Today I Learned about the Norwich and Worcester Railroad which had it’s first trip in 1832.
This railroad was an independent railroad and had competition between other popular railroads that went from Boston to New York. Revenues were low, the company spent the entire 1840’s with financial troubles. Steamships were a big part of this time and took up most of revenue that Norwich and Worcester Railroad could make.
The railroad eventually got federal funding for the dredging of the thames river. This didn’t end well because the area froze over. They ended up having to build a detour so that no steamships would have issues and allowing the ships to run everyday of the year.
Long Island Rail Road was being built and would now allow the connection from New York all the way to Boston via train line a big step in building america. They opened up shops for commuters to.
Leasing happened over many years for this line after 1869 it changed hands quiet a bit. They kept on trying to new things but in the end other train lines took over and this indepent trainline had to continue to lease to the next highest bidder to keep profits a float.