Ridgefield station (New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad)

Ridgefield
Ridgefield
	Rebuilt version as seen in 2021
General information
Coordinates	41°16′58″N73°29′47″W / 41.28272°N 73.49632°W
Platforms	1
Tracks	1
History
Opened	1870
Closed	1964
Location
Location

Last updated May 29, 2024

Ridgefield station was a station on the Ridgefield Branch of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad and later the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, located in the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Opened in 1870 as the terminus of its namesake branch line. The station would serve passengers until the discontinuation of passenger service on August 8, 1925, afterwards only accommodating freight service until the NYNH&H abandoned the line entirely in 1964. The station would remain as a part of the Ridgefield Supply Company's headquarters until 2015, when the original station was disassembled, refurbished, and moved to the other side of the property where it still stands today.

History

Construction

In 1869, LeGrand Lockwood, then the president of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad, had the Ridgefield Branch constructed in order to stop rival companies from building through the town of Ridgefield.^[1] Nevertheless, the branch's construction would prove to be one of the most difficult rail operations in the state.^[2] Construction was made difficult by grades nearly 120 feet per mile climbing out of the narrow Norwalk River valley.^[2] Additionally, the line's construction costed at least $250,000 ($5,654,790.08 in 2022) and was serving a town which at that time was home to just 1,919 people.^[2] On June 25, 1870, the final rail was laid and trains began running on the branch, with coincidentally, construction on the Ridgefield station also being completed on that same day.^[2]

Service

Initially, the Ridgefield station was the only station on the branch,^[3] But later on, the stations of Florida and Cooper also opened on the line.^[4]^[5] On April 17, 1905, a train about 1 mile south of the station derailed after the coal tender derailed from the tracks. The accident killed the engineer, while injuring the fireman and inflicting minor injuries on the train's passengers.^[6] In 1925, amid electrification of the Danbury Branch, the railroad opted not to electrify the line and instead cut passenger service entirely, replacing service with New England Transportation Company buses instead.^[7] On August 8, 1925, the final passenger train ran on the Ridgefield Branch.^[7] Freight service continued to serve the station up until January 8, 1964, when the NYNH&H abandoned the Ridgefield Branch entirely.^[8]^[9]

After 1964

Following its closure, the station would come to stand as a storage facility at the Ridgefield Supply Company until 2015, when it was razed and then rebuilt on the other side of the property,^[10] where the new structure retains the station's original appearance today.^[9]

Station layout

The station, which consisted of the depot and a side platform, was located on the west side of the Ridgefield Branch ROW.^[9] The station building was noted for its interestingly shaped roof which was used for a rainwater-powered cistern.^[9]

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The Ridgefield Branch was a branch line of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad and later the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. It ran for 4.0 miles (6.4 km) from Branchville to the center of Ridgefield, Connecticut. After a difficult and costly construction hindered by the topography of the Norwalk River valley, the branch opened in July 1870 after a year of construction. Throughout its existence, three stations existed on the line. In 1925, amid electrification of the neighboring Danbury Line, passenger service on the branch was terminated. Freight service continued to just the Ridgefield station until 1964, when the line was abandoned entirely.

References

↑ Cornwall 1987, p. 29.
1 2 3 4 Cornwall 1987, p. 31.
↑ Brennan, Joseph. "Danbury Railways". columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
↑ Belletzkie, Bob. "stations:CL-CR". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
↑ Belletzkie, Bob. "STATIONS:F". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
↑ News-Times. "Ridgefield's terrible train wreck". newstimes.com. Danbury News-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
1 2 Cornwall 1987, p. 84.
↑ Cornwall 1987, p. 92.
1 2 3 4 Bell, Bob. "stations:Q-R". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
↑ Benjamin, Scott. "Historic Ridgefield train station incorporated into supply company's overhaul Scott Benjamin". newstimes.com. Danbury News-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

Works cited

Cornwall, L. Peter (1987). In the Shore Line's Shadow, the Six Lives of the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. Littleton, Massachusetts: Flying Yankee. ISBN 0-9615574-5-1.

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[1] Cornwall 1987, p. 29.

[Cornwall_1987,_p._31-2] 1 2 3 4 Cornwall 1987, p. 31.

[3] Brennan, Joseph. "Danbury Railways". columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[4] Belletzkie, Bob. "stations:CL-CR". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[5] Belletzkie, Bob. "STATIONS:F". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[6] News-Times. "Ridgefield's terrible train wreck". newstimes.com. Danbury News-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[Cornwall_1987,_p._84-7] 1 2 Cornwall 1987, p. 84.

[8] Cornwall 1987, p. 92.

[tylercitystation-9] 1 2 3 4 Bell, Bob. "stations:Q-R". Tylercitystation.info. Tylercitystation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

[10] Benjamin, Scott. "Historic Ridgefield train station incorporated into supply company's overhaul Scott Benjamin". newstimes.com. Danbury News-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2021.

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