Cedar Hill Abandoned Railroad Yard

Back in October 2022, I visited the Amtrak yard in New Haven and since then have been jonesin' to visit the abandoned Cedar Hill Yard nearby in North Haven. Good fortune came my way when a friend of my son, Charlie (who is a diehard Urban Explorer), offered to give us a tour today! We had a great time checking out the ruins, climbing into old abandoned buildings and documenting the switch towers and track, etc. that still miraculously exist today. Its a huge area and thankfully Charlie knew his way around!

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-click on any image to enlarge-

Foliage-free aerial map found here:
Source >
Search: New Haven

At The Start

We crossed a few abandoned tracks!

Nearing the still active CSX RR Yard

Remnants of the pneumatic tube system

Track rails were everywhere!

Chralie climbs a telegraph pole

Downed telegraph pole

B - Exploring the underground cellars

Wow!

A- The Bridge

^Short Video^
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(continuing our trek southwesternly)

We followed a deer path!

Scattered foundation remnants were everywhere!

of course we scurried on in thru this opening

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In the distance: huge tall light towers

More pneumatic pipes

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Abandoned Switch Tower
(there were a few of these scattered across the yard_

^Short Video^
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(we continued on...)

another pneumatic tube

C - Ah yes - the Polar Bear Scuplture

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photo courtesy of Charlie

Note trees growing!

Steam pipe

Beam me up, Scotty!
(photo courtesy of Charlie)

a bit north of the "Polar Bear" building,
another building had collapsed

remnants!

D - Light Tower and Switch Tower

(continuing back northeasterly)

Note Railroad ties

even the aerial captures the railroad ties!

One more Switch Tower

Perhaps a large horizontal water tank holder?

Ee - The Underground Walkway

^Short Video^
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(continuing back on the Tidal Marsh Trail)

Historical Info

The Cedar Hill Yard  was built by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad  in the early 1890s. To handle increasing traffic as a result of World War I, the yard was greatly expanded between 1917 and 1920 with additional construction along both sides of the Quinnipiac River. The construction project added two humps where railroad cars were sorted into trains by gravity. The yard was further modernized in the 1920s, becoming one of the busiest railroad yards in the United States. At its peak during World War II, Cedar Hill Yard handled more than 5,000 railroad cars per day,