Railroad History

Passenger and Commuter Rail

Railroading Today

Rolling Stock

Infrastructure and Terms

Museums and Tourism

Miscellaneous

About The Site

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Vermont Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads

The information included here covers a general history of Vermont interurbans and streetcar railroads once operated throughout the state. Interurban railroad systems were once a common form of transportation for many towns both large and small although they began to fall out of favor in the 1930s and 1940s for the common automobile as its technology and better highways became vastly improved and more reliable. While interurbans served a vital transportation purpose prior to reliable autos and highways from a historical perspective they are fascinating because of many small companies that popped up and also disappeared nearly overnight. During the peak of interurban operations in the country there were even several builders of motorcars including J. G. Brill & Company, St. Louis Car Company, Pullman-Standard, American Car Company, Standard Steel and the Jewett Car Company.

The information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Vermont interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Barre & Montpelier Street Railway: The Barre & Montpelier Street Railway began operations in June of 1889 connecting downtown Montpelier with the nearby town of Barre. In 1919 the system was renamed the Barre & Montpelier Traction & Power Company and remained in operation until the late 1920s when rail service was replaced by buses. For more information about this interurban please click here.

Rutland Street Railway: The Rutland Street Railway began operations in 1872 using horses for power. It was renamed the Rutland Railway Light & Power Company in 1906 and remained in service until 1924 when buses replaced railroad operations.

Springfield Terminal Railway: The Springfield Terminal Railway connected Charlestown, New Hampshire with Springfield, Vermont on an eight-mile railroad system. Passenger service survived until 1947 and freight remained until October of 1956 using a small fleet of electric motors.

St. Albans Street Railway: The St. Albans Street Railway served the town of St. Albans beginning operations in 1904. In 1912 it was renamed the St. Albans & Swanton Traction Company. The interurban was never a very profitable operation and abandoned services in 1921.

Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad: The Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad began operations in 1897 connecting Waterbury and Stowe on a 12-mile railroad system. It abandoned operations in 1932 and today much of the right-of-way is Vermont State Route 100.

Winooski & Burlington Horse Railroad: The Winooski & Burlington Horse Railroad began operations in 1872 serving the city of Burlington. It was renamed the Burlington Traction Company in 1893 and again changed names in 1928 as the Burlington Rapid Transit Company. Services were abandoned a year later.

Other notable Vermont interurban railroads:

Bellows Falls & Saxton River Street Railway

Bennington & Woodford Electric Railway (For more information about this interurban please click here.)

Brattleboro Street Railroad (Operated between Brattleboro and West Brattleboro.)

Hoosick Falls Street Railway

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Vermont interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

For more reading on Vermont interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar railroad movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurban railroads and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

footer for vermont interurbans page