Beginnings
The
year was 1899 and by now The Rutland Railroad was ready to move forward
in it's position as a major carrier out of the Queen City. The forty
year old dream, move north out of Burlington was about to come true. The
only obstacles were nature itself.
The planners of this line had no intention on competing with the Central Vermont along the slim territory north of Burlington. Instead they struck out north through Mallets Bay and across Lake Champlain with what has been know to us as the "Fill" for 100 years.
A 3 mile causeway of rip-rapped marble stretching to South Hero. Then the Line boldly goes through Grand Isle and North Hero on it's way to Alburgh crossing the lake two more times.
This
is the part of the line this web site will examine. A monstrous undertaking
that today would seem all but impossible. The forty miles from Burlington
to Alburgh amazingly finished in little more than a year!
Many parts of the old line are still accessible
today.
From
Burlington you can ride a bike or roller blade north on the line to the
Winooski river. Burlington's bike path as it is now known ,offers spectacular
views along the lake, once I'm sure enjoyed by many Rutland rail passengers
on their journeys North over the line.
On the Colchester side you can continue out on the great causeway by bike or foot. A great place to visit, fish, sunbathe, have a picnic, or duck hunt from in the fall. As you will see from some of the pics here, there are some artifacts from the rail days left on the causeway. An old Switch box, many ties, and some pieces from the great draw bridge that was taken away many years ago.
After this point the line starts to get less accessible. You have to follow closely through the Islands to access it and some parts are really overgrown and on now private land. But you can do it with a little ambition. I went walking on one part of it and deep in the woods found several glass insulators as well as a cross tie from a pole that I now have at my home as a remembrance.
Another bike path on the line is in Alburgh. The final trestle across the lake is still there but barely.
That's the fun of it though, to follow the line and wonder what it must have been like to travel that road by steam and later just to go up and down it everyday as your job. That must have been great. I often wonder what it was like for the workers who built it as I am sure it was probably not as special as it seems today. Still to stand on some part of the line and wonder if sometime, long ago someone stood there and enjoyed it as much as I do every time I am in that special place. I hope someday you can as well!
On the following pages I have tried to sort the pictures in sequence of time, from when the rail bed was in use, then the abandonment, and finally as it looks today.
Any comments, suggestions or more contributions to share are always welcome.
More Construction Pics from 1899-1900
Heres a link to a Burlington
Free Press article on the First Train Ride through the New Line
Real Interesting reading
