|
********************
SACHEMS HEAD1
SACHEMS HEAD1. The Register reported
in 1859 that... "a new depot is to be established on the Railroad near the Sachem's Head House," a summer resort,
said later to be in a location "where no mosquito biteth and every scene delighteth." The hotel had just been purchased
by H.L. Scranton who also owned the Tontine Hotel in New Haven. This news was apparently worthy enough to be picked up by
Maine's Augusta Chronicle, which said that the hotel was "situated one mile
from the 'Sachems Head Station,' on the Providence and Stonington RR, on which guests have the privilege of Excursion
tickets at half price to and from the Tontine Hotel." It was the NYP&B, in fact, that was running the line at this
time and apparently willing to establish a new stop to increase business. A depot was also mentioned in an 1861 newspaper
article, though the limited and seasonal nature of the stop seems to account for the lack of a timetable
listing until 1890. For reasons given below, we do not think we have a photo of the referenced first structure
that stood here. Nothing shows on the Beers map for this stop in 1868, though small flag stops, especially seasonal ones,
were often overlooked. [REFS: AC/05/11/1859/02; CR/05/07/1859/02; CR/09/07/1861/04; SR/04/21/1863/04][add2/13]
********************
SACHEMS HEAD2
|
| Leroy Roberts Collection |
SACHEMS HEAD2. The Register
reported in June, 1883 that "the depot platform at Sachem Head is nearly completed" and we presume that the 'platform' included the ornate
structure seen here. It is identical to PINE ORCHARD1 that has an 1888 date on
one photograph and, since that stop was not established until around 1878 and it is fair
to assume that the two structures were built by the same person, the one pictured here likely dates to the late 1870s or 1880s.
The shot on the right predates the double-tracking of 1892-1894 and the one on the left,
with the fencework reversed, is captioned in one source as 1899. That fence detail may indicate that this structure was moved
after the improvements were completed. The real estate map at lower left shows what we think was the old location north of
the track [red arrow] and the 1894 position south of the track [blue arrow]. [REFS: NHER/06/12/1883/04][map,rightadd2/12]
********************
SACHEMS
HEAD3
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SACHEMS HEAD3 was reported by the railroad commissioners
to have been built in 1901. Interestingly, a NYNH&H real estate record card says that the station seen here was built
in 1894, perhaps based on the erroneous assumption that this station was built with the improvements of that year. This station
was sold for $20 to N.P. Whitmore on 5/3/1930, according to those same records. The val map to the left shows the arrangement
of the depot grounds in 1915. The image at upper left is from a card postmarked 3/22/1906. At lower left is a grainy copy
of a 1916 valuation photo. [REFS:
CRC49.1901.19; HC/10/29/1901/05; AFE26286 (1930)]
********************
SADDS MILL
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SADDS MILL. This was a flag stop in the town of Ellington on the 1876
CC branch from MELROSE to WEST STREET where it intersected with the Rockville RR. [REFS: RAM1908]
********************
SALISBURY1
|
| Salisbury Association |
|
| Salisbury Association |
SALISBURY1. The newspaper said the original depot here was nearly finished in late 1871.
[add12/7>] The 1880 NY&NE appraisal
of CW assets said the passenger station here was in good condition and valued it at $1400.>]A recent visit to the Scoville Library and the famed Salisbury Association [click here] put us in touch with Katherine Chilcoat, the energetic town historian who is never too busy to be called on for research
assistance. In going through the photos, we chanced upon this one. While similar in size and shape to all the other photos
of the depot here, this one has differences in the chimney, roof line, braces, eaves and corner downspouts. We are going out
on yet another limb in offering that this may be the only photo we have ever seen of the 1871 station. This depot is reported
to have burned around the turn of the century and, assuming we are correct, this piece of evidence now makes
that date after the October, 1902 that was handwritten by D. Oakes, a local merchant and amateur photographer.
