Naugatuck Railroad

The Naugatuck Railroad was a railroad that ran through south central Connecticut from 1849 to 1887. In the latter year the line was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and was wholly owned by the New Haven by 1906. At its greatest extent the Naugatuck ran from Bridgeport north to Winsted. Since 1996 the portion of the line north of Waterbury has been leased from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CDOT) by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station to the Waterville neighborhood of Waterbury. The museum operating subsidiary is named Naugatuck Railroad (reporting mark NAUG) in honor of the line's original owner. Track currently ends in Torrington. From Waterbury south to the New Haven Line, Metro-North Railroad operates commuter service on the Waterbury Branch.

History

The Naugatuck Railroad was chartered May 1845 and organized February 1848. On May 15, 1849, the first section opened, from a junction with the just-completed New York and New Haven Railroad north to Seymour. Extensions opened to Waterbury June 11 and the rest of the way to Winsted September 24, where the Central New England Railway later passed through. On November 1, 1870 the Naugatuck Railroad leased the Watertown and Waterville Railroad, giving it a branch to Waterville. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the Naugatuck on May 24, 1887, and merged it January 31, 1906.