Montpelier – Barre tram

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The Montpelier – Barre tram was an interurban tram operation in the US state of Vermont , which existed from 1898 to 1927 and connected the places Montpelier and Barre .

history

Although two railway lines were already running between Montpelier and Barre, the need for transport by the end of the 19th century was not met. The Barre Electric Light, Power, Manufacturing, and Street Railway Company received a concession to build an electric railway in Barre on November 5, 1892, with the option of a route to Montpelier. In November 1896 the name of the company was changed to Barre and Montpelier Traction and Power Company and the concession was renewed. Construction began in 1897 and on June 29, 1898 the main line was opened, which branched out at Barre. The main line began in Montpelier at the intersection of State Street and Bailey Avenue and ran through State Street, Main Street, Barre Street, Pioneer Street (with a bridge over the Winooski River ), River Street and along Barre – Montpelier Road to Barre, where it ran down Main Street to Ayer Street. The Barre branch began on Main Street / Washington Street and ran through Washington Street to the intersection of Camp Street.

Another branch line was built in Montpelier. It began on Barre Street / Sibley Avenue and went through Sibley Avenue, Sabin Street, Kemp Avenue and College Street to Prospect Street (now Liberty Street). It went into operation on August 10, 1898. The network had a total length of 14.95 kilometers. In Berlin, about three kilometers east of Montpelier, the railway's own Dewey Park was built , a recreation center that brought the railway additional income. Three lines were used:

  • Montpelier State Street - Barre Street - Dewey Park - Barre, Main Street / Ayer Street (every 60 minutes)
  • Montpelier State Street - Barre Street - Dewey Park - Barre, Washington Street / Camp Street (every 60 minutes)
  • Montpelier State Street - Barre Street - College Street / Prospect Street (every 30 minutes)

Extensions to East Barre and Washington were planned, but not built. The railway had economic difficulties as early as the early 1920s. The competition from automobiles, from the railroad and, from October 1927, from a bus company caused the number of journeys to drop more and more. When Vermont was struck by a flood disaster on November 3 and 4, 1927, which largely destroyed the tram route along the Winooski River, including the bridge on Pioneer Street, the railway company finally ceased operations. The two branches to Washington Street in Barre and College Street in Montpelier had already been closed in 1925.

literature

  • Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume I. New England Press Inc., 1993. ISBN 1-881535-01-0 .