This part of the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill is special to me as it was the first I was exposed to. At the time I taught at Manchester High School, and I was eager to learn about local history and was hoping to see a train! Unfortunately, the last run east of North Main Street occured in July, 2016. This is according to the application to abandon those tracks, stretching from milepost 8.33 (North Main Street) to milepost 9.4. The last run on the Manchester Branch east of School Street in East Hartford appeared to be on November 8, 2017, according to a post on the Connecticut Southern Railroad fan page on Facebook. The tracks between School St and North Main Street are not abandoned, but are out of service (OOS.) Sometime between 2021 and 2023 the crossings in Manchester were formally marked EXEMPT and in addition the crossing in extremely poor condition on Tolland Turnpike was marked "Rough Crossing."
Highlights of this section include the former platforms at the Manchester Depot site on North Main, and the junction with the South Manchester Railway.
Click on the thumbnail for the full resolution image
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Oakland Street
Crossing, Looking East in November 2021. This section is now formally
abandoned and will be made into a rail trail linking the Hop River and
Cheney (South Manchester) Rail Trails. |
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Oakland Street Crossing, Looking West in November 2021. This section is now formally abandoned and will be made into a rail trail linking the Hop River and Cheney (South Manchester) Rail Trails. |
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North Main St Crossing Looking East, August 2016. From the point of the camera eastward, all of this is now abandoned. |
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Crossing controls, North Main St in August, 2016. As of 2023 this crossing has been removed. |
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Looking West from East Side of
North Main St Crossing, August, 2016. As of 2023 this crossing has been
removed. The line exists from the platforms seen here on west, but is
out of service from School St in East Hartford to this street. |
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Manchester Depot Site and North
Main Street Crossing, November 15, 2017. This is about a week after the
reported last Manchester run. The right of way seems in good condition
both sides of North Main. |
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Similar view as above but in November 2021, four years after the line was placed out of service. |
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North Main Street Crossing, November, 2021 |
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North Main Street Crossing, November, 2021. By 2023 the crossing and gates were removed. |
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Manchester Depot Site, 2021 |
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The author with his daughter at
the Manchester Depot Site, September, 2016. Note the South Manchester
Railway right of way branching off. Today this is called the Cheney
Rail Trail and can be explored here. |
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The same location 5 years later in November 2021, 4 years after the line was embargoed. |
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A closer look at the junction with the South Manchester Railway (Cheney Rail Trail) in September, 2016 |
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End of the Manchester Station Platform, looking towards Buckland in November, 2017 |
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An asphalt platform extends
beyond the concrete platform at the Manchester Station Site. The
platform extension appears to be from passenger days, because it has a
yellow safety line. Photo from August, 2016. |
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Looking towards North Main St
from the Platform Extension at the Manchester Station Site. The
construction of asphalt and old rail ties can clearly be seen, as can
the yellow safety stripe. August, 2016. |
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Looking west towards Buckland from the very end of the Manchester platform extension in August, 2016. |
Return to Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railway Index
(c) 2016-2023 Timothy M Dowd. Last Modified @ 23:04 EDT on 2023-11-02
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