Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1910-03-26
The Railroad 'Tangle Down
q 401the JConnecticut

Boston and Maine railroad company
to survey the territory on the east
side of the Connecticut river between
South Vernon and Brattleboro, and
determine the feasibility ofconstruct-
ing a railroad on that side of the
river between the two Vermont
towns mentioned, says the SPRING
field Republican, 1t is further
stated that the engineers are then to
make a similar survey of the situa-
ton between Windsor, VT. and
White River Junction. This is
presumed to have some relation to
the attempt of the Grand Trunk
railroad of Canada to secure an en-
trance into Providence through an
extension of the New London North
ern railroad from Palmer in this
state.
The present situation is as follows:
The Grand Trunk owns large ma
iority of the stock of the Central
Vermont, whose line comes down
from the Vermont hills to White
River Junction aud continues from
there to Windsor along the Connec-
ticut river. The Central Vermont
leases the New London Northern,
which runs from Brattleboro to
New London, CT The Boston and
Maine through lease controls the
river line from this city to South
Vernon, Vt. Its trains thence run
about eight miles to Brattleboro over
the New London Northern tracks.
They then pass on to the Vermont
Valley railroad, whose stock is near
ly all owned by the Connecticut
River company, leased to the Boston
and Maine, and 90 to Bellows Falls
on the west side of the river. They
then pass on to the Sullivan County
railroad on the New Hampshire
side, which is owned by the Ver-
mont Valley company, and so reach
Windsor, and from that point to
White River Junction they go over
| the Central Vermont tracks, From
the junction northward along the
river the road again becomes Boston
and Maine through lease of the Bos
ton and Lowell. which leases the
Connecticut and Passumpsic north
ward to the Canada line.
A worse mix up than this probab-
ly does not exist anywhere else in
the whole field of American railroad
transportation. 1t will be a com
parativeiy easy matter for the Boston
aud Maine, or for the New Haven
company, which now controls it, to
loosen itself from the tangle and
have an independent line of it's own
from this city or from South Vernon
N rthward 1T already has bridge
| over the Connecticut at South Ver-
n IN for the Ashuelot branch, and
presumably can build at some ex-
panse line up on the east side OF
tile river eight miles, crossing the
river again to reach Brattleboro and
pAt on to the Vermont Valley tracks.
| There would then remain to be built
IA line from Windsor to White River
function. distance of about 10
miles, and at that point the hills no
| longer reach closely out to the west
ern river bank, and room would
exist for the construction of road
alongside the Central Vermont.
The problem of an independent
continuous line along down the
river for the Central Vermont or
Grand Trunk is more difficult. 1t
would have to built 81 miles of new
road, from Windsor to Brattleboro.
From Windsor to Bellows Falls, 26
miles, by following the west bank
Of the river, the construction would
present few difficulties. for the
country is fat and open back for
some distance But not so from
Bellows Falls to Brattleboro. There,
on the west side, the hills rise pre-
cipitously from the river over much
of the distance, and the Vermont
Valley road occupies all the room
there is and often has to cut into the
lodges to get what it has. The prob
lem as far ahead as we can now
lpok could be much more satisfactor-
lily and cheaply met by the double
tracking of these odds and ends oi
railroad from South Vernon north
ward; and if there is to be only a
single line of road, whether of one