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45-724: The trail was built on former New Haven and Northampton Company (NH&N) (later New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad ) railbed, which was constructed along the route of the Farmington Canal in Connecticut and the Hampshire and Hampden Canal in Massachusetts, respectively. The sections from New Haven to Tariffville totaling 47.6 miles (76.6 km) are part of the East Coast Greenway ,

90-607: A 1,000 year lease of the new company for $ 10,000. Building in Massachusetts proved to be more difficult, as several railroads in that state were determined to keep the New Haven and Northampton confined to Connecticut, most of all the Hartford and New Haven. The New Haven and Northampton's charter allowed it to build in Connecticut, but it lacked an equivalent charter from the state of Massachusetts. Two more small companies were established in 1852 and promptly received charters from

135-573: A 36 percent completed trail intended to link Maine with Florida. In 1821, a group of New Haven businessmen convened to construct a canal in Connecticut, much like the Erie Canal that was under construction in New York. It took ten years to complete and was open for use in 1835. Twelve years later, rail became more cost efficient, and a rail bed was put down to follow the same route as the canal. The line changed hands throughout its lifetime, from

180-699: A competing route for traffic between New York City and Boston. For the new few years, the Boston and Albany began purchasing shares of the Canal Line, driving a more than three-fold increase in share price. The president of the New Haven Railroad was said to have learned of rumors about the Boston and Albany's plans from a mention in a Springfield newspaper in March 1881. The New Haven's executives were greatly alarmed, as "For years they had been haunted by

225-442: A fight for control of the company by several other railroads in the 1880s, the New Haven and Northampton was leased by New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1887. The company continued to exist as a lessor until October 26, 1910, when it was formally merged into the New Haven system. In the 20th century, much of the line was gradually abandoned, though two portions continue to see freight service as of 2021. The vast majority of

270-424: A loss of more than $ 1 million in investor capital. In 1847, investors in the company petitioned the state for the right to build a railroad. The approved railroad was constructed in one year on the banks of the canal for a total cost of $ 186,000.33. Rail service lasted until the 1980s, when Guilford discontinued service. The Farmington Valley Trails Council was founded in 1992 to preserve the canal by converting it into

315-918: A park. Part of the Farmington Canal State Park trail was dedicated May 22, 1994. Located on North Brooksvale road is Lock 12 Historical Park, a restored canal lock and museum dubbed the "best-preserved relic of Connecticut's canal era." The developed section within state park boundaries runs 17.7 miles (28.5 km) south from Hart Street in Southington to Todd Street in Hamden and includes the Farmington Canal 's restored Lock 12, located south of Brooksvale Road in Cheshire. [REDACTED] Media related to Farmington Canal Trail at Wikimedia Commons New Haven and Northampton Company The New Haven and Northampton Railroad (founded as

360-615: A portion of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in the towns of Cheshire and Hamden . The site of the greenway was originally used by the native Quinnipiac tribes as a path prior to its expansion as a road by the colonists. A canal construction project began on July 4, 1825, with the first sections opening in 1828. On June 22, 1836, the Farmington and Hampshire companies were in debt and transferred their ownership to New Haven-Northampton Company, resulting in

405-432: A price of $ 45,000 per year. Meanwhile, the New Haven and Northampton continued to build north. In 1849, the Canal Line made an attempt to reach Springfield, Massachusetts , and requested charters from the Massachusetts and Connecticut legislatures authorizing such an extension. This ran into intense opposition, both from the competing Hartford and New Haven Railroad, and from legislators in both states. Opponents argued that

450-476: A switch from iron to steel rails in 1872, which were stronger and better able to handle increasingly heavy trains. In the early 1880s, two additional branches were built. The first was the 18-mile (29 km) long Shelburne Falls Extension, built in 1881 between Northampton and Shelburne via South Deerfield . The following year, the nine-mile (14 km) long Turners Falls branch was built between South Deerfield and Turners Falls . A battle for control of

495-734: Is the northern section of 5.3 miles through Plainville . As of October 2018, the trail extends uninterrupted from Northwest Drive in Northern Plainville to the Massachusetts border in Suffield (24.6 miles). As of October 2018, the Southwick rail trail in Massachusetts is complete, while the trail in Westfield is complete to the Westfield River Bridge, totaling 8.5 miles. There is a gap extending from north of

