- Home ›
- Interurbans ›
- Vermont
Vermont's Interurbans and Streetcars: Largely Local Services
Last revised: September 9, 2024
By: Adam Burns
The state of Vermont contained only one system that would be classified as a true interurban, the Springfield Terminal Railway. It is covered in more detail below but began as the Springfield Electric Railway formed in 1894.
It completed an 8-mile line from Springfield to Charlestown, New Hampshire on August 1, 1897 following the Black River Valley much of the way. At the latter point it connected with the Boston & Maine and was able to establish a rather robust carload freight business.
Interestingly, as Dr. George Hilton and John Due note in their book, "The Electric Interurban Railways In America," to cross the Connecticut River and reach Charlestown the Springfield Electric acquired the Cheshire Bridge Corporation, whose corporate history could be traced back to the pre-railroad era! The toll bridge was chartered in 1804 and earned the company additional revenue.
The company entered bankruptcy in 1918 but emerged in 1923 as the Springfield Terminal Railway and continued as a successful freight line well after passenger service ended in 1947. Today, much of the former right-of-way is a public trail.
A postcard featuring the Bellows Falls & Saxton River Street Railway in Saxtons River, Vermont, circa 1915.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.
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 8-mile railroad system and for many years was a subsidiary of the Boston & Maine. Passenger service survived until 1947 and freight remained powered by electric motors until October 31, 1956.
After this it normally used a former Sacramento Northern 44-tonner for freight service, continuing to operate until the 1980s.
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 Streetcar Systems
Bellows Falls & Saxton River Street Railway
Bennington & Woodford Electric Railway
Brattleboro Street Railroad (Operated between Brattleboro and West Brattleboro.)
Hoosick Falls Street Railway
Recent Articles
-
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (2026): Sunset Dinner and Moonlight
Sep 21, 26 02:40 PM
2026 Oregon Coast Scenic does not post the old four-course Sunset Dinner. The evening ride is the 21+ Moonlight Excursion from Garibaldi, with pre-ordered sandwiches. Confirm on oregoncoastscenic.org. -
Adirondack Dinner Train (2026): Dates, Tickets & What to Expect
Sep 21, 26 01:38 PM
2026 Adirondack Dinner Train—Utica Union Station, 6 p.m., about 3 hours to Remsen. First Class from $139. Chef Patrick O’Connor. Confirm on adirondackrr.com. -
Lehigh Valley Steam Locomotives: History, Roster & Photos
Sep 21, 26 01:31 PM
Lehigh Valley steam—Camelback Consolidations, 2-10-2s, K-class Pacifics, six Mountains, Wyoming 4-8-4s. Post-1900 roster after Drury. Last steam September 14, 1951. -
Lehigh Valley Diesel Roster: All-Time
Sep 21, 26 01:23 PM
Lehigh Valley diesel—boxcabs 1926, FTs 1945, F3/F7, FA/PA, C628 Snowbirds, GP38-2s, U23Bs. All-time roster with serials and orders. Last steam September 14, 1951. -
Lehigh Valley Railroad: Map, Roster, Logo, History
Sep 21, 26 01:09 PM
Lehigh Valley—DLS&S 1847, named January 7 1853, Mauch Chunk–Easton September 12 1855. Route of the Black Diamond. Jersey City–Buffalo. Conrail April 1 1976. -
Wisconsin Great Northern Dinner Train (2026)
Sep 21, 26 12:47 PM
2026 Wisconsin Great Northern dinner train—Trego, $105, Namekagon River. January 8–31 and May 5–December 17. Confirm on spoonertrainride.com. -
Lehigh and New England Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Sep 21, 26 12:33 AM
Lehigh & New England—South Mountain & Boston 1873, named April 2 1895. Anthracite, cement, Maybrook. Last Camelbacks, Alco FAs. Voluntary shutdown October 31 1961. -
TVRM Chattanooga Dinner Train (2026): Dates, Tickets & What to Expect
Sep 21, 26 12:20 AM
2026 TVRM Chattanooga Dinner Train Experience—Grand Junction, select Fri/Sat March 6–October 24, three-course, 2–3 hours, from $110. Confirm on tvrail.com. -
Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad: Map, Rosters, History
Sep 20, 26 11:55 PM
Lehigh & Hudson River—Warwick Valley 1860, Railway April 1 1882. Easton–Maybrook bridge road, Alphabet Route, Alco RS-3s and C420s. Conrail April 1 1976. -
Royal Gorge First Class Dinner Train (2026)
Sep 20, 26 11:47 PM
2026 Royal Gorge Route First Class Lunch & Dinner—Cañon City, about 2 hours, from $199+, 12+. Confirm on royalgorgeroute.com. -
GE "44-Tonner" Locomotives: Roster, Specs, History
Sep 20, 26 11:09 PM
