b bpthistory.html






NORTH OF PASSENGER STATION-HOUSATONIC AVE-MERRITT PKWY
OTHER RAILROAD HISTORY
SOUTH OF I-95
EAST BRIDGEPORT
SEAVIEW AVENUE
WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT
RETURN TO SITE INDEX






ODDS AND ENDS NOT KNOWING WHERE TO SORT YET .......






Railroad on Boston Avenue ? 1930's (Boston Avenue is Route 1) -- Rail car on the Trolley Line around Boston Avenue. (courtesy of Connecticut Motor Coach Archives)



Willlaborate on above coming up....









SALE! 25¢ FOR ACCESS Sign in Community Connection Sale: Only 25¢ for unlimited digital access! ACT NOW JUST IN OJ Simpson dies at 76 4 MIN AGO NEWS Fairfield 375: When Fairfield was a manufacturing town Oct 8, 2014 The Bullard Co. was founded as the Bridgeport Machine Tool Works by E.P. Bullard in 1880 and moved into Fairfield in 1920. The factory closed in the early 1980s and is now a retail site as well as the Fairfield Metro railroad station.Courtesy: Fairfield Museum and History Center. The Bullard Co. was founded as the Bridgeport Machine Tool Works by E.P. Bullard in 1880 and moved into Fairfield in 1920. The factory closed in the early 1980s and is now a retail site as well as the Fairfield Metro railroad station.Courtesy: Fairfield Museum and History Center. Fairfield Citizen/Contributed EDITOR'S NOTE: Fairfield, established in 1639, is one of Connecticut's oldest communities. From its settlement 375 years ago by English colonists on "four squares" of land that Native Americans called Uncoway to the vibrant town of 60,000 residents that it is today, Fairfield's history is a chronicle of compelling events and colorful characters. The Fairfield Citizen will highlight vignettes from that rich history throughout this 375th anniversary year on a regular basis. Community Connection Sale: Only 25¢ for unlimited digital access! Act Now Large manufacturers in Fairfield have long since shut down, but remnants of those operations remain. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The Bullard Machine Tool Co. -- its water tower still stands -- is now the site of BJs Wholesale Club and the movie theater complex off lower Black Rock Turnpike. Across from that site, the former site of a Bullard's foundry is now the Fairfield Metro railroad station. The Handy & Harman precious metal foundry was replaced a few years ago by Kings Crossing shopping center, while the former site of a McKesson & Robbins pharmaceuticals plant next door is where a Home Depot store now stands. The McKesson plant had been demolished in 1989. More For You Storm to hit CT with heavy rain and winds up to 40 mph, weather service says Motorists travel on Route 9 North as rain falls in Middletown, Conn., Wednesday morning, April 3, 2024. CT Senate votes to study effects of bullying and hate speech 'epidemic' on kids State Sen. Ceci Maher, D-Wilton, co-chairwoman of the legislation Committee on Children, outside the Senate chamber on Wednesday morning. Bill would cut the 18% interest rate to 12% for some CT tax delinquents State Rep. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, a ranking Republican on the legislative Banking Committee. CT vultures that were ‘too drunk to fly’ return home after sobering up A "drunk" vulture being treated at A Place Called Hope in Killingworth after it had sobered up. Mandy Patinkin, wife Kathryn Grody to bring their ‘unedited’ life to a CT stage Kathryn Grody and Mandy Patinkin. The DuPont/Fairprene factory complex, spanning from lower Mill Plain Road to North Pine Creek Road, has been redeveloped into the Fairfield Sportsplex housing a range of recreational businesses and restaurants. Founded in 1879, the company made carriage accessories and at one time was Fairfield's largest employer. The E.I. Dupont DeNemours Co. bought the rubber company's Mill Plain Road property in 1916 and expanded operations, manufacturing glazed rubber for use in cars. Eventually, Fairprene Industrial Products Co. took over the plant at that location, finally closing the factory in 2003. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad After standing vacant for several years, the Fairprene property became viable again when the town's Recreation Department turned a former Fairprene building into its offices and rec center. The vast remainder of the property has, over the intervening years, been gradually redeveloped in to the multi-faceted Fairfield Sportsplex. The Post Road property where the large Exide Battery plant once stood has been cleared, but remains undeveloped awaiting another attempt to fully clean the lead dumped by that factory in the nearby Mill River over the years. The Fairfield Underwear Co. once employed more than 100 workers in its Sanford Street plant, and five to six tons of dog food were shipped out of Fairfield daily in the early 19th century by the Kennel Food Supply Co. On Grasmere and Linwood avenues, Handy and Harmon operated from 1915 to 2002. The factory had distinctive triangular windows that let in air, but were constructed to prevent workers from dropping precious metals outside. