Fairfield County Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Fairfield County Railroad was chartered May 1835. Its goal was to give Danbury, Connecticut
, a rail link with the outside world. It became the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
by 1850 which in turn did not operate until 1852. This company preceded Danbury and Norwalk Railroad and by 1950 ceased to exist.
Prior to the railroad era routes from Danbury to Norwalk were opened along at least two toll roads. In October 1795 the Danbury and Norwalk Turnpike was opened (which mostly followed present day Route 53) and then in May 1801 the Danbury-Ridgefield Turnpike was opened (it followed the present day U.S. Route 7
and Connecticut Route 35). The turnpikes provided only limited capacity freight and passenger transportation.
One alternative to the turnpikes, a canal, was considered. In 1830, a survey was conducted for a potential canal from the Still River near Danbury to the Saugatuck River
to take boats from Danbury to Westport, but a 400-foot drop along the canal route would have required a number of locks, which made the idea too expensive, and a canal would not improve transit time.
The Fairfield County Railroad was formed by Danbury leaders to provide better transportation in a charter granted by the Connecticut General Assembly
in 1835, and the company was chartered in May. Instead of steam locomotives, the original idea was to have horses pull cars along the tracks, which would have been an improvement on the unpaved toll roads. At first a route was sought towards Long Island Sound
. Professor Alexander C. Twining of Yale University
surveyed a route to follow the Saugatuck River to a spot near Compo Point in Westport and another route to a spot near Wilson's Point in South Norwalk. Steamboat landings were envisioned at each spot for connections to New York City. Next a line north along the Housatonic River
was surveyed. This would bring in the much needed money for the railroad. Due to lack of financing the railroad was not built at first. The Housatonic Railroad
offered to connect Danbury if the town would subscribe for a bond of $100.000 in said company. Danbury declined. The Housatonic built northwards along the route that the Fairfield County Railroad had surveyed. The Housatonic started service between Bridgeport
and New Milford
by February of 1840. The Fairfield County Railroad would now only be limited to build south towards Long Island Sound. In 1850 the Charter was renewed, and the company was renamed the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
which started operation in 1852. The line would eventually be known as the Danbury Branch of several successor railroads.
The Norwalk route was chosen over the Westport route for engineering reasons, not because the railroad expected to make money from servicing the communities along the way. Before the railroad was built, an estimate for revenues projected $30,000 in annual income from Danbury but only $2,000 from all the intermediate towns combined.
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
, a rail link with the outside world. It became the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
The Danbury and Norwalk Railroad was an independent American railroad that operated between its namesake cities in Connecticut from 1852 until its absorption by the Housatonic Railroad in 1887...
by 1850 which in turn did not operate until 1852. This company preceded Danbury and Norwalk Railroad and by 1950 ceased to exist.
Prior to the railroad era routes from Danbury to Norwalk were opened along at least two toll roads. In October 1795 the Danbury and Norwalk Turnpike was opened (which mostly followed present day Route 53) and then in May 1801 the Danbury-Ridgefield Turnpike was opened (it followed the present day U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7
U.S. Route 7 is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for from Norwalk, Connecticut, to Highgate, Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 in Norwalk, Connecticut...
and Connecticut Route 35). The turnpikes provided only limited capacity freight and passenger transportation.
One alternative to the turnpikes, a canal, was considered. In 1830, a survey was conducted for a potential canal from the Still River near Danbury to the Saugatuck River
Saugatuck River
The Saugatuck River is a river in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It drains part of suburban and rural Fairfield County west of Bridgeport, emptying into Long Island Sound.-Description:...
to take boats from Danbury to Westport, but a 400-foot drop along the canal route would have required a number of locks, which made the idea too expensive, and a canal would not improve transit time.
The Fairfield County Railroad was formed by Danbury leaders to provide better transportation in a charter granted by the Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
in 1835, and the company was chartered in May. Instead of steam locomotives, the original idea was to have horses pull cars along the tracks, which would have been an improvement on the unpaved toll roads. At first a route was sought towards Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. Professor Alexander C. Twining of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
surveyed a route to follow the Saugatuck River to a spot near Compo Point in Westport and another route to a spot near Wilson's Point in South Norwalk. Steamboat landings were envisioned at each spot for connections to New York City. Next a line north along the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
was surveyed. This would bring in the much needed money for the railroad. Due to lack of financing the railroad was not built at first. The Housatonic Railroad
Housatonic Railroad
The Housatonic Railroad is a Class III railroad operating in southwestern New England. It was chartered in 1983 to operate a short section of ex-New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in northwestern Connecticut, and has since expanded north and south, as well as west into New York State.The...
offered to connect Danbury if the town would subscribe for a bond of $100.000 in said company. Danbury declined. The Housatonic built northwards along the route that the Fairfield County Railroad had surveyed. The Housatonic started service between Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
and New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
by February of 1840. The Fairfield County Railroad would now only be limited to build south towards Long Island Sound. In 1850 the Charter was renewed, and the company was renamed the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
Danbury and Norwalk Railroad
The Danbury and Norwalk Railroad was an independent American railroad that operated between its namesake cities in Connecticut from 1852 until its absorption by the Housatonic Railroad in 1887...
which started operation in 1852. The line would eventually be known as the Danbury Branch of several successor railroads.
The Norwalk route was chosen over the Westport route for engineering reasons, not because the railroad expected to make money from servicing the communities along the way. Before the railroad was built, an estimate for revenues projected $30,000 in annual income from Danbury but only $2,000 from all the intermediate towns combined.