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Railroad History Archive

Recent Gifts and Acquisitions

The Connecticut Central Railroad Company Records

The Railroad History Archive received the gift of the records of the Connecticut Central Railroad Company from Mr. James Goodwin and Mr. Russell St. John in August 2009.

In 1986, Conrail filed for abandonment of trackage in and around Middletown, Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Transportation purchased this so-called “Middletown Cluster” and named the Valley Railroad as designated operator. The Valley Railroad - an Essex, Connecticut-based tourist operator - had successfully negotiated an interchange agreement with Conrail and set up a subsidiary called The Connecticut Central Railroad to provide the service. The first train ran on May 26, 1987.

Connecticut Central (assigned alphanumeric code CCCL - 416) handled pulpboard, lumber, fertilizer, chemicals, and brick at above-projected levels until 1990 when its volume fell by one-third mostly due to the recession and closure of a major customer. That same year the Valley Railroad sold its interest to a group of investors and the CCCL became independent. The signing of a large sludge-hauling contract with the City of Middletown in 1990 plus the 1992 arrival of a large steel business enabled the CCCL to maintain a viable operation.

With a view to expansion, CCCL negotiated with the State of Connecticut for freight operation rights on the “Wethersfield Secondary” between the railroad’s northern end in Cromwell and the Connecticut Southern Railroad’s Hartford terminal. Shortly after these rights were awarded, the Providence and Worcester Railroad acquired the CCCL and began operations in April of 1998.

[This history was provided by Mr. James Goodwin, former President of the Connecticut Central Railroad Company.]

The collection consists of legal documents showing the formation, maintenance and dissolution of the railroad company, financial documents, advertising and promotional materials, and photographs.

 

ca. 1990; Connecticut Central train southbound at Rockfall in Middlefield, Connecticut. Photograph by Bob Bass. 2009-0091_ph5
ca. 1990-1992; a sludge train of the Connecticut Central Railroad, crossing Miller Street in Middletown, Connecticut. 2009-0091_ph6

[caption by Mr. James Goodwin]

Typical Connecticut Central train southbound with engine #36 in the lead. The train is crossing Route 157 at Rockfall Street in the Rockfall section of Middlefield on the Air Line on its way to interchange with Conrail. Most likely date for this train is 1990 based on the empty lumber flat car and fertilizer hoppers toward the rear of the consist behind empty box cars from Stone Container. Photograph by Bob Bass.
2009-0091_ph5

[caption by Mr. James Goodwin]

A shot of our sludge train - aka "Sewer Chief" and the "AMBM/PMBM" - crossing Miller Street in Middletown on the Valley Line to Hartford shuttling sludge each morning from the Middletown Wastewater Plant to the final treatment facility at the Mattabassett District in Cromwell with empties returned in the afternoon. This view is taken from the Middletown end of the Rte. 66 Arrigoni Bridge. The train may be heading in either direction since the train pulled the empties south and pushed the two loaded tanks north in the morning (the caboose to lead the shove is not pictured). The probable date is between August 1990 when the sludge contract was signed and 1992 when the #35 pictured here was taken out of service.
2009-0091_ph6

 

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This page is maintained by L. Smith.