Rutland Railroad Bridge/Causeway Questions

[DonPevsner]

(1)The Rutland built an amazing causeway from NW Burlington to South Hero Island that was about 3.4 miles long. It reportedly cost over $1 million in 1901 dollars, and used a lot of marble tailings as rip-rap. Has any portion of this causeway been preserved, as a rail-trail or similar? If so, what is still usable by a pedestrian or bicyclist? Has anyone bridged the gap near South Hero Island where a railroad swing bridge once existed to let boat traffic through the causeway? Further, is any of the former Rutland ROW from South Hero Island to Alburgh usable as a rail-trail?

(2)At Rouses Point, there is an abandoned Rutland wooden trestle that once carried through Rutland traffic from Burlington and points south to Ogdensburg, over a diamond at the
D&H Rouses Point depot. On a recent visit, I saw that the trestle section on the New York side has been partially preserved as a fishing pier. Jim Shaughnessy's epic book on the Rutland shows that the trestle carried a gantlet track, over which both Rutland and Central Vermont traffic passed to Rouses Point. However, I am positive that the former CV uses a different trestle entirely...whether north or south of the abandoned Rutland trestle, while parallel to it, I don't know. Can someone please advise me why, if the former CV had its own trestle between Vermont and New York State all the time since it was the Vermont and Canada, it also reportedly shared the Rutland's trestle with the Rutland under a gantlet-track arrangement prior to the end of the Rutland in 1961, and abandonment of its trestle in late 1964 (with demolition in 1965)?

[shadyjay]

The Island Line from Burlington up to Colchester and over the Causeway is definetely alive and well. I rode it on my bike a couple of summers ago from Burlington-Union Station to Airport Park in Colchester, then onto the causeway and up to the old swing bridge at Allyn's Point. The south end of the line from Burlington to Colchester is a paved bike/ped path along the old right of way of the Rutland. It sees quite a bit of use on nice days, loaded with bikers, walkers, roller bladers, etc. A bridge was built a few years ago crossing the Winooski River to replace a ferry setup, then the path traverses through a wetland on an elevated boardwalk, ending in a residential subdivision which has obscured the right of way. From this point, you follow the local roads through the subdivision to get to Airport Park. At this point, the trail then descends to rejoin the right of way to head out to the causeway. Also at this point, the trail is hard packed dirt, so a mountain bike is advised. After a nice long straightaway, you enter the causeway. Smaller bridges are wooden and you go out right into the open water, with old railroad ties, signal posts, and chunks of marble quite visible. The north end of the causeway at Allyn's Point is where there is a bike/ped ferry which operates select weekends during the summer. It is definetely one heck of a scenic ride, and must've been one great ride back in the days of the Rutland.

Here's a link to the pics I took that day, which couldn't have been a nicer day...
http://photos.nerail.org/search/searchr ... ODE=&POYE=

and a little more info on the bike ride...
http://www.localmotion.org/trails/trail.php?trail=1

[TomNelligan]

(2)At Rouses Point, there is an abandoned Rutland wooden trestle that once carried through Rutland traffic from Burlington and points south to Ogdensburg, over a diamond at the D&H Rouses Point depot. On a recent visit, I saw that the trestle section on the New York side has been partially preserved as a fishing pier. Jim Shaughnessy's epic book on the Rutland shows that the trestle carried a gauntlet track, over which both Rutland and Central Vermont traffic passed to Rouses Point. However, I am positive that the former CV uses a different trestle entirely...whether north or south of the abandoned Rutland trestle, while parallel to it, I don't know. Can someone please advise me why, if the former CV had its own trestle between Vermont and New York State all the time since it was the Vermont and Canada, it also reportedly shared the Rutland's trestle with the Rutland under a gauntlet-track arrangement prior to the end of the Rutland in 1961, and abandonment of its trestle in late 1964 (with demolition in 1965)?

The Central Vermont mainline, which crossed the upper right arm of Lake Champlain at East Alburgh and then headed north, connected with the Canadian National at the border. The mainline bridge that is still in use by the New England Central is over a different arm of the lake and a few miles east of the abandoned trestle you're asking about. The onetime CV Rouses Point branch, which crossed the upper left arm of the lake, was its connection with the Delaware & Hudson and was lightly used.

[RussNelson]

Further, is any of the former Rutland ROW from South Hero Island to Alburgh usable as a rail-trail?

