The Woodstock Railway was an intrastate railroad in southeastern 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...

. It ran from White River Junction, Vermont

White River Junction, Vermont

White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...

 to Woodstock, Vermont, a distance of approximately 14 miles.

History

The legislature of Vermont granted a charter to construct the railroad in 1863, but little was done until 1867, when enough money was raised to begin construction. Construction began in earnest in 1868, and proceeded fitfully until 1875, when the line was finally completed and the first train made the trip. While never very busy, the line continued running until 1933, when it was abandoned. The last run took place on Saturday, April 15, 1933.

During construction two major obstacles were overcome: a mile long cut in Stanley Hill, and a substantial trestle over the Queechee Gorge, formed by the Ottauquechee River

Ottauquechee River

The Ottauquechee River is a river in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....

, The original trestle was replaced first by a wooden arch bridge, then in 1911 by one made of steel. At one time the 163 foot high structure may have been the highest railroad bridge in New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

.

Originally the Woodstock Railroad, a financial reorganization in 1890 caused the name to change to Woodstock Railway.

Stations

An 1877 timetable listed the following stops from east to west:

• White River Junction, Vermont
  White River Junction, Vermont
  White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...
  
   - interchange with the Central Vermont Railway
  Central Vermont Railway
  The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec....
  
  
• Hartford, Vermont
  Hartford, Vermont
  Hartford is a town in Windsor County in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White River and the Connecticut River; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town...
  
  
• Dewey's Mills, Vermont
• Quechee, Vermont
  Quechee, Vermont
  Quechee is one of five unincorporated villages in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont. Quechee is also a census-designated place. It is the site of the Quechee Gorge on the Ottauquechee River and is also the home to the Quechee Lakes planned community initiated in the late 1960s, which...
  
  
• Taftsville, Vermont
• Woodstock, Vermont