The Vermont Valley Railroad was a line in Vermont and New Hampshire, running from Brattleboro to the

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

line at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, now part of the Connecticut River Line. Hugh H. Henry (1814-1869) of

Chester, Vermont Chester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census. History The town was originally chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were n ...

was an original incorporator, and was chosen as its first president. He served from 1848 until his death. In New Hampshire, the line was operated as the Sullivan County Railroad. The line was eventually owned by the

Connecticut River Railroad The Connecticut River Railroad was a railroad located along the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, formed in 1845 from the merger of two unfinished railroads. Its main line from Springfield, Massachusetts, Springfield to Northfield, Massac ...

, who in turn leased the line to the

Boston and Maine The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B ...

. In 1988, the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...

ordered the

(B & M) to sell it to

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, with

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may con ...

staying with the B & M. Amtrak was allowed to sell it to the

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

, part of the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

. The CV obtained the line on September 9. The sale was made because the track condition was not suitable for running Amtrak's Montrealer passenger trains, and Amtrak had to discontinue service on April 5, 1987. Service resumed in July 1989 after Amtrak paid the CV to upgrade the line

The companies were unable to agree on a permanent trackage rights agreement, and in 1990, the ICC imposed terms, in which the B&M could serve all "existing shippers and shippers' facilities" located on the line and in operation during the 12 months prior to the sale to the CV. The

New England Central Railroad The New England Central Railroad is a regional railroad in the New England region of the United States. It began operations in 1995, as the successor of the Central Vermont Railway (CV). The company was originally a subsidiary of holding compa ...

acquired the line from the CV in 1994, and the Springfield Terminal Railway has since acquired the trackage rights assigned to the B&M

References

Defunct Vermont railroads Predecessors of the Boston and Maine Railroad Railway companies established in 1848 Railway companies disestablished in 1949 Predecessors of the Central Vermont Railway American companies disestablished in 1949 American companies established in 1848 {{Vermont-transport-stub