The Woodstock Railway was an intrastate
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in southeastern
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 ...
. It ran from
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Hartford, Vermont, Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2 ...
to
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock.
History
Chart ...
, a distance of approximately .
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. Originally the Woodstock Railroad, a financial reorganization in 1890 caused the name to change to Woodstock Railway. 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 long cut in Stanley Hill, and a substantial trestle over the Quechee Gorge, formed by the
Ottauquechee River
The Ottauquechee River (pronounced ''AWT-ah-KWEE-chee'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary ...
, The original trestle was replaced first by a wooden arch bridge, then in 1911 by one made of steel. At one time the high structure may have been the highest railroad bridge in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. The 1911 steel bridge purportedly still carries US-Rt4 across the gorge, as it has since the railway's abandonment. About a 3-mile portion of Rt4 was built on top of the railbed at a point immediately west of the gorge and thus eastward, as attested by the gradual grade and gentle curvatures of the reverse curves encountered upon today's Rt4.
[Mead, Edgar T., Over the Hills to Woodstock, 1967]
Portions of the railbed west of the gorge remain visible along the north side of Rt4. It can be seen from the road as it shoots east out of Woodstock through certain fields, makes up treelines and fencelines, and in places it lays at the bottom of Rt4's embankment sandwiched tight between Rt4 and the river.
Stations
An 1877 timetable listed the following stops from east to west:
*
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Hartford, Vermont, Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2 ...
- interchange with 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 ...
*
Hartford, Vermont
Hartford is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White and Connecticut rivers; the Ottauquechee River also flo ...
*Dewey's Mills, Vermont
*
Quechee, Vermont
Quechee is a census-designated place and one of five unincorporated villages in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 656. It is the site of Quechee Gorge on the Ottau ...
*
Taftsville, Vermont
The Taftsville Historic District encompasses a historic 19th-century industrial village that is mostly in Woodstock, Vermont. Flanking the Ottauquechee River and extending up Happy Valley Road, the area developed around a metal tool factory est ...
*
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock.
History
Chart ...
See also
*
Frederick H. Billings
Frederick H. Billings (September 27, 1823 – September 30, 1890) was an American lawyer, financier, and politician. He is best known for his legal work on land claims during the early years of California's statehood and his presidency of the ...
*
Franklin Noble Billings
Franklin Noble Billings (March 8, 1829 - December 11, 1894) was a Vermont businessman and merchant. A member of the prominent Billings family, he was notable for his investment stakes and management roles in several Vermont businesses. He was the ...
*
F. H. Gillingham & Sons
References
* Jones, Robert C., ''Railroads of Vermont, Volume II'', 1993.
* Mead, Edgar T., ''Over the Hills to Woodstock'', 1967.
Archives and records
Woodstock Railroad Company recordsat Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodstock Railway
Defunct Vermont railroads