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The factory owned by another local manufacturer, the Jelliff Corp., has been located in Southport center since 1902. Jelliff Industries, unlike most of its counterparts, continues to produce wire and mesh. Southport also became known, not only as a center of commerce, but also for its gun manufacturing at Sturm, Ruger & Co., although its building there does not serve as a manufacturing facility. In the early 1950s, factories in town employed the largest number of workers. By 1960, 47 factories were still operating here. But the heyday for manufacturing in Fairfield was already past, and the economny shifted to service businesses, professional offices, banking and finance, education and, most recently, an upsurge in restaurants. Sign up for the Connecticut Briefing! Get a daily news briefing and subscriber-exclusive reporting. Email Enter your email Sign Up By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy. Oct 8, 2014 Never miss a local story! Stay informed with the most relevant Connecticut news delivered to your inbox for free. ZIP Code 06824 Email Enter your email Sign up By signing up, you agree to our Terms of use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy. Your Local News For 06824 Enter your ZIP code for local news Help us provide you with the local news that‘s most relevant to you. Enter your ZIP code Update 1. CT to rename Fairfield Metro station to Fairfield-Black Rock 2. Small Medium Large Coffee Co. closes in Fairfield 3. Reports: Fairfield garbage company fined after driver killed his son 4. Two injured by falling tree on Merritt Parkway in Fairfield 5. CT estate with 1700s house, apple orchard listed for almost $2.5M =========================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================== Skip to main content SALE! 25¢ FOR ACCESS Sign in Community Connection Sale: Only 25¢ for unlimited digital access! ACT NOW JUST IN OJ Simpson dies at 76 7 MIN AGO FAIRFIELD CITIZEN Fairfield officials say $3M state grant for Bullard factory site could add $25M to cost By Jarrod Wardwell, Staff Writer Feb 3, 2024 Fairfield received a grant to help renovate a 4.9-acre lot at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, which has sat empty for about a decade next to the Fairfield Metro Station. Fairfield received a grant to help renovate a 4.9-acre lot at 81 Black Rock Turnpike, which has sat empty for about a decade next to the Fairfield Metro Station. Ned Gerard/Connecticut Post FAIRFIELD — More than six months after state officials awarded Fairfield a $3 million grant for a proposed development that would transform a vacant lot near the Fairfield Metro train station into housing and shops, the town may not use it after all. The grant had been set to cover the remediation of contamination at the site of the former Bullard Machine Tool Company factory as the first phase of construction, but those overseeing the project say its legal terms would make it nearly a third more expensive. Community Connection Sale: Only 25¢ for unlimited digital access! Act Now The developer and Fairfield's head of economic development said they're leaning against accepting the money after learning that wages mandated by the terms of the grant would, in their estimation, jack up the project's cost by 20 to 30 percent, which amounts to at least $25 million. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad "The negatives outweigh the plusses here," Mark Barnhart, Fairfield's director of community and economic development, said. More For You Small Medium Large Coffee Co. closes after less than a year in Fairfield The Small Medium Large Coffee Co. coffee shop recently opened in the White Birch Plaza at 2480 Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield, Conn. on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. Empire State Building owner hands over Stamford complex to bank The First Stamford Place complex in Stamford, Conn. (File media photo via Empire State Realty Trust) Actor Jay Hernandez to headline 'The Long Game' advance screening in CT AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 12: (L-R) Julio Quintana, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Dennis Quaid, Jay Hernandez and Julian Works visit the IMDb Portrait Studio at SXSW 2023 on March 12, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb) Ridgefield man's memoir recounts dad's untold story of surviving Holocaust Allen Hershkowitz, left, of Ridgefield, an environmental scientist who’s parents are Holocaust survivors, wrote a short memoir called “Finding My Father’s Auschwitz File.” On April 10 Andrew Levine, of Ridgefield, is co-producing a reading of Allen’s memoir at Sacred Heart University. Hershkowitz and Levine have been friends since the age of 7. The Holocaust Resource Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County, and Sacred Heart University are co-producers of the event. Friday, April 5, 2024, Ridgefield, Conn. Fairfield cites 19 eateries with priority item health violations in March Fairfield's Old Town Hall on the Old Post Road. The remediation work would have been one of the preliminary steps in a roughly $125 million project to build a five-story, 245-unit, mixed-use development that include 30 affordable units at 81 Black Rock Turnpike near the Fairfield Metro station, where the town has looked to add more housing and commercial retailers. Under the grant's conditions, the developer would be required to comply with the state's "prevailing wages rules," which regulate compensation for workers involved in construction projects, including those that the Department of Economic and Community Development funds. The DECD's Brownfield Remediation and Development Program distributed the Fairfield grant, which came as part of a statewide funding spree over the summer for brownfields that have turned into industrial graveyards across Connecticut. