Rutland Railroad: Difference between revisions

|logo_filename=Logo Rutland Railway.svg

|marks=RUT, R

|end_year=1963 (not operated 1961-1963)

The '''Rutland Railroad''' {{reporting mark|RUT|R}} was a [[railroad]] in the [[Northeast United States|northeastern]] [[United States]], located primarily in the state of [[Vermont]] but extending into the state of [[New York (state)|New York]] at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1961, parts of the railroad were taken over by the State of Vermont in early 1963 and are now operated by the [[Vermont Railway]]. <ref> Correct years from www.rutlandrr.org </ref>

The earliest ancestor of the Rutland, the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to build between [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland]] and [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]]. When the Vermont legislature created the state railroad commissioncommissioner in 1855 to oversee railway construction, maintenance, and operations, the first person appointed to the position was [[Charles Linsley]], the Rutland and Burlington's counsel, and a member of its board of directors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vermonthistory.org/documents/findaid/linsley.pdf |title=Biographical Sketch, Charles Linsley |last=Ellingson |first=Barbara |date=1997|website=Charles and Emmeline Linsley Papers, 1827-1892 |publisher=Vermont Historical Society |location=Montpelier, VT |access-date=July 3, 2018 |page=1 |ref={{sfnRef|"Biographical Sketch, Charles Linsley"}}}}</ref> A number of other railroads were formed in the region, and by 1867 the Rutland & Burlington Railroad had changed its name to simply the Rutland Railroad.{{sfn|Lindsell|2000|p=41}}

In 1901, the Rutland Railroad completed construction of a system of [[causeway]]s and [[Trestle bridge|trestles]] across [[Lake Champlain]], through the [[Grand Isle County, Vermont|Champlain islandsIslands of South Hero and North Hero]], to connect between Burlington, Vermont and [[Rouses Point, New York]]. The purpose of this construction was to give the Rutland access to Canada, independent of the tracks of the competing Central Vermont. Both companies did share the same bridge over the [[Richelieu River]] at the final approach to Rouses Point by using an unusual [[gauntlet track]], which allowed sharing without the need for switches: only one train occupying the bridge at any one time. {{sfn|Lindsell|2000|p=43}} The causeway between Burlington and South Hero, built at that time, was much later converted into a maintained recreational trail called The [[Island Line Trail]].<ref>{{cite web| last=Baird| first=Joel Banner| url=http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110620/NEWS02/110620016/Causeway-bike-ferry-canceled-season| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118181829/http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110620/NEWS02/110620016/Causeway-bike-ferry-canceled-season| url-status=dead| archive-date=January 18, 2013| title=Causeway bike ferry canceled for season| website=Burlington Free Press| location=Burlington, Vermont| date=June 20, 2011| access-date=March 15, 2012}} </ref> The company also had a line from Rutland, southeast to [[Bellows Falls, Vermont|Bellows Falls]], in southeastern Vermont on the Connecticut River just opposite North Walpole, New Hampshire (still operated by the Vermont Railway as of 2021), and a line from Rutland south to [[North Bennington,]]; thence to [[Chatham, New York]]. Chatham was a major junction for connections via the [[New York Central]] to New York City and the [[Boston & Albany Railroad]] service to Massachusetts, until the Rutland's 19511953 abandonment of its Chathamthe Branchbranch between North Bennington and Chatham.: (seethe below).first <ref>{{citeof web|the title=Anrailroad's Easterndivisions Regionalto Railroadlose -passenger 1930's - 1940'sservice, Rutlandin Railroad1931. |<ref>{{Cite web|url=httphttps://www.r2parksamerican-rails.netcom/RUTchatham.html}} {{Circular reference|datetitle =May 2018Rutland Railroad's Chatham Division: Map, History, Photos}}</ref>

The Rutland's primary freight traffic was derived from dairy products, including milk, that used to move over the system. At its peak, the Rutland served a system extending approximately {{Convert|400|mi}} in the shape of an upside-down "L" running from north [[Chatham, New York]], north to [[Alburgh, Vermont]], and; thence west to [[Ogdensburg, New York]], situated alongon the [[St. Lawrence River]]. The railroad's northernmost terminus was [[Noyan, Quebec]]. In 1925, Rutland reported 259 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 38 million passenger-miles along {{Convert|413|mi}} of road and {{Convert|559|mi}} of track. In 1960, it had 182 million ton-miles on 391 route-miles and 476 track-miles.

Lacking a solid financial operation, the Rutland entered receivership for the first time in 1938. Cost cutting, including wage reduction, was implemented to improve its financial standing. The railroad's state was dire enough that, in March, 1939, the state of Vermont agreed to suspend the company's tax payments for 2 years to help it recover.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Associated Press|date=March 17, 1939|title=Rutland Railroad Relief Bill Signed by Gov. Aiken|work=[[The Lewiston Daily Sun]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=us4gAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA26|access-date=October 25, 2021}}</ref> After a strictly-temporary revenue boom resulting from [[World War II]] traffic increases, the railroad's revenue decline returned and intensified, necessitating urgent and serious operating cost reductions. <ref>Shaughnessy, p.{{page ???needed|date=May 2022}}</ref>. The money-losing and decrepit Chatham Branch Division (known as the "Corkscrew" due to its many curves) from North Bennington, VT to Chatham, NY was abandoned accordingly and torn-up in 19511953, thus terminating the Rutland's connections with the New York Central's Harlem Division and Boston & Albany mainline at Chatham. Rutland freight trains were then rerouted to Chatham via Troy, NY's NYC connection. <ref> Shaughnessy, p.{{page ???needed|date=May 2022}}</ref> A corporate reorganization of the company occurred in 1950, and its name was thereby changed from Rutland Railroad to Rutland Railway. Employees went [[strike action|on strike]] for three weeks in 1953, which ended the line's historic passenger service. Also in 1953, the Rutland parked and stored (dead) all of its last steam locomotives, which were finally all scrapped by 1955 in return for some much-needed revenue.<ref>Shaughnessy, p.{{page ???needed|date=May 2022}}</ref>

