Central Vermont Railway: Map, Logo, Timetable, Rosters

Last revised: November 18, 2024

The Central Vermont Railway was another of the fabled New England lines. It sliced north to south across the heart of the region, linking Montreal, Quebec with southern Connecticut at New London via St. Albans, Middlesex, Windsor, and Northfield (Massachusetts).

While the CV did have money troubles at various times, resulting in its once vast network split up in the late 19th century, the railroad was a mostly profitable operation ferrying traffic to and from the U.S. and Canada. It spent most of the 19th century, and into the 20th, battling the Rutland Railroad, a system it once controlled.

After the Canadian National Railway (which had controlled the CV for many years through a subsidiary known as the Grand Trunk Railway) became a private company in 1995 it sold the property in an attempt to streamline operations.

Today, most of the former CV trackage remains in use as the New England Central Railroad, part of Genesee & Wyoming's family of short lines.

Photos

Central Vermont GP9 #4925 has southbound train #76 stopped at Essex Junction, Vermont on February 11, 1961. Photographer unknown. American-Rails.com collection.

History

What became Vermont's two notable railroads, the Rutland and Central Vermont, can trace their unofficial heritage all of the way back to the early 19th century when the state's northern regions, and those of New York, were attempting to improve trade and transportation to that part of the country.

At the time, canals were all the rage although these waterways were expensive to build and their geographical location of northern New England meant they would be frozen for nearly half the year.

The hope for towns such as Ogdensburg, New York and Rutland, Vermont (even Montreal) was to see a canal eventually constructed to the important New England port of Boston.

However, proper funding was never attained and proponents could not figure out an economic means of scaling the formidable Green Mountains.

By the 1830s, railroads were fast becoming the future of transportation, soon to make canals obsolete. Promoters saw this new technological invention as the means of finally opening trade to southern New England.

At A Glance

Headquarters	Montreal, Quebec
States Served	Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut
Canadian Provinces Served	Quebec
Dates Of Operation	June 26, 1848 - 1995
Charter Date	October, 1843
Route Miles	470 (1933)
Track Gauge	4 Feet, 8 ½ Inches
Principal Lines	Montreal, Quebec - St. Albans - White River Junction, Vermont White River Junction, Vermont - East Northfield, Massachusetts (Boston & Maine trackage rights, 1900-1988) East Northfield - New London, Connecticut East Northfield - Greenfield, Massachusetts Montpelier Junction - Montpelier - Barre, Vermont Essex-Burlington Junction - Burlington, Vermont St. Albans - Richford, Vermont St. Albans - Rouses Point, Vermont
Slogan	The Green Bay Route
Reporting Mark	CV
Successor	Canadian National

Two businessmen, Charles Paine and Timothy Follett, eventually stepped forward with proposals that carried the potential and financial backing to actually see such projects completed.

The former wanted to construct a rail line following Vermont's White River near the New Hampshire border (White River Junction) until reaching a location near Montpelier via Northfield.

From that point, rails would turn west following the Onion River (now known as the Winooski River) and reaching Lake Champlain at Burlington. This system eventually became the Central Vermont Railway.

The latter believed a railroad would gain more traffic by heading roughly west from the Connecticut River, linking to Mount Holly, and turning due north to Rutland before terminating at Burlington along the eastern shores of the lake. In the case of Mr. Follett, he also saw his proposal as a way to bolster his steamship business on the lake.

Logo

The Central Vermont Railway logo. Author's work.

According to Jim Shaughnessy's, "The Rutland Railroad," the two, which grew into bitter rivals, finally received authorization to construct their respective corridors when the Vermont general assembly passed a bill in October of 1843 to incorporate the Vermont Central Rail Road and Champlain & Connecticut River Rail Road.

Follett's company changed its name as the Rutland & Burlington Railroad in November of 1847 and following bankruptcy became the Rutland Railroad on July 9, 1867.

