Rutland tram

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Rutland tram was the tram company of the city of Rutland in the US state of Vermont , which existed from 1885 to 1924.

history

Horse tram

The Rutland Horse Railroad Company was granted a concession on November 13, 1882 to build and operate a horse-drawn railroad from the exhibition grounds to West Rutland with branches on Main Street and the town's train station. The company was renamed shortly thereafter and set up as the Rutland Street Railway Company on July 6, 1885. Two lines were opened on December 13, 1885:

  • The Main Line began at the Exhibition Grounds on South Main Street and ran through Strongs Avenue, Merchants Row, Grove Street, State Street, Columbian Avenue, West Street, Rutland Road, Pleasant Street to Depot Street (Thrall Avenue) in West Rutland for 5.5 miles (8.8 km). The wagons carried green lights and were two-in-hand . The timetable provided for an hourly cycle.
  • The City Line ran as a ring line from Merchants Row via Center Street, Wales Street, Washington Street, Main Street, Crescent Street, Grove Street back to Merchants Row and was 2.5 miles (4 km) long. The city's train station is near the corner of Merchants Row and Center Street. The lamps of the single horses used on the City Line were red. The cars drove every 30 minutes.

The vehicles came from the JG Brill Company of Philadelphia. The railroad depot was on Baxter Street, a short service route from there to State Street.

electrification

In June 1894, the railway company decided to electrify the railway. While operations continued, the rails of the horse-drawn tram were replaced by stronger ones that could carry the heavier motor vehicles. On November 26, 1894, electrical traffic began on the network. There were now three lines:

  • Main Line : Merchants Row - West Rutland
  • North Belt Line : Exhibition Grounds - Merchants Row - Crescent Street - Main Street
  • South Belt Line : Exhibition Grounds - Merchants Row - Washington Street - Main Street

At the same time a new depot was opened opposite the exhibition grounds on South Main Street and in mid-February 1895 a second depot went into operation in West Rutland on Depot Street / Marble Street. The old horse tram depot on Baxter Street was closed.

Further network expansion

In December 1902, an 18.7 kilometer extension of the main line went into operation. Off-road, the route ran from West Rutland station right next to the Whitehall – Rutland line of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad to Castleton, through Main Street in Castleton, on a long yoke bridge over the railway line and through Hydeville to Fair Haven , where the line in Cottage Street ended. In addition, a four-kilometer junction was made from Castleton Corners west of Castleton to Lake Bomoseen , which was served from the beginning of June to mid-September each year.

On November 18, 1908, the tram company merged with other companies to form the Rutland Railway, Light and Power Company . The line was extended in the fall of 1911 by a further eleven kilometers from Fair Haven on River Street and near Mahar Road and Evergreen Road to Poultney . North of Poultney, a connecting track was built to the Castleton – Eagle Bridge railway line . The route ran between the railroad and the York Street Extension. It then led into the center of Poultney on York Street, College Street and Main Street and ended directly in front of the level crossing at the train station. The total length of the route network was 55.5 kilometers. All routes were single-track with swerve.

Decline and shutdown

In 1913 the yoke bridge at Castleton had to be backfilled to a dam when it was declared dilapidated by the regulatory authorities and the speed over the bridge was limited to 6 miles per hour (10 km / h). In 1917, in order to save costs, conductors were dispensed with and one-man operation was introduced. Conductors only took the summer car to Lake Bomoseen. In September 1918, however, this branch was closed. After fewer and fewer passengers could be recorded, the railway company stopped operating on July 6, 1924 between West Rutland and Poultney and on December 26 of the same year on the rest of the network. The tracks were dismantled and scrapped the following spring.

literature

  • Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume II. New England Press Inc., 1993. ISBN 1-881535-02-9 .