GE 44-ton switcher—90,000-pound rule, Caterpillar D17000 center-cab, Sept 4 1940 CB&Q 9103 through Oct 1956 Dansville & Mount Morris 1. Phases, serial roster, PRR 46. -
Strasburg Rail Road Dining (2026): Dinner on the Rails & Elegant Expre
Sep 20, 26 11:00 PM
2026 Strasburg Rail Road seated meals—Dinner on the Rails, Elegant Express, Valentine dinner. Lee E. Brenner diner. Confirm on strasburgrailroad.com. -
International-Great Northern Railroad: Map, History, Timetables
Sep 20, 26 10:43 PM
International–Great Northern—Houston & Great Northern 1866, International Railroad 1870, merged Sept 30 1873. Palestine, Longview–Laredo, Gould, Missouri Pacific March 1 1956. -
Nevada Northern Taste of Italy Dinner Train (2026)
Sep 20, 26 03:25 PM
2026 Nevada Northern Taste of Italy—adults-only multi-course Italian dinner, steam when healthy, East Ely. Sep. 19 gala listed. Confirm on nnry.com. -
Cape Cod Dinner Train (2026): Dates, Tickets & What to Expect
Sep 20, 26 02:53 PM
Cape Cod Central Dinner Train—Hyannis, Buzzards Bay, and Falmouth. Four-course, 3–3½ hours, from $99.99. Confirm on capetrain.com. -
Erie Steam Locomotives: History, Roster & Photos
Sep 20, 26 11:55 AM
Erie Railroad steam—Camelback 2-8-0s, 155 N-1 Mikados, 105 Berkshires, K-class Pacifics, Triplexes. Post-1900 roster after Drury. Last steam March 17, 1954. -
Erie Railroad Diesel Roster: All-Time
Sep 20, 26 11:47 AM
Erie Railroad diesel—boxcabs 1926, FTs 1944, F3/F7, FA/PA, GP7/GP9, Baldwins, Limas. All-time roster with serials, orders, classes. Last steam March 17 1954. EL October 17 1960. -
Erie Railroad: Map, Passenger Trains, Logo, History
Sep 20, 26 11:44 AM
Erie Railroad—New York & Erie 1832, Piermont–Dunkirk May 14 1851, six-foot then standard June 1880, Chicago 1883. High-and-wide fourth way. Erie Lackawanna October 17 1960. -
Colebrookdale Railroad Dining (2026): Secret Valley Dinner Train
Sep 20, 26 11:36 AM
2026 Colebrookdale Railroad dinner in Boyertown—Secret Valley Dining Class, about 2 hours. Saturday evenings. Confirm on colebrookdalerailroad.com. -
Boone & Scenic Valley Wolf Dinner Train (2026)
Sep 19, 26 08:15 PM
2026 Boone & Scenic Valley Wolf Dinner Train—Des Moines River valley, Bass Point Creek High Bridge, Union Pacific dining cars. Confirm on bsvrr.com. -
C&NW 4-6-2s 1617 & 1620: Minnesota 400 Yellow Jackets
Sep 19, 26 11:28 AM
C&NW Class E Pacifics 1617 and 1620—Alco Schenectady 1917, yellow-and-green E-4-style shrouds 1941 for the Minnesota 400. Crews called them Yellow Jackets. Renumbered 617/620. Scrapped 1956. -
Erie Lackawanna Diesel Roster: All-Time
Sep 19, 26 10:13 AM
Erie Lackawanna diesel—Erie and DL&W inheritance, GP35s, U25Bs, SD45/SDP45/SD45-2, U34CH. All-time roster with serials and orders. Conrail April 1 1976. -
Erie Lackawanna Railway: Map, History, Logo
Sep 19, 26 10:06 AM
Erie Lackawanna Railway—Erie and DL&W, October 17 1960–March 31 1976. Von Willer, White revival, Dereco, Agnes, Conrail. High-and-wide Chicago main. Map, logo, what remains. -
"Empire State Express" (1941 Train): Timetables, Route, Consist
Sep 18, 26 10:59 PM
NYC Empire State Express—George Daniels 1891 day train, 999’s 112.5 mph claim, Budd stainless streamliner December 7 1941, Cleveland and Detroit sections, diesels, 1967 name drop. Timetables, consist… -
New York Central 4-6-4s 5426 & 5429: Empire State Express Hudsons
Sep 18, 26 10:32 PM
NYC J-3a Hudsons 5426 and 5429—Alco 1937, Budd stainless shrouds 1941 for the Empire State Express. Pearl Harbor inaugural. Shrouds off by 1950. Neither preserved. -
"Stourbridge Lion" Locomotive: Facts, History, Photos
Sep 18, 26 10:27 PM
Stourbridge Lion—Foster, Rastrick 0-4-0, first steam locomotive in the United States. Horatio Allen, Honesdale, August 8, 1829. Too heavy for D&H gravity track. Boiler in Baltimore; Colonie replic… -
Delaware & Hudson Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Sep 18, 26 10:01 PM
Delaware & Hudson steam—Camelback 2-8-0s, Loree high-pressure compounds, Class K 4-8-4s, forty Challengers. Post-1900 class roster after Drury. Last steam July 21, 1953. -
Boston & Maine Steam Roster (Post 1900)
Sep 18, 26 02:57 PM
Boston & Maine steam—B-15 Moguls, K-8 Consolidations, P-4 Lima Pacifics, T-1 Limas, R-1 Mountains. Post-1900 class roster after Drury. Last steam July 23, 1956. -
Boston & Maine Diesel Roster (All-Time)
Sep 18, 26 01:25 PM
Boston & Maine diesel—boxcab 1100 1935, Flying Yankee 6000, FTs, E7s, BL2s, GP7/GP9, GP38-2s and GP40-2s. All-time roster. Last steam July 23, 1956. -
Mid-Continent Railway Museum Dining (2026)
Sep 18, 26 01:21 PM
2026 Mid-Continent dining in North Freedom—select-date seated meals in luxury cars, reservations required. Pizza Limited June 28. Confirm on midcontinent.org.
