Question about the old WMCR line in Meriden?

[FLRailFan1]

I heard a few years (or maybe 10-12 years ago) that the line was owned by Sanzo/York Hill Quarries. Around that time, they were thinking about shipping by rail....is the line still there?

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

I heard a few years (or maybe 10-12 years ago) that the line was owned by Sanzo/York Hill Quarries. Around that time, they were thinking about shipping by rail....is the line still there?

Very, very overgrown but still there. The trestles over the Springfield Line are due to be torn down soon during the Amtrak construction. One of them burned some years back and is structurally unsafe.

[Noel Weaver]

I rode this trackage back in the 50's on a Budd Car fantrip. We went west to West Main Street and east to Westfield, it was quite an adventure.
Noel Weaver

[ebtmikado]

I see no evidence of there having been a fire on the trestle over the Springfield Line.
The bridge to the east, over the stream, is heavily damaged.

Suzio still owns the line.

[RagsCo4]

Well the bridge that burned has long been torn down, that wasn't even a part of the line you are talking about. There is still a bridge that crosses over the Springfield line which is part of the line you are talking about, I was unaware that they are taking the bridge down. I know that Suzio Quarry has gotten quotes for putting the line back in service, but the problem is finding someone to pick up there cars. Don't have to much more info other than that. I will try and find out more, as the Suzio family and my family are very close.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

http://www.nhhsrail.com/pdfs/ea/appendix_03.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

p. 7 on the NHHS bridge inventory and action plan. The overhead bridge at MP 19.9 to be removed. Note though that the CT Rail Map (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... r36x24.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) designates that stretch of ROW on the west side of the Springfield Line as the "Center Street Branch", separate from the Quarry branch on the easterly side. I don't know what the difference is. Did the quarry ever use that for anything, or was there once a different customer down there?

[Sir Ray]

http://www.nhhsrail.com/pdfs/ea/appendix_03.pdf

p. 7 on the NHHS bridge inventory and action plan. The overhead bridge at MP 19.9 to be removed. Note though that the CT Rail Map (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... r36x24.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) designates that stretch of ROW on the west side of the Springfield Line as the "Center Street Branch", separate from the Quarry branch on the easterly side. I don't know what the difference is. Did the quarry ever use that for anything, or was there once a different customer down there?

Looking at Google Satellite, looks like the ROW curves south-west toward what is now marked as Midstate Medical Center (on Kensington Ave.) - could that have been a big industrial site at one time? Oddly, Center Street itself runs, parallel to the Springfield line , a little to the East, and doesn't seem to cross the track segment in question.

Actually, I didn't see any remaining evidence that the Quarry Spur or the Center St. Spur (which seem to have been one long route) were tied into the Springfield branch.

I also don't envy the Quarry when they try to reactivate that branch - I saw plenty of backyards that the route would traverse to supply potential NIMBYs from.

[TomNelligan]

Actually, I didn't see any remaining evidence that the Quarry Spur or the Center St. Spur (which seem to have been one long route) were tied into the Springfield branch.

It was one route in the sense that it was the remnant of the middle of the very marginal Waterbury, Meriden & Cromwell RR, later a New Haven branch which connected those cities. The east end of that line also survived into the Penn Central era as the Dublin Street branch to the brass mills on the east side of Waterbury. Otherwise it was abandoned early.

The quarry line in Meriden did have a connection to the Springfield Line at the point where it crossed over, but after all these years I don't remember which quadrant it was in.

[RagsCo4]

http://www.nhhsrail.com/pdfs/ea/appendix_03.pdf

p. 7 on the NHHS bridge inventory and action plan. The overhead bridge at MP 19.9 to be removed. Note though that the CT Rail Map (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... r36x24.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) designates that stretch of ROW on the west side of the Springfield Line as the "Center Street Branch", separate from the Quarry branch on the easterly side. I don't know what the difference is. Did the quarry ever use that for anything, or was there once a different customer down there?

Looking at Google Satellite, looks like the ROW curves south-west toward what is now marked as Midstate Medical Center (on Kensington Ave.) - could that have been a big industrial site at one time? Oddly, Center Street itself runs, parallel to the Springfield line , a little to the East, and doesn't seem to cross the track segment in question.

Actually, I didn't see any remaining evidence that the Quarry Spur or the Center St. Spur (which seem to have been one long route) were tied into the Springfield branch.

I also don't envy the Quarry when they try to reactivate that branch - I saw plenty of backyards that the route would traverse to supply potential NIMBYs from.

The line you are talking about that is now Midstate Medical Center is the same line as the Quarry line. They would cross over the mainline and then using a siding to get onto the main line.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=gracey+a ... ticut&z=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There was never a center street line to my knowledge however the quarry line did go to a factory at 290 Pratt St.https://maps.google.com/maps?q=brooksid ... 19&iwloc=A" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you clink on the link you can see the tunnel under 691 that is the line that connected the factory to the quarry line.

There was a rail yard right off State St Ext you can see they use it for storage right now, but have also seen them use it for some heavy machinery that has been brought in by rail from time to time.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=State+St ... t+Ext&z=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a really cool old map in the Clerks office in Meriden's City Hall, it has all the old rai lyards on it and everything in between including a pretty big rail yard that was once on the canal line.

[FLRailFan1]

http://www.nhhsrail.com/pdfs/ea/appendix_03.pdf

p. 7 on the NHHS bridge inventory and action plan. The overhead bridge at MP 19.9 to be removed. Note though that the CT Rail Map (http://www.ct.gov/dot/lib/dot/documents ... r36x24.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) designates that stretch of ROW on the west side of the Springfield Line as the "Center Street Branch", separate from the Quarry branch on the easterly side. I don't know what the difference is. Did the quarry ever use that for anything, or was there once a different customer down there?

Looking at Google Satellite, looks like the ROW curves south-west toward what is now marked as Midstate Medical Center (on Kensington Ave.) - could that have been a big industrial site at one time? Oddly, Center Street itself runs, parallel to the Springfield line , a little to the East, and doesn't seem to cross the track segment in question.

Actually, I didn't see any remaining evidence that the Quarry Spur or the Center St. Spur (which seem to have been one long route) were tied into the Springfield branch.

I also don't envy the Quarry when they try to reactivate that branch - I saw plenty of backyards that the route would traverse to supply potential NIMBYs from.

The line you are talking about that is now Midstate Medical Center is the same line as the Quarry line. They would cross over the mainline and then using a siding to get onto the main line.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=gracey+a ... ticut&z=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There was never a center street line to my knowledge however the quarry line did go to a factory at 290 Pratt St.https://maps.google.com/maps?q=brooksid ... 19&iwloc=A" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If you clink on the link you can see the tunnel under 691 that is the line that connected the factory to the quarry line.

There was a rail yard right off State St Ext you can see they use it for storage right now, but have also seen them use it for some heavy machinery that has been brought in by rail from time to time.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=State+St ... t+Ext&z=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is a really cool old map in the Clerks office in Meriden's City Hall, it has all the old rai lyards on it and everything in between including a pretty big rail yard that was once on the canal line.

If you could see if you could take a picture of that map. I bet it is nice to look at!! Is the map historical??

[CVRA7]

The right-of-way that was obliterated by the hospital was used as far as West Main St. into the 1960s - I believe a lumber yard was the primary customer. An old map that UI saw showed a small yard and a 3 stall roundhouse at that location, which also had the West Main St station of the MW&CR. That line's general offices were also at that location.