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540-531: The Connecticut Superior Court , where a judge ruled that the railroad could not build towards Springfield, as doing so would violate its charter. Between 1849 and 1850, two branch lines were constructed. The first was between Farmington and Collinsville , where it connected with Samuel W. Collins 's Collins Company , a major manufacturer. The other was a short extension connecting Simsbury to Tariffville . Both opened in 1850, as did

585-552: The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail . Trails have also been established on portions of the branches to New Hartford and Williamsburg. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has identified the abandoned portions of the Canal Line between Hamden and Suffield , as well as between Farmington and Canton , as corridors which have the potential for future freight rail service. Farmington Canal Too Many Requests If you report this error to

630-807: The Massachusetts General Court ; the Hampden Railroad was to build from the state line to Westfield, Massachusetts , while the Northampton and Westfield Railroad would build from Westfield to Northampton. In 1853, these two companies merged to form the Hampshire and Hampden Railroad , the name derived from the Hampshire and Hampden Canal which was once the Massachusetts portion of the Farmington Canal. The combined line between Granby and Northampton opened in 1856, and remained independent until October 1, 1859, when

675-699: The New Haven and Northampton Company , also known as the Canal Line ) was a railroad originally built alongside a canal between 1847 and 1850 in Connecticut . Leased by the New York and New Haven Railroad from 1849 to 1869, the railroad expanded northwards to Massachusetts and its second namesake city in 1859. Upon the end of the lease in 1869, the company expanded further into Massachusetts, reaching as far north as Shelburne and Turners Falls . After

720-592: The 1970s, the railroad line's connection to the Northeast Corridor was severed due to low clearance under a bridge which made it impossible for modern railroad cars to access the line. Traffic to and from the southern portion of the line had to be routed via Plainville from this time onwards. Penn Central went bankrupt in 1970, and the federal government got involved, ultimately creating Conrail in 1976. The remaining lines were included in Conrail, with

765-553: The 20th century, the New Haven and Northampton was considered a secondary route compared to the parallel New Haven–Springfield Line . The first cuts to the railroad came in 1923, when the branch to Shelburne was abandoned beyond South Deerfield . The remainder of the Shelburne Extension was formally abandoned in 1943 along with the Turners Falls Branch, though neither line had been used for trains since

810-517: The 21st century, the remaining Connecticut portion of the Canal Line is operated by Pan Am Railways between Plainville and Southington , while the Pioneer Valley Railroad operates the remnants in Massachusetts. The majority of the abandoned right of way in Connecticut and Massachusetts has been railbanked and converted into several different rail trails collectively known as the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway , chiefly

855-419: The Canal Line in 1887, ending its independence. While the Canal Line was only mildly profitable for its new owners, the New Haven judged the costs of allowing a competitor such as the Boston and Albany or the New York and New England Railroad to take control to be far higher. The New Haven and Northampton continued to exist on paper until it was finally merged into the New Haven on October 26, 1910. Entering

900-489: The Canal Line's proponents were determined to still reach Northampton. To this end, in 1849 an officially unrelated company was created under the name of the Farmington Valley Railroad , which received a charter from the Connecticut legislature to build a rail line northwards from Granby 4.5 miles (7.2 km) to the Massachusetts state line. Soon after it opened, the New Haven and Northampton acquired

945-464: The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is not yet completed (88% in Connecticut, 68% in Massachusetts). The trail is divided into three sections: As of October 2018, one continuous section runs from Yale University to Lazy Lane in Southington, a distance of 25 miles. The northern part of Southington is being constructed up to Aircraft Road in 2024. The final part is scheduled for 2025. The last gap

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990-563: The H&;NH's line between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts . These negotiations concluded with the New York and New Haven agreeing that the Canal Line would not build north of Granby, and only limited connecting service was to be made available with the HP&;F in Plainville, since traffic could potentially travel between New Haven and Hartford via a transfer in that city. In return,

