Public Transit Access to the Trail| Miles* | Station Name |
|---|---|
| 0 | New Haven |
| 0.5 | Fair St. |
| 3 | Highwood (Stock Yard) |
| 4 | Hamden Plains |
| 6 | Centerville (Ives) |
| 8 | Mount Carmel |
| 10 | Bradleys |
| 12 | Brooksvale (Brooks) |
| 15 | Cheshire |
| 20 | Milldale (Hitchcocks) |
| 21 | Plantsville Southington Corners) |
| 27 | Plainville |
|
31 |
Farmington |
|
37 |
Avon |
|
40 |
Wheatogue |
| 42 | Simsbury |
| 46 | Floydville |
| 47 | Granby |
| ?? | [State Line] |
| 53 | Congamond, MA |
| Miles** | Station Name |
|---|---|
| 0 | Farmington |
| 3 | Unionville |
| 6 | Burlington |
| 8 | Collinsville |
| Miles*** | Station Name |
|---|---|
| 15 | Simsbury |
| 16 | West Simsbury |
| 17 | Stratton Brook |
| 22 | Canton |
| 23 | High St. Jct |
| 24 | Collinsville |
* Railroad Miles from New Haven
** Railroad Miles from Farmington
*** Railroad Miles from Hartford
italics indicate sections not currently open for public use!
From mileage charts in article #7 & #17 of The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1995.
| Item | From | To | Year | RR | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | High St. Jct | West Simsbury | 1937 | NH | 6.8 |
| 130 | at High St. Jct (Collinsville) | 1938 | NH | 1.2 | |
| 210 | Collinsville | New Hartford | 1956 | NH | 6.2 |
| 269 | Farmington | Collinsville | 1968 | NH | 7.9 |
| 274 | Simsbury | West Simsbury | 1968 | NH | 0.9 |
| 312 | Westfield, MA | Simsbury | 1976 | PC | 17.0 |
| 373 | New Haven | Cheshire | 1987 | B&M | 14.8 |
| 388 | Plainville | Avon | 1991 | B&M | 8.2 |
From the "Directory of Rail Abandonments 1848-1994" in the book Lost Railroads of New England, 2nd Ed. by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1996.
The Simsbury to New Haven section of this Rail-trail will be part of the East Coast Greenway, a multi-use trail that is planned from Maine to Florida. The East Coast Greenway has recently been selected as one of 15 trails for designation as a Millenium Trail, which should be very helpful in focusing public attention on all of the component trail projects.
A section of the Trail near Collinsville is briefly described in section B of the Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy New England Guidebook by Cynthia Mascott published in 2000 by Globe Pequot Press. The 3 mile section of the Stratton Brook Park Trail is briefly described in section E of this book.
The following sections of the trail are described in Great Rail Trails of the Northeast by Craig Della Penna. The information includes a historical background of the trail as well as a detailed description keyed to bicycle odometer readings from the author's in person trip down the trail. This book is out-of-print, but many bookstores still have copies for sale.
Brief histories of the following railroads were published in The Rail Lines of Southern New England by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1995:
(#7) New Haven & Northampton RR
(#17) Connecticut Western RR
Public Transit Access to the TrailNote that CT Transit does not appear to accommodate bicycles!
CT Transit - New Haven Route J2 (Whitney) stops at or near the Hamden Hills Crossing on Weekdays and Saturdays.
CT Transit - New Haven Route J3 & J4 (Whitney) parallels the rail-trail on Route 10 near Mt Carmel Crossing on Weekdays and Saturdays. Note limited Sunday Service by Routes J1 & J2 to Quinnipiac Univ.
CT Transit - New Haven Route J4 (Whitney-Waterbury) parallels the rail-trail on Route 10 north of Mt Carmel Crossing to Cornwall Ave, and also crosses at West Main St on Weekdays and Saturdays. Note that this bus continues to downtown Waterbury!
CT Transit Hartford Route #E6 (Unionville) & E7 (Tunxis Community College) stops on Route 4 (Farmington Ave) near Brickyard Road on Weekdays and Saturdays, about 1.0 mile southeast of the Brickyard Road trail crossing.
CT Transit Hartford Express Route 1 (Avon Express & Avon-Canton Express) stops on Route 44 during Weekday rush hours only. Rush direction busses stop only at the Congregational Church & O'Neil's Car, while reverse-direction busses stop on signal at any safe place west of Nassau Furniture.
CT Transit Hartford Express Route 11 (Simsbury & Granby) stops on route 10 in several specified locations near the Rail-trail during Weekday rush hours only.
CT Transit Hartford Route E7 (Tunxis Community College) stops on Route 177 (Plainville Ave) near the Route 177 trail crossing on Weekdays only. Routes E7 & E6 (Unionville) stop at School & South Main Sts on Weekdays and Saturdays, about 0.3 mile north of the Route 177 trail crossing (across the river).
CT Transit Hartford Express Route 1 (Avon-Canton Express) stops at several locations near the rail-trail during Weekday rush hours only. Rush direction busses stop only at specific locations, while reverse-direction busses stop on request or signal at any safe place.
Amtrak Vermonter (Washington DC, New York City, Springfield & Vermont) stops at Hartford Union Station on a daily basis. This train has bike racks and also handles bikes in boxes as baggage! Other passenger trains provide daily service to intermediate stations between Springfield and New Haven, as well as a daily train to Worcester & Boston (Folding Bicycles only!). Connecting service at New Haven include daily Amtrak Northeast Corridor Service to Boston, New York City, & Washington DC, daily Metro-North Railroad commuter train service to New York City and intermediate stops, and Shore Line East trains to New London and intermediate stops weekday rush periods only.
Greyhound Peter Pan Bus Lines & Bonanza Bus stops at the intercity bus station near Hartford Union Station on a daily basis.
CT Transit - Hartford & Bristol-New Britain offers city bus service to many nearby cities on a daily or except Sunday basis
CT Transit - Hartford & Private Carriers offer express bus service from surrounding cities weekday rush direction only!
Bonanza Bus (Hartford-Providence) stops in Farnington at Park & Ride Lot, Exit 37, Interstate 84 (Fienemann Rd. Exit) on a daily basis.
Amtrak service is available at the New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford railroad stations on a daily basis:
Metro-North Railroad trains from New York City serves the Amtrak stations on a daily basis, as well as intermediate stations shown on the maps. Service is also available on branch lines to Waterbury, Danbury, and New Canaan. Bicycles accommodated in the coaches except on weekday rush-direction trips.
Shore Line East trains offer weekday rush only service from New Haven east to New London. Folding Bicycles only!
Greyhound & Peter Pan Bus Lines stops at New Haven Train Station on a daily basis:
Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.
Updated on August 06, 2001 by Kenyon F.
Karl <[email protected]>.
Unintentional errors are likely!
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