We have not been able to corroborate the burning of this station, which escaped the serious fire of 1903 that took several
buildings to the east. [REFS: HDC/12/14/1871/02;
CW/NYNE1880; HC/04/06/1903/02; A35; D47; R87]
********************
SALISBURY2
SALISBURY2. A
number of sources say that the second station here was brought over from New York after the first station burned. It has always
struck us as a little like an urban legend for one has to wonder why a station was torn down on the other side of the Hudson
River, loaded on a flat car, brought across the Poughkeepsie Bridge, and reassembled here. The Historic Resources Inventory
for Salisbury says that the replacement came from St. Elmo, NY but other sources say Berea, NY. Surprisingly, nothing has
yet been found in the newspapers about this supposed event. In any case, virtually all the photos we have appear to be of
the second station and the earliest postmark on any of the lot is October, 1908. That gives a range from 10/1902 to 10/1908
for the fire and the move from New York. If anyone has any information that would put this matter to rest and, even better,
explain the unusual circumstances involved, we would appreciate hearing from you ASAP. This one is killing us! [REFS: A9;
R87][lowleft add10/30]
********************
SANDY HOOK
|
| Copyright NHRHTA, Inc. All rights reserved |
|
| Copyright NHRHTA, Inc. All rights reserved |
|
| Connecticut Historical Society |
SANDY HOOK
was another of the stations that Leman Oatman, the prolific Hartford contractor, built for the NY&NE on the line west
of Waterbury in 1881. It was the large type, virtually identical to SOUTHBURY and SOUTHFORD [see S stations]. The middle
right photo shows the coal facility for the helper engines that were fueled
here. The lower photo is the crossing of the Housatonic River just east of
this station. The photo shows the dismantling of the bridge in 1948 after the ICC gave permission to abandon the former NY&NE
trackage between Hawleyville and Southbury. The photo does not illustrate the station here, but it showcases the engineering
feats that made Connecticut's railroads a reality and, of course, the passage
of time in which much of that accomplishment was dismantled. [REFS: D140]
********************
SANFORD1
SANFORD1. This was an original
D&N flag stop in the town of Redding, appearing on an 1853TT and with the location shown on the 18656FC map. The station
was hit by the up freight on 8/11/1891 "going at a high rate of speed" through
an open switch and "completely demolished" the depot. The engine only received minor damage but the five loaded
freight cars were wrecked and one that was thrown across the main blocked traffic for two hours. We have not yet found a picture
of this station. [REFS: DN/03/28/1883/00box; NHER/08/11/1891/01; P17; SL17.2.12]
********************
SANFORD2
|
| Max Miller Collection |
SANFORD2. The 1915 val map shows the station, highlighted in yellow, on the west side of the old D&N main. The name apparently had already been changed
to TOPSTONE by that time. [REFS: HC/06/09/1892/02; NHER/06/09/1892/04; RAM08]
********************
SAUGATUCK
[> WESTPORT]
********************
SAYBROOK1
SAYBROOK1. This stop in the town of Old Saybrook was established with
the opening of the NH&NL in 1852. The location is seen on the 1859MC map.
We have not yet found a photograph of this depot.
********************
SAYBROOK2
SAYBROOK2 was a small shed that the CV used for a station here on opening in 1871. It may have burned and in some
ways prompted the building of a union station with the Shore Line in 1873.
********************
SAYBROOK3
|
| Robert Lingane Collection |
SAYBROOK3. Also called OLD
SAYBROOK for the town in which it stood and seen on timetables as SAYBROOK JUNCTION after the Connecticut Valley RR opened
in 1871. The newspaper said in 1872 that SAYBROOK3 was to be built where SAYBROOK2 stood and it was to be similar
to STRATFORD1. Minus the gable, it
was, though it was wedge-shaped with a wing to serve each road as a union station, standing in the southwest quadrant
at the diamond. An early 1873 Palladium article said it opened
on 2/17/1873 and the railroad commissioners corroborate the year in their next annual report. The station still
stands today in 2011 serving Amtrak, Shore Line East, and also the reborn Valley RR when it meets main line trains in
season. In the middle left shot, the locomotive heads east past the new water tower that has replaced its brick-enclosed predecessor. Richard Fleischer notes that the Courant
gives some interesting details in 1874 about
the locomotive watering operation here, claiming that the old structure held 23,230 gallons of water in the interior wooden
tank and cost as much as SAYBROOK3 and the freight houses for both railroads combined. The Saybrook diamond came out in 1922 and
the west leg of the wye was removed in 1925 [MM]. The val photo at bottom left is dated 4/23/1937. [REFS:
HDC/09/24/1872/04; DC/10/16/1872/02; NHDP/02/01/1873/04; NHDP/02/17/1873/04; HDC/09/03/1874/04; CRC21.1874.19]
********************
SAYBROOK POINT1
SAYBROOK POINT1 was at the water's edge
of the long steamboat terminal. That end of the building was wrecked more than once by trains running into it. The first
