For the UK railway see Rutland Railway Museum

Rutland Railway Museum

Rutland Railway Museum now trading as Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum is a heritage railway on part of a former Midland Railway mineral branch line. It is situated NE of Oakham, in Rutland, England.-Overview:...

The Rutland Railway was a small railroad in the northeastern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, primarily in the state of Vermont

Vermont

Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

 but extending into the state of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The earliest ancestor of the Rutland, the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to build between Rutland and Burlington

Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....

. A number of other railroads were formed in the region, and by 1867 the Rutland & Burlington Railroad had changed its name to simply the Rutland Railroad.

Between 1871 and 1896 the Rutland Railroad was leased to the Central Vermont, regaining its independence when that road entered receivership

Receivership

In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...

. The New York Central Railroad

New York Central Railroad

The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...

 briefly had a controlling interest in the Rutland from 1904, but sold half of its shares to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1911.

The Rutland's primary freight traffic was derived from dairy products and to many the railroad is fondly remembered by the long trains of milk that used to move over the system. At its peak the Rutland served about a 400 miles (643.7 km) system that roughly resembled an upside-down "L" running from Chatham, New York north to Alburgh, Vermont (the railroad's furthest northern terminus was Noyan, Quebec) and then west to Ogdensburg, New York

Ogdensburg, New York

Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden....

 along the St. Lawrence River. Never a solid financial operation, the Rutland entered receivership for the first time in 1938. Cost cutting, including wage reduction, brought things around. A reorganization in 1950 changed the name from Rutland Railroad to Rutland Railway.

Decline

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the decline continued. Many branches were closed down. In 1950, the company was reorganized as the Rutland Railway. The year 1953 brought three weeks of employee strike action

Strike action

Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...

, which killed off the remaining passenger service on the line.

In 1961, after further strikes, the railroad apparently decided it was no longer viable, and applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission

Interstate Commerce Commission

The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...

 for complete abandonment. This was approved, and the railroad closed down on May 20, 1963. The strike was brought on by the employees' unwillingness to accept operational changes that would have moved the center of Rutland operations from Rutland to Burlington. This would have required them to relocate from Rutland to Burlington.

The operational changes would have lengthened the runs, running from Burlington to Bellows Falls

Bellows Falls, Vermont

Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census...

 or Ogdensburg

Ogdensburg, New York

Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden....

 on one day, staying over and then running back the next day. Under current operating orders they would make the run from Rutland to Burlington or Bellows Falls and back in a day, or from Malone, New York

Malone (village), New York

-Notable natives:Notable natives include:*William Almon Wheeler served as Vice President of the United States under Rutherford Hayes. Is buried at Morningside Cemetery in Malone....

 running out and back to Ogdensburg and Burlington.

A few years later the national unions agreed to nationwide job changes that allowed this type of change.

Much of the right-of-way was purchased by the State of Vermont. The Northern Division across the top of New York State from Ogdensburg to Norwood

Norwood, New York

Norwood is a village located in St. Lawrence County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 1,685.The Village of Norwood is on the town line of two towns so that it is partly in the Town of Potsdam and partly in the Town of Norfolk.The village is north of Potsdam.-...

 remains in tracks. Interestingly, it is operated by Vermont Railway

Vermont Railway

The Vermont Railway is a shortline railroad in Vermont and eastern New York, operating much of the former Rutland Railway. It is the main part of the Vermont Rail System, which also owns the Green Mountain Railroad, the Rutland's branch to Bellows Falls...

, so all the remaining trackage of the Rutland is operated by one company. Ownership of the railbed from Norwood to Burlington has been dispersed, but a 21 miles (33.8 km) section from Norwood to Moira

Moira, New York

Moira is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 2,857 at the 2000 census. Moira is located on the western border of Franklin County and is west of the Village of Malone.- History :...

 is the multi-use Rutland Trail.

Steamtown

Until it was relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...

, The Steamtown Foundation

Steamtown National Historic Site

Steamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad . The museum is built around a working replica turntable and a roundhouse that is...

, located near the Bellows Falls terminus operated tourist trains between the museum site and Chester, Vermont

Chester, Vermont

Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,044 at the 2000 census. The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were not met and the town was re-chartered as New Flamstead in 1761...

.

Following Steamtown’s departure, several tourist trains using the original Rutland rolling stock were operated.

External links

• Rutland Railway Association
• Rutland Railroad Historical Society
• The Rutland on George Elwood's Fallen Flags site.
• Lisbon Town link Lisbon Historian link Lisbon NY's Lisbon Depot Museum (in former Rutland station, displays many Rutland items).
• The Rutland Railroad, 'The Green Mountain Gateway'