the time of the 1969 merger of the NH into Penn Central, all that remained of the original CNE was the westernmost section, from Maybrook over the Poughkeepsie Bridge and southeast along the Dutchess County Railroad to the former NY&NE as well as the easternmost portion to the northern part of Bloomfield, CT, from Hartford. The westernmost section was part of the Maybrook Branch, continuing east over former NY&NE and other lines to Derby. With the May 8, 1974 closure of the Poughkeepsie Bridge, the Maybrook Branch was abandoned west of Hopewell Junction. In 1976 the remaining line became part of Conrail. The Connecticut Department of Transportation later acquired it and in January 1999 the Central New England Railroad began operations on the 8.7 mile (14 km) Griffins Industrial Track. References Railroad History Database Philip C. Blakeslee, A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. (1953) Lyndon A. Haight, Pine Plains and the Railroads (1976) Surface Transportation Board - Central New England Railroad, Inc.--operation exemption--line owned by State of Connecticut Department of Transportation PRR Chronology External links Defunct Connecticut railroads Defunct Massachusetts railroads Defunct New York (state) railroads Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Former Class I railroads in the United States Predecessors of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Railway companies established in 1899 Railway companies disestablished in 1927 American companies established in 1899