In 1837 Charles Rockwell was the President the Norwich & Worcester Railroad and was the Mayor of Norwich. With his experience in railroad development and knowledge of civic affairs, he had the ability to greatly further the development of the Norwich transportation system. The opening of the first section of tracks, 59 miles long, in 1840 was a major milestone for Norwich.

The new railroad allowed passengers and freight to be easily transported between central New England and New York or Boston. Once rail passengers arrived in Norwich from central New England they could board one of the two steamboats (also owned by the Norwich & Worcester Railroad) headed to either New York or Boston.

Sometimes, in the middle of winter, the mouth of the Thames in Norwich can freeze over. In times like this the steam boats could not make it all the way to Norwich from New London. To remedy this problem, a second section of rail was laid between Norwich and Allyn Point. The green line on the map shows the location of the second section. This line was opened in 1843. This second section is 6 miles long.