Scott Hartley points out in his article, "Central Vermont...A Survivor," from the February, 1991 issue of Trains Magazine that groundbreaking on the VC began in 1845. However, a few years had passed before the first section opened between Bethel, Vermont and White River Junction on June 26, 1848.

Later that year, Paine's hometown of Northfield saw its first train on October 10th. Into 1849 the railroad saw many accomplishments as it quickly expanded north and south; on February 13th it opened to Windsor, Vermont following the Connecticut River roughly 14 miles south of White River Junction.

In addition, later in the year it opened to Montpelier on June 10th, via Montpelier Junction (due to rough terrain, the railroad was forced to reach the capital via a branch instead of a through main line as it had originally intended). Finally, it reached Burlington by the end of the year on December 31st.

The opening of the Vermont Central was only the beginning of the Rutland & Burlington's problems; throughout the 19th century the VC edged the R&B at virtually every turn as it grew larger and larger across New England.

The Vermont & Canada Railroad was chartered on October 31, 1845 by John Smith who began working with Paine to establish through rail service from Burlington further north to St. Albans/Swanton, and then west to Rouses Point, New York.

At this point a connection was established with the Northern Railroad of New York, which later became the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain, eventually acquire by the Rutland in 1901. It completed a connection with the VC in 1850 at a location known as Essex Junction, a few miles east of Burlington.

This odd move meant the state's largest city would be served only by a branch and the reasoning was entirely trivial; to stifle the R&B and prevent it from establishing a useful connection.

The V&C also formed a subsidiary in 1860 known as the Montreal & Vermont Junction Railway, which opened later that decade from Swanton to St. Johns, Quebec where it connected with the Grand Trunk Railway (later Canadian National) into Montreal.

System Map (1941)

A 1941 system map of the Central Vermont Railway. Author's collection.

On August 24, 1849 the Vermont Central formally leased the V&C and the latter was completed a few years later in 1851. Unfortunately, the silliness at Burlington persisted for years resulting in duplicate facilities, trackage, and Paine's stubbornness to not connect his road with the R&B.

Paine would lose control of his railroad in 1852 when one-time ally John Smith acquired the company through a devious contract arrangement.

However, Smith was no more interested in working with the R&B than his predecessor. Smith's efforts worked in eventually driving the R&B into bankruptcy at around the same time, which resulted in Follett also exiting the business.

The growing discontent between the two railroads, however, finally reached a crescendo in 1858 when a fed up state legislature, spurred by an irritated public, forced cooperation at Burlington via an interchange and reasonable schedules.

There was continued bickering but by 1860 the connection was complete and the hatred between the two subsided over time.

A Central Vermont 2-8-0 leads a northbound general manifest over a wood pile trestle at Smith Cove along the Thames River, near Quaker Hill, Connecticut, circa 1952. American-Rails.com collection.

Following Smith's death in 1858 his son, John Gregory Smith, took control of the Vermont Central and began expanding its reach. Its northern connections are highlighted above while its southern extensions began at around the same time.

Mr. Hartley points out that after 1861 the VC grew largely through either direct acquisition or takeover of other lines; most notable here was rival Rutland, which it formally leased on December 30, 1870.

Under the direction of John Page, who led the Rutland from 1868 until 1883, it had blossomed into a serious VC competitor and Smith had grown vexed of this longtime rival. The VC's other additions included:

The Sullivan County Railroad from Windsor to Bellows Falls (an 1863 acquisition by Smith).

Vermont Valley between Bellows Falls and Brattleboro (leased by the Rutland in May of 1865).

A segment of the Vermont & Massachusetts (leased by the Rutland on December 1, 1870) which extended the VC to Grout's Corners, Massachusetts (Millers Falls).

Finally, the New London Northern Railroad (also acquired by the Rutland at around the same time as the Vermont & Massachusetts).

All of these railroads pushed service to New London, Connecticut, which even reached New York City indirectly via steamship service across the Long Island Sound.

