length | 13.2 km (8.2 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | Overhead lines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Metro North Railroad's New Canaan Branch is a short branch of their New Haven Line from a junction east of downtown Stamford, Connecticut north to New Canaan (that station pictured at right). It opened in 1868 as the New Canaan Railroad.
Contents |
[edit] Station stops
- Continues southwest to Grand Central Terminal on the New Haven Line
- Stamford (also Amtrak Acela Express, Regional and Vermonter)
- splits from New Haven Line
- Stamford East Side (as of July 2007, under consideration for this line or just past it on the New Haven line)[1]
- Glenbrook in Stamford (originally on the New Haven line; moved to the New Canaan line in the 1950s)[1]
- Springdale in Stamford
- Talmadge Hill in New Canaan
- New Canaan, the terminus
[edit] History
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It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled New Canaan Railroad. (Discuss) |
The New Canaan Railroad was chartered in May of 1866 as a short branch of the New York and New Haven Railroad. It opened July 4, 1868 when a train ran from Stamford to New Canaan.[2] Within a year of the opening of operations a branch from the NY&NH main line south in Stamford to the pier at the Pine Island Steamboat Landing was opened to allow passengers and freight to switch to steamboats running on Long Island Sound.[3] Despite such attempts to increase revenue on January 1, 1879 the company went bankrupt, and it was reorganized in 1883 as the Stamford and New Canaan Railroad. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the line on October 1, 1884, and on October 1, 1890 it was merged into the NYNH&H.
The NYNH&H was merged into Penn Central in 1969. On January 1, 1971, the State of Connecticut leased operation of passenger service along the New Canaan Branch to Penn Central for $100,000 per year. [4] On April 10, 1972 Penn Central briefly suspended off-peak service on the branch to install high-level platforms at stations.[5] In 1983 the Metro-North Commuter Railroad took over the operation of trains on the branch.[6]
Like the New Haven mainline, the entire branch is electrified. All service is provided by MNRR's Cosmopolitan EMU cars, usually a single 2- or 3-car set. Most trains operate as a shuttle between Stamford and New Canaan; a few peak trains run through to Grand Central Terminal on weekday mornings and return in the evening.
The film The Ice Storm features the New Canaan branch extensively, with M-2 cars (although dressed in Penn Central markings for the 1973 setting).
[edit] See also
- Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is the official state advocate for train commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.
- The New Canaan Branch Line Details of the railroad that has been integral to the development of Fairfield County, Connecticut, with interactive maps, photographs, and information about the rail line's history.
- List of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad precursors
[edit] Gallery
 The end of the line |
[edit] References
- Railroad History Database
- Philip C. Blakeslee, A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. (1953)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b [1]Hughes, C.J., "LIVING IN/Glenbrook, Conn. / The Little Town in the City", feature article in the Real Estate section of The New York Times, page 9, Real Estate section, July 8, 2007
- ^ About the New Canaan Branch Line. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Rosemary H. Burns. New Canaan Railroad History.
- ^ Christopher T. Baer. PRR CHRONOLOGY 1971 (June 2005 Edition). Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Christopher T. Baer. PRR CHRONOLOGY 1972 (June 2005 Edition). Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
- ^ Peter A. Cannito. On MTA Metro-North Railroad's 25th Anniversary. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
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