New Milford station

New Milford station is a former railroad station on Railroad Street in New Milford, Connecticut. Built in 1886 by the Housatonic Railroad Company, it cemented the town's importance as a regional tourist and business center. It served passenger service until 1971, and is now home to the Greater New Milford chamber of commerce.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

New Milford
The former New Milford station in 2010
General information
Owned byConnDOT
Line(s)Housatonic Railroad
Tracks2
History
Opened1886 (1886)
Closed1971 (1971)
Proposed services
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Brookfield
toward South Norwalk, Stamford or Grand Central
 Danbury Branch Terminus
Former services
Preceding station New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Following station
Brookfield
toward Norwalk and South Norwalk
 Pittsfield Branch Gaylordsville
toward Pittsfield
New Milford Railroad Station
Location11 Railroad Street, New Milford, Connecticut
Coordinates41°34′35″N 73°24′46″W
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1886 (1886)
ArchitectHousatonic Railroad Company
Architectural styleVictorian
NRHP reference No.84001062[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 1, 1984

History
Early-20th-century postcard of the station

The station was built in 1886 by the Housatonic Railroad, then at the height of its operations. New Milford was also going through an economic boom, both as a center of regional tourism, and as the principal location for the processing and packing of tobacco in the Housatonic River valley. The railroad was later acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Passenger service, particularly tourist-related summer business, continued into the 1950s, but declined thereafter, and was ended in 1970. The station building, closed in the late 1960s,[3] stood vacant for a time, but has since been rehabilitated and is now occupied by the New Milford chamber of commerce.

The station is located on the west side of New Milford's downtown business district, with Railroad Street to its east and the tracks of the Housatonic Railroad to the west. It is a long and narrow wood-frame building with a gable roof and clapboarded exterior. The street facade is regular, with windows and doors alternating, and a central projecting bay. Opposite this bay on the track side is a similar projection, which historically housed the ticketing office. The gabled roof has extended eaves, supported by large triangular brackets with decorative jigsawn woodwork on their interior. The track side eave is further extended to provide shelter over the passenger platform, with original cast iron supporting posts.[3]

Proposed service

The Metro-North Railroad, operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), has proposed the extension of the Danbury Branch to New Milford Station along with possible electrification. There is no set timeline yet.

In September 2020, due to an increase in demand for expansion of commuter rail service to Greater Danbury and Litchfield County, the United States Department of Transportation awarded a $400,000 grant to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments to study improvements along the Danbury Branch line and develop a plan for expanding service north. This would include the construction of a North Danbury, Brookfield and New Milford station.[4]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "The Greater New Milford Chamber of Commerce". Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  3. Alison Gilchrist (1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Housatonic Railroad Station". National Park Service. and Accompanying photos
  4. https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/09/17-six-rail-projects-among-58-receiving-build-grant-capital-funding Six rail projects among 58 receiving BUILD grant capital funding Another 10 projects with rail component get capital or planning funding September 17, 2020

Media related to New Milford station at Wikimedia Commons

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