Year 2004 NO freight service exists in this city. Even all spurs branching off of Metro-North-Amtrak are broken and gone as if they were 'unsightly".
Many industrial spurs in Bridgeport,Ct. consisted of the old Housatonic Railroad (as seen in left of picture) that traveled North and also South of the station to its old freight yard on the harbor. It on the south did serve multiple industries with various spurs and a large electric generating plant. I believe all is gone now replaced by a 'baseball stadium'.
Maps or Photo's of above area Number 7,8,10 (below)
On the East side of Bridgeport there was a long spur going North to Success Lake and serving General Electric and Remington Arms. These tracks still sit totally segmented and overgrown. Its only a matter of short time before they are GONE. I'm not sure the name of the Railroad as it MUST have been private owned. One Engine from Remington Arms still sits rusting up in Canaan,Ct. used a short time by the 'new' Housatonic Railroad.
Maps or Photo's of above area Number 2,3,11,12 (below)
On the East side south of Remington Arms a RR spur went out to the harbor and served Carpenter Steel...a large steel producer. This facility is GONE and like everything in Bridgeport,Ct. all remains of any rail evidence has been removed.
Maps or Photo's of above area Number 3,6,7,9,10 (below)
There WAS the Bridgeport Freight Yards on the East Side. I think it has been reduced to a few tracks and Metro-North does some car repairs there.
I believe railroading in Bridgeport has been written up in one article in 'Shoreliner' of which I have not read as of yet. The purpose here is not to post a large history of this area but I live in area and have taken a few photo's over time so might as well post them? I still have the ability to take photo's here but most everything is GONE-GONE and otherwise anything left is in such terrible locations anything is difficult. Areas you don't walk around as a stranger with a camera. As to GE property the only access is NONE...private and fenced off. I will add more information to these pages as time permits. This whole website is a creation from 'scratch'. PHOTO'S-SCANS? Its a 50 year project just trying to find anything from my 'junk piles'.
The old Bridgeport,Ct. Railroad Station. On the left is the old Housatonic RR Line going North to Newtown,Botsford,Ct. This station burned 1970's? with suspicious causes. Never solved.(or persued?) Observe the Trollies in street below.
This is one of industrial spurs (below) coming off Amtrak-Metro-North I label the 'garbage' line. I do not know official name nor origins..yet... It is segmented up on Amtrak-Metro-North but comes down and travels east. A branch to the south served a large recycling plant (still active) and other customers. The line at one time continued east and served a lumber business up to maybe 15 years ago. Prior it continued on and wound around by Bridgeport University and travelled out towards the ocean to serve a industrial business named Sikorsky. See Map 4 Most all tracks are now gone or paved over. There WERE other customers in older days. Even on this photo as you look to left as tracks come down from Metro-North there WAS an industrial spur into the 'business' on the left. Actually their business still lives dealing with large pieces of concrete.
Maps or Photo's of above area Number 33,29,30,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 (below)
