Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad

South portal of the tunnel in Washington, May 28, 2012
Overview
Headquarters	Litchfield
Locale	Hawleyville, CT to Litchfield, CT
Dates of operation	1871–1891 / 1948
Predecessor	Shepaug Valley Railroad (1868-1873) Shepaug Railroad (1873-1887)
Successor	Housatonic (1891-1898) NYNH&H (1898-1948)
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	32.28 mi (52 km)

The Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern Railroad was a short train line in western Connecticut. It started as the Shepaug Valley Railroad in 1868 and ran trains from 1872 to 1891. At that time, the Housatonic Railroad took it over. Later, in 1898, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (NH) began running the line. It was known as the Litchfield Division of the NH. The trains kept running until 1948, when the line was closed. Today, much of the old train path is a rail trail, which people can use for walking or biking.

History of the Shepaug Railroad

How the Railroad Started

The name "Shepaug" comes from the Shepaug River. This river runs alongside most of the train line. The word "Shepaug" is a Mohegan name that means "rocky water."

The railroad officially began in 1868. It started running trains on December 7, 1871, as the Shepaug Valley Railroad. J. Deming Perkins was the first president of the company. Regular train service to Litchfield began by January 11, 1872.

Building and keeping up the train line was very expensive. It went through rocky, rural areas. Because of this, the railroad often struggled to make money. To help pay its debts, it was reorganized in 1873 as the Shepaug Railroad. Then, on May 9, 1887, it was reorganized again as the Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern (SL&N).

Early Train Operations

The first three steam locomotives on the Shepaug line were named Shepaug, Weatinaug, and Waramaug. These were 30-ton, 4-4-0 type engines. They were built by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works in New Jersey.

Besides carrying passengers, the railroad also moved a lot of goods. Gail Borden's condensed milk business was growing in the 1870s. A new Borden creamery was built in Washington Depot. Soon after the SL&N started, it began shipping dairy products from there. Other important goods shipped by train included stone from quarries near Roxbury and New Preston. This stone included marble and granite. Ice cut from Bantam Lake was also a major freight item.

At first, the SL&N ran two trains from Litchfield to Hawleyville each weekday. Two return trains ran later in the day. On Saturdays, there was one passenger train and one separate freight train. To get fresh milk to New York City, a special "milk train" ran on Sundays. This milk was first taken to Hawleyville. From there, the Housatonic Railroad carried it to Bridgeport and then to New York. Later, the creamery in Hawleyville closed. The milk train then ran through Danbury to South Norwalk.

In 1872, the railroad made a deal with the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. This allowed Shepaug trains to use their new 6-mile (9.7 km) Hawleyville Branch to Bethel. Eventually, the SL&N ran trains all the way from Litchfield to South Norwalk. From there, passengers could connect with the New Haven line. They could also go to Wilson's Point for ferry service to New York or Oyster Bay on Long Island.

The New Haven Era (1898-1948)

On July 1, 1898, the New Haven Railroad leased the Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern from the Housatonic. They ran it as their Litchfield Branch. However, business slowed down in the early 1900s. The Borden Creamery in Washington closed in 1928.

Passenger train service on the Shepaug Division stopped by 1932. In 1947, the New Haven asked to close the line for freight. The Interstate Commerce Commission agreed in 1948. That's when freight service on the line ended. In 1947 and 1948, more modern diesel-electric locomotives were used for a short time. In 1949, workers known as gandy dancers removed the rails and ties.

The Train Route

The Shepaug line was known for its winding path. People said it took 32 miles (51 km) of track to travel a distance of only 18 miles (29 km) in a straight line. A 235 ft (72 m) long curved tunnel was cut through rock southwest of Washington Depot. This tunnel still exists today along a hiking trail. There were said to be 192 curves on the line from Litchfield to Hawleyville. That's about six curves per mile!

A 428 ft (130 m) Brown truss type bridge carried the tracks over the Housatonic River. This was between the village of Shepaug and Hawleyville. Other smaller bridges over the Shepaug River were box truss types.

In 1889, a branch of the line from New Preston was extended four miles (6.4 km) to Lake Wauramaug. This line carried vacationers in the summer. It also helped move ice from icehouses all year long.

In 1892, the New Haven Railroad leased the Hawleyville-Bethel branch to the Shepaug.

Train Stops Along the Line

Here are some of the stations and flag stops along the line, from northeast to southwest:

The Steep Rock Association Land Trust

In 1889, an architect named Ehrick Rossiter bought 100 acres (40 ha) of land along the Shepaug River. He wanted to save it from being logged. This area included several miles of the SL&N tracks. In 1893, Edward I. and Mary Lawrence McLane Van Ingen built Holiday House south of Washington Depot. Rossiter designed the plans for it. Holiday House was a country hotel for young working women from New York City.

In 1925, Rossiter gave his land to a group of trustees. He wanted the land to stay as a wooded preserve. In 1929, the Steep Rock Association trustees bought a rounded, river-encircled hill called the Clam Shell. They added it to the preserve. The floods of 1955 washed away what was left of the SL&N bridge near the Clam Shell. Over the years, more land was given to the trust. Today, it protects over 2,700 acres (1,100 ha). Several kilometers of the old SL&N train path are now hiking and horse riding trails within the Steep Rock Association preserves.