Champlain and Connecticut River Railroad

Rutland Railroad

Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Rutland & Burlington Railroad
Founded	1843
Defunct	1963
Headquarters	Rutland, Vermont , United States
Area served	Vermont, New York, Quebec (Canada)
Products	Passenger and freight rail services (notably dairy products)

The Rutland Railroad primarily served Vermont and extended its operations into New York. After halting services in 1961, segments of the line were acquired by the State of Vermont in 1963 and are currently operated by the Vermont Railway.

Construction and early years

Originally chartered in 1843 as the Rutland & Burlington Railroad with the goal of linking Rutland and Burlington, Vermont, the company’s early governance featured Charles Linsley, who served as legal counsel and board member before becoming Vermont's inaugural railroad commissioner in 1855. By 1867, the enterprise adopted the name Rutland Railroad.

Between 1871 and 1896, the railroad was leased to Central Vermont but regained its autonomy when that company entered receivership. From 1904 until 1911, the New York Central Railroad maintained a controlling interest, selling half of its shares to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1911.

In 1901, Rutland finalized construction of causeways and trestles spanning Lake Champlain, linking Burlington to Rouses Point, New York through the Champlain Islands. This development ensured independent access to Canada without reliance on competitors. The company also shared a distinctive gauntlet track bridge over the Richelieu River with Central Vermont. The Burlington-South Hero causeway has since been transformed into the recreational Island Line Trail. Rutland’s network extended southeast from Rutland to Bellows Falls and southward to North Bennington; until 1953, it reached Chatham, New York—a critical hub for connections toward New York City and Massachusetts.

Passenger trains included the daytime Green Mountain Flyer and its overnight counterpart Mount Royal, operating between Montreal and New York City via Burlington and Rutland.

Freight traffic was predominantly centered on dairy products, especially milk. At its height, Rutland’s system covered approximately , forming an inverted "L" shape stretching from Chatham north to Alburgh, then westward to Ogdensburg on the St. Lawrence River; its furthest northern point was Noyan, Quebec. In 1925, the railroad reported moving 259 million net ton-miles of freight alongside 38 million passenger-miles over of road and track. By 1960, freight ton-miles had decreased to 182 million across 391 route-miles and 476 track-miles.

Decline

Facing financial instability, Rutland entered receivership in 1938. To improve its fiscal situation, measures such as wage cuts were implemented. In March 1939, Vermont agreed to suspend tax obligations for two years to support recovery efforts. Although World War II brought a temporary increase in revenue, a subsequent downturn intensified pressure for cost reductions. The unprofitable Chatham Division—nicknamed the "Corkscrew"—running from North Bennington, Vermont to Chatham, New York was abandoned and dismantled in 1953, severing connections with New York Central lines at Chatham; freight traffic was rerouted through Troy, New York. A corporate restructuring in 1950 renamed the company Rutland Railway. Passenger service ended following a strike in 1953; that same year marked the retirement of all steam locomotives, which were scrapped by 1955 to generate funds.

In early 1961, after additional strikes over unaffordable wage demands and operational shifts relocating the hub from Rutland to Burlington—which would have required workforce relocations and longer travel times—the Rutland sought permission from the Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon its entire line. Approval was granted, leading to cessation of operations though formal abandonment occurred later. These labor disputes highlighted opposition to operational changes that national unions accepted only years later—too late to prevent Rutland’s closure.

The Vermont bankruptcy court, influenced by the State of Vermont in 1961, postponed liquidation of the railroad’s assets to allow time for securing a new operator. Ultimately, much of the line was purchased by the State in 1963 to preserve potential future rail service.

Following formal abandonment in 1963, most remaining rights-of-way and facilities transferred to Vermont ownership. However, a 132.4-mile stretch between Burlington's Union Station and Norwood, New York—including routes crossing Hero Islands and Alburgh—was closed in 1961, abandoned by 1963, and dismantled by 1964. Consequently, Malone, New York lost rail service after its other line ceased operations in 1960. The westernmost portion of the Ogdensburg Division—26 miles between Ogdensburg and Norwood—remains intact and is operated by Vermont Railway—the only current operator on former Rutland tracks. Ownership along the corridor from Norwood to Burlington is divided; a 21-mile segment between Norwood and Moira has been converted into the multi-use Rutland Trail. Other abandoned sections now form parts of recreational trails such as Hudson and Delaware Rail Trail, Corkscrew Rail Trail, and Alburg Recreation Rail Trail.

Since summer 2022, Amtrak has extended its Ethan Allen Express passenger route along the former Rutland corridor from Rutland to Burlington.

Steamtown

Prior to its transition to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Steamtown Foundation operated heritage trains near the Bellows Falls endpoint, offering rides between the museum location and Chester, Vermont. Following Steamtown's relocation, a number of tourist rail services continued to utilize the original Rutland rolling stock.

See also

• Phineas Gage

External links

• Rutland Railroad Historical Society
• The Rutland on George Elwood's Fallen Flags site
• The Rutland Railroad, 'The Green Mountain Gateway'