time was in 1872 when five freight cars on a flying switch kept going and pushed a parked passenger/smoking car completely
through the station's sitting room so that the end of the car hung out over the water. The differences in newspaper reporting
are interesting. The Courant said this was a "slight accident" and $500 would
cover the damages. The Middletown Daily Constitution, closer to the scene and probably
more reliable, said everything in the room was pushed into the water, the depot was "seriously injured," and that
repairs would cost $2,000. No one, fortunately, was hurt. Another incident was in July of 1916, thereafter causing the decommissioned
FENWICK depot [see F stations] to be moved to do the honors here. The postcard at lower left was mailed in 1914. [REFS: HDC/08/25/1871/02; DC/10/09/1872/02; HDC/10/10/1872/02; HC/09/08/1916/07]
********************
SAYBROOK POINT2
SAYBROOK POINT2 is seen on the left in the photo. It was the reassigned
FENWICK station building that was moved here to replace SAYBROOK POINT1, seen at the yellow highlighting
on the val map. The replacement structure would be situated at the red arrow.
Steamboat service lasted until 1931 but the railroad stopped running to this point in 1922.
SAYBROOK POINT2 served thereafter as a casino until it was torn down [MM].
********************
SCANTIC [>
EAST WINDSOR]
********************
SCITICO [→ HAZARDVILLE]
********************
SCOTCH CAP
Later CVT stop in the town
of Waterford. [REFS: HDC/09/27/1869/04]
********************
SCOTLAND [EAST
HARTFORD] >
EAST WINDSOR
********************
SCOTLAND [BLOOMFIELD] > NORTH BLOOMFIELD
********************
SCOTLAND1 [SCOTLAND]
SCOTLAND1. This HP&F stop was east of Willimantic and is seen on some timetables as
WALDO'S. The 1856WC map shows the location, which was just over the Franklin town border. We do not have any picture of a station earlier than the one shown below.
That one may actually have been SCOTLAND1 with a passenger coach added later instead of building a new station here. [REFS:
C131]
********************
SCOTLAND2 [SCOTLAND]
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SCOTLAND2. The railroad commissioners
say that a new small station building was erected here in 1899 and the val photo at upper left must be it. Another copy of this photo that we have seen says it is a ca. 1900 and
also shows the coach already in place as the passenger station. The other two photos seem to show the building abandoned.
[REFS:CRC47.1899.31]
********************
SEYMOUR1
SEYMOUR1. The location of the 1849 NRR station
is shown on the 1856NH map [OHS]. Note also the long siding with the reverse curve down to the Humphreys Ville Mfg. Co. The
importance of this operation and the local family saw the town first called HUMPHREYSVILLE, even on the first railroad timetables.
By 1858, the listing is for SEYMOUR. [REFS: 1851, 1858TT]
********************
SEYMOUR2
|
| Library of Congress |
|
| Leroy Roberts Collection |
SEYMOUR2. This cleverly created combination station is seen on the 1879 Bailey panoramic
map [click here]. Thie view of shows how the two-story head house was grafted onto the older 1849 station. It was reported
in the newspaper that the 30x34-ft space in the original depot was now to be used for freight. [HDC/08/05/1867/08]
********************
SEYMOUR3
|
| Leroy Roberts Collection |
|
| Copyright Howard's Hobby |
SEYMOUR3. This station was of the hip-roof design that the NYNH&H favored after
the salt-box style ca. 1900. One newspaper said the new depot was almost finished
in late July, 1898 but the Naugatuck Daily News, closer to home, pinpoints the
opening to October 24, saying that "lighted by electric lights, it made a very handsome appearance... not only because
it is an ornament to the town but because it was something greatly needed." The paper credited the Hon. Carlos French,
a railroad director, for his influence on fellow board members in seeing the earlier "old barn of a station removed,"
something that he had been wanting done for several years. The photo at lower right
is reportedly a 1960s shot of this station, which some have said was torn down on 2/30/1953. Of course, there
is no February 30, even in a leap year, and the real estate card clarifies that it was the coversheds north and south of the
station that were removed on 3/30/1953. The newspaper, said "that the canopy of the Seymour railroad station
is to be removed, following out the treatment given the Naugatuck station and others in the area... Just a program of railroad
modernization with a view toward beautification and elimination of traffic hazards..." While it is not quite clear to
us how removing canopies that shielded passengers from the rain was an improvement in either comfort or safety, SEYMOUR3 seems
to have withstood the hurricanes of 1955 and survived to a still yet undetermined date. Valley rail service was never restored to pre-flood levels
and had deteriorated to the point of using buses from 7/31/1978 because of bad track. The revival on 12/10/1979 was part of
a $750G state investment in rail service that included the purchase of 13 new SPV cars for use on the three branch lines.
