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  • Lamoille Valley thread and Conversion to Rail Trail

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

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 #44347  by sjl
 
only that they will be lifting the rails, if they haven't begun already. (assuming they can find them under the vegetation. )

however, the SJL / LVRC lives on in model form in basement.

rls

 #54582  by thebigham
 
Any updates?

I hear some track has been lifted in St. Johnsbury.

The Little Sleeper River trestle is going to be removed.

I really want to visit the area in November. I live 8 hours away from St. Johnsbury.

Chris
 #62533  by thebigham
 
Courtesy of Doug Lezette:

Salt Lake rail contractor wants re-bid on track job

October 15, 2004

By WILSON RING The Associated Press

MONTPELIER — A Utah company that lost out on a proposal to take up
the tracks of the former Lamoille Valley Railroad says the Vermont
Transportation Agency should rebid the project.

Michael Van Wagenen, the vice president of A&K Railroad Materials
Inc. of Salt Lake City, said Thursday his company could save the
state at least $319,000 and possibly as much as $600,000 over the
bid the state awarded to Engineers Construction of Williston.

The state is having the tracks removed and the railbed will be
converted to a recreation trail.

"We were the second place bidder on this project. We lost the bid,"
Van Wagenen said at a Montpelier news conference. "But this isn't
sour grapes or a disgruntled bidder. We feel there are some flaws in
the bid documents that are really going to cost the state some
money."

Vermont Transportation Secretary Patricia McDonald said she had been
in contact with the Vermont representative of A&K, Montpelier
attorney Stephen Kimbell, to discuss the issue.

She said she would consider rebidding the project.

"Steve certainly makes a great deal of sense," McDonald said.

But Engineers Construction will be given the opportunity to adjust
its proposal.

"Our contractor was legitimately awarded the bid. I need to work
with them to be fair to them as well," McDonald said.

After Engineers Construction has resubmitted its proposal, McDonald
will decide whether to rebid the project.

An official from Engineers Construction did not immediately return a
call Thursday seeking comment.

McDonald said the project was important to people in the Lamoille
Valley and it has to be done next summer, in time to allow the trail
to be used for snowmobilers in the winter of 2005-06.

The project will not cost the state any money. Rather, the company
that pulls up the tracks and the ties will be able to resell them
either to be rehabilitated or recycled.

The state bid the project in two phases. The first phase is for the
removal of 95 miles of railroad track and ties from St. Johnsbury to
St. Albans, for which the state will be paid the scrap value of the
steel. The other is for the repair of roadways where the track
crosses highways, which will cost the state money.

Van Wagenen's company lost its bid on the scrap value of the steel
by $20,000. But its proposal to rebuild the highway crossings was
$339,000 less than Engineers Construction.

Increases in the value of scrap metal in the past few weeks could
save the state another $300,000, he said.

"It seems like such an obvious situation here where we could be
saving some money for the state and taken together we would have won
the bid," Van Wagenen said.

Even if the project were to be rebid, Van Wagenen said, his company
could meet the state's completion deadline of Sept. 1 next year.

Van Wagenen said he was aware that if the project were to be rebid
his firm could still lose out to another company.

 #62567  by NRGeep
 
OK all you "speeders" out there, looks like you got one last chance to ride before the rail is gone...just joking of course. :wink:
 #62676  by xcnoah
 
Scrapping has indeed begun on the old LVRC. The remaining rolling stock at Morrisville, VT was scrapped in the last two weeks, including the RS-11 3608. Most of the crossing materials from the eastern end are gone, used on the Washington County by VRS and VT AOT.

I believe the rails will be lifted beginning in the spring.

 #62764  by steveh
 
Michael Yeager shot this photo in July of this year. Has this plow been scrapped?
Image
 #63787  by thebigham
 
From the VRS Yahoo! group:

It's the end of an era. The last train cars left on Morrisville,
Vermont's tracks were dismantled and began to be hauled away last
week.

The State of Vermont hired CJ Rail Services, a contractor out of
Scarborough, ME, to get rid of the snow plow (or flanger) and flat
cars parked by the old train station, and the engine left by the old
engine house, in Morrisville.

Fed Janci, principal of CJ Rail Services, said the state contracted
them to get rid of the rolling stock in advance of the tracks being
pulled up to make way for a rail trail.

CJ Rail Services dismantles obsolete and wrecked trains all over New
England. Janci and his crew used blow torches and crowbars to take
apart the old trains. Janci said this is his second working trip to
Morrisville. Five or six years ago he dismantled an engine stored
inside the engine house. Janci said the other engine parked at the
engine house is privately owned by a man in Hardwick.

After the tracks between Morrisville and Hardwick washed out, the
owner could not relocate his engine. Janci said the owner will be
taking the shell to that engine. The move will require a truck to
haul the shell and a crane to load and unload the shell.

Janci acknowledged the other trains he was dismantling were also
likely privately owned. However, he said, when it comes down to
moving the old trains from where they sit, the owners are not
interested in the hassle or expense. He said parts of the train cars
dismantled from the train station section of tracks will be going to
a railroad museum in St. Johnsbury.

 #67421  by coosvalley
 
I have two questions about this rail line. 1. Does any one know of existing pictures on the web of the swanton covered bridge(being the longest covered railroad bridge)? 2. Does any one know of the disposition of the LVRC/NHVT locomotives?

thanks

 #67447  by steveh
 
George Elwood's "Fallen Flags" site has a few pictures of the St.J & LC, including a couple of the Fisher covered bridge. Click on the link and scroll down to "St. Johnsburg & Lamoille County." (yes, it's misspelled)
http://gelwood.railfan.net/misc-s/misc-s.html
 #68527  by thebigham
 
NE Rail has some new pictures of the WCRR up. One picture shows the weed covered LVRC tracks in St. Johnsbury under the Rt. 5 bridge. The tracks haven't been scrapped yet in St. J.

Chris

 #68675  by sjl
 
coos valley,

if you can get to st j, the atheneum probably has a copy of ed lewis' "covered bridge road" book from the mid-70's. you'll find pictures there; the conn river series by bob nimke (early 90's) is also an excellent resource.

i think at least one of the LVRC yellow chop-nose rs-3's was on the black river and western in nj for a few years. i do not know what became of the other units.

 #70718  by oibu
 
I assume the engine which is privately owned and will be trucked out is the 7805? Glad it will be saved, although it sounds like the engine will be removed:(

 #70950  by coosvalley
 
sjl, Thanks for the tips.theses are two resourses that I have not seen.But what is the antheneum?As for the matter of the loco that is still in Morrisville,it is Montpelier and Barre #19,still in Pinsly paint.I still have not found the 7805 :( .However, I did find the 7801 and the 3612.They are (or were)at the York-Durham railway in Ontario.Anyone Know the whereabouts of RS-11#405 or GP-9#669?Thanks
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