St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad

The St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad (StJ&LC) was a railroad located in northern Vermont. It provided service to rural parts of the state for over a century, until track deterioration and flood damage made the line unusable and uneconomical to repair, which forced the line to close in 1995. Vermont is in the process of converting the roughly 96-mile route from St. Johnsbury to Swanton into a rail trail, known as the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Once completed it will be the longest rail trail in New England.^[1]

St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad

Overview
Reporting mark	SJL
Locale	Vermont
Dates of operation	1948 (1948)–1995 (1995)
Predecessors	Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad, St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad
Successor	Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	193.7 miles (311.7 km)
Route map mi 193.7 Maquam Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain RR (RUT) to Ogdensburg 96.10 Swanton Vermont & Canada RR (CV) to Essex Junction│to Rouses Point Missisquoi River 94.73 East Swanton Central Vermont Railway to Fonda Junction│to Saint-Jean I-89 90.91 Highgate 87.40 East Highgate 84.56 Sheldon Junction Missisquoi Railroad (CV) to St. Albans│to Richford Missisquoi River 83.05 Sheldon 78.44 Fairfield 74.24 East Fairfield 68.81 Fletcher Lamoille River Jeffersonville Burlington & Lamoille RR (CV) to Burlington 64.26 Cambridge Junction East Cambridge 56.35 Johnson Lamoille River 51.56 Hyde Park Lamoille River 48.88 Morrisville Lamoille River Wild Branch River Lamoille River 41.03 Wolcott Lamoille River (twice) Granite Junction Hardwick & Woodbury RR to Woodbury Lamoille River 34.73 Hardwick Lamoille River (twice) East Hardwick 27.80 Greensboro Lamoille River 23.87 Dows Crossing 67.10 Walden 16.40 Joe’s Pond 14.85 West Danville 11.48 Danville I-91 Sleepers River South Eastern Railway (CPR) to White River Junction 0.00 St. Johnsbury Union Station South Eastern Railway (CPR) to Portland Portland & Ogdensburg Ry (MEC) to Whitefield mi This diagram: view talk edit

History

The railroad began construction in December 1869 as part of the Vermont Division of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway to connect the Great Lakes with the seaport of Portland, Maine. It would be completed on July 17, 1877, with Governor Horace Fairbanks driving in the silver spike in Fletcher. Although the railroad had plans on expansion to Lake Ontario, the line originally ended at Swanton. The Vermont Division was extended to Rouses Point in 1883, allowing it to connect to the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad and provide a direct connection to the Great Lakes.^[1]

The eastern end of the Vermont Division was leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1912, and the remainder of the line became a subsidiary of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Boston & Maine operated their segment as the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad after 1925. This segment was reorganized as the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad in 1948.^[2]

Freight traffic was 30% inbound commodities, 20% outbound dairy products to Boston, 15% outbound forest products, and 25% outbound limestone, talc and asbestos. The remaining 10% was bridge line traffic (westbound paper and eastbound feed) for the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division. Six 70-ton General Electric Diesel locomotives replaced steam locomotives.^[when?] Passenger service ended in 1956. Trucks had taken all of the milk traffic by 1961, but bridge line traffic had increased six-fold following the 1953 dissolution of Maine Central's joint operating agreement with Boston and Maine Railroad. Light-duty rail and covered bridges prevented the line from accepting new heavier "incentive" freight car loadings. The covered bridges were replaced or reinforced so worn out light diesel locomotives could be replaced by larger locomotives; but track conditions deteriorated under the heavier loads.^[3]

The State of Vermont purchased the line from Samuel Pinsly in 1973. The line was then operated by Morrison-Knudsen as the Vermont Northern Railroad for a time. In 1978, local shippers took over the operation and it became the Lamoille Valley Railroad. In 1989, the line was leased to a Florida company and was operated by them until major flooding in 1995 and 1997 damaged the line so much that it was not profitable to repair the track. In 2002, the state of Vermont started converting the 96-mile route into a recreational trail and created the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, under a railbanking arrangement. This process was completed in May 2023.

