The New Haven RR line between Berlin & New Britain was electrified with a third rail in 1896. Trolley wire replaced the third rail in 1906 and the Berlin-Middletown line was also electrified at that tim
Bloomfield
The best tobacco wrapping leaf came from the Connecticut River Valley. Blue Hills and Bloomfield were served by cars from Hartford between 1909 and 1929.
Bristol
This manufacturing town known for its clocks was served by the Bristol-Plainville Tramway/Bristol Traction Co. The New Haven RR electrified its line between Bristol & New Britain in 1898.
Cromwell
Cromwell was served by cars on the Hartford-Middletown line from 1909 to 1930. Middletown-Meriden cars also ran through the western part of the town.
East Hartford
The East Hartford & Glastonbury Horse RR became the East Hartford & Glastonbury Street Railway in 1899 and was merged into the Consolidated Railway in 1905. The Conn. Co. was created in 1907 and provided trolley service in the town until 1939.
East Windsor Enfield
The Enfield & Longmeadow Electric Railway began running in 1896; It later became part of the Hartford & Springfield Street Railway. Trolleys ran past the farms and through the carpet manufacturing village of Thompsonville until 1926.
Glastonbury
The East Hartford & Glastonbury Horse RR became the East Hartford & Glastonbury Street Railway in 1899 and was merged into the Consolidated Railway in 1905. Passenger trolley service was discontinued in 1928 but freight service continued for several decades.
Hartford
The first automobile regulations in America were enacted in Hartford in 1901 – speed limit 12 miles per hour, 8 miles per hour in the city center. Trolleys ran on the streets of Connecticut’s capitol until 1941.
Manchester
Streetcar lines in this silk manufacturing town were built by the South Manchester Light Power & Tramway and the Hartford Manchester & Rockvile Tramway. Trolleys also ran through town on the tracks of the NYNH&H RR from 1908 to 1924. Cars served Manchester Depot and Manchester Gren until 1929; South Manchester service continued until 1939.
Newington
Newington was served by cars on the Hartford-New Britain line until 1937.
Plainville
The small manufacturing center of Plainville produced steel bearings and electrical equipment. It was served by the Bristol-Plainville Tramway / Bristol Traction Co. running west to Bristol and the Conn. Co. running east to New Britain and south to Lake Compounce.
Portland
The Portland Street Railway built the line which was absorbed by the Middletown Street Railway in in 1898. Portland, which supplied much of the “brownstone” for New York City’s row houses, was served by Conn. Co. cars from Middletown until 1929.
Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill was served by cars on the Hartford-Middletown line.
South Windsor
America’s first cigar was manufactured in South Windsor in 1801. The town was served by Hartford & Springfield Street Railway cars from Mass. until 1925 and Conn. Co. cars from Hartford until 1932. Trolleys ran alongside the road which is now U.S. 5 and connected in East Windsor Hill.
Southington
Milldale at the southern edge of town was the junction point for lines from Cheshire, Meriden, Plainville and Waterbury. Cars from many points in southern and central Conn. passed through until 1924 en route to the amusement park at Lake Compounce.
Suffield
Tobacco was the principal cash crop of the Connecticut River Valley towns like Suffield. The Hartford & Springfield Street Railway running through Suffield connected the Springfield Street Railway and the Conn. Co. systems.
Vernon
Served by the Hartford Manchester & Rockville, a part of the Conn. Co. Trolleys used the New Haven RR tracks between Rockville and East Hartford until 1924. A branch of the Hartford & Springfield also reached Rockville from E. Windsor via Ellington.
West Hartford
The Hartford & West Hartford Horse RR built the line along Farmington Av. It became part of the Farmington Street Railway line from Hartford to Unionville. Conn. Co. trolleys served the town until 1934.
Wethersfield
The line to Wethersfield Green was built by the Hartford & Wethersfield Horse Railway which became the Hartford Street Railway in 1893. Cars to Griswoldville began running in 1908 and went on to Middletown from 1909 to 1931. Both the Griswoldville and Wethersfield lines operated until 1941.
Windsor
The first highway in Connecticut opened in 1638 between Windsor and Hartford. Hartford & Springfield Street Railway connected with the Conn. Co. in Windsor Center until 1925. Buses replaced trolleys between Rainbow and Windsor Center in 1930; cars continued to run from Windsor to Hartford until 1940.
Windsor Locks