Danbury Branch

South Norwalk  station appears to have four tracks and two wall platforms. A closer observation reveals a surprise, there are six tracks and the wall platforms are actually island platforms. The north end has two extra tracks, which are connections to the Danbury Branch. The main station house is on the northbound platform and a small station house on the southbound platform. The station has a crossunder. The older station house is on the east side and the new one on the west side. A tunnel connects both platforms. 

The Danbury Branch  is served by two car diesel trains. It was electrified until 1961, with Catenary poles still in place. This line's character is very rural. Conversations with the conductor revealed the branch does carry a full load during peak hours.

The first station, now abandoned was  Wall Street with one track and one low platform on the east side.

Next was Winni Park with same layout

Norwalk Mills also with the same layout.  

Kent Road which had two trains during rush hours and replaced by Merritt 7

The next station is Merritt 7, named after a nearby business park with the same name. It was added in the 1970s We have a low  platform at street level with a grade crossing on the west side.  

Hopkins followed andis abandoned having been replaced by Merritt 7 .

Wilton follows with a high platform and a station house on the east side.

Cannondale follows, also with a high platform and a grade crossing. The platform is on the east side. There is a possible closed station house on both sides. The east station house is closed and the west station house appears to be a gift shop.

Georgetown is next and is abandoned.

Branchville follows and is identical except for only a west station house now a gift shop. The North end north of the grade crossing had a branch which went to Ridgefield (passenger service till the 1950s and freight service for awhile longer till finally torn up. The crossing went across the platform!)

Redding follows with a high platform on the west side. The station suffers an identity crisis; station signs show the name as "West Redding" while the maps and conductor say "Redding". It is physically located in West Redding. There is a grade crossing north of the station

An abandoned station, Topstone , followed (abandoned 1950s)

We descend and enter Bethel which has a high platform on the east side. There is a modern station house made of brick. For a change of pace there is no grade crossing at this station! The old low platform was South of the station where  there is an old station house, which is now in commercial use.

 Another abandoned station followed- East Danbury with one track and one low side platform on the east side.

We arrive at Danbury with three tracks, and a grade crossing northeast of the station. There is a high island platform serving the east track and center track. The westernmost track bypasses the station while the east track ends within the station at a bump block. The two west tracks curve to the northeast and head towards a yard. A highlight of this line is a view of the Danbury Railroad Museum (the original platform which was an island platform ) which time did not permit me to explore

At one time the line continued as the Housatonic River Line( change of trains across the  old island platform with stops at:

Brookfield, New Milford, Gaylordsville, Woodrow, Kent, Cornwall Bridge, West Cornwall, Falls Village, Canaan (CT), Ashley Falls (MA), Sheffield, Great Barrington, Van Duesenville, Housatonic,  Stockbridge, South Lee, Lee, Lenoxdale, Lenox,, Pittsfield, MA.

This branch was the second victim of this winter's wreath of Mother Nature when a flood washed out the right of away leaving the tracks unsupported over a huge chasm  requiring shuttle bus service the entire length of the branch. Metro -North worked day and night to reopen the branch in just ten days! Great job Metro-North! The job required 300 truck loads of stone along with the building of a temporary access road!