Central
Vermont Railway - (en)
The Central Vermont Railway (AAR reporting marks CV) was a railroad that
operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont,
New York, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. 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, as well as Montreal to Boston, Massachusetts,
through a connection with the Boston and Maine Railroad at White River
Junction, Vermont.
History
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 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, leaving the state capital to be serviced 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. Subsequent
sections opened to Roxbury on September 17, 1848, Northfield on October
10, 1848, Montpelier (including the branch from Montpelier Junction) on
June 20, 1849, Middlesex on August 30, 1849, Waterbury on September 29,
1849, and the full distance to Burlington on December 31, 1849. The part
along the Connecticut River from Hartford south to Windsor opened on
February 13, 1849.
The Vermont and Canada Railroad was chartered October 31, 1845 as a
continuation of the Vermont Central north and west to Rouses Point, New
York, splitting at Essex Junction (east of Burlington) and running north
via St. Albans and Swanton. A branch split at Swanton and ran north to the
border with Canada. On August 24, 1849, the Vermont Central leased the
Vermont and Canada, and it was completed in 1851. However, the Vermont
Central defaulted on rental payments, and the Vermont and Canada returned
to its original owners on June 28, 1852. The lease was later reinstated.
The Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway was chartered in 1860 and opened
in the 1860s, extending the Vermont and Canada's branch from the national
border north to St. Johns, Quebec on the Grand Trunk Railway's Montreal
and Champlain Railroad. From opening it was operated as an extension of
the Vermont and Canada.
The Sullivan County Railroad continued south from Windsor to Bellows
Falls, where it met the Cheshire Railroad towards Boston. At first it was
operated by the Central Vermont, but later the Boston and Maine Railroad
gained control of it, giving trackage rights to the Central Vermont.
Similarly, the Vermont Valley Railroad, running south from Bellows Falls
to the New London Northern Railroad in Brattleboro, was originally owned
by the Rutland Railroad and later by the B&M.
In 1867 the Vermont Central leased the Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly
Railroad, running east from St. Johns to Waterloo. The Waterloo and Magog
Railway was later built as an extension from Waterloo south to Magog.
The Vermont Central leased the Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain Railroad on
March 1, 1870, extending its line from Rouses Point west to Ogdensburg. On
January 1, 1871, the Vermont Central leased the Rutland Railroad system,
giving it routes from Burlington to Bellows Falls and Chatham, New York.
The New London Northern Railroad was leased on December 1, 1871. On
November 2, 1872 the name was changed to the Central Vermont Railroad.
Though chartered as an independent entity in 1867, control of Missisquoi
Railroad was gained shortly thereafter, and it was formally leased in July
1873, providing a branch from St. Albans northeast to Richford. It was
operated until November 15, 1877, when the Connecticut and Passumpsic
Rivers Railroad took it over. The company was reorganized in December 1886
as the Missisquoi Valley Railway, and was once again leased to the Central
Vermont.
The Montpelier and White River Railroad opened in 1876 and was leased to
the Central Vermont, running from the end of the Montpelier Branch south
to and beyond Barre.
The Consolidated Railway was formed on June 30, 1884 to consolidate the
Central Vermont and Vermont and Canada and to settle litigation between
the two companies. A new Central Vermont Railroad was formed on July 1,
1884 to take over from the Consolidated Railway.
1889 the Burlington and Lamoille Railroad was reorganized as the
Burlington and Lamoille Valley Railroad and leased by the Central Vermont.
This provided a branch from Essex Junction to the Lamoille Valley Railroad
at Cambridge Junction in Cambridge, Vermont, and a quickly-abandoned
redundant line from Essex Junction west to Burlington. This second
connection crossed the Winooski River near Essex Junction and connected to
the Rutland Railroad at the south end of Burlington near the present day
terminus of I-189.
The Montreal and Province Line Railway was formed in 1896 as a
reorganization of the Montreal, Portland and Boston Railroad. Originally
planned as a branch of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad to Montreal,
and operated by the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad, it was
taken over by the Central Vermont upon reorganization. The main line ran
from the Grand Trunk Railway's Montreal and Champlain Railroad at
Saint-Lambert, across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, southeast to
Farnham on the Stanstead, Shefford and Chambly Railroad, with an extension
continuing southeast to Frelighsburg. A branch went east from Mariesville
to St. Cesarie.
In 1896 the Central Vermont entered receivership, and the Rutland Railroad
was separated. The Grand Trunk Railway bought the bankrupt company on
March 20. The Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain Railroad lease ended in 1898,
and that company was leased by the Rutland in 1901. The Central Vermont
Railroad was sold at foreclosure on March 21, 1899, and was reorganized as
the Central Vermont Railway on May 1. Durings this process, on April 15,
1899 it purchased the Missisquoi Valley Railroad outright.
On July 12, 1920, the entire Grand Trunk system was placed under the
control of a "Board of Management" by the federal Department of
Railways and Canals in Canada after several years of financial
difficulties. After several years of legal battles by Grand Trunk
shareholders, intent on preventing the federal government from
nationalizing the company, the company was nationalized on January 20,
1923 and fully merged into the Crown corporation Canadian National Railway.
CN and NECR: 1923-present
On December 12, 1927, the Central Vermont Railway entered receivership
again, and was reorganized January 31, 1930, to form a new company of the
same name.
Under the Grand Trunk and later the Canadian National, the Central Vermont
system saw many of its unprofitable branch lines abandoned. The CN
continued to operate the CV as a modestly successful system, however in
the process leading up to the privatization of the CN, which took place on
November 28, 1995, several non-core routes were identified for sale - one
of these being the CV.
On February 3, 1995, the CN sold the CV mainline from New London,
Connecticut, to East Alburg, Vermont, to shortline operating company
RailTex, which renamed the property New England Central Railroad and
continued to operate the line much as before.
On February 4, 2000, RailTex was merged into RailAmerica. Operations have
continued to present as before.
