Rutland and Burlington Railroad
| Reporting mark | RUT |
|---|---|
| Locale | New York and Vermont |
| Dates of operation | 1843–1963 |
| Successor | Vermont Railway |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Rutland Railroad (reporting mark RUT) was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1963 parts of the railroad were taken over by the State of Vermont and are now operated by the Vermont Railway.
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. 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. The New York Central Railroad 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.
In 1901, the Rutland Railroad completed construction of a system of causeways and trestles across Lake Champlain, through the Champlain islands, to connect between Burlington, Vermont and Rouses Point, New York. The purpose of this construction was to give the Rutland access to Canada independent of the tracks of the competing Central Vermont. At the final approach to Rouses Point, though, both companies did end up sharing the same bridge over the Richelieu River by using an unusual gauntlet track that allowed sharing without the need for switches. The causeway between Burlington and South Hero built at that time is today maintained as a recreation trail called The Island Line. The company also had a line from Rutland, southeast to Bellows Falls, in southeastern Vermont, opposite New Hampshire, and a line from Rutland south to North Bennington, thence to Chatham, New York. Chatham was a major junction for connections via the New York Central to New York City and the Boston & Albany Railroad service to Massachusetts.
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