Essex Freight Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Essex Freight Station
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 Railroad Avenue, Centerbrook village, Essex, Connecticut |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1915 |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000337 |
| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1994 |
The Essex Freight Station is an old train station in Centerbrook, Connecticut, a small village in Essex, Connecticut. It was built a long time ago, in 1915. This station is a great example of how train buildings looked back then. Today, it's part of the Connecticut Valley Railroad. This special railroad offers fun trips on old-fashioned steam trains! The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 1994. This means it's an important historical building worth protecting.
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What is the Essex Freight Station?
The Essex Freight Station is found at the end of Railroad Avenue. This road is just off Connecticut Route 154, near Connecticut Route 9. The area around the station is a busy train yard. It is now used by the Connecticut Valley Railroad. You can still see old train equipment there. This includes switches and signals from the early 1900s.
The Station Building
The station building itself is made of wood. It has only one floor. The roof is not very steep and has wide edges. These wide edges are held up by big supports called brackets. The lower part of the walls has vertical wooden boards. The upper part uses horizontal wooden boards called clapboards. This style shows how buildings looked when the station was new.
History of the Train Station
The Essex Freight Station was built in 1915. It was built by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. This railroad company used the old Connecticut Valley Railroad line. That line had been serving the Connecticut River valley since 1871.
Train Services Over Time
Trains carried passengers on this line until 1933. Freight, which means goods and cargo, was carried until 1961. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad then went out of business. There used to be another passenger station nearby. It looked similar to the freight station. However, that building was taken down a long time ago.
The Station Today
In 1970, a group of train fans bought the station and the train yard. This group is called the Connecticut Valley Railroad. It is a non-profit organization. Since 1971, they have been running fun trips. These trips use old steam-powered trains. They travel on parts of the original train line. It's a great way to experience history!
