Connecticut Southern opens new shop office building

(via the Trains.com Newswire)

HARTFORD, Conn. — RailAmerica’s Connecticut Southern Railroad held a grand opening yesterday to mark the opening of its new shop and office building in Hartford. The new shop replaces an outdoor facility in East Hartford. “The office portion of the building is about 3,500 square feet, while the attached car repair and locomotive facility is about 10,500 square feet,” Connecticut Southern General Manager James Bonner said. The railroad’s office previously was located in an industrial park.

The shop building has two tracks, one with a pit that will be used primarily for locomotive repair, the other for car repair. Construction on the shop began last fall adjacent to the Amtrak main line though Hartford. The shop has room for four cars or locomotives.

Connecticut Southern serves freight customers along the Amtrak ex-New Haven line between Springfield, Mass., and North Haven, Conn.  The railroad makes a daily  through freight run between Springfield and CSX's Cedar Hill Yard in North Haven: One crew takes the train from Hartford to CSX's yard at West Springfield and back, and another crew takes it from Hartford to Cedar Hill and back. Other CSOR local freight crews cover customers along the Amtrak route.  CSX handles local customers on the southernmost six miles between North Haven and New Haven. The railroad also has several short branches. Bonner says the railroad currently has seven locomotives in its fleet, an SD40-2, two B39-8s, and four GP38s.

The railroad began operations in 1996 under short line holding company RailTex and was acquired by RailAmerica in February 2000