[REFS: CRC46.1898.19;
CWN/07/28/1898/03: NDN/10/28/1898/02; HC/09/18/1952/02; NDN/01/31/1953/04; HC/12/07/1979/04; R88]
********************
SEYMOUR4
SEYMOUR4. [REFS: R88]
********************
SHAILERVILLE [> ARNOLDS]
********************
SHAKER STATION
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SHAKER STATION was the last Connecticut Central stop in the state, about three miles south of the Massachusetts line. The CC opened in 1876. The residential-style
depot served the religious community that settled the area [click here] in the town of Enfield in the 1780s.
********************
SHELDON STREET
|
| Max Miller Collection |
SHELDON STREET. This was a stop established in the town of Suffield on the CNE's Springfield branch. Coincidentally,
it stood at the northerly spot where the short-lived, $100,000 East Granby and Suffield RR rejoined the main line. See TARIFFVILLE3
for more on the story of how the CNE was forced to build the EG&S loop and later abandoned it as part of the Montague Farm
controversy. The PUC inspection photo appears to be dated 10/9/1929 and shows the small waiting shed in the distance, on the
east side of the track and north of the overpass for Sheldon St. that was 5.7 miles north of Tariffville. As of 1927, the
CNE was merged into the NYNH&H and this line was known as the Tariffville branch. [add12/6]
********************
SHELDONS [>
ALLINGS CROSSING]
********************
SHELTON1
SHELTON1 was established as an NH&D station in what was a borough within the town of Huntington in 1888. Space
was rented in the basement of a structure adjacent to the track. According to the newspaper, it was not elegant but it was
large, clean, comfortable and convenient. [REFS: NB/04/05/1889/02]
********************
SHELTON2
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SHELTON2. This depot was built by the NYNH&H after the takeover
of the NH&D/HRR in 1892. The structure was razed in the 1970s. [REFS: R89]
********************
SHEPAUG1
SHEPAUG1. This appears to
have been an early, if not an original, stop on the SRR in the town of Southbury and it first is seen on
an 1875 timetable. The information cited in the next entry makes it very likely that there was a structure here before the
second station was built.
********************
SHEPAUG2
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SHEPAUG2. A real estate card in the Brady collection
at Litchfield Historical Society says that the station, presumably the one shown in the 1916 val photo, was
not built until 1897 and it burned on 8/20/1927. The location has been under
water since the building of the Stevenson Dam and the creation of Lake Zoar in 1917.
********************
SHORE LINE JUNCTION [> TIN BRIDGE]
********************
SIMSBURY1
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SIMSBURY1.
