This short 4-mile abandoned railway served as a branch line from the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad in Branchville to the nearby town of Ridgefield. Construction on the line started in 1869 and was completed the following year. The line was bought by the Housatonic Railroad in 1887, itself purchased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1892. The line was difficult to build owing to the large difference in elevations and relatively short distance between Branchville and Ridgefield, at 342 feet and 900 feet, respectively. Ridgefield was home to a one-stall roundhouse and accompanying turntable.
Passenger service, consisting of three daily round trips typically using two passenger cars, ceased in 1925; freight operations continued over the line until abandoned by the NYNH&H in 1964.
Today, the right-of-way serves as a rail-trail.