Pictured is the Hawleyville Tunnel in Newtown, CT from a hike that I took last fall. According to my understanding, this tunnel was built in 1911 by the New York New Haven and Hartford RR to accommodate the former New York &New England RR Hawleyville to Waterbury line. The line left Hawleyville and passed under the main trackage via the tunnel before proceeding northeastward toward Waterbury. There is an east-west section of tunnel bore that parallels the (still active) main line as well which I do not quite understand. If anyone has any insight on what the purpose of this was I would appreciate it. Pictured below: West Portal North East Portal East opening of tunnel bore with west portal in distant background Thanks for looking! Nick
I need to find my one and only New Haven employee timetable! Which will give me a better picture of where this tunnel is located. Can't say what that parallel tunnel portion might be. Sometimes there were smaller bores done, allowing access to more rock faces which sped up original construction. Sometimes there were shafts which aided ventilation in steam and even diesel years. There are at times also areas set aside for emergency safety use, maintenance, storing equipment to de-ice during winter and more. Boxcab E50
An explanation for the Parallel Tunnel I recently found an explanation for the extra tunnel bore in Hawleyville. It was posted by Tom C. on another railroading forum: “The present Housatonic RR trackage in and around Hawleyville (former NH Maybrook Line) is all from the 1911-1913 reconstruction of the former NY&NE, and original Housatonic, into what we know as the Maybrook Line. Some of the ROW is in the original places and some was substantially straightened. The best known remnant of the "old" ROW is the rock tunnel (more southerly of the two). The concrete-lined tunnel (more northerly of the two, and which runs under the present day RR) was dug as part of the 1911-1913 rebuilding. I presume there was an earlier rock tunnel which it replaced… …The aforementioned concrete-lined tunnel carried the former NY&NE line over Towantic Summit and down into Waterbury. It was abandoned from Waterbury to Southbury in the mid 30's and from Southbury to Hawleyville in June 1948.”
