Rutland Railroad

The Rutland Railroad (reporting mark RUT) was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of 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.

Construction and early years

The earliest predecessor of the Rutland Railroad was the Rutland & Burlington Railroad (R&B), chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to construct a line between Rutland and Burlington. In 1855, when the Vermont legislature established the office of state railroad commissioner to oversee railway construction, maintenance, and operations, the first appointee was Charles Linsley, who served as counsel to R&B and was a member of its board of directors. Several other railroads were formed in the region during this period, and by 1867 R&B had been renamed the Rutland Railroad.

From 1871 to 1896, the Rutland Railroad was leased to the Central Vermont Railway (CV), regaining its independence after CV entered receivership. The New York Central Railroad (NYCRR) acquired a controlling interest in the Rutland in 1904 but sold half of its shares to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1911.

In 1901, the Rutland completed construction of a series of causeways and trestles across Lake Champlain through the Champlain Islands of South Hero and North Hero, creating a direct connection between Burlington and Rouses Point, New York. This project provided the railroad with independent access to Canada, avoiding reliance on CV trackage. Both railroads shared the bridge over the Richelieu River at Rouses Point by means of a gauntlet track, which allowed alternating use by trains without switches and limited occupancy to one train at a time.