The cars were hauled by a small gasoline powered locomotive with a 283 V-8 and manual transmission. It is rumored that one of the employees took it home when the operation ceased. When I arrived in the area to work on the new Housatonic RR c. 1984 the mill was operated by Red Wing Properties from Millbrook area of NY and they used a Cat 992 loader with a huge bucket to bring the rock across from the quarry to the mill. The "Quarry Train" crossing sign with amber flashing lights on Sand Rd. was still there though badly weathered. John Hanlon and I aquired it for the fledgling Housatonic RR displays at Canaan Station and last I knew it was in his possession at the shop site in Canaan awaiting restoration. We also aquired the last dump car from the operation and I built a small piece of track from some scraps of the quarry rail in front of the Canaan Station. The car remains there on display. The mainline has a passing track used to store derelict equipment theses days and also a track leading into the mill site that is completely covered over. All structures on the site have been leveled.

No idea when US Gypsum stopped running the quarry train???

Posted by: KimG on Tue, Apr 18, 00 at 8:56 Thanks Al for the interesting follow-up! For those that may not have seen it a few months ago, the original discussion thread on this subject is in the New England Railfan forum, not this one. It starts as a thread about an accident on HRRC, but it tangents into an interesting discussion on the quarry RR operation. Click on the link below to display it... Here is a link that might be useful: -----

Posted by: Leroy Beaujon on Tue, Apr 18, 00 at 21:17 When I worked in station service on the Berkshire from the mid-40's to the mid-50's, this little train operation at the U.S. Gypsum plant was still a going thing. Unfortunately, I never paid much attention to it as at the time, I was strictly a "steam fan." I can recall several times when traveling either up or down the Sand Road, I would have to stop for the "dinkey" and it's cars as they would cross the road. The locomotive itself may have been a Plymouth but I am not sure.

Posted by: zz6 on Fri, Apr 21, 00 at 19:44 I think I might have started that thread.I could not help be curious because never ever saw any mention of this 'rr' and if it ever had a name.I observed it a couple years before it was GONE and quarry rr cars and rail and sign were still sitting around. The management seemed terribly unfriendly so it was one of those situations where photo's were impossible except I think I got a few in. (ever experience an unfriendly operation and you want to snap pictures and even though on a public road theres no witnesses if you 'have an accident'?)

The tracks crossed Sand RD. and wound up through the woods towards quarries.I wish I could have explored a little. Even 1999 one can see evidence of a little of the row.(maybe all tracks were not taken up?)

As in prior post theres nothing there now except a siding off Housatonic RR where junk rail cars seem to be stored.---and sort of an eyesore to a non-rail fan.....

ps..It also raised the question as there seem to be various quarries in the area this was only one that used rail? (i.e.industrial rr)

Posted by: Leroy Beaujon on Fri, Apr 21, 00 at 21:21 The former New England Lime facility in Canaan that at one time was called Peirce & Freeeman (and called just "P&F" by the railroaders that I worked with back in the 40's and 50's) definitely had a narrow gauge operation much longer than the U.S. Gypsum plant on the Sand Road. I can just barely recall seeing it's tracks when I was a kid so it must have died sometime in the early 40's.

Three limestone operations in East Canaan also used narrow gauge trains to and from the quarries. One was the Allyndale Quary, another was the Canfield Lime Company and the third was another operation of the New England Lime Co.

All of these operations were covered in Robert Nimke's Vol. 3 of his history on the CNE. It may still be available from him at his home in New Hampshire.

Posted by: Chris on Sat, Apr 22, 00 at 23:58 I belive the "locomotive" in question is visible from the road that runs from just south of the "HRRC Shop" to Sand Rd., but this loco I'm speaking of might be the old 44-tonner that HRRC had as I recallfor Passenger Service. Either way, this perticular loco is badly decomposed and partly over grown with weeds.

Posted by: zz6 on Sun, Apr 23, 00 at 4:03 Its seems those CNE books are becoming more interesting all the time. (I have yet to see them)

I find that very interesting about all the quarry railroads around canaan. It would be interesting if anything remains anywhere as evidence of their existance. THESE QUARRIES ARE UN-FRIENDLY !!!!!! I know they might be allot friendlier by communication ahead of time but even then they always act like they are hiding something.

Posted by: Leroy Beaujon on Sun, Apr 23, 00 at 19:56 None of the quarries, to the best of my knowledge, that I mentioned in my listing of quarries once using ng trains are currently in use. The quarries that are open in the Canaan area never did use ng train service; so, consequently, there would be nothing to gain by prowling around their operations. The only problem would be to contact the current property owners of these older abandoned quarries and get their permission to check out the old facilities if any still exist.

As an aside, one of these old quarries (I believe the Allyndale Quarry) still had several abandoned rail cars on the property when I was growing up in Canaan in the 40's. The fun thing (I was not a participant), I have been told, was to roll these cars over to the edge of the quarry and push them off to crash down to the bottom of the pit below. Whether there are any of these old cars left there, I can't say.

Posted by: KimG on Sun, Apr 23, 00 at 20:03 The locomotive referred to 2 posts above is indeed the GE 44-tonner that the 'reborn' Housatonic acquired in the early 1980's for MOW and initial passenger excursions out of Canaan. It did not serve the local quarries. Stretching my memory to its limits, the fledgling Housatonic may have received this 44-tonner as a donation from Remington Arms in Bridgeport... can anyone confirm? Or am I mixing this up with how Danbury Railway Museum acquired its Mack 'FCD' railbus?

Posted by: al on Sun, Apr 23, 00 at 21:13 Refered to as but never painted on it Number 300 ( for its horsepower) was aquired by donation from Remington Arms by the reborn HRR. It was towed on its own wheels from Bridgeport up to Pittsfield and down to Canaan in 1984. It is a GE 45 ton center cab with two 150 HP Cummins diesels and two traction motors on the inside axles with siderods connected to the outside axles. One diesel was DOA and the other was overheated and siezed-up on a run to Falls Village in mid '85. Plans were to restore it, but more important things got in the way. A herculean effort would be required to do so now.

Posted by: al on Sun, Apr 30, 00 at 11:26 Leroy & others I just had the opportunity to speak with Steve Allyn, one of the current generation that operate the Allyndale Quarry in East Canaan. There was in fact a small NG operation there on track constructed using rail bolted to metal plates. The trains were abandoned in the forties and susequently the cars were sold to the above noted quarry train in Falls Village. Indeed some of your contemporaries did push a few of the cars over into the quarry. During a recent draining of the pit the remains of cars were found. All that is left is a wheel set, the rest of the wreckages was scrapped.

I also spoke with Fred Julian who has lived his lifetime on Sand Road. He recalls the Falls Village train very clearly and puts the end of operation at around 1968 or 69.

The quarry itself has been reactivated by the former competitor, Conklin Limestone, who is trucking the material up to their plant north of Maltby's.

Posted by: Leroy Beaujon on Sun, Apr 30, 00 at 22:36 Hey Al, thanks for the updates re the former quarry rail lines in the Canaan area. I am glad that you were able to contact "people in the know" who are still living there. Fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to take it), I moved out of the area way back in the 50's. I do, though, go back for visits a couple of times each year.