• Discontinuance of line from Botsford to Bridgeport

  • Discussion relating to the NH and its subsidiaries (NYW&B, Union Freight Railroad, Connecticut Company, steamship lines, etc.). up until its 1969 inclusion into the Penn Central merger. This forum is also for the discussion of efforts to preserve former New Haven equipment, artifacts and its history. You may also wish to visit www.nhrhta.org for more information.
Discussion relating to the NH and its subsidiaries (NYW&B, Union Freight Railroad, Connecticut Company, steamship lines, etc.). up until its 1969 inclusion into the Penn Central merger. This forum is also for the discussion of efforts to preserve former New Haven equipment, artifacts and its history. You may also wish to visit www.nhrhta.org for more information.
  by gcsupraman
 
Does anyone know if there was a legislative act that officially discontinued the rail line from Botsford to Bridgeport? I can't find anything that validates it was legislatively discontinued, but I did find that the actual land was sold by the trustees in 1968.
  by Engineer Spike
 
I wouldn’t think that it would be legislation. My guess is that the railroad petitioned the ICC for abandonment, showing the lack of online customers on the segment to be abandoned. They would then have to document alternative routes for both freight and passenger customers, such as via Danbury or via Devon. Based on that testimony, and basing it against the objections, such as if XYZ Coal Company got 30 cars per year. The railroad would have to show how the 30 cars over a year was running at a loss based on maintenance, equipment utilization, crew wages… In the end the ICC ruled that the abandonment should go through. I’m sure that somewhere on line are ICC rulings. If not, the National Archives would be where documents pertaining to this transaction would be found.
  by Kilgore Trout
 
Bridgeport to Stepney was abandoned in 1940, Stepney to Botsford 1963. I believe passenger service along the entire stretch ended in the 1930s. Presumably the NH retained at least one freight customer in Stepney - given the timing, maybe the 1960s bankruptcy helped them make the case to abandon service.

The Bridgeport-Stepney segment lasted just long enough for the state to fund an overpass over the Merritt Parkway. Allegedly no revenue trains ever ran over that bridge, before the track was torn up just a few years later.