Massawippi Valley Railway
| Locale | Lennoxville-Newport |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1870–1923 |
| Successor |
Québec Central (CPR) last passenger 1960 abandoned 1990 tracks removed 1992 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 51 kilometres (32 mi) |
| Headquarters | Sherbrooke (as QCRR) |
The Massawippi Valley Railway was a short line railway established 1870 between Lennoxville, Quebec, and the Vermont border. Part of the Quebec Central Railway from 1926, the line was abandoned in 1990 and removed in 1992. Most of the former railway's path is now bicycle trails.
The Connecticut River Division of the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad had completed its line from White River Junction, Vermont to Newport in October 1863 and to the Canada–US border in May 1867. The Canadian Pacific Railway already served Sherbrooke and Lennoxville, Quebec; the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway (later part of the Grand Trunk Railway) linked Montréal via Sherbrooke to Portland, Maine.
This left a gap where passengers and freight would be transferred to stagecoaches upon arriving in the Eastern Townships from Vermont.
The border gap was bridged in 1870 by the Massawippi Valley Railway Company, a 31 miles (50 km) short line railway extending from Beebe Junction (on the US border) to Lennoxville (on the CPR line).
A 2.4 miles (3.9 km) branch brought a rail link from Beebe Junction into Stanstead, Quebec. Service was initially provided using steam locomotives.
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