All About the Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Railroad

[newpylong]

Wow, great find, and thanks for all the info all of you. This site is great.

This RR is beyond fascinating.

[RichCoffey]

I did some more sleuthing....

In 1836 Davis Bridge was built over the Deerfield River.

Davis Bridge was the location of the Whitingham Station.


Source:
http://www.townofwhitingham-vt.org/site ... 011-03.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


1923 Construction of Harriman Dam (former site of Davis Bridge); was reportedly the largest earth-fill dam in the world-200 feet high, 1,300 feet wide at base, and 1,250 feet long at the crest. By 1924, a 2.5 mile tunnel was completed to the powerhouse. When the dam was being built, the workers bunked in Armour Refrigerator cars!
eBook - source
https://books.google.com/books?id=UqkvA ... er&f=false

Newspaper article 1923
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 11,5477668" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[trainsinmaine]

What is most fascinating to me is that almost the whole northern half of this railroad had to be relocated in 1922 (only about thirty years after it was built), only to be abandoned sixteen years later --- then the southern half hung on for only another fifty years, abandoned after facing the prospect of yet another relocation.

That ROW from Mountain Mills to Harriman Dam is in remarkably good shape after all these years.

[FLRailFan1]

For years I've tried to find out of Deerfield Glassine at Monroe Bridge had a bridge to bring tracks across or if they had a siding on the mainline side of the river - or none of the above.

What did (or if they are still in business) Deerfield Glassine make?

[RichCoffey]

What did (or if they are still in business) Deerfield Glassine make?

This is the best I could find - others please chime in with further info....
The original mill was established by the James Ramage Paper company in 1887. It closed down in 1984. In the '20s it was operated by the Deerfield Valley Paper Company, a manufacturer of Kraft wrapping paper. They manufactured pulp and manila paper. Later the plant was purchased purchased by the Deerfield Glassine Paper, whose product, glassine paper, had only recently been introduced into the United States.
Glassine is a special translucent paper. About Glassine Paper:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassine

[B&M 1227]

Got curious about extant equipment today, so after a few hours of research...

HT&W #5's Tender Frame on display Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Shelburne Falls MA
HT&W 16 GE 44 Tonner on display Stevenson Depot Museum, no number, Stevenson AL
HT&W 20 GE 70 Tonner OOS @ Laurinburg & Southern #109 Laurinburg NC
HT&W 23 GE 70 Tonner In service at Babcox & Wilcox Boiler Plant # L4 Cambridge ONT

Plow #2 in service Connecticut River Valley Railroad Essex CT
Narrow Gauge Coach, later OR&W #15 on display inside Shadyside Village City Building's Community Room, Shadyside OH. Only half of it may exist?

As for lost equipment
44 Tonners 18 and 32 burned in the Claremont & Concord engine house fire 1987
44 Tonner 15 was sent to Libera, Africa in the early 60s, whereabouts unknown.
All steam is lost, though there is a boiler serving as a culvert outside Wilmington VT, near Mountain Mills, that may be from a HT&W or Deerfield River RR locomotive, or equally plausibly from a stationary boiler at Mountain Mills.

[Safetee]

didnt a lot of their steamers go to cuba?

[B&M 1227]

3 of the narrow gauge engines went to a sugar plantation in San Ramon Cuba. Trail goes cold after their 1916 sale, but that's not to say they'renot still around, albeit unlikely. A couple DRRR engines were sold to other lumber interests in the states, but are probably lost.

[RichCoffey]

Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Railroad
This site now is at a new URL - it has been recoded to be mobile-friendly. Please change your bookmarks, etc.
https://www.vizettes.com/kt/rr/htw/index.htm