RE: Shelton/Derby loop
"During World War I, the Shelton-Derby loop was put in service and freight trains formerly coming into Waterbury via Sandy Hook, were now routed via Botsford and the Shelton. This eliminated the pushers from Sandy Hook to Towontic."--from A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co.
To me this sounds like something other than a leg of a wye? Was it a loop? After trains stopped running between Maybrook and Waterbury and ran instead from Maybrook to New Haven, what became of the loop?
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
My recollection is that it is a wye, and is definitely not a loop. I'll make a stop to verify this.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
Sorry, posted on the wrong subject. There is no loop. It is a wye located directly under Route 8.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
I have a great interest in the Waterbury to Danbury line. In my youth, I have walked the line from Waterbury (near Highland Ave) past Hop Brook where the great stone bridge was located, through Allerton Farms (Naugatuck), past Towantic (Oxford), and down to the Southbury area. Specifically I would like to find out more about the quantity and type of traffic, customers served, passenger depots, and problems along the line, etc.
For instance, why was pusher service required on the portion of the line from Sandy Hook to Towantic? I don't seem to remember any problems with the grade. It just seems counter intuitive to drag freight or passengers all the way to Shelton-Derby and then up to Waterbury instead of going direct. Note the Waterbury - Danbury line is now a state bridle trail.
Also could someone comment as to why the line was ultimately abandoned and on the ownership of the line? I was always under the impression that it was part of the old Boston, Hartford & Erie, yet I see it listed as NY & NE.
Finally is anyone aware of a place where I might by photos, postcards or employee timetables of that line?
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
The name depends on what time frame you are looking at. The BH&E went bankrupt in 1870. It was reorganized into the NY&NE which later became the NE RR ( New England RR ) which was in turn absorbed by the New Haven in the 1890's.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
A pusher was stationed at Sandy Hook which was the lowest point. It was used in both directions to Hawleyville and to Towantic. I've seen photos of triple headers to Towantic. There was no need for a pusher east of Hawleyville on the Maybrook which was straightened out and double tracked by 1911.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
Most of tje Waterbury extension can be hiked, it is now the Larkin bridle trail and can be picked up offI I 84 ex15 south with rt turn across from IBM or off rt63 in Middlebury by the HopBrook flood control. Beautiful trail.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
Thanks for all of the information. Very helpful. I did not realize that there was a grade problem although I guess I should have given the fact that the rail bed crosses Towantic " Hill". I can see now why they might have wanted to abandon the line.
I used to hike the trail BEFORE it was taken over by the state. We used to just call it the "tracks" although there were no rails left there. The only real remains were the blue/green glass insulators and an occasional rusted spike. The insulators have since been scoffed up by people.
There were some rails left at the Waterbury side. They were not torn up until recently (last few years)although there has been no service on the line since the 60's. Years ago as a kid, I can remember 1 lumber yard on Highland Ave in Waterbury getting a car load or two. However, that did not last very long. That was in the very early 60's. The rail ended at that point.
Again if any one can point me in the correct direction to locate photos, timetables, and the like for that line, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
A couple of last inquiries: does anyone know if there was ever passenger service on that line ? Also, can someone please tell me the location of Highland Junction in Wtby ?
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
Passanger service ran Danbury to Waterbury until 1932 using the gas rail cars You can find all the depots in Bob Lords Country depot book.There is a picture of the Hop Brook trestle in the Uconn site at Storrs. You could probably find stuff at the train show this weekend at the big E in Springfield, Ma. Check Bobs Photo at the show or in Ansonia. I also find stuff at the local historical societies.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
I found this thread very interesting. I grew up in Oxford on Riggs St. about a mile and a half from the Towantic Station Site. There was passenger service on this line, basic commuter service out of NY city. My father had told me about riding train from there to Waterbury. My mother obtained a personnal family history that told of meeting the train each night to pick up the father, also had some school trips involved. I can remember when I was a kid that the town dump was located along the right of way to the west of Riggs St. and I spent many hours bike and horse back riding there before it was an official bridal trail. I can remember a bunch of pilings where there used to be a siding or runaround in the swamp, they may still be visible. There was a station building there but it was gone by the time I got there. I have dated myself but thats ok, still not old enough to have more info. I do know the rails where picked up in the late thirties early forties.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
In the 1920s my grandparents used to ride their motorcycle with sidecar up to the Allerton Farms station, load the bike into the baggage car and ride the train over to South Britain to our camp on the Housatonic (now Lake Zoar) up on River Road in Southbury. I have one old photo taken around that time that shows the train on the Pomperaug River bridge, it looks like a 2-6-0 loco with two passenger cars behind, heading east toward South Britain.
RE: Shelton/Derby loop
Thanks for all the information generously given on this thread. It appears that freight quit the line during WWI and passenger service in '32? Then the line was abandoned in the 30's or 40's? What an interesting corner of the old N ?
I was always interested in the Maybrook line and had a chance to ride between Maybrook and New Haven before the bridge burned.
What's going on over there these days? Commuter service Devon--Derby? Local shortline freight Devon--Danbury? Anything between Danbury and Hopewell Junction?