Alert “06880” John Kelley found this map of the New York & New Haven railroad.
It’s even older than it sounds. The date was 1845.
The railroad was not completed until 1848. This was a projected route.
It was originally single tracked. A 2nd track was added soon.
The Westport station was on the east side of the Saugatuck River. The rail line merged with the New Haven & Hartford RR in 1874.
In the 1890s a major construction project created a 4-track grade separated railroad, with no rail crossings. At that point the Westport station — located on the east side of the Saugatuck River — was moved to its present location.
Starting in 1913, the rail line was electrified.
Those are all interesting facts. If you are reading them on a train — moving s-l-o-w-l-y between New York and Westport — we hope you arrive safely, and soon.
Interesting data and map. My Grandfather and Great Grandfather were both engineers for the New York New Haven railroad.
I will add a tidbit. The railroad was rebuilt into the 4-track grade-separated configuration in the 1890s at the time J.P. Morgan took it over. Having been born in Hartford, he was fond of the railroad.