Rail Trail Over/Under the Merritt Parkway

Curiosity once again got the best of me so after a short mountain bike ride in Pequonnock Valley - I checked out progress on the Rail Trail tunnels which I had visited previously back on Saturday, June 24, 2017 Link >

Starting at Quarry Road I rode north  - it only took a few minutes to bike the entire stretch and I was pleased to see the old foundation I discovered before was still accessible.

Trumbull's Abandoned Ice House

It was a beautiful day -- sunny but not too hot with a breeze. After my mountain bike ride in the valley, I decided to revisit the rail trail -- it was just too nice outside to head home!

IMHO the stretch between Whitney and Tait has got to be one of the most scenic rides in the state! The lush canopy of greenery kept the ride cool and pleasant.

I rode to the old ice house as it has been probably more that a decade since I last visited the spot with my son. It is very overgrown now but once I descended the steep bank, I got close enough to take a few nice photographs...

The Ice House up close

Remnants of the old carriage road that led to the Ice House

Colorized railroad valuation map

Topo of the former pond - Source

Further Info

• Pequonnock Valley - Historical Map Comparisons
• Pequonnock Valley Map - Geological and Historical Spots of Interest 

Merritt Parkway Rail Trail Tunnels

After a morning rock building trail session up at Pine Mountain, curiosity got the best of me. I heard they were finally building tunnels for rail access across the Merritt Parkway ramps at Trumbull and I wanted to check it out.

Just like the last trek in, I parked at the end of Rocky Hill Road but this time it looked a whole lot different! It appears this is where one of the the tunnels will emerge.

I gingerly hopped over the jersey barriers along the ramp and saw the tunnel work.

All the scrub and overgrowth on the walk to the bridge has been cleared.

Its a beautiful sight - crossing the bridge!

After crossing the bridge, a short trek brings you to the next ramp tunnel...

The tunnel stops just short of the actual roadway (ramp) and ends in a huge metal plate. I peaked thru a mini window in the metal plate and saw that the rocks under the roadway have yet to be removed!

Walking back, I took another nice photo of the bridge (going north)

Previous Posts on the Bridge (great for comparison!)

Revisiting the Abandoned Railroad Bridge over the Merritt Parkway
Abandoned Railroad Bridge over the Merritt Parkway

Abandoned Railroad Bridge over the Merritt Parkway

Some say why?  - I say why not?

I have been mountain biking in the Pequonnock Valley for years and road biked the entire Housatonic Rail-Trail (Pequonnock Valley Greenway)  in 2013. The old railroad bridge over the Merritt always intrigued me so today, I donned my snowshoes and hiked in from Quarry Road.

 ITO Map 

Where I started my trek (at the north end of Quarry Road) was kinda ugly.

 The snow was pretty deep and it really required snowshoes. I saw this protruding on the hike in ...

 and this interesting ruin as well.

It is hard to tell from this photo shoot but most of the ROW was covered with plant growth (prickly invasive Japanese barberries, etc.) so hiking thru this in this summer would have required a machete!

 I could hear the roar of the traffic on the Merritt as I approached...

 But it felt nice to finally cross it...

 The old ROW continued on north but I turned around once across the bridge....

 And snapped a shot looking south before my trek back.

After returning to my car I went up to the Valley to Mountain Bike. The Trails were groomed well and I got in a short stint before the snow started to fall.  :-)

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Further Info

• Housatonic Rail-Trail (Pequonnock Valley Greenway) Trail Link > 
• GBRC - Pequonnock River Trail (future plans)
• My trek on the Housatonic Rail-Trail (Pequonnock Valley Greenway)

Railroad History

The railroad line was part of the original Housatonic Railroad line (New Haven Berkshire Division) that ran from Bridgeport up to Botsford, It was abandoned in 1940.

1893 Railroad Map of Connecticut

Housatonic Rail-Trail

(a.k.a. Pequonnock Valley Greenway)

Map Link >

Saturday started out dark and cloudy but by noon - it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day so I headed over to Trumbull with my road bike (for a change!) and rode the Rail Trail.

I started out at Tait Rd -- the same spot I used to start out with my son Greg when we first started riding here years ago. The lot was packed so I had to park on a lower road.

The ride along the picturesque river valley was--as always--awe-inspiring. The rugged granite cliffs and deep cuts looked wonderful with the vibrant fall tree colors all around. I didn't take any photos (although I should have) but cruised straight on up thru Parlor Rock, ducking under Route 25 to Old Mine Park, then waiting for traffic to clear before zipping across Route 111.

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For a while the paved surface turned to dirt and got a little confused. I stopped at this little bridge to check my location with my iPhone and Google maps and once I realized I was fine, I  continued on...

...passing the old Stepney Depot

 ...then riding by a lovely view of Great Hollow Lake. 

Further up north, the trail turns to dirt again and cuts through a marshy area. 

  Where riders are soon treated to a view of the old rails still in place!

Finally, the trail got rough -- there were a lot of roots to ride over. Yikes - that got me a little paranoid thinking I would pop a tire. On the mountain bike it would be easy and fun but on my thin-tired lightweight road bike I gingerly rode on until I came to where the trail had to pass over 2 sets of tracks.

Checking on my iPhone, Google maps indicated I was near the end so I opted to turn around at that point and head back south.

Videos

I took a couple of short videos while riding to show the railroad tracks and railroad ties I paralleled. 

Heading North on the Newtown Trail Section

Heading back south again - riding along the exposed tracks and railroad ties