The Original Connecticut Central Railroad (1871)
In 1871, at nearly the apex of the railroad boom created out of competition, a group of investors sought to challenge the success of the Hartford and New Haven Railroad between the fledgling cities of Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA, by building their own railway on the opposite site of the Connecticut River between the two cities. The group would call the line the "Connecticut Central Railroad", and would attempt to secure financing and construction for the road in spite of the challenges to the company's existence brought forth by the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Nonetheless, the company was able to secure funding for the line, and begin construction in 1874, opening two years later in 1876. For the Massachusetts segment of the line, the company secured the earlier, still unbuilt, right of way of the Springfield & Longmeadow Railroad , which would be re-chartered as the Springfield and New London Railroad to meet the Connecticut Central at the stat