Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. Photographs retain their individual dates and reuse terms; images do not establish present access conditions.

id: CT062-S01
title: MW&CR Railroad: route chronology and bibliography
kind: Sources & research leads
date: Source reviewed September 2026
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Bridgework in Waterbury preserves traces of a railroad that disappeared in stages.
url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriden,_Waterbury_and_Connecticut_River_Railroad
credit: MW&CR Railroad
notes: External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.
file: 
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: 
external_image_url: 
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id: CT062-P01
title: Abandoned railroad bridge over Washington Avenue in Waterbury, March 2023
kind: Photographs
date: Taken on 26 March 2023
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: An abandoned railroad bridge over Washington Avenue in Waterbury, seen in March 2023.
url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abandoned_railroad_bridge_over_Washington_Avenue_in_Waterbury,_March_2023.JPG
credit: Pi.1415926535 / CC BY-SA 4.0
notes: Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.
file: images/rail_waterbury-130705732.jpg
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
external_image_url: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Abandoned_railroad_bridge_over_Washington_Avenue_in_Waterbury%2C_March_2023.JPG
document_file: 

id: CT062-P02
title: MW&CR trestle over the Waterbury Branch, March 2023
kind: Photographs
date: Taken on 26 March 2023
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: Abandoned Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad trestle over Railroad Hill Street (out of frame to the left) and the Waterbury Branch, seen in March 2023
url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MW%26CR_trestle_over_the_Waterbury_Branch,_March_2023.jpg
credit: Pi.1415926535 / CC BY-SA 4.0
notes: Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.
file: images/rail_waterbury-130707071.jpg
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
external_image_url: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/MW%26CR_trestle_over_the_Waterbury_Branch%2C_March_2023.jpg
document_file: 

id: CT062-P03
title: Supports of MW&CR trestle in Waterbury, March 2023
kind: Photographs
date: Taken on 26 March 2023
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: Supports of the former Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad trestle in Waterbury, seen in March 2023. The wooden trestle remained in use until the 1990s.
url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Supports_of_MW%26CR_trestle_in_Waterbury,_March_2023.JPG
credit: Pi.1415926535 / CC BY-SA 4.0
notes: Reuse permitted under CC BY-SA 4.0; credit the creator, link the license, and identify changes. Adapted images must be shared under the same license. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.
file: images/rail_waterbury-130708544.jpg
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
external_image_url: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Supports_of_MW%26CR_trestle_in_Waterbury%2C_March_2023.JPG
document_file: 

id: ED-H2-HT-SP-016
title: Railroad alignment off Russett Lane
kind: Photographs
date: 2023-03-24
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: Wooded former railroad alignment near Russett Lane. A dirt trail follows the former Meriden, Waterbury and Connecticut River Railroad off Russett Lane in Middletown.
url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trail_on_MW%26CR_alignment_off_Russett_Lane,_March_2023.jpg
credit: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons (see source page for original provenance)
notes: Municipality is Middletown, not Meriden. Source establishes exact historical alignment; pixels show path corridor. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 4.0 (also offered under GFDL; select CC).
file: images/ED-H2-HT-SP-016.webp
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
external_image_url: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Trail_on_MW%26CR_alignment_off_Russett_Lane%2C_March_2023.jpg/1280px-Trail_on_MW%26CR_alignment_off_Russett_Lane%2C_March_2023.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail
document_file: 

id: ED-H2-HT-SP-017
title: West abutment where the railroad crossed the Canal Line
kind: Photographs
date: 2023-03-26
institution: Meriden, Waterbury & Connecticut River Railroad
summary: Masonry abutment beside the Canal Line trail. The west abutment marks the former railroad's crossing above the Canal Line, now the Farmington Canal Trail.
url: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_abutment_of_MW%26CR_bridge_over_the_Canal_Line,_March_2023.jpg
credit: Pi.1415926535 / Wikimedia Commons (see source page for original provenance)
notes: Modern remains, not an intact railroad bridge. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: CC BY-SA 4.0 (also GFDL; select CC).
file: images/ED-H2-HT-SP-017.webp
text_file: 
accessed: 2026-09-12
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
external_image_url: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/West_abutment_of_MW%26CR_bridge_over_the_Canal_Line%2C_March_2023.jpg/1280px-West_abutment_of_MW%26CR_bridge_over_the_Canal_Line%2C_March_2023.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail
document_file: 