Vermont Railway summary
Vermont Railway (VTR) is a short line railroad that operates in eastern New York and Vermont. It’s a subsidiary of Vermont Rail System, a privately held firm that is owned by the Wulfson family for more than 50 years. Between Hoosick Junction, N.Y., and Burlington Vt., the railroad operates 125 miles of standard-gauge track along Vermont’s Western Corridor.
History
The Vermont Railway was once part of the 400-mile former Rutland Railroad that provided freight and passenger services for Vermont and northern New York until the early 1960s. With a rapid decline in business, the ex-railroad filed to abandon its entire rail network in 1962. It was Jay L. Wulfson and his team who helped save the 125-mile section of the railroad after signing a lease to operate it on August 6, 1963. At the time, the abandoned trackage fell into the ownership of the State of Vermont who was under pressure to find a suitable operator. On January 6, 1964, operations began out of Burlington as Vermont Railway, the first privately owned railroad operating on a publicly owned right of way. In 1982, the VTR fulfilled its 30-year obligation to the State by reimbursing the cost of the 1964 purchase for the line itself.
Operations
On the Vermont Railway, daily freight trains operate between Burlington and Rutland, Vt., while the section between Rutland and North Bennington, Vt. sees traffic three days a week. Nearly 90% of the inbound and outbound freight serves the businesses in the Green Mountain State. Minerals from the state including talc, various limestones, granite, slate and marble are hauled out in large volumes to destinations throughout North America. The VTR helps import heating and transportation fuel, as well as feed ingredients used in the dairy industry. In 1965, the railroad began offering piggyback trailer service with ramp facilities constructed in Burlington, Rutland, and North Bennington. Passenger service on the Vermont Railway is provided with the Champlain Valley Dinner Train out of Burlington.
The railroad’s diesel locomotive fleet comes from its parent company’s roster pool ranging from EMD GP38-2s to GP40FH-2s. The motive power rotates among the VTR and its five affiliate railroads. Since 2022, repainting of the units has taken place in the scheme of Vermont Railway’s bright red with white stylized mountain peaks logo reading “Vermont Rail System.”
Interchange points are located at both ends of Vermont Railway’s main line. Connections are made with Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation at Hoosick Junction, and with the New England Central Railroad in Burlington. The railroad also connects with affiliates Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad in Rutland and Florence, Vt., and the Green Mountain Railroad in Rutland. Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express has trackage rights on the VTR as it carries passengers daily from New York City to Burlington.
Read more about the Vermont Railway in Trains’ June 2013 issue.
