Friends of Cedar Hill Yard

09/06/2026

The sounds from the roundhouse,.. 

Big Band Version of cole Porter's Famous song

09/05/2026

MAJOR PROJECT UPDATE: The "Ghost Road" Mystery is Officially Solved!

We have some incredible news to share regarding the Tidal Marsh Trail Northern Extension!

For a couple of months, our progress was temporarily derailed by a massive puzzle: property cards showed an uncompleted, proposed service road right where our trail needs to go.

Because of strict environmental protections—including the critical river buffer zones required to protect the Quinnipiac River from erosion—this road was never actually built and would never have been approved by the CT DEEP. Yet, it remained on the books as a "ghost road," causing a major question mark around who owned what.

The Breakthrough:

We officially sat down with the North Haven Public Works Department to dig into the paperwork and clear the air. After reviewing the official municipal records, we found out that the old property cards were wrong!

Here is the exciting reality:

✅ No Ghost Road: The proposed service road no longer exists on official town maps. We do not need to acquire any easements or worry about a road being built.

✅ Town-Owned Shoreline: The Town of North Haven actually purchased the land where our trailhead will sit, encompassing the entire shoreline ribbon all the way up to the Comcast site!

✅ Full Steam Ahead: Because this is officially town land, we have a clear green light to move forward into the next phase of development.
New Partnerships on the Horizon!

During our meeting with Public Works, we were thrilled to learn that several local trail associationspreviously affiliated with the Tidal Marsh Trail are highly interested in partnering with us to help extend the trail north.

We are incredibly excited to welcome their support and expertise to this community-built project!

📸 Check out the proof below! We have attached Sheet RS-1—the official municipal parcel map printed for us by the town—showing the exact 200 & 300 Universal Drive area where the town owns the property.

With the discovery phase officially closed and the mystery solved, our next step is securing our basic architectural layouts so we can submit for permits and launch our upcoming dollar-for-dollar town matching grant fundraiser.

This project is truly moving forward—for North Haven, by North Haven. Stay tuned!

09/05/2026

The Tidal Marsh Trail Northern Extension & Heritage Overlook.

Submitted by the Friends of Cedar Hill Yard

Project Vision

The Friends of Cedar Hill Yard propose a targeted, low-impact trail connection project within the 200 and 300 Universal Drive parcels.

The objective is to bridge a critical missing gap in our local greenway system by extending the existing Tidal Marsh Trail northward to connect seamlessly with the uncompleted Comcast red brick trailhead.

This dedicated corridor will reclaim a narrow, scenic riverfront ribbon, transforming it into a safe, accessible, and continuous path for public recreation.

Key Trail Alignment & Design

• The Riverfront Ribbon Alignment:

The proposed trail maps a precise route through the 20 to 50-foot-wide strip of land bounded by the Quinnipiac River shoreline to the west (left side heading north) and Eagle Crossing Road / Target Pavilion Service Road to the east (right side heading north).

• The Centerline Path: The physical walking trail will thread cleanly down the center of this narrow median buffer, ensuring a safe, protective setback from both the vehicle roadways and the active tidal riverbank.

• Shoreline Preservation & Brush Management: Because of the tight proximity to the Quinnipiac River, environmental safety is a priority. Construction will strictly focus on thinning out dense, invasive brush and clearing deadfall to open a clear walking line.

Vital native root structures will remain untouched to naturally bind the shoreline soil and guard against erosion.

• Historic Speeder Staging Overlook: At the southern approach near the Target pavilion service road, the project will incorporate a scenic heritage staging ground. This feature will celebrate the corridor's rich rail history while acting as a natural gateway to the newly connected trail loop.

Friend Of Cedar Hill Yard 

09/03/2026

Cedar Hill Yard restoration project

Project Vision Statement for Friend of Cedar Hill Yard

1. The Design: The 30-to-50-Foot "Restoration Corridor"Instead of a full, cost-prohibitive yard restoration, the project will establish a dedicated 30-to-50-foot-wide historic corridor tracking along the remaining intact loop.

Within the Corridor:

This zone will feature fully rebuilt, period-accurate track structures, signals, and infrastructure meticulously styled to match the 1940s peak era.

Beyond the Corridor:

The area outside this zone will be seamlessly integrated into a standard, safe, and beautifully maintained community recreational park with walking and hiking trails.

The Result:

A perfect balance between active historical preservation and open-space community recreation.

2. The Infrastructure:

Activated Living Buildings

The core of the corridor's magic relies on "activated" historic structures. Rather than static museum displays, these buildings will be fully functional, living working environments populated by reenactors and volunteers:

The Yard Office:

Features a working Yard Master managing authentic paperwork, train orders, and logistics.

The Retarder Towers & Hump:

Utilizing original blueprints preserved in the National Archives, we will collaborate with structural and railway engineers to safely assess, restore, and display as much of the mechanical retarder system as possible to show how cars were sorted.

The Car Repair & Blacksmith Shops:

Features live trade demonstrations, including blacksmithing and period-accurate rail maintenance work.

3. The Experience:

The "Operational Replay"Visitors will board the historic speeder and take part in an interactive "Operational Replay" of the yard's history.

As the speeder winds its way through the corridor, it creates a fully immersive, moving narrative:

Interactive Station Stops:

The speeder halts at each activated building, allowing passengers to witness the trades and history up close.

Wartime Tasks:

To simulate the 1940s war effort, the characters in the buildings will actively engage the visitors. A Yard Master might lean out the window and shout, "Take these dispatch orders down to the trackman at the next junction!"

