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A drive through Southern Vermont 6/14/2014



by Chris Guenzler

After leaving Wilson Castle, we headed south out of Rutland on a tour of railroad-related and other items of interest in southern Vermont.







The Delaware and Hudson and Rutland Railroad Center Rutland station built in 1912.





Rutland caboose 45 built by the railroad in 1924. It mainly saw service on the Ogdensburg Division in upstate New York near the St. Lawrence seaway. Later acquired by the Vermont Railway after the Rutland shut down, it became Vermont Railway 3 and continued to provide good service for its new owner. It was finally retired in the 1970s after at least five decades of active service.





Robin at Center Rutland.





Me at the Center Rutland station. Next we found the Rutland passenger car in town.





Rutland coach-smoker 551 built by Osgood-Bradley in 1913. From here we went to the Vermont Railway engine house at Rutland.





Vermont Railway GP38 207, nee Southern 2718 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1969.





Clarendon & Pittsford GP38 203, nee Maine Central 255 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1964.





Vermont Railway engine house at Rutland.







GMTX GP38 2663, ex. Locomotive Leasing Partners 2039, exx. CSX 2117, nee Baltimore and Ohio 4817 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1970. We drove south on Vermont Highway 7.





At North Dorset we found the Rutland Railway station built in 1906. We made our way down to Bennington.





Pennsylvania Railroad caboose built by the railroad built in 1927. It was in service for about 14 years when it was sold to Conrail. The caboose continued in service until 1972. In 1975 an eccentric named Colonel Brown purchased the caboose and additional cars and established a menagerie of circus animals and circus style shows. He opened the exhibit to county fairs and towns in rural northwestern New York. The Colonel wintered the exotic animals (elephants, lions, etc.) at his farm in Parish, New York. In May 2001, the Colonel, now well on in years, decided to sell off the circus train. The Bennington Station purchased the caboose and had it transported to Bennington. The caboose was restored to its original condition and retrofitted to accommodate an ice cream and light fare food business at the site of the Historic Bennington Station Train Depot.





The Rutland Railway Bennington station built in 1898. From here we drove to North Bennington.





The North Bennington freight house.







The Bennington Rutland station built in 1880. Our next stop was in Eagle Bridge, New York.





The Boston & Maine Eagle Bridge station built in 1891. Next we drove to Cambridge.







Cambridge Batten Kill Railroad station built in 1900 by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad.





Cambridge Batten Kill freight station built in 1853 by the Delaware and Hudson. Next we found a covered bridge.









The Eagleville Covered Bridge built in 1858 by Ephraim W. Clapp and crosses the Batten Kill River.







The Shushan Batten Kill Railway station built in 1887 by the Delaware and Hudson. From here we drove back into Vermont and before reaching Arlington, we took Covered Bridge Road.





Arlington Green Covered Bridge built in 1852. Next we drove into Arlington.







Arlington Rutland station built in 1913. Our journey took us to Manchester.







The Manchester Center Rutland station. Our last stop of the day was in Wallingford.







The Wallingford Rutland station built in 1867 and sold to the local fire department. We returned to Rutland and went to dinner at the Ponderosa Steakhouse before going back to the Days Inn for the night.



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