St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad

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The St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad (StJ & LC) was an American railroad in the state of Vermont. The company's route ran from St. Johnsbury to Swanton on Lake Champlain .

history

Because of financial difficulties of the previous parent company, Portland and Ogdensburg Railway who described as "Vermont Division" was stretch of Lunenburg, east of St. Johnsbury, spun off by Swanton on 1 January 1880 as a stand-alone railway company. In the same year, a short branch line to Maquam on Lake Champlain was built and the Maine Central Railroad leased the line between St. Johnsbury and Lunenburg. In 1883, with the support of the "Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad" (O&LC), a connection was established between Swanton and Rouses Point , where the O&LC tracks ended. But immediately afterwards the O&LC was taken over by the Central Vermont Railroad . Since this did not want a transition to the StJ & LC, the line that was never used was closed again. In 1885 the Boston and Lowell Railroad took over the StJ & LC, which itself was taken over by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1895 . From 1912 to 1927, the B&M leased the line to the Maine Central Railroad, then to the Canadian Pacific Railway . B&M was able to pay out the guaranteed interest bonds until 1925. When there was no longer enough income, B&M handed the route over to a local company management. The attempt was made to determine whether a decentralized management of individual routes would be more economical than from the headquarters in Boston.

However, in 1944 bankruptcy had to be declared. In 1948 the company was reorganized as “St. Johnsbury to Lamoille Country Railroad ”and was sold by B&M to local buyers on January 24, 1949. In 1956, the operator of the shortline railway company HE Salzberg Co. bought the railway and in 1967 the latter sold it to the Pinsly Railroad Company from Samuel M. Pinsly , also a shortline operator. Although Pinsly invested a lot in the route, it made no profit. An intended closure of the line was denied him and finally in 1973 the state of Vermont acquired the line. This obliges the "Lamoille County Railroad" to operate the route. Due to disputes with the state and a strike by line workers, the "Vermont Northern Railroad", a Morrison-Knudsen subsidiary, became line operator from October 1976 . But this contractual relationship did not last long either, as the state was not satisfied with the offer. Therefore, on January 1, 1978, the "Lamoille Valley Railroad" (LVRC) took over the operation of the line. This company was founded by local entrepreneurs and rail customers. In 1980, an agreement was made with neighboring Central Vermont for the exchange of goods and the more economical service of individual customers. Individual trains run over the tracks of the other company. On September 1, 1989, CSF Acquistion Corporation took over the company from Clyde S. Forbes. Due to the declining transport volume, only the St. Johnsbury - Morrisville route was used from the beginning of the 1990s . In 1995 and 1997 the route was destroyed by storms. As a result, operations were discontinued. As a result, there was a dispute between the State of Vermont and Forbes over the continued operation of the route. The route has been officially closed since 2004 and is now used as a snowmobile slope. There are efforts to convert the track bed under the name "Lamoille Valley Rail Trail" to a riding and bicycle path.

literature

  • George H. Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads 2nd Ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 2000, ISBN 0-89024-356-5
  • Edward A. Lewis: American Shortline Railway Guide 5th Ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 1996, ISBN 0-89024-290-9

Web links