In early 1961, following additional worker strikes (see below), including wage-increase demands that the railroad could not afford to pay and survive, the Rutland applied to the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] for permission to completely abandon the entire line. The measure was swiftly approved, and the railroad was completely shut-down (but not formally abandoned) in early 1961. The strikes were the result of the employees' unwillingness to accept divisional operating changes that would have moved the center of operations from Rutland to Burlington, requiring many of them to relocate. The changes would also have lengthened the total time of runs from Burlington to both [[Bellows Falls, Vermont]] and [[Ogdensburg, New York]], due to their creation of a new overnight stop that would delay returning trains until the following day. Under operating orders in place at the time, crews would make the run from Rutland to Burlington or Bellows Falls and back in a day, or from [[Malone (village), New York|Malone, New York]] to Ogdensburg and Burlington and back in a day. Several years later, the national railroad unions agreed to nationwide job changes that allowed this type of change: far too late to save the old Rutland. <ref> Entire section follows the earlier text, but timeline and specific years corrected. Additional facts from www.rutlandrr.org. </ref>

The State of Vermont persuaded the Vermont bankruptcy court in 1961 to postpone selling the railroad for net scrap value, insteadso givingthe itcourt gave the State two years to try to find a new operator and thus retain future service potential for the good of the State. A new operator was only secured after the State itself bought much of the line, in 1963 (see below).<ref>Mostly a clean-up of prior text. State of Vermont actions during 1961-1963, previously absent, from www.rutlandrr.org </ref>

Much of the remaining railroad right-of-way, tracks and facilities were purchased by the State of Vermont via the Vermont bankruptcy court following formal abandonment, in 1963. However, a long line132.4-mile segment between Burlington's passenger[[Union stationStation north(Burlington, yardVermont)|Union Station]] and Norwood, NY,<ref> Rutland Railroad Employee Timetable, 1954 </ref> via the Hero Islands and Alburgh, VT and through Rouses Point and Malone to Norwood, NY, was not only closed in 1961 and abandoned in 1963, but was also torn-up in 1964.<ref> State of Vermont and Vermont Railway news releases </ref> Unlucky Malone, NY thus went from having twoone railroadsrailroad to onenone, laterpreviously reduced from two to noneone when the northern portion of the New York Central's [[Adirondack Division]] through Malone was abandoned and torn-up in 19721960. <ref> WikipediaNew articleYork onCentral AdirondackSystem RailroadHistorical Society "blogspot": www.nycshs.org </ref> The Rutland's26 mostly-truncatedwesternmost Northernmiles Division (see above) acrossof the topRutland's ofOgdensburg New York StateDivision, between Ogdensburg and [[Norwood, New York|Norwood]], remains in tracks. It is operated by [[Vermont Railway]], resulting in all the remaining trackage of the Rutland being operated by one company. Ownership of the railbed132.4-mile fromroadbed between Norwood, NY toand Burlington, VT has been dispersed, but a 21-mile section from Norwood to [[Moira, New York]] is now the multi-use [[Rutland Trail]]. Other abandoned sections now make up all or part of the Hudson and Delaware Rail Trail, Corkscrew Rail Trail and the Alburg Recreation Rail Trail. <ref>Most of the above section is from current text, but I have clarified what was saved for trails and what remains in rails in northern NY State.</ref> The Rutland Railroad route from Rutland to Burlington has been used by passenger trains since summer, 2022, when [[Amtrak]] extended its ''[[Ethan Allen Express]]'' to Burlington.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Flowers |first1=John |title=Summer debut eyed for passenger train |url=https://www.addisonindependent.com/2021/11/18/summer-debut-eyed-for-passenger-train/ |access-date=19 November 2021 |work=Addison Independent |date=18 November 2021}}</ref>

Until it was relocated to [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]], The [[Steamtown, National Historic SiteU.S.A.|Steamtown Foundation]], located near the [[Bellows Falls]] terminus, operated tourist trains between the museum site and [[Chester, Vermont]]. Following Steamtown’s departure, several tourist trains were operated using the original Rutland rolling stock.

* [httphttps://www.rutlandrailroadmuseumrutlandrailroad.org/ Rutland RailwayRailroad AssociationHistorical Society]

* [httphttps://www.rutlandrrrr-fallenflags.org/rut/rut.html The Rutland Railroadon HistoricalGeorge SocietyElwood's Fallen Flags site].

* [httphttps://www.rramerican-fallenflagsrails.orgcom/rut/rutrutland.html The Rutland onRailroad, George Elwood'sThe FallenGreen FlagsMountain siteGateway'].