New Haven's Canal Line: R.I.P.

I know that Guilford and Conrail did a nice job ripping up this line in spurts in the last two decades (between New Haven, CT and Westfield, MA). But there was one little stretch in the middle that escaped the welder's torch: between Milldale and Plainville, where it meets with Guilford's Waterbury-Berlin line.

But this past summer, Guilford removed this final stretch, with a railtrail being built days after the rails were gone. My drive through Southington confirmed this observation. I was sitting at a grade crossing which still had rails in it. To my right were railroad ties and spike, missing their rails. To my left was a nicely paved trail.

Anyone know why Guilford trashed what little was left of the line?

There is still a few miles between I-84 in Southington and Plainville yard, it's not all gone yet. The reason why most of its gone....POLITICS and LIES. Nothing more nothing less. By the way its been removed for at least three years now.

Thanks for the update. I was unaware that the segment between Milldale and Southington had been gone for at least three years. I guess the trail idea was pushed for the longest time, and Guilford gave in. Traffic on the line seems light at best.

Mike stated;

"There is still a few miles between I-84 in Southington and Plainville yard, it's not all gone yet. The reason why most of its gone....POLITICS and LIES. Nothing more nothing less. By the way its been removed for at least three years now."
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Can you be a little more specific than just saying it was politics??

Was there any customers that were active and really needed rail to continue??

What I said pretty much summed it up.

HighlandRail/DEY-7 652 wrote:...there were customers that got rail service but it was just so fantastic that they stopped shipping by rail...

What do you exactly mean by "fantastic?" Did Guilford charge outrageous prices? What was the condition of the line before it dissapeared?

If there was a political party involved, what role did Guilford play in it? Did they sell the land to the political party, who in turn, ripped up the line and replaced it with the trail?

I must admit, I am a little lost.

Service wasn't too well. Track was still in good shape but could have used an upgrade. There was an extremely strong bike path lobbying effort. Thats all.

I forget that the line between Cheshire and the I-84 overpass was embargoed in early 1995. Guilford put no money into the line, with only one customer on it.

Actually, there is still a little of the Canal line intact. Furthermore, a portion of the intact part is not only in service,but, it has seen some revenue growth. I refer to the Pioneer Valley Railroad of Westfield Mass. Their main yard along with what is left of the line heading into Southampton is part of the Canal line. While only the Westfield portion is still in service, the tracks are still in place all through Southampton to Coleman Road. The Southampton part is considered "banked" by the Pioneer Valley should the opportunity for customers to locate there arise. Unlike in Easthampton where essentially the majority vote of a 75 member primarily pro bike path town meeting membership decided the fate of the rails, Southampton actually asked ALL of it's residents through a townwide vote what they wanted. The resulting vote overwhelmingly favored leaving the rails. It's no surprise the same thing happened on the southern portion.

This is good to know. I may take some photos of the line next time I'm visiting relatives in Hartford.