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1870-1882 Norwich Horse Railroad
Norwich Horse Railroad (circa 1880s)
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The first public transportation to run from Franklin Square to Greeneville was in the form of a horse drawn car on rails. In 1864 the Norwich Horse Railroad was incorporated and received a charter to build a line from the center of Norwich to Greenville. It took the original investors years to raise the necessary capital, so construction did not actually start until 1870.
The completed line began operation later that year and had nine horse driven cars that carried customers on four miles of track. The business made only enough to cover operation expenses and was not able to cover construction costs, so the line soon went bankrupt.
The photo shows three coaches drawn by horses in Franklin Square.
“Images of Rail, New London County Trolleys”, by Connecticut Motor Coach Museum, 2004
Public Domain
1882-1935 Norwich Street Railway
In 1882, a new company was formed, the Norwich Street Railway Company. After they purchased the assets of the former horse car line, a system of overhead electric lines was built. It was unnecessary for the new company to build a power station, because they could buy enough electricity to run their streetcars from the Ponemah Mills Company.
The electric streetcars began to run in Norwich in 1892. Ponemah Mills also had its own, in-plant electric railway that ran from circa 1894 to 1965.
This photo of a driver and two horses pulling a Norwich Street Railway coach was most likely taken sometime after 1882 and and sometime before 1892 when the company began using electricity to propel their carriages.
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A black and white photo of this scene was taken on September 30, 1893. It shows the first electric trolley car crossing the bridge between downtown and Laurel Hill. Its conductor was Frank Underwood, and its motorman was Charles H. Neal.
The image shown here is a colorized version of the photo by Bruce Noland.
This image shows one of the Norwich Street Railway streetcars in Franklin Square. Franklin Square was the hub of the Norwich trolley system in the early 1900’s.
Minor accidents were fairly common. When the track beds washed out, it was fairly easy for the trolleys to come off their rails. The photo above shows the result of one minor accident that occurred in Burnham Square. The building on the right is the Connecticut Light & Power office; building in middle is the Slater residence (present-day Majestic Rose) and the building on the left left is Norwich’s Post Office.
HISTORY
In September 1904, the Norwich Street Railway was sold to the Consolidated Railway Company, a subsidiary of the powerful New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. The Norwich lines, along with the other city lines in New London County, operated almost unchanged from World War I through the 1930s. In 1935, the parent of the Connecticut Company filed for bankruptcy and could no longer fund the deficits of the trolley lines.
By 1900 the Norwich trolley lines extended from Franklin Square nine miles to Baltic and five miles to Yantic. The trolley provided transportation for the employees of the large textile mills located there. Lines also ran to West Main Street, Boswell Avenue, and Laurel Hill; the more residential sections of Norwich.
Acknowledgements
“Images of Rail, New London County Trolleys”, by Connecticut Motor Coach Museum, 2004
“Public Documents of the State of Connecticut”, Vol. 1, (1899), pp 430-434
Public Domain
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then entering “Trolley” in the SEARCH box.
Norwich & Westerly Railway
The Norwich & Westerly Railway was an electrified, high-speed trolley system that connected Norwich to Westerly. The 21-mile line had stops at Norwich, Poquetanuck, Hallville, North Stonington, and Westerly. The powerhouse and 4-track carhouse were located in Hallville.
The railway was unique in that its track was built to very high standards and operated more like a main line railroad than a rural trolley. The right-of-way was designed for high-speed operation, as were the cars.
A map of the tracks is shown below.
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1906-1922 Norwich & Westerly Railway
Riders took the Norwich & Westerly Railway trolley for many different reasons. During the summer, Norwich residents would take through cars (on the Shore Line Electric Railway) to the beaches at Watch HIll and Pleasant View. High school students rode the line from in Preston to Wheeler High School. From 1908 to 1911 there was a trolley park in Hallville, called Lincoln Park. In the early 1900’s trolley parks were akin to modern-day amusement parks.
The normal Norwich to Westerly travel time was 70 minutes, however, an express car could make it in 45 minutes. Fares started at 35 cents, ($10.25 in today’s dollars) and fare system was divided into 7 fare zones of a nickel ($1.50 in today’s dollars) each.
The equipment consisted of eight passenger trolley cars and a line car. The trolley cars were capable of travel speeds in excess of 65-mph. There was also one motor freight car and 25 freight trailers that were used for hauling coal to the powerhouse, Norwich State Hospital and other customers along the trolley line.
The company was first chartered on May 11, 1903 as the Norwich, Mystic & Westerly Street Railway Company. The name was changed to the Norwich & Westerly Railway Company on December 12, 1905 after the Groton and Stonington Street Railway’s Old Mystic branch negated the need for a Norwich & Westerly branch to Mystic.
Construction started early in 1906 and the first cars ran between Norwich and Hallville on August 18, 1906. The first Norwich-Westerly through cars ran on November 12, 1906. The complete trolley line was estimated to cost $500,000 ($14 million in today’s dollars).
The Norwich & Westerly Railway was acquired by the Shore Line Electric Railway in 1916. The trolley cars continued to run, however, Route 2 opened in 1919 and ridership declined. Trolley service ended in 1922 and the rails were ripped up in 1924.
Acknowledgements
WikiVisually
Wikipedia
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then entering “Norwich & Westerly” in the SEARCH box.
1907 Norwich & Westerly Railway Wreck
The Norwich & Westerly’s only major accident occurred on August 1, 1907, when passenger car #2 and freight motor #1 collided at Avery’s Crossing in North Stonington. Passengers Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Gardiner were killed along with the passenger car’s motorman, George H. Lucier.
Damage claims against the line exceeded $4,000 ($110,000 in today’s dollars).
Acknowledgements
Wikipedia
Wikipedia