In 1876 the VC discontinued its lease of both the Sullivan County and Vermont Valley railroads, acquiring trackage rights instead over the Connecticut River Railroad (later Boston & Maine). From 1900 until 1988 the-then Central Vermont utilized such rights from East Northfield, Massachusetts to White River Junction.

Oddly this arrangement always left the CV's lines in Vermont and those in Massachusetts/Connecticut disconnected. The younger Smith continued his quest for domination across New England as his railroad took control of the 118-mile Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain running between Ogdensburg, New York, along the St. Lawrence River, and Rouses Point during March of 1870.

Mr. Shaughnessy notes that upon the takeover, the Vermont Central owned the largest railroad in New England, operating a network of over 900 miles while also controlling two steamship lines. Unfortunately, this proved the zenith of the Vermont Central as it slowly declined during the remainder of the 19th century.

It seems the lease of the Rutland proved a fatal mistake due to its high rental costs, lack of sufficient traffic, and the unforeseen financial Panic of 1873 which thrust the country into a recession.

A railfan looks on as Central Vermont 2-8-0 #465 simmers away at Amherst, Massachusetts with train #2, the southbound run from Brattleboro, Vermont to New London, Connecticut in the fall of 1945. American-Rails.com collection.

As a result, the VC dropped its interest in the Whitehall & Plattsburgh and Montreal & Plattsburgh as well as the steamship Oak Ames working Lake Champlain. It still entered reorganization proceedings that year and emerged as the Central Vermont Railroad with Smith maintaining his presidency.

The newly-named system also continued to retrain control of the Rutland and O&LC, renewing its lease in 1890. In 1891, John Gregory Smith's son, Edward Curtis, took over as president but his tenure was short-lived.

The Central Vermont continued to deal with high rental costs and subsidiaries that did not warrant a great return on their investment. In 1893 the country was plunged into another financial panic, thrusting the CV into bankruptcy during March of 1896.

It emerged in 1898 as the Central Vermont Railway having dropped all ties to the Rutland and O&LC. The new company was soon acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, owning two-thirds of its stock.

The GT never relinquished control of the CV and became part of Canadian National Railways in 1922 when the government nationalized a transcontinental network comprising several subsidiaries.

After this time it carried a largely trunk-line status only, operating 325 miles from Montreal to New London in addition to short branches reaching Rouses Point and Richford.

Prior to World War I, however, the Central made one last attempt to expand and reacquire a direct routing to southern New England. Under the direction of President Charles Hays the Southern Vermont Railway was formed to rid the need for trackage rights over the B&M; in addition, a nearly 200-mile extension commenced from Palmer, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island, which would have provided the CV with a major port and interchange connections.

Alas, fate stepped in and Hays perished in the sinking of the Titanic on April 14, 1912. As a result of severe flooding during November of 1927 the railroad again fell into bankruptcy but soon emerged in 1929 as the Central Vermont Railway, Inc.

While the Central Vermont was no longer independent it did keep much of its corporate identity and was run as a separate railroad from the rest of the CN system. In 1932, Edward Smith resigned his post as president, ending 70 years of the family name leading the company.

Passenger Trains

Ambassador/New Englander: (Boston - Montreal)

Montrealer/Washingtonian: (Washington - New York - Montreal)

As the grip of the Great Depression eased the railroad became a relatively successful arm of the CN network until the postwar period. It moved a wide range of freight from general merchandise and furniture to milk, agriculture, and various types of less-than-carload traffic.

It also worked closely with the Boston & Maine/New Haven to carry through services to and from Montreal such as the Ambassador/New Englander (Boston - Montreal) and Montrealer/Washingtonian (Washington - New York - Montreal).

The CV did its part to keep up with the traffic demands of World War II but slowly declined after this time. Parent Canadian National abandoned its Quebec trackage following war in favor of its own rails north of Alburgh, Vermont. In 1958 it sold off all trackage east of Montpelier Junction and abandoned the 8.3 miles from Alburgh to Rouses Point.

