The right of way established by the D&N continues in operation and is now the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line of the Metro-North Railroad.

[2] The objective of the railroad was to build from Danbury to somewhere on Long Island Sound.

[2] Professor Alexander C. Twining of Yale University was hired to conduct a survey.

Several options were researched, and Professor Twining recommended the route following the Norwalk River.

A coach took a half day for the journey, but horse-drawn rail cars were estimated to make the Danbury to Norwalk trip in 3 hours.

[3] As financing the project was a problem, attention was paid to the area north of Danbury, along the Housatonic River.

The surveyed route to Norwalk from Danbury was built, but not the extension to Belden's Neck.

In the fall of 1850, construction began, with Beard, Church and Company of Derby, Connecticut the general contractor as chosen in a bidding process.

The route closely followed the Norwalk River in order to avoid grades (inclines).

As a result of the proximity to the river, the Danbury line has had a history of occasional flooding.

From March to December 1851 he employed between 51 and 86 Irishmen each month in constructing roadbeds and laying tracks.

The railroad allowed travelers from Danbury to get to New York City in the same amount of time it had taken a stage coach to get to South Norwalk.

One stage driver in Danbury, Henry Banks, became D&N's first passenger conductor.

According to L. Peter Cornwall, a historian who has written about the Danbury Line, "Well-liked and respected up and down the line, Mr. Banks was noted for his suave and courtly manner as well as his elaborate announcements during the train's progress from station to station.

In 1862 the Norwalk Horse Railway Company was formed with Edwin Lockwood as president.

The 4 mile branch was very difficult to construct due to the steep climb needed to reach Ridgefield.

On June 25, 1870 the first trains started running, and the official opening was held on July 1, 1870.

Just before the take over plans were started to build the final stretch from South Norwalk to Belden's Point.

This would give the railroad a direct connection with New York City and other points along the Sound by means of ferries.

On October 1, 1886, the D&N would become the Danbury & Norwalk Division of the Housatonic Railroad, by means of a 99-year lease.

Especially when the NY & NE started diverting its traffic towards Wilsons Point after it lost its original connection with New York City.

Around 1891 the Long Island Rail Road and the New York and New England Railroad started running the Long Island and Eastern States Express which connected the LIRR's Oyster Bay Branch via ferry to the D&N at Belden's point and proceeded to Hawleyville for connections to the New York and New England Railroad with service to Boston.

On January 1, 1971, the State of Connecticut leased passenger and freight operations on the Danbury Branch to Penn Central.

[4] The state contracted with the federally formed Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) to operate freight and passenger service on the line from 1976 until the cessation of Conrail passenger service in 1983.

At Hawleyville connections could be made to the rest of the Housatonic (Bridgeport to the south, Massachusetts to the north) as well as the Shepaug Railroad (to Litchfield northeast).