Abandoned ROW in South Norwalk (Wilson Point)

Actually, by looking at Google Earth satellite views some more and by zooming in, it’s possible to make out a row of trees that curves away from near the west end of the South Norwalk M-N station. Then that row trees proceeds down a slight hill to South Main Street. The row of trees then runs right alongside the west side of S. Main. That is where I spotted the old and badly rusted rails in 1985. They were already getting badly overgrown, but the trees were not that big yet back in ’85.

However, by going to Google Earth Street views, I could find no trace of a former rail line at street level. There might be a rail or two here or there lying in someone’s yard; a possibility that I cannot completely dismiss.

Here are my memories from 1965 when I was about in the 7th grade:

Proceeding south on S. Main, the line came down a slight hill and followed the road. On the west side of the road there was some kind of a big factory or industrial facility. Noel Weaver in his post from years ago mentioned “Nash Engineering”. That would sound about right. However, there is no trace left of such a factory like that today.
The track ran between the road and the factory. There was at least one entrance, perhaps two, to this facility that crossed the track which was/were protected by crossbucks.

The track continued southward right next to the road, then after S. Main joined Route 136 the track crossed the road at an oblique angle and entered some kind of a facility that received tank car loads. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned Gulf Oil. That might be about right. However, there again, there is no trace left of such an oil facility today.

Another post earlier in this thread mentioned a bridge over Route 136 that had been taken out. But I do not recall a bridge. My memory is that the track crossed the road at grade. The rails then ran underneath a gate and into the tank car facility.

The sad fact is that this has been a rather long time ago now. If 1972 was, in fact, the date of abandonment, then SHEESH ~ ! That’s been over 50 years ago now~! No wonder you won’t find a trace on a Google Earth Street View~ !

Here's a link to USPS topographic map for South Norwalk from 1943 where you can clearly see the line all the way to its end point near Wilson Avenue. Interesting to see that it was two tracks at the time and had many sidings.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e36hp5q4 ... 9coc6&dl=0

Early USGS maps, from 1892, show that the branch went all the way to the tip of Wilson Point.

The source of the map is this USPS site
https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/topoexplorer/index.html

Wondering about this, I went over to Historic Aerials for South Norwalk - 1963 Topo. The line in question is shown and follows the route as describe above, which ends up following Wilson Ave. SW. South of "The Ely" school on that topo there are symbols for storage tanks, so that could be the tank farm mentioned above (it is shown as West of Wilson though).

(I recall you used to be able to hotlink to Historic Aerials, but I did not see that capability now.)

Train60 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:09 pm Here's a link to USPS topographic map for South Norwalk from 1943 where you can clearly see the line all the way to its end point near Wilson Avenue. Interesting to see that it was two tracks at the time and had many sidings.

I don't know why it would've ever had two tracks. I have some additional memories that are even earlier from the late 1950s and although I was pretty young then, I don't think it had two tracks then.

However, it might've had two tracks in 1943 although I can't imagine why. Car storage perhaps? The more we begin to dig into this the more puzzling the whole thing seems to be.

By the way, in the book In the Shore Line's Shadow by Peter Cornwall about the Danbury and Norwalk railroad, there is a shot taken a long, long time ago showing that the line was equipped with an overhead trolley wire so evidently the line was shared, at least for a time by trolley or streetcars. Hmmmn. Interesting.

Going back and responding to my own post on the trolley wire, I went back and looked at the old photo in Cornwall’s book again. The fact is that the photo clearly indicates that there were TWO TRACKS there ~ !

Why two tracks? My best guess is, and this is only a guess, is that the second track was most likely used to accommodate local transit/trolley service. The New Haven in all likelihood shared the wired track in order to service freight customers on that side of the right-of-way.

Trolleys in the Norwalk area were replaced with buses in the early to mid-1930s. With the value of scrap steel in the gutter due to the Depression, the second track was simply left intact until the Second World War when the second track was then salvaged.

By the time I came into the picture, there was no sign left of a second track just as today there are just about no signs that a railroad was ever in the vicinity of Wilson Point at all.

Now here is an additional thought. I just got done reading McEvoy’s excellent treatise on the S.S.44 signal tower and he discussed the Wilson Point track, as he called it. However, no abandonment date was provided in the book ‘cause McEvoy left S.S.44 in 1970. Evidently the Wilson Point track was abandoned after that. Someone earlier on this thread opined 1972 – that would probably sound about right.

