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220:. Freight service to just the Ridgefield station would last until it was permanently suspended on January 8, 1964, during the financial decline of the New Haven Railroad. The Ridgefield depot was sold on October 31, 1946, to the Ridgefield Supply Company, who later rebuilt the old depot for use as a showroom as part of a major overhaul to their facilities in 2016. In 2000, the
200:, located at the crossing with Florida Road, opened. Amid electrification of the Danbury Branch and other New Haven lines, the New Haven Railroad opted to cut passenger service on the branch entirely. The final scheduled passenger train to run on the branch, hauled by New Haven Engine No. 600, ran on August 8, 1925.
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from building through the town of
Ridgefield. Although Lockwood's strategy successfully prevented any other line from building through Ridgefield, the branch's construction proved to be one of the most difficult and challenging in the state. Construction began in 1869 and ended just before trains
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suddenly derailed, separating itself from the engine and causing the engine to derail as well. The incident resulted in the death of engineer
William Horan, who was pinned underneath the crashed locomotive and scalded by its steam, as well as heavy damage to the track and ties.
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valley. As a result of the nature of the branch's topography, the line was finished with 18 curves in just four miles. In addition, the branch's construction cost nearly $ 250,000, just as much as the main
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from part of the original corridor. In 2016, the original
Ridgefield station, which had been in use as a storage shed by the Ridgefield Supply Company, was rebuilt and currently serves as a showroom.
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began running on the line on June 25, 1870. Construction on the four-mile line was heavily hindered by steep grades of up to 120 feet per mile rising out of the narrow
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122:, passenger service on the branch was terminated. Freight service continued to just the Ridgefield station until 1964, when the line was abandoned entirely.
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opened near the branch's terminus. Shortly after opening, the branch was reduced to a routine operation of three daily trains to and from
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216:. Replacing branch line passenger service with buses was a common money-saving practice in the years leading up to, and during the
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valley, the branch opened in July 1870 after a year of construction. Throughout its existence, three stations (
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496:"Historic Ridgefield train station incorporated into supply company's overhaul"
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On April 17, 1905, a major accident occurred when New Haven engine No. 1640's
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opened at the crossing with Cooper Hill Road. At some time prior to 1904, the
102:. After a difficult and costly construction hindered by the topography of the
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In the Shore Line's Shadow, the Six Lives of the
Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
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Passenger service ended in 1925, with freight service lasting until 1964.
118:) existed on the line. In 1925, amid electrification of the neighboring
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Ridgefield station (New York, New Haven, and
Hartford Railroad)
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After passenger service ceased in August 1925, it was briefly
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1870 poster announcing the opening of the
Ridgefield Branch.
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At the time of the branch's completion, the newly built
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The former branch in use as the
Ridgefield Rail Trail.
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162:devised the Ridgefield Branch in order to prevent
657:Transportation in Fairfield County, Connecticut
637:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines
317:Located at the crossing with Cooper Hill Road.
228:that follows a portion of the original branch.
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652:Passenger rail transportation in Connecticut
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595:. Littleton, Massachusetts: Flying Yankee.
301:Located at the crossing with Florida Road.
94:. It ran for 4.0 miles (6.4 km) from
92:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
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224:constructed the 2.3 miles (3.7 km)
129:constructed the 2.3 miles (3.7 km)
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17:
677:1964 disestablishments in Connecticut
494:Benjamin, Scott (December 26, 2016).
7:
553:"Ridgefield's terrible train wreck"
222:Connecticut Light and Power Company
672:1870 establishments in Connecticut
647:Rail infrastructure in Connecticut
287:Main line terminus of the branch.
214:New England Transportation Company
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24:
1:
551:News-Times (April 17, 2005).
240:Scene of the 1905 derailment.
667:Railway lines closed in 1964
662:Railway lines opened in 1870
617:Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
156:Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
88:Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
591:Cornwall, L. Peter (1987).
127:Connecticut Light and Power
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322:3.87 miles (6.23 km)
306:1.93 miles (3.11 km)
86:was a branch line of the
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642:Ridgefield, Connecticut
523:"RIDGEFIELD RAIL TRAIL"
292:1.2 miles (1.9 km)
210:replaced by bus service
176:had cost back in 1850.
100:Ridgefield, Connecticut
76:4.0 miles (6.4 km)
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151:
577:Cornwall 1987, p. 78.
484:Cornwall 1987, p. 92.
475:Cornwall 1987, p. 84.
448:Tylercitystation.info
421:Tylercitystation.info
394:Tylercitystation.info
375:Cornwall 1987, p. 34.
361:Cornwall 1987, p. 31.
276:0.0 miles (0 km)
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226:Ridgefield Rail Trail
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131:Ridgefield Rail Trail
559:. Danbury News-Times
532:. Town of Ridgefield
521:Town of Ridgefield.
502:. Danbury News-Times
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192:. By 1885, the new
45:Danbury and Norwalk
20:
450:. Tylercitystation
423:. Tylercitystation
396:. Tylercitystation
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186:Ridgefield station
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60:Dates of operation
442:Belletzkie, Bob.
417:"Stations: CL-CR"
415:Belletzkie, Bob.
388:Belletzkie, Bob.
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164:"paper railroads"
98:to the center of
84:Ridgefield Branch
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19:Ridgefield Branch
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41:Current operator
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390:"STATIONS: Q-R"
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557:newstimes.com
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104:Norwalk River
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561:. Retrieved
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444:"STATIONS:F"
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425:. Retrieved
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398:. Retrieved
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284:1852–present
268:Years Active
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207:
183:
174:Danbury Line
153:
142:Construction
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120:Danbury Line
83:
81:
15:
585:Works cited
314:c.1885-1925
298:c.1904-1925
280:Branchville
246:coal tender
190:Branchville
96:Branchville
631:Categories
340:References
326:Ridgefield
262:Miles (km)
204:After 1925
158:president
116:Ridgefield
51:(former),
49:Housatonic
47:(former),
330:1870-1964
232:Incidents
180:1870-1925
125:In 2000,
68:Technical
53:New Haven
611:See also
253:Stations
55:(former)
36:Overview
295:Florida
265:Station
137:History
108:Florida
599:
310:Cooper
271:Notes
114:, and
112:Cooper
73:Length
526:(PDF)
597:ISBN
565:2022
538:2022
508:2022
456:2022
429:2022
402:2022
82:The
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380:^
366:^
348:^
110:,
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404:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