The location is seen on the 1855HC map. This was the first station in town, built by the NY&NH ca. 1849 during the period
when it was the lessee of the Canal road. The style is similar to depots the NY&NH built at AVON and GRANBY. In 1874 when
newly independent
Canal road built SIMSBURY3,
this structure was thereafter used as its freight depot. It is seen as such in all these shots, including the 1916 val photo. The grainy panorama at upper right shows SIMSBURY1 on
the far right and, moving to the left, the CW freight house (without the overhanging eave), the old wooden water tank, and
the CW station in the lower left. Behind it, barely noticeable in the distance, is SIMSBURY3. SIMSBURY1 still stands off Hopmeadow
St. in 2010 close to its original location, as seen in the lower right shot. [REFS: D20+; N3.21; R89]
********************
SIMSBURY2
SIMSBURY2. This
town was among those where progress "was in a more backward state" in terms of initial depot construction when the
CW opened late in 1871. There was apparently nothing
but a platform here until May, 1873, when the Winsted Herald reported that "the
Conn. Western railroad have just erected a huge and commodious depot at the corner of Phelps Avenue and Railroad street, and
directly opposite that ante-diluvial and dilapidated structure, known as the Canal R.R. depot." The Collinsville correspondent
for the Courant
commented
on his Herald counterpart being "rather facetious about the new depot" in
Simsbury, saying that Collinsville, where an old
shoemaker's shop was serving passengers [see COLLINSVILLE2], also hoped for better from the CW in the future. Later, the Herald would call SIMSBURY2 a "magnificent structure," measuring
a tidy 11x18-ft with rough chestnut shingles on the exterior. Inside, it was said to be partitioned across the center, "with boards standing upright," the southerly
part being used for freight and the other part being used for passengers. Outside, a five-foot wide platform, "substantially
built with old timbers, cob-house fashion," stood three feet off the ground and it was said that "ladies and children
can easily get on the cars, (if they can get on the platform)"(!). This depot was located about 35 rods (580 feet)
south of the new Canal line station, SIMSBURY3, travel between the two difficult because of the unevenness of the ground
and the presence of felled apple trees. Another article in the Herald in 1875 pokes fun again,
saying: "A few days ago some of the section hands started to carry away the C.W. depot to eat their dinner in, but
the watchful agent overhauled them and caused them to drop it like a hot potato." We have no photo yet of this apparently
diminutive structure. [add12/7>]
This is backed up in 1880 when the NY&NE valued the CW property for a prospective lease and they reported a structure
for passengers and freight here that needed no repairs but was worth a mere $75!>] [REFS: WH/12/15/1871/02; WH/05/16/1873/02; HDC/05/19/1873/01;
WH/07/21/1874/02; WH/01/08/1875/02; CW/NYNE 1880 lease]
********************
SIMSBURY3
SIMSBURY3. The railroad
commissioners mention this new station in their 1875 annual report. The Winsted Herald
pins the debut to July, 1874, saying that "the Canal R. R. Co. have just completed a very respectable depot and placed
it about 30 rods north of the old one -- a very improper place." Why that location was chosen and why it was unsatisfactory
to some is not disclosed. The station's Italianate design was similar to other Canal line depots of the period. This would
become the sole station in town in 1913 when the CNE, under the control of the NYNH&H, would also start using it. The
1916 val map reflects the new arrangement. SIMSBURY5, the 1881 CW passenger station, is no longer seen between the Canal line
station and the freight houses to the south. Perhaps it was removed when the massive water tank seen in the SIMSBURY1 photos
was taken down and replaced with the newer brick-enclosed one north of SIMSBURY3, seen as the hexagon on on the val map. The
top right photo shows a Canal line train passing the switch for the CW track
that is angling to the southwest and aiming for Hopmeadow St. [REFS: WH/07/21/1874/02; CRC22.1875.34; D112; R89]
********************
SIMSBURY4
SIMSBURY4 dates to 1881 when the railroad commissioners said a new 18x50-ft depot was put up
here. The Winsted Herald finally abandoned its ribbing and said in January: "The
Connecticut Western Company is building a new passenger depot here. It will be very tasty, and will be appreciated by our
community" and late in February that station agent McKinney's smile was broadening proportionately to the depot's
approaching completion. SIMSBURY4 is on the right
in the upper left shot and SIMSBURY3, the 1874
NH&N passenger station, is behind the photographer. By 1913 the CNE would be sharing SIMSBURY3 with the NYNH&H. The 1893 map snippet shows the two adjacent
passenger stations. [REFS: WH/01/07/1881/02; WH/02/25/1881/03; CRC29.1882.31]
********************
SMITHS
|
| Phil Wooding Collection |
|
| Max Miller Collection |
|
| Dave Peters Collection |
SMITHS
station on the Meriden and Cromwell RR, between HIGHLAND and WESTFIELD. The rear of the station is seen on the right in the
6/9/1927 PUC inspection photo at top right, putting it in the southwest quadrant
at the grade crossing. The val photo at lower left is dated 7/10/1916.
_______________________________________ Click here to go to CT Passenger Stations, SO.
|