Diesel Roster

American Locomotive Company

RS3RS3

Model Type	Road Number	Class	Serial Number	Retirement	Notes
1859-1860	-	80747, 80748	9/1954	Steam-generator equipped.
3041-3042	-	80745-80746	9/1954	ex-GTW #1861-1862
RS11	3600	MR-18a	81934	8/1956	ex-DW&P #3600
RS11	3601	MR-18a	81935	8/1956	ex-DW&P #3601
RS11	3602	MR-18a	81936	8/1956	ex-DW&P #3602
RS11	3603	MR-18a	81937	1956	ex-DW&P #3603
RS11	3604	MR-18a	81938	8/1956	ex-DW&P #3604
RS11	3605	MR-18a	81939	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3605
RS11	3606	MR-18a	81940	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3606
RS11	3607	MR-18a	81941	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3607
RS11	3608	MR-18a	81942	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3608
RS11	3609	MR-18a	82026	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3609
RS11	3610	MR-18a	82027	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3610
RS11	3611	MR-18a	9/1956	82028	ex-DW&P #3611
RS11	3612	MR-18a	82029	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3612
RS11	3613	MR-18a	82030	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3613
RS11	3614	MR-18a	82031	9/1956	ex-DW&P #3614
S2	7918-7919	MS-10a	69653-69654	1/1942	Renumbered 8094-8095. Transferred to GTW in 10/1967.
S4	8015, 8027	MS-10j	79227, 80467	10/1951, 5/1953	-
S4	8080-8081	MS-10j	81400-81401	9/1955	-

Electro-Motive Division

Model Type	Road Number	Class	Serial Number	Completion Date	Notes
SW1200	1509-1511	GR-12j	22827-22828, 25743	4/1957, 3/1960	ex-GTW #1269-1270, #1511
GP18	3602	-	26934	10/1961	ex-Rock Island #1345
GP18	3614	-	25451	1/1960	ex-Rock Island #1334
GP9	4442	GR17d	21449	5/1956	ex-GTW #1768
GP9	4443	GR17d	21450	5/1956	ex-GTW #1769
GP9	4444	GR-17d	21451	5/1956	ex-GTW #1770
GP9	4445	GR-17d	21452	5/1956	ex-GTW #1771
GP9	4446	GR-17d	21453	5/1956	ex-GTW #1772
GP9	4447	GR-17d	21454	5/1956	ex-GTW #1773
GP9	4448	GR-17d	21455	5/1956	ex-GTW #1774
GP9	4449	GR-17d	21456	5/1956	ex-GTW #1775
GP9	4450	GR-17d	21457	5/1956	ex-GTW #1776
GP9	4547	GR-17j	22836	3/1957	Rebuilt as GP9R #4602 in 1989.
GP9	4548	GR-17j	22837	3/1957	-
GP9	4549	GR-17j	22838	3/1957	Rebuilt as GP9R #4623 in 1991.
GP9	4550	GR-17j	22839	3/1957	Rebuilt as GP9R #4607 in 1989.
GP9	4551	GR-17j	22840	3/1957	Rebuilt as GP9R #4605 in 1989.
GP9	4552	GR-17j	22841	3/1957	-
GP9	4553	GR-17j	22842	3/1957	-
GP9	4554	GR-17j	22843	3/1957	-
GP9	4555	GR-17j	22844	3/1957	-
GP9	4556	GR-17j	22845	3/1957	-
GP9	4557	GR-17j	22846	3/1957	-
GP9	4558	GR-17j	22834	3/1957	ex-GTW #4558; rebuilt as GP9R #4613 in 1990.
GP9	4559	GR-17j	22835	3/1957	ex-GTW #4559
GP9	4902	GR-17e	21458	6/1956	ex-GTW #4902; rebuilt as GP9R #4633 in 1992.
GP9	4903	GR-17e	21459	6/1956	ex-GTW #4903; rebuilt as GP9R #4629 in 1992.
GP9	4904	GR-17e	21460	6/1956	ex-GTW #4904; rebuilt as GP9R #4610 in 1992.
GP9	4905	GR-17e	21461	6/1956	ex-GTW #4905; rebuilt as GP9R #4616 in 1992.
GP9	4906	GR-17e	21462	6/1956	ex-GTW #4906; rebuilt as GP9R #4627 in 1992.
GP9	4923	GR-17k	22829	3/1957	Rebuilt as GPR9 #4612 in 1990.
GP9	4924	GR-17k	22830	3/1957	Adorned in a special US Coast Guard livery from 1979-1980. Rebuilt as GPR9 #4617 in 1990.
GP9	4925	GR-17k	22831	3/1957	Rebuilt as GPR9 #4609 in 1990.
GP9	4926	GR-17k	22832	3/1957	-
GP9	4927	GR-17k	22833	3/1957	Rebuilt as GPR9 #4618 in 1991.
GP9	4928	GR-17s	23995	12/1957	Rebuilt as GPR9 #4620 in 1991.
GP9	4929 (1st)	GR-17s	23996	12/1957	Wrecked in October, 1972 in head-on collision with a Boston & Maine SW1 at Belcherton, Massachusetts.
GP9	4929 (2nd)	GR-17s	20316	6/1955	ex-Northern Pacific #229/Burlington Northern #1855. Acquired in December, 1973.
GP38AC	5800-5811	-	37929-37940	12/1971	ex-GTW #5800-5811