Sadly, Vermont had purchased the entire Vermont portion of the Rutland railway back in the middle 60's. They had no idea what to do with it (they were thinking of it as a railroad, not a trail), and so pulled up the rails and sold off the property to adjoining landowners. I surveyed the line a few years ago, and the only obvious impairment was on the north end of Grand Isle where someone had built a house on the railbed and was using it as a driveway. The ROW is completely brushed over, but give me a few property deeds and a week with a brush-hog (one of the nice ones which lets you mow off to one side) and I could fix that.

I've bicycled all the NYS portions of the Rutland that are still kept open (typically by farmers, snowmobilers, and/or ATVers). http://russnelson.com/rutland.html

(2)At Rouses Point, there is an abandoned Rutland wooden trestle that once carried through Rutland traffic from Burlington and points south to Ogdensburg, over a diamond at the
D&H Rouses Point depot. On a recent visit, I saw that the trestle section on the New York side has been partially preserved as a fishing pier. Jim Shaughnessy's epic book on the Rutland shows that the trestle carried a gauntlet track, over which both Rutland and Central Vermont traffic passed to Rouses Point. However, I am positive that the former CV uses a different trestle entirely...whether north or south of the abandoned Rutland trestle, while parallel to it, I don't know. Can someone please advise me why, if the former CV had its own trestle between Vermont and New York State all the time since it was the Vermont and Canada, it also reportedly shared the Rutland's trestle with the Rutland under a gauntlet-track arrangement prior to the end of the Rutland in 1961, and abandonment of its trestle in late 1964 (with demolition in 1965)?

I don't believe that the trestle was demolished, because most of the piers and some of the horizontals are still present. Certainly the swing bridge portion in the middle was demolished to let boats through.

I can't answer your question about the trestles, however, I can point you to this aerial photo, which CLEARLY shows two ROWs, one entering the lake about 500' north of the other:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.98999,-73 ... lburg%20VT
Also follow the markers to the east of that point. They show a line (I presume CV) which crossed into Canada. Time and farmers have been cruel to that railbed.

East of Alburgh, both railbeds are rail-trails. The Rutland is more of an ATV track, but the CV trail heads all the way across to the existing trestle. Speaking of that trestle, and mysterious missing trestles, head across the waterway to the link below. See the marked railroad line A through J? Its location doesn't allow for it to have crossed on the existing trestle. It, too, must have crossed on a separate trestle. And hmmm ... look at marker K. Doesn't that look like a more-southern railbed than the existing one at L (both abandoned, of course)? I'll have to do some field work the next time I go to Burlington. BTW, if you think you see three boxcars just east of M, you are correct. They kept the switch and short portion of the main as a stub track, and are storing three cars on it.
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.91689,-73 ... anton%20VT
That line used to cross the river in Swanton (at marker J) on a covered railroad bridge, which got burned a few years ago by some idiot teenager. They're REBUILDING it, however.

[MikeVT]

They relocated a truss bridge built in Milton VT to where the old covered bridge was in Swanton. Its pedestrian/bicycle only.

I'm not sure I understand where you are seeing the box cars east of M. There is nothing in the Alburg area from where the track turns into Canada east of Alburg. There is a short spur in Swanton around the quarry still active. It stops and Hwy 7

[RussNelson]

I'm not sure I understand where you are seeing the box cars east of M.

They were there the last time I was there ... maybe 2006? West end of the trestle. On the stub track there.

[shadyjay]

Yup, saw them there too... on VT 78 they'd be on the left just after crossing the bridge into East Alburgh. One looked like it was green with CV lettering. I tried getting closer to it via the local streets but no such luck. My luck did come when I was going to survey in Alburgh and got stopped at the crossing, so I ran out to the bridge and got shots of the train heading towards St Albans.

[laflamcs]

The bridge that burned in Swanton was the former St. Johnbury and Lake Champlain/Lamoille Valley bridge. It is about rebuilt. Once the line crossed, it interchanged with the C.V. Just by the current CV tracks is a beautifully restored depot and museum. Also on these grounds the ST and LC maintained a roundhouse and engine servicing facilities. The pits are still in the ground, plain as day, as is the turntable pit. It is a beautiful spot.

Check out this link I quickly grabbed from Google.....

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... %26hl%3Den

Kind Regards,
Chris

[thebigham]

^Thanks!!!

[MikeVT]

The bridge is finished. It looks nice, I bicycle it 2 - 3 times a week. They have done a nice job on the grounds. It would be even better if the city could find a Locomotive to display.

