Choices
by Mike Flynn
Title
Choices
Artist
Mike Flynn
Medium
Photograph - Pcanaan Union Depot, North Canaan, Ct, Central New England And The Housatonic Railroad, Canaan Vill
Description
Canaan Union Depot
The Canaan Union Depot, also known as the Union Depot, is located in Canaan Village, in the town of North Canaan, Connecticut, and is a former union station. It was built in 1872 at the junction of the Housatonic Railroad and the Central New England Railway.
The station was located at the level junction between the two rail lines, making a right angle right at the crossover. The angle of the building was a 3-story tower, at the top of which sat the electric telegraph operator. The two 90-foot (27-meter) wings of the building were occupied by the two railroad companies. The second floor of the station had a large restaurant that was especially important before the development of the dining car. Eventually, both the Central New England and the Housatonic Railroad became a part of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. In 1969, the New Haven was merged into the Penn Central Transportation.
The station was no longer used for passenger service after 1971, and regular freight service on the line ended in 1974. The station then became a retail location, with a restaurant in the southeastern wing. When the railroad was reopened as the new Housatonic Railroad in 1980, the station was not repurchased, though the new company did maintain offices there for many years. The station is also part of the Canaan Village Historic District.
More than half of the station � namely the southeast half � was destroyed by arson late in the evening of October 12, 2001. The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association purchased what was left in 2003, and the organization has begun to restore it.
Uploaded
September 28th, 2012
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