Vermont Valley Railroad

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The Vermont Valley Railroad (VVR) is a former railway company in Vermont ( United States ). It existed as an independent company from 1848 to 1949.

history

In 1843 the Brattleboro and Fitchburg Railroad was founded and plans were made to build a railroad line as an extension of the Fitchburg Railroad to Brattleboro on the Connecticut River . In 1846, the Sullivan Railroad was established to build a route in the Connecticut River valley from Bellows Falls to the north. This gave rise to the desire to connect these two routes, either planned or already under construction. For this purpose the Vermont Valley Railroad was founded on November 8, 1848 .

In February 1849 the Sullivan Railroad was opened and a year later the now called Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad went into operation to Brattleboro. The VVR had to wait another year for the gap to be closed. It was not until the second half of 1851 that they opened the 33.5-kilometer route Brattleboro – Bellows Falls along the west bank of the Connecticut River. As with the adjoining railways, the standard gauge (1435 mm) was chosen . At the same time, the railway in Bellows Falls made a track connection to the Sullivan Railroad, which was leased in 1861 from the VVR.

On June 1, 1865, two entrepreneurs leased the VVR for ten years, who were also involved in the Rutland and Burlington Railroad . The company, which has now been reorganized into Rutland Railroad , took over this lease and management of the railroad on January 23, 1871, but leased it to the Vermont Central Railroad , which was called Central Vermont Railroad from 1873 . A few months later, on July 3 of that year, the Vermont Valley Railroad of 1871 was founded, which acquired the railway on April 5, 1877. The leases were terminated and the Connecticut River Railroad (CRR), which had the right to jointly use the route in Brattleboro, took control of the railway. The Boston and Maine Railroad , which had leased the CRR, was responsible for the management .

The original name Vermont Valley Railroad was valid again from October 27, 1902 after the company had been renamed. Boston & Maine finally leased the VVR directly on January 1, 1925. However, the final merger didn't take place until 1949. Today the route is operated by the New England Central Railroad and the Pan Am Railways in freight traffic and by the Amtrak in passenger traffic.

Sources and further information

literature
  • George H. Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads 2nd Ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 2000, ISBN 0-89024-356-5
  • Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume II. New England Press Inc., 1993. ISBN 978-1881535027
  • Robert M. Lindsell: The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 2000, ISBN 0-942147-06-5 .
Web links