The Newtown bee., 1902-07-25

With the retirement of Superintend-
emit Beach of the Naugatuck division
Of the Consolidated railroad and the
of that and the Berkshire
into one, comes a number of
changes and improvements that will
mark the present epoch most distinct
ly in the history of railroading in
Western Connecticut and Massachu-
sets, says a writer in the Bridgeport
Standard. Like the floods of the
Housatonic river and the Naugatuck,
which unite and make the great river
that flows into Long Island Sound, so
now do the old original Housatonic
railroad and the Naugatuck railroad
come under one head into the greatest |
railroad in New England. The plan is |
not new, but it has been SO adroitly |
conducted that the great public has
way until review of the situation is |
taken into consideration and the vari-
Gus indications of the alterations and
reconstructions of the system are ana
lyzed and mentally digested. Before
the Housatonic railroad was absorbed
by the Consolidated and soon there
after, plans were prepared to extend
the double tracking of the Naugatuck.
Owing to various obstacles this work
on the Naugatuck has been delayed,
but of late has taken definite shape and
the double tracking is now we'll under
way. just the moment the Housaton-
ic system was secured, the farseeing
railroad heads set out to accomplish
ends toward the double tracking and
Strengthening the main line of the
Berkshire division from Brookfield
Junction north to Pittsfield and then,
in time, to double track the Derby
branch and the main line from Brook
field Junction to Bridgeport.
There may be few who doubt this,
but there is reason for it, and moreover
a great deal of such work has already
been finished. Some of the changes
noted on a recent trip are as follows:
Moving of the depot at Brookfield
junction from the west side Of the
track to the east side. Lengthening
of the Depot at New Milford and cuts
have been widened and the bitches
upon each side of the rails deepened.
For several years the road has expend.
ed annually 500 in widening these
cuts and now there is room for double
tracks. Elimination of five grade
crossings at Cornwall Bridge and West
/ Nornuo1l NV tho purohoco NJ couoro'
thousand acres of farm land which
they crossed and then closing the roads
an act which the people of the town
sanctioned. Erection of ten stone
abutments for heavy iron bridge al
West Cornwall. The buying of crea
meries along the road which furnish
much of New York's milk supply, b!
the road. In the heart of Great Bar
rington has been builta stone depot, tn,
finest perhaps on the line of the road
The approaches are adapted To-
double tracks, and they are already
laid down. Some distance northwarc
is large freight depot, all planned
2 out for the traffic in years to come. 4
. station has been built at the Canaan
camp grounds. At Housatonic lonI
curve is taken out of the main lin
. and there is a deep cut and heavy fill
] AtlGlendale there isanother importan
. cut, fill and a straight bit of track il
: the place of old curves. At Lenox
where early in the spring the depo
was burned, and there is to be ston
. structure. At present a Temporal,
building is in use and after the summe
rush is over the new depot will b
started.