springfieldunion. connecticut river railroad
connecticut river railroad, boston and maine railroad, guilford rail system, pan am railways

return home

Businessmen of the Connecticut River valley and investors from Boston came together with one common goal, the construction of a railroad along the Connecticut River from Springfield to Northhapton. In 1842 a charter was granted for the Northamton & Springfield Railroad. Shortly before the railroad opened for operations, it was merged with the Greenfield & Northampton Railroad in 1845 to form the Connecticut River Railroad. The route from Springfield to Northampton opened in late 1845, and the railroad reached the Massachusetts-Vermont state line by 1849 where the Connecticut River Railroad made its connection with the Vermont & Massachusetts Railroad.

The Connecticut River Railroad operated independently for more than 40 years, and over the course of its existence, the Connecticut River Railroad acquired systems that eventually brought the railroad to the Canadian border. With connections, the Connecticut River Railroad became part of the New York City - Montreal route.

In 1893, the Connecticut River Railroad was brought under the wings of the Boston & Maine Railroad. In an effort to create easier access to the East Deerfield freight yard, the Boston & Maine created a mile long branch in 1906. Since its construction, the branch has been solely used for freight trains. 1983 marked the end of the Boston & Maine, as it was that year the railroad was purchased by Timothy Mellon and consolidated with the Maine Central and Delaware & Hudson Railroads into Guilford Rail System.

Passenger service on the Connecticut River line was discontinued in 1966, but the absence of service did not last long. In 1971, when Amtrak was formed to provide national passenger service, the trains from New York to Montreal, known as the Montrealer, were restarted and continued until 1987 until track conditions prevented the trains from running. Service to Montreal was reinstituted in 1989, this time taking the Central Vermont route.

source: The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald D. Karr

continue on to springfield today

return home