McEvoy does have a nice picture of the west end of the low-level platform adjacent to track #4 that clearly shows the Wilson Point switch and the rails running right through the platform. The rail heads appear shiny in the photo so the Wilson Point track was surely active when that photo was shot.

McEvoy also mentioned that there was at least one eastbound train that was backed off of Track 4 onto the Wilson Point track in order to allow another eastbound to pass and make a station stop. The train that was backed off then proceeded into the station to pick up connecting passengers from the first train that had stopped. That's why there was a short section of catenary on the Wilson Point track.

Regards,

Per the 1915 valuation maps, the spur was mostly double-tracked except for the connection to the mainline.

The streetcar line to Roton Point followed what is now Wilson Avenue and Old Trolley Way. It crossed under the Wilson's Point spur at Meadow Street, and paralleled it as far as MLK Drive. Is it possible that the photo shows the streetcar line, either on its own or next to the railroad?

There was a track connection at MLK between an industrial spur and the streetcar line. I'm not sure if there was any significant interchange there, or if any of the railroad was electrified.

Train60 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 12:09 pm Here's a link to USPS topographic map for South Norwalk from 1943 where you can clearly see the line all the way to its end point near Wilson Avenue. Interesting to see that it was two tracks at the time and had many sidings.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e36hp5q4 ... 9coc6&dl=0

I don't understand how to blow this up and "zoom in". The whole map appears on my screen about the size of a typical playing card and I can't make out any details in it at all much less view the Wilson Point track in any detail.

Is there some way to blow this up in size so that it can be better read?

In the top right corner of the screen there are tiny little buttons with a "+" and "-" on them. If you click on the "+" a couple of times the image will enlarge. Alternatively, there is a magnification setting (also in the top right corner.) Set it to 100% and you should be able to see all of the detail.

TRAIN60,

Thanks for your help on this. That worked. This map also helped me refresh my memories from early childhood. I did not remember the Wilson Point track crossing Route 136 on a bridge but someone else earlier in this thread and on another list mentioned the bridge, so I guess it must've been so. Probably I forgot about the bridge since when I last saw what was left of this line in 1985, the bridge was very likely gone but I can't say that for sure.

I believe I may have found what's left of one of the bridge abutments on the west side of the road here:

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.0853607 ... ?entry=ttu

Since that's not nearly high enough for vehicles on the road to clear, there must have been more bridge work on top of this that's gone. Also, on the opposite side of the road there is no longer any evidence of bridgework or an abutment.

Visit
The Tyler City Station site for photos and maps of the Wilson Point branch
http://www.tylercitystation.info/stations-wh-y.html
(Scroll to Wilson Point)

Lots of detail info!

I wondered about this line several years ago. It seemed when some things said abandoned many years ago it was obvious it was still there longer than that. I think the last good evidence of it vanished when they did that construction around the station.

I recall it sat there along the highway (going towards the ocean) and seemed a clastic example of railroads around these parts..ya know..why do not the past customers still use it ?

Between 136 bridge going to the station the ROW is in a deep ravine?...which has a habit of being filled with peoples garbage.. By 136 bridge it seems obvious the lumber outfit used it in the past. Otherwise a line I think slowly segmented by businesses changing their structures. Modifications slowly eroding what was visible of the line. Rail still there ? forget


On a old STATE RAIL PLAN this line was listed as saved. Saved for the future !!! Somebody made a mistake as it was not later listed.


My interest also are these spurs and old rail segments and customers etc. Any pictures ? Usually NO. A picture of a train down there ?? !!! Westport had Pepperidge Farm and a rail siding by station. Any pictures ? Seems nobody knows anything about the Stratford Industrial Track in Stratford. Seems totally rebuilt and no customers. Mobil Chemical left a few years ago. I tried to look up owners and seems some Insurance Company of Penn Central but I know not legal things about abandoned railroads and ownership. I was told the Central New England was still on tax rolls in NW Connecticut.,

Pictures anybody of old activity on branch lines and spurs etc ??!!!

I still think a short line railroad would pick up a few customers in SW Connecticut vs. nothing. Bridgeport Lumber the only customer in Bridgeport. Other spurs and short branches ? I recall a collection of rails down by the water in Devon area. The scrap company in Milford uses rail and not sure of Star Beverage as there was one boxcar there a year ago.