Rail trail

The State of Vermont created the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail Committee in 1997 to begin the conversion of the old route into a recreational trail. In 2002 the federal Surface Transportation Board allowed the decommissioning of the old right of way into a trail, with then representative Bernie Sanders earmarking over $5 million in federal funding for its construction. Work began in 2006, with work slowly progressing with funding availability and the labor-intensive rehabilitation of old stone supports and bridges.^[1] As of 2023, construction of the 93 mile trail has been completed, from downtown St. Johnsbury to downtown Swanton, tracing the course of the Lamoille River and the Sleepers River.^[4][5]

Route and Station listing

Milepost	Town / City	Station	Image	Note	Position
0.0	St. Johnsbury	St. Johnsbury		Interchange with Maine Central Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway.[6]
1.4				Fairbanks Scales factory[6]
11.48	Danville	Danville[6]
14.85		West Danville
16.30		Joe's Pond
19.7	Walden	Walden[7]
23.87		Dow
27.80	Greensboro	Greensboro[7]		In the village of Greensboro Bend, so named for the large arc of the track as it turned south to follow the Lamoille River.
31.0	Hardwick	East Hardwick
34.73		Hardwick		98-foot covered bridge built 1909 over the Lamoille River burned 1959.[8]
35.7		Granite Junction		Junction with Hardwick and Woodbury Railroad.
39.0	Wolcott	Fisher Covered Railroad Bridge		Preserved 90-foot bridge built in 1908 over the Lamoille River. It was strengthened in 1968 to be the last covered railroad bridge in service.[9]
				120-foot covered bridge built 1909 over the Lamoille River. Replaced by Baltimore Truss steel bridge about 1917[9]
41.03		Wolcott
48.88	Morrisville	Morrisville[10]
51.56	Hyde Park	Hyde Park
56.35	Johnson	Johnson
64.26	Cambridge	Cambridge Junction		Junction with Central Vermont Railroad. 113-foot covered bridge built 1899 over the Lamoille River replaced by steel bridge about 1968.[8]
68.81	Fletcher	Fletcher
74.24	Fairfield	East Fairfield
78.44		Fairfield[11]
83.05	Sheldon	Sheldon[11]
84.56		Sheldon Junction		Junction with the Missisquoi Railroad line[11]
87.40	Highgate	East Highgate
90.91		Highgate[11]
94.73	Swanton	East Swanton
		Swanton Covered Railroad Bridge		Three-span 369-foot covered bridge over the Missisquoi River built in 1898 was on the main line between East Swanton and Swanton. It was preserved by routing StJ&LC trains over the Central Vermont Railroad.[12]
96.10		Swanton		Station now houses Swanton Historical Society
		Fonda Junction		Swanton Lime Works and interchange with Central Vermont Railroad[11]