Steam Roster (Post 1900)

Wheel Arrangement	Class	Road Number(s)	Quantity	Builder	Completion Date	Retirement/Scrapped	Notes
0-6-0	O-9-aa	387-389	3	Lima	1912	1952-1954	-
0-8-0	P-1-a	500-507	8	Alco-Schenectady	1923	1956-1959	Four examples transferred to CN in 1942.
2-8-0	M-2-a	400-408	9	Alco-Schenectady	1905	1944-1954	Four examples transferred to CN in 1928.
2-8-0	N-4-h	409-418	10	Alco-Schenectady	1906	1957-1961	Transferred to CN in 1928.
2-8-0	M-3-a	450-455	6	Alco-Schenectady	1916	1955-1960	Renumbered from 420-425.
2-8-0	N-5-a	460-475	16	Alco-Schenectady	1923	1955-1960	-
2-10-4	T-3-a	700-709	10	Alco-Schenectady	1928	1954-1959	-
4-6-0	I-6	211-217 (not sequential)	3	Alco-Schenectady	1904, 1906	1928-1941	-
4-6-0	I-7-a	218-221	4	Alco-Schenectady	1915-1916	1943-1955	-
4-6-2	K-3-b	230-232	3	Baldwin	1912	1952-1954	-
4-8-2	U-1-a	600-603	4	Alco-Schenectady	1927	1956-1959	-

Central Vermont 4-8-2 #601 (U-1-a) is seen here being serviced in White River Junction, Vermont on October 31, 1953. Photographer unknown.

Today

During the 1950s, diesels from CN began to appear on CV rails and all steam serviced ended after 1957. The 1960s were an especially rough period due to declining traffic, rising costs, and falling revenues.

Its one-time rival, the Rutland, fared no better and shutdown entirely after September of 1960 following a severe strike.

During the 1970s, a restructuring of the CN's corporate affairs placed the Central Vermont under the Grand Trunk Corporation. From this point forward it mostly operated as a paper company with "CV" lettering, in script identical to its parent featured on equipment.

In early 1995 the Central Vermont disappeared when Canadian National sold the property to short line conglomerate RailTex, renaming it as the New England Central Railroad.

In 2000, RailTex was acquired by RailAmerica, which in turn was purchased by Genesee & Wyoming in 2012. Today, NECR operates a system of nearly 400 miles maintaining the entirety of the original CV network, now also owning the ex-B&M trackage.

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