HARTFORD LINE
HARTFORD, PROVIDENCE & FISHKILL
BOSTON, HARTFORD & ERIE
NEW YORK & NEW ENGLAND
NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD
NEW YORK, NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD
The Hartford, Providence & Fishkill entered Providence in 1854 with a road that would be extended to the Hudson River at Fishkill. It was purchased by the Boston, Hartford & Erie in 1863 which had plans to extend the road to Boston but failed in that endeavor. It was reorganized as the New York & New England in 1873, reorganized as the New England Railroad in 1895 and came under the control of the New Haven in the same year. The line in Rhode Island remained intact until 1968 when the track west of Washington was abandoned.
SWITCHING NARRAGANSETT BREWERY - CRANSTON
New Haven Y-3 Class 0-8-0 3401 was built by Schenectady in 1920
NARRAGANSETT BREWING CO. -- CRANSTON
THE NARRAGANSETT BREWING CO. in CRANSTON
Inset is the original building.
BREWERY EMPLOYEES ON A BREWERY REFRIGERATOR CAR
Owned by the New York & New England RR and used to ship Narragansett beer.
The NY&NE was the railroad that served the brewery in the late 19th century.
PRINT WORKS - 4 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE.
PRINT WORKS
The Depot at the Cranston Print Works was named Cranston until January 1, 1932 when the depot at Auburn was renamed Cranston. Mill houses can be seen in the background.
Cranston Freight House - renamed Print Works in 1932.
Photo taken from the depot - curved track in rear goes to Print Works.
The Print Works Freight Station in May 1979 looking toward Providence and Dyer Avnue. The passenger depot in the two pictures above stood off Dyer Avenue on the right directly across from the freight house. The curved track on the left went to the Cranston Print Works. Photo By Edward J. Ozog
Print Works freight station photographed in May 1979 from the track to the Cranston Print Works.
Photo by Edward J. Ozog
KNIGHTSVILLE - 4.8 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
KNIGHTSVILLE
New Haven Alco S-2 and K-1-b 2-6-0
MESHANTICUT - 5.6 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
OAKLAWN - 7.1 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
OAKLAWN AT AN EARLIER DATE
WEST PONTIAC - 8.34 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
PAWTUXET RIVER BRIDGE WHEN BUILT IN 1901 NEAR NATICK
The bridge replace a wooden Howe truss bridge which burned in 1900. The center span is 122 feet long with spans of 101 feet on the ends.
NATICK - 8.92 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
RIVER POINT STATION - 10.74 Miles From Providence
In the center of this 1906 photo is Agent H.M.Bourne and on the right J.J.McCabe, later agent at Pontiac. Sign in window is "Solid - Order Of Telegraphers"
Photo copied from ALONG THE LINE, the New Haven RR employee magazine.
RIVER POINT- BUT WHICH LINE IS IT ON ?
There were two stations at River Point, R.I., and both used that name. One was on the Hartford line, the other on the Pawtuxet Valley line which crossed the Hartford Line at River Point Junction. I have included the photo above on this Hartford Line Page because the sign reads River Point and the well known photographer labeled it as the main line station. However, it is obviously not the station in the previous photo showing Agent Bourne which was definitely on the Hartford line. The station on this page could be a replacement for the station in the 1906 photo. That station building may have been destroyed. See the Pawtuxet Valley page of this site for a photo of a larger station at River Point Junction. The station on the Pawtuxet Valley line was for a time called Knights. The photo I included on the Pawtuxet Valley page was identified by a reliable source although it has no visible signboard name and is a more substantial building than the one above, but of course, the station above is probably a poor replacement installed when there was little if any passenger service.
ARCTIC - 11.5 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE.
WARWICK MILL AT CENTREVILLE (Also spelled Centerville)
WEST WARWICK WAS ONCE CENTREVILLE - 12 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
The track to Providence is under the bridge. The station's order board on the right (to compensate for the bridge blocking vision) and the three-track team yard for 28 cars give this photo the appearance of a junction which it is not. The interchange with the Auburn-Hope line was 1 1/4 miles east at River Point.
Centreville Station became West Warwick
West Warwick
View to the right of the image above. On the right is Robert Forsyth & Son, Flour, Hay, Grain, Feed and Poultry Supplies. Brad Smith Collection
WEST WARWICK FREIGHT STATION
The freight station is the building on the left of the broader view shown above. The box car is New Haven 75682.
QUIDNICK - 12.93 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
THIS BRIDGE AT QUIDNICK CROSSES THE RAILROAD 12.56 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE -- JULY 1, 1927
DAM ON THE SOUTH BROOK OF THE PAWTUXET RIVER AT QUIDNICK
The train for Providence is crossing the bridge between Anthony on the left and Quidnick c.early 20th century.
The photo was taken from near Quidnick St. not far from its junction with Washington St.
ANTHONY - 13.3 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
ANTHONY DEPOT AND COVENTRY COMPANY MILLS
ANTHONY
A slightly different view.
WASHINGTON - 14.33 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
The arrival of the mail train from Providence.
THE DEPOT AT WASHINGTON, RHODE ISLAND.
COVENTRY - 18.1 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
SUMMIT DEPOT - 21.64 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
The order board's semaphore blades are gone.
SUMMIT DEPOT
The summit of the Hartford Line is 475 feet high - trains meeting at depot circa early 20th century
THE CLIMB TO SUMMIT INCLUDED ABOUT SEVEN MILES OF OVER ONE PERCENT GRADE
THE LINE ROSE FROM AN ELEVATION OF 55 FEET AT NATICK TO 475 FEET
TWELVE MILES WEST AT SUMMIT
VERTICLE IS ELEVATION IN FEET, HORIZONTAL IS MILES, GRADE NUMBERS ARE FEET OF RISE PER MILE
GREENE - 24.09 MILES FROM PROVIDENCE
GREENE - Late 19th century.
Greene Depot was the last station before Connecticut.
Willimantic was 34.2 miles west.
TRAIN FROM PROVIDENCE AT GREENE