Branchville is a Danbury Branch Station with a single track, named after the neighborhood the station is in, in the town of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The stop was originally named Ridgefield from its opening in 1852 until 1870 when it was renamed Branchville due to the opening of the Ridgefield branch into the town center of Ridgefield, Connecticut. A connecting passenger shuttle train (with two intermediate flag stops) operated on this branch from 1870 until 1925 when it closed to passenger service (freight service operated until the 1960s) and Branchville (not renamed back to Ridgefield) resumed as the station serving this town.
The station is located along a long and narrow (just one central driveway with parking spots on either side) parking lot containing 168 parking spaces. This parking lot has entrances by grade-crossings at either end, Depot Road to the north and Portland Avenue to the South. Branchville Road runs along the tracks on the eastern side opposite the station platform and parking lot.
The station has a historic painted red, single story, wooden station house built in 1925 in the same-style as the other simple station house along the line. It houses the Whistle Stop Bakery which has unfortunately closed its retail business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a sign on the door says its pies and cakes can still be found at other fine establishments or via pre-order on Monday for curbside pick-up on Thursday.
The station house is located about 200 feet south of the grade-crossing of Branchville Road, between the grade-crossing and depot, is a switch where the tracks split into two to form a 1,500 foot long passing siding north of the station’s modern high-level platform.
The station platform is a simple 3-car long affair with a staircase starting at the northern end just south of the depot. From here there is a ramp exit in the middle of the platform to the ADA parking spaces before the platform ends at another ramp down at its southern end, the southern end is quite close to the grade-crossing of Portland Avenue.
For passenger amenities the platform is canopied for its entire length with a very simple flat structure. There is also a simple section of a black framework glass windscreen right by the wheelchair ramp, with just a low fence along the rest of the platform. The platform has a few simple metal benches that lack individual seats (although they would be a little short to lie down on), with rare non-hostile architecture.
Photos 1-26: November 26, 2024 on a visit by car
Cannondale 