The long afternoon for Vermont Railway’s Bennington-Rutland (“B&R”) crew started moments earlier after meeting the Pan Am Southern AD-1 connection at Hoosick Junction, N.Y. The Rutland-bound interchange cars are crossing the famed Walloomsac River Bridge with VTR 310 and GMRC 304 providing the horsepower on May 20, 2011. In less than a mile the train will have crossed back into Vermont.
2015 NRHS CONVENTION PREVIEW BY JOHN “CULLY” CULLINAN PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR EXCEPT AS NOTED
L
OCATED IN THE HEART OF VERMONT, the upcoming 2015 NRHS convention has a bountiful offering
of diverse, unique, and truly photogenic opportunities all situated reasonably nearby. A small amount of research and preparation prior to arrival has the potential to yield tremendous results if your choice is to search out other surrounding railroad operations. As always, respect private property and do not enter railroad facilities without permission as you explore the Green Mountain State this summer. Here’s a brief tour of what visiting railfans could discover on their next trip east.
30 JUNE 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
Vermont Rail System
The old Rutland Railway had been struggling to make ends meet in a rapidly changing postwar economy, and a strike in 1961 was the final blow. To preserve rail service, the state of Vermont stepped in and purchased the line from Burlington to Bennington and from Rutland to Bellows Falls. The Vermont Railway (VTR) began operation on January 6, 1964, with the task of persuading shippers back to the rails. The connecting shortline Clarendon & Pittsford was acquired in 1972. Meanwhile, F. Nelson Blount’s Steam- town, U.S.A. museum was operating
excursions over a portion of the Rutland from Bellows Falls to Ludlow. Freight operation began hesitatingly under the Green Mountain Railway (GMRC) banner in 1965, and soon service was extended to Rutland. Vermont Railway acquired GMRC in 1997 and, togeth- er with the New York & Ogdensburg, all are currently operated under the Vermont Rail System banner. Besides a number of passenger excursions that will be hosted on VRS during the upcoming NRHS convention, there are plenty of freight operations for the visiting railfan to photograph. Rutland is the nerve center for VRS
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