SONO Switch Tower Museum
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SONO Switch Tower Museum is a museum in Connecticut, at a modelled elevation of 8 m. Becks Hill stands 208 m to the north-northwest, 10 miles off. The nearest named place is Madison Street Park, a park less than a tenth of a mile away. Merritt Parkway passes 2.9 miles off.
The story
SoNo Switch Tower is a preserved switch tower in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the United States. It was originally constructed in 1896 by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (The New Haven) to control switches at the junction between the New Haven Line and the Danbury Branch. The tower operated until 1986, when it was decommissioned by Metro-North Railroad following the centralizing of dispatching at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. It has been preserved as a museum. The museum includes a webcam, run by VirtualRailfan, allowing viewers to watch trains passing the tower on the Northeast Corridor; it has been noted for its popularity among railfans online.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q114010983, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Western Connecticut Chapter, National Railway Historical Society
How to reach it
- 2.9 mi off the Merritt Parkway, National
- 18.1 mi off the Bronx River Parkway
- 26.7 mi off the Palisades Scenic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
Named places within 25 miles
- Madison Street Park: 0.0 mi
- Washington Square Park: 0.1 mi
- North Water Street Park: 0.1 mi
- Constitution Park: 0.3 mi
- John H. Ryan Park: 0.3 mi
- Spc Wilfredo Perez Jr.: 0.2 mi
- UN Tree of Norwalk: 0.7 mi
- War Memorial: 1.4 mi
- 9/11 Memorial: 1.5 mi
- War Memorial: 1.6 mi
- Golden Hill: 0.5 mi
- Spring Hill: 1.1 mi
- Sasqua Hill: 1.5 mi
- Middle Clapboard Hill: 2.8 mi
- Seymour Rock: 3.0 mi
- Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum: 0.7 mi
- Stepping Stones Museum for Children: 0.8 mi
- Norwalk Art Space: 0.8 mi
- Norwalk Museum;Norwalk Museum Historical Reference Library: 1.1 mi
- The Mather Homestead: 3.1 mi
- Meadow Street Park: 0.7 mi
- San Vincenzo Park: 0.8 mi
- Norwalk Harbor Walk: 1.0 mi
- River Edge Park: 1.1 mi
- Yost Street Open Space: 1.2 mi
- Marvin Beach: 1.1 mi
- Harbor View Beach: 1.3 mi
- Calf Pasture Beach: 1.7 mi
- Long Beach: 2.0 mi
- Rowayton Community Beach: 2.9 mi
- Formal Garden: 4.6 mi
- Community Garden: 5.7 mi
- Herb Garden: 5.7 mi
- Westport Community Garden: 6.1 mi
- Wildflower garden: 7.3 mi
- Dancing Girl: 7.1 mi
- Samford Sign: 7.2 mi
- Stamford Cone: 7.4 mi
- Pollinator Pathway Mural: 11.0 mi
- The Millenium Sundial: 11.5 mi
- Rowayton Dog Park: 2.6 mi
- Andrew Shaw Memorial Trust Scout Cabin: 3.7 mi
- Earthplace: 3.9 mi
- Darien Arts Center: 4.1 mi
- Burr Homestead: 9.2 mi
- The Meadow: 6.9 mi
- Pell Hill: 13.8 mi
- Bergfield Picnic Site: 14.1 mi
- Picnic Grove: 14.5 mi
- Reserved Picnic Site: 16.2 mi
- Cascade: 9.9 mi
- Sheep Falls: 10.3 mi
- Farms Falls: 10.4 mi
- Cascade: 10.4 mi
- Devil's Glen Falls: 10.6 mi
- Peck Ledge Light: 2.9 mi
- Stamford Harbor Ledge Light: 8.8 mi
- Stamford Harbor Ledge Light: 8.8 mi
- Eatons Neck Light: 10.1 mi
- Tongue Point Light: 13.4 mi
- Caumsett State Historic Park Bluffs: 11.4 mi
- Caumsett State Historic Park Bluffs: 11.5 mi
- Duck Island Bluff: 12.2 mi
- Castle Rock: 12.4 mi
- Old Raven Rocks: 12.5 mi
- RT. 15 New Canaan NB Service Plaza: 3.5 mi
- RT. 15 New Canaan SB Service Plaza: 3.5 mi
- Danbury Rest Area: 20.7 mi
- Long Island Welcome Center: 21.2 mi
- Rest Area CT-15 (South Bound): 22.9 mi
- Cuties Island: 6.5 mi
- Pleasure Beach: 13.7 mi
- The Silver Spring: 11.6 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.4 miles of SONO Switch Tower Museum. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becks Hill | NNW 329° | 208 m | 10.0 mi |
| Nod Hill | N 350° | 199 m | 11.3 mi |
| Nod HIll | N 350° | 197 m | 11.3 mi |
| Gilbert Hill | N 360° | 186 m | 11.4 mi |
| Bald Hill | NNW 339° | 184 m | 8.5 mi |
| Upper Bald Hill | NNW 341° | 171 m | 9.5 mi |
| Comstock Knoll | NNW 343° | 164 m | 7.7 mi |
| Powells Hill | NNE 25° | 159 m | 10.5 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:58 | 18:30 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:22 | 19:49 | 20:30 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:16 | 18:53 |
| December solstice | 07:16 | 15:45 | 16:29 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 32 | 40 | 51 | 61 | 69 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 55 | 44 | 35 |
| Precip in | 4.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Stamford 5 N, 7 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/588393106
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to SONO Switch Tower Museum.
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