New Milford station

The New Milford Railroad Station is a historic 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 1970, 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
Owned by	ConnDOT
Line(s)	Danbury Branch
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	43
Proposed services
Preceding station Metro-North Following station Brookfield towards Grand Central Danbury Branch Terminus
New Milford Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
View of Station looking southwest, March 25, 2012
Show map of Connecticut Show map of the United States
Location	Railroad Street, New Milford, Connecticut
Coordinates	41°34′35″N 73°24′46″W
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1886 (1886)
Architect	Housatonic Railroad Company
Architectural style	Victorian
NRHP reference No.	84001062[1]
Added to NRHP	March 1, 1984

History

The station was built in 1886 by the Housatonic Railroad, then at the height of its operations. New Milford was then 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 local chamber of commerce.

Description and history

The New Milford Railroad 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 and station layout

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.

P Platform level	Street level	Exit/entrance and parking
	Side platform, doors will open on the left or right
	Track 1	←      Danbury Branch toward Grand Central or South Norwalk (Brookfield)      Danbury Branch alighting passengers only →
Track 2	←Siding

See also

• Connecticut Commuter Rail Council is the official state advocate for commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Litchfield County, Connecticut

References

Media related to New Milford station at Wikimedia Commons

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