Stafford Looks Back At Monday, April 20, 1908 On Monday, April; 20, 2026 — The Day The Trolly Was King

STAFFORD, CT — It was a unique day from Vernon to Stafford — literally 118 years ago.

The Connecticut Trolley Museum tells us on Monday, April 20, 2026 that on Monday, April 20, 1908, businesses, schools, and factories were closed to celebrate the start of trolley service to Stafford.

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That day, the Consolidated Railway opened its "branch line" from the Rockville section of Vernon to Stafford.

The connecting line was a length of 12.9 miles and cost nearly $1million to build and the majority of the line operated on private right of way, except for a short distance in the city of Rockville and in the borough of Stafford Springs, the museum tells us.

The line started at School Street in Rockville and ended on Furnace Brook Avenue in Stafford.

Trolley service on the Rockville-to-Stafford line closed on June 7, 1928, with bus service then being provided from Hartford, the museum tells us.