1035-415: The Hartford and New Haven contributed approximately $ 12,000 a year towards the New York and New Haven's payments for its lease of the Canal Line. This arrangement upset the communities along the Canal Line, such as Southington , which were left with poor service to and from Connecticut's capital city. In spite of the "gentlemen's agreement" between the Hartford and New Haven and the New York and New Haven,

1080-469: The Massachusetts lines went to the newly formed Pioneer Valley Railroad . The line between Avon and Simsbury was abandoned at this time, and the Boston and Maine (part of Guilford Transportation Industries since 1983) further cut the line back to Plainville in 1991. Meanwhile, the southern portion in Connecticut was cut back to Cheshire in 1987. Freight service beyond Southington was suspended in 1995, and Guilford filed for abandonment. Attempts to keep

1125-712: The NH&;N, NH, Penn Central , Conrail , and finally Guilford , who abandoned the line in segments throughout the 1980s. The Connecticut Department of Transportation purchased most of the line from Guilford for railbanking purposes. In 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) provided states the ability to utilize federal funds to finance the conversion of derelict railroad corridors into rail trails . The trail runs from downtown New Haven, Connecticut , to Northampton, Massachusetts , closely following

1170-513: The New Haven and Northampton acquired a 999-year lease of the Hampshire and Hampden in exchange for agreeing to assume $ 200,000 of the latter company's bonds. All three of these smaller companies were formally consolidated with the New Haven and Northampton on July 1, 1862. In 1867, construction began on a branch from Northampton to Williamsburg . The eight-mile (13 km) branch opened in 1868. The New York and New Haven Railroad's lease of

1215-468: The New Haven and Northampton began in 1880, when the Boston and Albany Railroad , an east–west line in Massachusetts, chose a new president. The new president, William Bliss, had a plan to compete with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (formed by the merger of the Hartford and New Haven and the New York and New Haven in 1872). Bliss sought to take control of the New Haven and Northampton to secure

1260-400: The New Haven and Northampton expired in 1869, and was not renewed. From the start, the New York and New Haven had been suffering a significant loss from its lease of the Canal Line, losing between $ 35,000 and $ 45,000 per year. By 1860, the New York and New Haven had lost over $ 250,000 from the lease, while the Hartford and New Haven lost a further $ 120,000. Thus, the New Haven and Northampton

1305-416: The New Haven and Northampton's charter authorized it to build a railroad "on or near" the right of way of the previous canal. This granted the company the freedom to diverge slightly from the canal's route where necessary by terrain or other obstacles, but also constrained them to follow the canal's general route, from New Haven northward towards Granby, and therefore not towards Springfield. The matter went to

1350-609: The Westfield River through Southampton to Coleman Road (8.4 miles). The rest of the trail is complete through Easthampton into Northampton (7.3 miles) and the junction with the Mass Central Rail Trail . State funding for design of a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section in Southampton from Coleman Road to the junction of Route 10 and Moosebrook Road was awarded in 2022. Farmington Canal State Park Trail forms

1395-472: The abandoned line is now part of the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway , which includes the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail where the right of way is owned by the State of Connecticut. The New Haven and Northampton began in the 1820s as a canal company. It operated a canal which, upon its opening in 1835, provided a connection between New Haven, Connecticut , and Northampton, Massachusetts . Despite

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1440-400: The belief of its promoters that the canal would carry a significant amount of business, the expected levels of traffic never materialized, thanks in large part to the completion of the parallel Hartford and New Haven Railroad a few years after the opening of the canal. Additionally, the canal was only operable for eight months of the year, as it closed during the winter. In the early 1840s,

1485-695: The branch was abandoned in 1968; the Collins Company had shut its doors in 1966. In Massachusetts, the Florence Branch was abandoned beyond Florence in 1962. The New Haven was merged into the Penn Central Transportation Company on January 1, 1969. That year, the main line was cut back from Northampton to Easthampton , and the rest of the Williamsburg Branch was abandoned. In the middle of

1530-456: The bugaboo of a parallel railroad between New Haven and New York, and here it was about to be materialized as a part of a new through line from New York to Boston." The executives decided to buy the shares still held by Joseph Sheffield, who controlled more than half the company's stock. Upon visiting him, Sheffield told the New Haven's representatives that he would sell to them, but only for $ 100 per share (equivalent to $ 2,682 in 2020). Despite