Locomotives

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
11	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1909	33394	ex-Montpelier and Wells River Railroad #11 purchased 1926[13]
21	ALCO Manchester	0-6-0	1909	46339	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #286 purchased 1947 scrapped 1949[13]
22	ALCO Manchester	0-6-0	1909	46338	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #285 then Montpelier and Wells River Railroad 2nd #11 purchased 1944[13]
23	ALCO Manchester	0-6-0	1908	45125	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #272 then Montpelier and Wells River Railroad 2nd #9 purchased 1940 sold 1944[13]
24	ALCO Manchester	0-6-0	1908	45131	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #278 purchased 1930 scrapped 1949[13]
25	ALCO Manchester	0-6-0	1908	45118	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #265 purchased 1929 scrapped 1941[13]
26	ALCO Manchester	2-6-0	1906	38990	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #1419 purchased 1929[13]
1st #27	ALCO Manchester	2-6-0	1910	47629	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #1485 purchased 1929[13]
2nd #27	Baldwin Locomotive Works	0-6-0	1923	56033	ex-McKeesport Connecting Railroad #27 purchased 1949 scrapped 1955[13]
28	ALCO Manchester	2-6-0	1910	48961	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #1491 purchased 1929[13]
30	Baldwin Locomotive Works	0-6-0	1924	38990	ex-McKeesport Connecting Railroad #30 purchased 1949 scrapped 1953[13]
31	Schenectady Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1899	5171	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2040 purchased 1929[13]
32	Schenectady Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1898	4714	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2035 purchased 1930[13]
33	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1901	25052	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2350 purchased 1930 wrecked 1944[13]
34	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1911	49001	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2421 purchased 1930[13]
35	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1911	49007	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2427 purchased 1930 scrapped 1938[13]
36	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1910	47648	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2404 purchased 1932 scrapped 1949[13]
37	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1911	49005	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2425 purchased 1932[13]
38	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1902	25073	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2357 purchased 1934 wrecked 1944[13]
39	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1902	25072	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2356 purchased 1936[13]
40	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1911	49000	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2420 then Montpelier and Wells River Railroad #18 purchased 1939[13]
41	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1907	42843	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2388 purchased 1946 scrapped 1948[14]
42	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1910	47645	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2401 then Montpelier and Wells River Railroad #19 then Barre and Chelsea Railroad #19 purchased 1946[14]
43	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1910	47656	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2412 then Barre and Chelsea Railroad #22 purchased 1947[14]
44	ALCO Schenectady	2-8-0	1911	49003	ex-Boston and Maine Railroad #2423 then Montpelier and Wells River Railroad #20 then Barre and Chelsea Railroad #20 purchased 1947[14]
46	General Electric	70-ton	1948	29297	sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
47	General Electric	70-ton	1948	29298	sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1956[15]
48	General Electric	70-ton	1948	29299	sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
49	General Electric	70-ton	1948	30022	scrapped 1963[15]
50	General Electric	70-ton	1949	30184	sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1957[15]
51	General Electric	70-ton	1951	30844	sold Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad 1972[15]
52	General Electric	70-ton	1947	29087	ex-Barre and Chelsea Railroad #13 purchased 1955 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
53	General Electric	70-ton	1951	31168	ex-Mississippi Export Railroad #48 purchased 1958 sold 1960[15]
54	General Electric	70-ton	1953	31724	ex-Mississippi Export Railroad #50 purchased 1958 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
55	General Electric	70-ton	1949	30175	ex-Lakeside and Marblehead Railroad #11 purchased 1963 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
56	General Electric	44-ton	1943	17929	ex-Carnegie-Illinois Steel Company #5 purchased 1965 sold 1966[15]
1st #200	General Electric	70-ton	1947	29092	ex-Unadilla Valley Railroad #200 purchased 1960 scrapped 1965[15]
2nd #200	EMD	GP9	1956	20973	ex-New York Central Railroad #5960 purchased 1967 sold 1973[15]
201	EMD	GP9	1957	23589	ex-New York Central Railroad #6056 purchased 1967 sold 1973[15]
202	American Locomotive Company	RS-3	1951	78937	ex-Reading Railroad #523 purchased 1968 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
203	American Locomotive Company	RS-3	1953	80498	ex-Great Northern Railway #229 purchased 1968 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973[15]
204	American Locomotive Company	RS-3	1950	78292	ex-Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad #4 purchased 1970[15]
205	American Locomotive Company	RS-3	1950	78369	ex-Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad #10 purchased 1971 sold Montpelier and Barre Railroad 1973.[15] In 1976 it was sold to the Vermont Railway as #605, and in 1984 it was sold to Batten Kill Railroad as #605.
206	American Locomotive Company	RS-3	1952	80163	ex-Delaware and Hudson Railroad #4073 purchased 1972[15]

References

• Hartley, Scott (1984). New England ALCOS in Twilight. PTJ Publishing. ISBN 0-937658-10-3.
• Johnson, Ron (1986). New Hampshire and Vermont Railroads. Portland Litho.
• Lewis, Edward A. (1974). Vermont's Covered Bridge Road. The Baggage Car.
• https://vtvast.org/flipbook/LVRT/History/?page=1
• https://railtrails.vermont.gov/trails/lamoille-valley-rail-trail/

Notes

1. "Welcome to The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail". vtvast.org. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
2. Lewis (1974) pp.6-39
3. Lewis (1974) pp.39-51
4. "TRAIL MAPS". www.lvrt.org.
5. Vermont Agency of Transportation (2023-06-06). "Lamoille Valley Rail Trail". Vermont Rail Trails. State of Vermont. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
6. Lewis (1974) p.113
7. Lewis (1974) p.114
8. Lewis (1974) pp.60&115
9. Lewis (1974) p.60
10. Lewis (1974) p.115
11. Lewis (1974) p.116
12. Lewis (1974) pp.60&116
13. Lewis (1974) p.123
14. Lewis (1974) p.124
15. Lewis (1974) p.126