The Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad provided a crucial east-west freight transportation route between Maybrook, New York, and Derby, Connecticut. After a fire damaged the Hudson River crossing, much of the line was abandoned. Portions of the Maybrook Line now serve as a rail-to-trail.
The Maybrook Line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad provided a crucial east-west freight transportation route between Maybrook, New York, and Derby, Connecticut. The line’s centerpiece was the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, which spanned the Hudson River and was one of the longest of its kind in the United States upon its completion in 1888. The Maybrook Line played a significant role in the NH’s operations until its merger with Penn Central in 1969.
However, in 1974, a fire caused the closure of the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, rendering the Maybrook Line inaccessible for through traffic. As a result, a substantial portion of the line was abandoned. Nonetheless, some sections of the line were repurposed for public use, including the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, the Dutchess Rail Trail, the Maybrook Trailway, and the Walkway Over the Hudson. Moreover, several short-line operators and Metro-North continued to operate on certain portions of the line and still do so to this day. More recently, a 14-mile stretch of the Maybrook Line from Danbury, Connecticut to Brewster may either be abandoned for a rail-to-trail or repurposed as a commuter rail line for Metro-North.