I'll have to check on the box cars off Highway 78. I have sledded the old rail bed from Alburg east but I don’t remember any cars. The sled trail does go over the trestle just west of 78.

There are several stations still intact along the Rutland. 3 or 4 between Alburg and Malone. One has been restored the others are in use. Its been awhile so I dont remember all of them. The twin towers of the station in Malone are still in use and a bank.

They just redid the old station at Lyon Mountain NY. If the weather is good I'm going to ride down and check it out tomorrow.

[MikeVT]

Rode over to Rouses Point this afternoon. Didn’t see any boxcars near 78. I was thinking that would be the VT Central. The Rutland turned south at Alburg.

I also didn’t realize there where two set of tracks on the trestle. One for the Rutland and one for VT Central. They shared the trestle but not the rails. The rails where offset.

The Rouses Point station is in poor condition. Not used for anything but maybe storage. Part of the round house and turning equipment is still in place just south of the station.

The station at Mooers has been restored. Looks good. Not sure if its ever open.

[NE2]

East of Alburgh, both railbeds are rail-trails. The Rutland is more of an ATV track, but the CV trail heads all the way across to the existing trestle. Speaking of that trestle, and mysterious missing trestles, head across the waterway to the link below. See the marked railroad line A through J? Its location doesn't allow for it to have crossed on the existing trestle. It, too, must have crossed on a separate trestle. And hmmm ... look at marker K. Doesn't that look like a more-southern railbed than the existing one at L (both abandoned, of course)? I'll have to do some field work the next time I go to Burlington. BTW, if you think you see three boxcars just east of M, you are correct. They kept the switch and short portion of the main as a stub track, and are storing three cars on it.
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.91689,-73 ... anton%20VT
That line used to cross the river in Swanton (at marker J) on a covered railroad bridge, which got burned a few years ago by some idiot teenager. They're REBUILDING it, however.

H-J was part of the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain. A-H (and west to Rouses Point, crossing the CV in Alburg and crossing Lake Champlain north of the CV bridge, which can still mostly be seen on aerials) was built by the Lamoille Valley Extension Railroad, opened in January 1884 and abandoned only a few years later. It was leased to the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain and connected it to the SJ&LC, but in June 1884 the CV gained control of the O&LC and had no need for two parallel lines east of Rouses Point. There was an O&LC steamboat dock at N 44.99447 W 73.35807; I don't know if the LVE had a trestle or only a steamboat connection to the O&LC.

Your link doesn't seem to have a K or L.

[NE2]

I can't answer your question about the trestles, however, I can point you to this aerial photo, which CLEARLY shows two ROWs, one entering the lake about 500' north of the other:
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.98999,-73 ... lburg%20VT
Also follow the markers to the east of that point. They show a line (I presume CV) which crossed into Canada. Time and farmers have been cruel to that railbed.

This was actually a Rutland line, opened in 1901 and abandoned in the 1930s. The Rutland had trackage rights north from Noyan to Iberville on a long-gone (1920s?) Quebec, Montreal and Southern (D&H) line (which I can find very little trace of on aerials; I think it crossed the creek at N 45.11575 W 73.23735 but otherwise I've got nothing), and then rights on the CP west to Montreal.

[Noel Weaver]

I am not absolutely positive about this but I believe the Rouses Point Bridge was actually owned by the Central Vermont but
the Rutland had trackage rights. Why the gauntlet I do not know. I think the bridge was actually dispatched by the Rutland
but I will have to dig out some timetables to be sure of this one.
This bridge actually remained in use for a period after the Rutland was shut down, I don't know the actual date that the CV
rerouted the Rouses Point job out of St. Albans by the way of Cantic and down.
Noel Weaver

[RussNelson]

crossing Lake Champlain north of the CV bridge, which can still mostly be seen on aerials) was built by the Lamoille Valley Extension Railroad, opened in January 1884 and abandoned only a few years later. It was leased to the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain and connected it to the SJ&LC, but in June 1884 the CV gained control of the O&LC and had no need for two parallel lines east of Rouses Point. There was an O&LC steamboat dock at N 44.99447 W 73.35807; I don't know if the LVE had a trestle or only a steamboat connection to the O&LC.

Your link doesn't seem to have a K or L.

Oh, sorry about that; look on the opposite side of the waterway from A, on the south side of the trestle. Doesn't it look like there was a separate line there? And in fact, keep going west from there ... doesn't that line look like it was either double-tracked or else two separate railroads side-by-side? Did perhaps the CV and the LVE have separate parallel ROWs there?