The Mission:

Visitors become part of the living ecosystem of the yard, discovering the teamwork, grit, and precision it took to keep the New Haven Railroad running.

09/03/2026

And since we’re talking about Dustin off the rails

To this day, it’s still amazing the amount of rail that’s still in place right back there. ,..  and this is going to be our blueprint on the best way to do the restoration. The goal of it is to make it look authentic. 

09/03/2026

Will I guess it’s time to dust off the rails ,.. start moving forward ..

Ok..

Let’s talk a little bit more about the Speed track and the historical significance of it. This location is just north of the westbound yard office. And this is the actual strange when they fuel the speeders the cars were running 24/7 .

To help keep the yard moving,..

09/03/2026

Update from the Board:

A Massive Behind-the-Scenes Win for Friend of Cedar Hill Yard!

Hey everyone,

We know we’ve been a bit quiet lately, and we wanted to pull back the curtain to give you a major update on what’s been happening behind the scenes—and why it’s going to completely launch our park projects forward!

Lately, our biggest focus has been ironcladding our banking and fundraising setup. As many of you know, last year was our initial test run.

This year, we are stepping up for the final, real show—and that means ensuring every single legal and financial detail is 100% correct.

The main hurdle holding us back from booking our table events this season was a massive banking misclassification issue.

Even though we are an approved non-profit, the bank’s computer system was trying to push our fundraising sources into a standard, for-profit "C-Corp" or "S-Corp" status. If we let that slide, it would have completely disqualified our hard-earned tax-exempt status, meaning donations wouldn't be handled correctly by the system.

To protect our foundation and your future donations, we had to roll up our sleeves, go all the way back to our initial 2023 filings, and comb through the legal paperwork line by line.The incredible news?

Our paperwork and our amazing team were completely in order the entire time! Our official federal 1023-EZ non-profit status is locked down, and the bank realized the corporate classification was entirely a mistake on their end.

We have officially straightened it out!On top of fixing that hurdle, we’ve been going back and forth with the bank to establish the best, lowest-cost ways to handle community donations.

We’ve been hammering out the fine print regarding monthly account maintenance, looking into exactly how processing fees work for online website donation links, and setting up point-of-sale (POS) card readers for when we are out meeting you guys face-to-face at local shows.

We want to ensure every single dollar you donate goes directly toward making our park beautiful, without being eaten up by hidden fees.We are so incredibly excited to announce that the paperwork is officially straight, the hurdle is overcome, and we are cleared to move forward!

Thank you all so much for your patience while we did the tedious legwork to build this foundation the right way from day one. Now that the financial engine is ready, we are shifting gears into park graphic design work, collaborating with local trail associations, and prepping our fundraising inventory.Big things are right around the corner.

Keep a close eye on this page for more updates coming very soon!

Thank you for standing with us,

Matt Chase
Friend of Cedar Hill Yard

08/04/2026

Clarification

 WE ARE NOT QUITTING:

We’re being realistic ,. 

Setting the Record Straight on the Future of Cedar Hill Yard

There are a lot of rumors circulating out there, so let’s be 100% clear: The Friends of Cedar Hill Yard are not quitting the museum project. We are moving forward full steam ahead—but we are doing it strategically.

After sitting down with Town Hall, environmental agencies, and landowners, we have mapped out the ultimate master plan. To build a project this big, you need a proven launchpad. That is why our first official starter project is the Universal Drive & Quinnipiac River Shoreline Project.

Here is exactly why this is the smartest path forward for our community:

➡️ The Path of Least Resistance: Unlike the massive Western Hump project area, this specific shoreline parcel does NOT require millions of dollars in chemical or PCB soil remediation. We can actually complete this phase in a short period of time.

➡️ A Proven Success Story: Locking in this smaller project gives us a powerful "proof of concept." It shows donors, the town, and state inspectors that we deliver on our promises, making it easier to unlock massive funding for the larger railroad museum later.

➡️ The "Disney On-Ramp" Concept: Think about going to Disney World. You don’t jump straight off the airplane onto a roller coaster. You drive down beautifully landscaped, immersive roadways that build excitement before you ever reach the main gates.

Turning the area down Universal Drive (past Target) into a gorgeous, park-like atmosphere creates the ultimate "on-ramp" for the future railroad museum and speeder track.

We are cleaning the slate, working directly with the town, and building a gateway North Haven can be proud of.

Thank you to our true supporters who see the vision and stand with us!

🚂🌳

08/01/2026

The Friend of Cedar Hill Yard has officially completed the discovery phase for our 2-acre riverfront revitalization project at 200 & 300 Universal Drive.

The Town of North Haven is ready and waiting for our formal municipal matching grant proposal—now, we need the technical benchwork to bring it across the finish line.

We are bypassing general volunteer calls and looking for four specific professionals to join our team for this defined, project-based phase:

Landscape Architect / Designer – To convert our discovery notes into a formal, conceptual site layout for town presentation.

Civil Surveyor / Engineer – To help verify site boundaries, topography, and shoreline setbacks.

Environmental / Municipal Grant Writer – To help structure and polish our matching grant proposal for the town.

Project Manager (PMP) – To keep our technical timeline on schedule and organize next steps.

07/24/2026

Boston & Maine Railroad ALCO P-2-d class 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive 3631, used as run through passenger train power is seen in Cedar Hill Yard at New Haven, Connecticut, 7-18-1935

Mike Robbins
New Haven Railroad collection