TIMETABLES OF THE SHEPAUG LINE

The Shepaug Valley RR was opened in 1872 to connect Litchfield with the Housatonic RR at Hawleyville and the Danbury & Norwalk RR at Bethel. Reorganized as the Shepaug RR the following year, the line soon offered Litchfield and all-rail outlet to the South. It had heretofore been dependent on stage connections over the steep hills to East Litchfield. The railroad issued small folders describing its passenger service which were typically updated twice annually.

The summer issue for 1884, Number 16, shows two passenger trains in each direction with through cars to South Norwalk, where connection was made to New York. Just over four hours was required for the complete journey, about the same as a bad weekend trip today.

Passenger traffic on the line was skimpy at best, and nearly vanished in the winter. The schedule for the Winter of 1886 shows a passenger train only on Wednesdays, with service on other days via a "Mixed" train which also handled milk and freight.

This slow service took over four hours just to get to Bethel.

In 1887, the line became a subsidiary of the New Haven system operating as the Shepaug Litchfield & Northern RR.

Until is was absorbed into the New Haven in 1898, the railroad occasionally issued its own timecards, but it was also included in the New Haven's own timetables. Service continued under the New Haven name after 1898. Occasionally, the Summer schedule would include the provision of a parlor car to and from New York, which offered the service of a steward at a premium fare. But traffic on the line could not even sustain the passenger service through the roaring twenties, as paved highways and more reliable cars provided a more convenient means of travel. The last regular passenger service ran during the summer of 1925.

That Fall, the Shepaug line offered only a slow mixed train for those who had the time. (The star symbols denote mixed service)

The mixed train continued to serve Litchfield through the last half of the decade, but by the end of 1929, even this token accomodation was withdrawn. From 1930 until 1948, the line was serviced by an occasional local freight train. The service was described in a 1930 New Haven freight schedule publication.

In addition to passenger timetables, railroads have always issued employee timetables for the purpose of governing the priority of the scheduled trains on a single track. These timetables also contain special rules governing train movement at specific locales. The employee timetable shown covered the period after March 2, 1913.

© Alan B. Magary for use by the Litchfield Historical Society. Reproductions are the property of TimetableTrust.com.