The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. After decades of ownership by Canadian National Railway, the company was spun off under the name New England Central Railroad in 1995.

It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connecticut, using a route along the shores of Lake Champlain, through the Green Mountains and along the Connecticut River valley. It also connected Montreal to Boston, in eastern Massachusetts, through a junction with the Boston and Maine Railroad at White River Junction, Vermont.

History

thumb|300px|1879 map

The Vermont Central Railroad was chartered October 31, 1843, to build a line across the center of Vermont, running from Burlington on Lake Champlain east to the capital Montpelier, and then southeast and south to Windsor on the Connecticut River. Initial plans had the main line running through Montpelier. However, due to the difficulty of building through the Williamstown Gulf, a narrow valley south of Barre, Vermont, and to land interests of Charles Paine in Northfield, Vermont, a course to the west was selected. The state capital was to be served by a short branch line.

Construction began on December 15, 1845, and the first section, from White River Junction west to Bethel, opened on June 26, 1848. but ended on September 6, 1966. Its southbound run was named the Washingtonian.

  • The Ambassador ran between New York City, Springfield, White River Junction and Montreal on a day-time schedule from 1926 until September 3, 1966. It had a section to Boston until 1956.
  • The New Englander also began in 1926, connecting Boston with Montreal overnight. In its later years, the train combined with the B&M's Red Wing in White River Junction and operated as a section of the Montrealer from Montreal to White River Junction. It was discontinued sometime after 1953.
  • The Vermonter ran between St. Albans and White River Junction from around 1940 until November 5, 1965. The train left St. Albans in the evening and arrived in White River Junction around midnight or later. Sleeper cars were transferred to the Montrealer for service to New York City. Northbound trains left White River Junction in the middle of the night to arrive in St. Albans early in the morning. This service lends its name to the modern incarnation of the Vermonter.

Until 1947, the CV operated local trains between Brattleboro and New London using a Brill self-propelled car for one daily round-trip and steam-powered mixed train. After the late 1930's, the CV operated two local trains between White River Junction to St. Albans. Like the New London service, a Brill car operated one round-trip while a steam engine operated the other train. After the CV shifted its trains from East Alburgh to Canadian National's track in Cantic, the Brill cars operated a local service from St. Albans to St. Jean and after 1949, this service ran to Montreal Central Station until its 1953 termination. The CV also operated a local service between White River Junction and Springfield for several months per year with the Boston and Maine Railroad operating the service for the remaining months as mileage-equalization exercise.

The demise of the Montrealer ended all passenger service on the CV. However on September 30, 1972, Amtrak restored the Montrealer as a result of a federal mandate to resume train service to Canada, returning passenger service to CV tracks between the Canadian border and Windsor, VT. In 1989, the Montrealer was rerouted to the CV’s main line which had not seen passenger trains operate between Northfield, MA and New London, CT since 1947. The previous route along the Connecticut River had deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. In 1995, the overnight Montrealer was replaced with day-time Vermonter, reusing the name of a previous CV-operated train, and the service was rerouted to the Hartford Line, with the train reversing in Palmer to access the CV main line. In 2014, the Connecticut River Line was rebuilt and reopened to passenger trains and passenger service was dropped from the now former CV track in Massachusetts.

References

  • Central Vermont Railway Historical Society
  • The Central Vermont Railway at George Elwood's Fallen Flags site
  • Picturing the Past: The Central Vermont Railway - includes many railway photos
  • Mamacoke Company Portal to Central Vermont Railway Archives