Danbury is the terminus of the namesake Branch of the New Haven Line. It was also the terminus of electrification between 1925 and 1961. The current high-level platform station opened in 1996 as part of a $2.5 million redevelopment project. It relocated Metro-North service from the original 1903 Union Station building that is now the Danbury Railway Museum after Metro-North closed the historic station in 1993. The current Metro-North platform is located on the southern tracks of the rail on the inside of the mainline tracks that form a large balloon loop around the Danbury Rail Yard that now contains the Danbury Railroad Museum. This historic depot is further east and located with the junction of the Housatonic Railroad’s Maybrook Line. Most Metro-North trains lay-up between trips on the two tracks north of the station or continue around the balloon loop (there is a track connection south of the yard) to one of the three tracks Metro-North has access to in the Danbury Yard. This means the four, longer dual-mode trainsets used for the peak direction rush hour one seat rides to and from Grand Central Station spend their nights and weekends surrounding the train yard that houses the train equipment of the Danbury Railway Museum.
The current Metro-North passenger station consists of a 3-car platform along the inner mainline track with a second shorter track that ends at a bumper block and could platform 2 cars (it appears to be seldom used). This narrow platform is canopied for its entire length with a small modern station building along its northern end. This station building is a single-story pink-brick building with a chimney (with the same design as the modern Bethel Building) that contained a ticket office until around 2003 to 2004 and is now closed. The building leads out to the station’s 119-space parking lot between the tracks and the Still River (the rail yard is across this river). To leave the station area all passengers must use the driveway grade crossing (often waiting for their train to cross after it has discharged them) from the end of Independence Way near the intersection of Patriot Drive.
Photos 1-7: June 20, 2005; 8-11: August 10, 2005; 12-26: November 23, 2013
Looking down the narrow end of the Danbury platform
A small platform sing at Danbury
Shoreliner #6203 fittingly 'The Danbury Hatter' in push mode leads the not in service train around the loop tracks from its lay-up track to the Danbury station, its crossing the level-crossing which is the entrance to the parking lot.
Shoreliner #6203 fittingly 'The Danbury Hatter' in push mode continues around.
Shoreliner #6203 fittingly 'The Danbury Hatter' in push mode continues around.
P32AC-DM #202 at the back of the Danbury Shuttle approaching the Danbury station, currently in 'push-mode'
The Danbury shuttle in its lay-up area on the other side of the yard, viewed from the Railway museum parking lot. The full consist is in view.
The Danbury shuttle goes around its loop around the Railway museum and parking lot from its lay-up yard, The consist of today's shuttle is entirely using blue Metro-North-owned cars. Shoreliner IVs #6318, #6390, and F10A #413.
Shoreliner IV #6318 on the Danbury shuttle going around its loop around the Railway museum and parking lot from its lay-up yard.
F10 #413 on the back of the Danbury shuttle in 'push mode' going around its loop
F10 #413 on the back of the Danbury shuttle entering Danbury to go into revenue service
Stepping off a just arrived shuttle train towards the empty parking lot on a Sautrday
Approaching the grade-crossing at the platform exit as the shuttle train slowly exists to it's layover area near the railroad museum
Cars in the Danbury Railroad museum's collection are visible beyond the parking lot
The 3 Shoreliners of the Danbury Shuttle train curve out of the museum
Brookfield BL20GH #114 pushes a just arrived shuttle train across the station's grade-crossing to the lay-up area by the railroad museum
The grade-crossing into the station's parking lot and a parking garage for downtown Danbury in the distance
Car traffic that has met arriving passengers
Looking down the cuving tracks towards the station house and platform
Last Updated:20 November, 2020
All photos are by Jeremiah Cox
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Bethel