1575-532: The canal was bought by New Haven businessman Joseph Earl Sheffield , who came to the conclusion that the struggling canal could work much better if it were converted to a railroad. Following authorization in May 1846 by the Connecticut General Assembly to switch from a canal company to a railroad company, work began on building a railroad along the canal right of way. Starting in New Haven,

1620-551: The early 1930s. However, the Boston and Maine Railroad purchased and reactivated the Turners Falls Branch from Cheapside to Turners Falls, a distance of 4 miles (6.4 km). The B&M had previously held trackage rights over the Turners Falls Branch from 1925 onward, and the purchase allowed the B&;M to abandon its own line to Turners Falls. In 1956, the New Hartford branch was cut back to Collinsville. The remainder of

1665-423: The exception of the segment between Simsbury and Westfield , which was abandoned. This left the former New Haven and Northampton as two separate lines. To save the 5 miles (8.0 km) between Avon and Simsbury, the state of Connecticut agreed to provide a subsidy for Conrail operations over that segment. In 1982, Conrail sold its Connecticut portion of the Canal Line to the Boston and Maine Railroad , while

1710-418: The extension of the main line to Granby. Almost immediately after they opened, the New York and New Haven leased these as well, effective April 25, 1850, for an additional $ 40,000 per year. The New York and New Haven was motivated to lease the Canal Line as leverage in negotiations with the Hartford and New Haven. If the New Haven and Northampton were built to Northampton, it would be in direct competition with

1755-399: The line in 2000. An additional abandonment of most trackage in Southington took place in 2008. As of 2017, freight service in Connecticut operates only in Plainville and just across the Southington town line, where the line ends at a propane distribution company; the Pioneer Valley Railroad continues operating part of the former main line in Westfield along with the entire Holyoke Branch. In

1800-437: The line in service to Cheshire ultimately failed, with abandonment being approved in 1998. In Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley Railroad ended freight service between the Westfield town line and Easthampton in 1998 and sold the line to Easthampton for use as a trail. The Pioneer Valley Railroad discontinued service in Westfield south of the former Boston and Albany Railroad main line in 1997 and formally abandoned this part of

1845-480: The path of the original Canal and Route 10 . Portions of the original canal still exist, such as an historic "lock house" dating from the time of the original canal, as well as retaining walls, canal locks (elevators for boats), old sections of canal, and other features. In Cheshire, Connecticut , the only restored lock along the original Canal line has been incorporated into the Lock 12 Historical Park. The route of

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1890-571: The railroad reached Plainville , 27 miles (43 km) away, by the end of 1847. In 1850, it was joined by the Hartford, Providence & Fishkill Railroad 's line between Hartford and Waterbury . The first trains ran in January 1848, though construction continued northwards to Granby, Connecticut . On January 11, 1848, the New York and New Haven Railroad leased the line between New Haven and Plainville for 20 years effective on July 1, 1849, for

1935-401: The steep asking price, the New Haven agreed to buy all of Sheffield's shares for a total price of $ 1,229,800 (equivalent to $ 32,979,843 in 2020), much to the anger of the Boston and Albany, which had also been attempting to obtain his shares. Now having control of a majority of the Canal Line's stock, the New Haven installed new directors which supported its interests. The New Haven leased

1980-573: Was along a narrow gorge following the Farmington River . It was reported that construction along the river was so difficult that the area was nicknamed " Satan's Kingdom ". In Massachusetts, the New Haven and Northampton built a branch from North Westfield to Holyoke in 1871, a distance of nine miles (14 km). Here, the company connected with the Connecticut River Railroad . The New Haven and Northampton began

2025-486: Was an independent company for the first time in 20 years. The company quickly began to expand its lines at this time, nearly immediately starting construction on an extension of the Collinsville Branch to Pine Meadow , the site of a tool manufacturer. This extension opened for traffic in 1870, and was further expanded to New Hartford, Connecticut , in 1876. Construction between Collinsville and New Hartford

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