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The wages that workers in the Fairfield project would be required to receive would depend on factors including who received the grant, the nature of the project and the amount of state financial support and other financial sources, according to a state notice of funding availability about the grant. Andrew Montelli — founder of Post Road Residential, the developer of the proposed project — said the state-required wages would match union premiums and account for the major jump in the project's cost, which he added would be a tough sell to investors and lenders. "The analysis that we're trying to figure out is how or why it makes sense to take a $3 million grant to then add $25 million of hard cost," Montelli said at a Town Plan and Zoning Commission meeting last week. He said under the grant's terms, the state can have a say in "major business decisions" with the project; the grant also requires developers to either set aside 10 percent of their units as affordable housing for residents earning within 50 percent of the median area income or reserve 30 percent for those who make within 80 percent of the median area income. The 30 affordable units in the proposal are 12 percent of the total and are designated for those making within 80 percent the area median income. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Barnhart said "the devil's in the details," and he questions whether the grant makes financial sense for the town. "While we haven't advised DECD that we're going to turn down the money, it's probably heading in that direction," he said. Barnhart said the town and developer held off immediately rejecting the funds so they could weigh alternatives for the project to work in tandem with the grant. He said they're open to explore other potential sources of funding to cover project-related costs if necessary. He added that he's encouraged Post Road Residential to increase the number of affordable housing units in the development, which the developer has been open to. Barnhart said he expects Post Road Residential to purchase the site sometime this year. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Feb 3, 2024 Photo of Jarrod Wardwell By Jarrod Wardwell Jarrod Wardwell is a local reporter covering Fairfield and Easton for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. He recently graduated with a journalism degree from the George Washington University, where he served as the editor in chief of The GW Hatchet and interned with CNN. Wardwell is originally from Winthrop, Massachusetts and is now based at the Connecticut Post in Bridgeport. Never miss a local story! Stay informed with the most relevant Connecticut news delivered to your inbox for free. ZIP Code 06824 Email Enter your email Sign up By signing up, you agree to our Terms of use and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy. Your Local News For 06824 Enter your ZIP code for local news Help us provide you with the local news that‘s most relevant to you. Enter your ZIP code Update 1. CT to rename Fairfield Metro station to Fairfield-Black Rock 2. Small Medium Large Coffee Co. closes in Fairfield 3. Reports: Fairfield garbage company fined after driver killed his son 4. Two injured by falling tree on Merritt Parkway in Fairfield 5. CT estate with 1700s house, apple orchard listed for almost $2.5M 6. Mancuso's Restaurant in Fairfield closing after 47 years 7. Fairfield police kick off month of increased distracted driving enforc Find The Best Near You BEST OF Ready, set, vote for the Best of CT! BEST OF The Best HVAC Companies Near Hartford BEST OF Nail your roofing solutions with CT’s premier specialists BEST OF Uncork the best of CT's wine scene at these local wineries BEST OF The Best Italian Restaurants in CT BEST OF Local medi spas offer innovative services that redefine self-care BEST OF The Best Senior Home Care Near Hartford BEST OF The Best Yoga Studios in CT Don't Miss Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan top NBA prospects in The Ringer ranking UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan top NBA prospects in The Ringer ranking Zillow adds another CT town to its exclusive 'million-dollar' home club REAL ESTATE Zillow adds another CT town to its exclusive 'million-dollar' home club Kevin Ollie on UConn's NCAA title: 'Gotta make us a blue blood now.' UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL Kevin Ollie on UConn's NCAA title: 'Gotta make us a blue blood now.' 25+ things to do in Connecticut this weekend THINGS TO DO 25+ things to do in Connecticut this weekend Return To Top About Our Company Careers Our Use of AI Ethics Policy Annual DEI Report Hearst Connecticut Jobs Contact Contact Us FAQ Services Advertising Archives Account Subscribe Newsletter Signup © 2024 Hearst Media Services Connecticut, LLC Terms of Use Privacy Notice DAA Industry Opt Out Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads) ===================================================================================================================================================== 0 Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE “Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History” word or phrase ⌂ My Markers Add A Marker Forum FAQ About Us Merch ★ Near You Want Lists Series Topics Locations Searches Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page Scranton in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic) Bullard Company #2 Bullard Company #2 Marker image. Click for full size. Photographed By Craig Swain, July 25, 2008 1. Bullard Company #2 Marker The illustration on the marker is from a 1913 catalog, showing a similar 0-4-0T switch engine. Inscription. Click to hear the inscription. This oil-burning steam engine was designed to be operated by a single engineer-fireman and was among the smallest standard-gauge locomotives ever built. Locomotive #2 operated up and down the railroad sidings and loading tracks outside the Bullard Company's Bridgeport, Connecticut, machine tool manufacturing plant. Locomotive #2 switched freight cars to and from the loading tracks and lined up loaded cars to be picked up by a freight train. Erected by Steamtown Nataionl Historic Site - National Park Service. Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. Location. 41° 24.534′ N, 75° 40.291′ W. Marker is in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in Lackawanna County. Marker is on Mechanic Street, on the left when traveling east. Located between the main rail line and the parking area of Steamtown National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scranton PA 18503, United States of America. Touch for directions. Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Canadian National Railways #47 (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Pacific #4012 Click on the ad for more information. Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor. (within shouting distance of this marker); Oil House Foundation (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Steamtown (about 400 feet away); Oil House (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Oil House (about 400 feet away); Tank Car (about 400 feet away); 1902 Roundhouse Office (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scranton. Also see . . . Bullard Company #2. (PDF) Additional details from the Park Service site. (Submitted on June 13, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) Bullard Company #2 and Marker image. Click for full size. Photographed By Craig Swain, July 25, 2008 2. Bullard Company #2 and Marker Bullard Company #2 in front of the Union Pacific #4012 image. Click for full size. Photographed By Craig Swain, July 25, 2008 3. Bullard Company #2 in front of the Union Pacific #4012 =============================================================================================================================== Skip to content Search for: Search Categories Art & Life News Opinion Regions Capital Region Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest State and Federal About Contact Us Subscribe Calendar Menu Toggle Search The Connecticut Examiner Login Bridgeport, Fairfield, Energy, Transportation New Utility Right of Way in Fairfield and Bridgeport Spurred by CTDOT Plans for Faster Rail Service — Brendan Crowley, 12.18.2023 Catenaries near Greens Farm, just west of proposed changes in Fairfield and Bridgeport (CT Examiner) Share TwitterFacebookCopy LinkPrintEmail United Illuminating told CT Examiner that its efforts to move transmission lines off of railroad catenaries on Northeast Corridor in Bridgeport and Fairfield came at the request of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which wants the rail overhead cleared as it looks at ways to speed up trains. The state’s second-largest electric company is asking for approval for the fifth and final part of a plan to replace the 25-mile transmission line from West Haven to Fairfield. United Illuminating told CT Examiner that the company’s goal is to replace equipment holding its wires on top of the railroad catenary structures, not necessarily to create a new utility corridor. The company assessed the equipment along the line in 2018, and said it found heavy corrosion on some of the catenary structures from the 1910s, and corrosion and damage from the electrical equipment installed in the 1960s. The transmission line is the “backbone” of electric service for UI and for the electric grid across New England. UI manager of transmission projects Shawn Crosbie told CT Examiner that weather in the northeast can wear down metal equipment. And with the existing structures deemed to be at the end of their useful life, the company has received approval from the regional grid operator ISO-New England to replace it. But instead of simply replacing the infrastructure where it has run on top of the New Haven Line for about 60 years, the company is proposing to move the line onto monopoles on private property adjacent to the rail line. The final section proposed on a 7.3-mile stretch from Bridgeport to Southport would require taking 8.6 acres of easements and has drawn vocal opposition from neighbors and elected officials in the region. Simply replacing the lines where they are would sidestep the need for these easements, but Crosbie said the state Department of Transportation does not want the lines strung on the corridor any longer. “They’re trying to look at possible upgrades to their system, and those upgrades require possible construction on those catenaries,” Crosbie said. “We wouldn’t be putting lines when you’ve got to do construction, and that’s been communicated.” The Connecticut Department of Transportation did not answer several queries by CT Examiner for information about plans on the corridor, or how UI’s existing infrastructure would affect those plans. But in its written comments to the Siting Council, the department said that the existing lines would interfere with future projects on the rail corridor, and would “continue to hamper” the department’s ability to maintain railroad equipment. “In fact, CTDOT would prefer [UI move off the catenary structures], as it aids in our maintenance of the traction power system and wayside equipment, by not having to request UI transmission line outages,” according to CTDOT recommendations to the Siting Council. CTDOT told the council that there are “several efforts” to shorten trip times, improve service and enhance stations along the New Haven Line. To increase speeds, the department explained, it would have to add new catenary structures, track sidings, additional bridge spans and monitoring equipment. The department advised the council that it wouldn’t object to UI’s proposal for moving transmission lines to new monopoles about 25 feet from the existing catenary structures, but the department encouraged the company to move the lines as far as possible from the railroad right of way. The Connecticut Department of Transportation separately opposed undergrounding the lines, a proposal popular among neighbors, warning that underground lines along the corridor would interfere with existing infrastructure. The department advised the Siting Council that given the age of the railroad, which dates back to the mid-1800s, every excavation would need to be hand-dug down to four feet, adding time and money and impacting operations on the rail line. Crosbie said that, where possible, UI is attempting to keep any new monopoles within the existing right of way, but especially along the final section, portions of the track sit alongside retaining walls, preventing the company from installing new monopoles in the existing easement. The company also needs to tie into substations off the right of way by a fraction of a mile, he explained, and in Southport the company needs to connect with the Eversource line. Brendan Crowley Brendan Crowley covers energy and the environment for CT Examiner. T: 860 598-0050 b.crowley@ctexaminer.com Further Reading New London, Energy, Wind Energy Offshore Wind Auction Yields Large Project for New London, as Feds Promise Tax Credits — Francisco Uranga, 3.28.2024 Fairfield, Energy, Infrastructure Fairfield Appeals Transmission Line Compromise Calling it a ‘Blatant Due Process Violation’ — Sophia Muce, 3.26.2024 Hartford, Energy, Environment Democrats, Republicans Split on Climate Change Omnibus — Francisco Uranga, 3.20.2024 Related Stories Waterford, Business & Economics, Energy Plans for Massive Data Center Linked to Nuclear Power Spark Debate on Connecticut’s Energy Future — Francisco Uranga, 4.8.2024 Agriculture, Energy, Solar Energy Stonington Mushroom Farmer Tackles Energy Costs with Solar Power — Cate Hewitt, 4.4.2024 Energy, Environment, Legislation In Interview, Palm Leans in to Climate Change Bill — Francisco Uranga, 4.3.2024 The Connecticut Examiner Big Questions in Small Places Contact Us Categories Art & Life News Opinion Regions Capital Region Northeast Northwest Southeast Southwest State and Federal Copyright © 2024 • Design by Julia Balfour, LLC While #2 was among the smallest engines on standard gauge tracks, the #4012 was among the largest. Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 946 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 13, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. Share this page. Share on Tumblr0Save Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database. This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support. Copyright © 2006–2024, Some rights reserved. — Privacy Policy — Terms of Use — About Us — Contact Us