The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-12-13
VERMONT AND THE NEW HAVEN
Newspaper Correspondent Is Build
ing Railroads on Paper

The Montpelier correspondent OF
the Burlington Free Press writes as
follows:
Montpelier, Dec. 11.-By reason OF
certain hints from high sources. 1t IS
possible to state definitely that an ar
rangement exists between the Grand
Trunk and New Haven railroads
which. in view of the reputation OF
the contracting parties, has the full
force of an actual agreement and
that this arrangement means more
to Vermont than any railroad happen
ing of recent years. A part of It's
import is that Vermont in the near
future will have cross-state, double
tracked line, that the center OF the
State and the east side will have an
excellent through route to New York
the Boston connection from both
sides of the state will be improved
and made more competitive, and Bur
lington will be no longer in any
sense a suburb of Essex Junction
Though the cessation of work upon
the Crank Trunk extension has been
popularity regarded as the result of
Mellen-C Chamberlain deal, the
negotiations between the roads are
not of recent origin, having had their
inception in proposal made at the
meeting of both sides in Boston, a
year ago last February, at which the
then Governor OF Vermont vas pres
ent, representing this State. The
agreement, which makes no refer
ence to the stopping of work, and
does not attempt ~ influence com
( petition, is believed to be substantial
! ly as follows;
While there have been various ru-
mors and 1t has been claimed that no
binding agreement has been execut-
ed, there is good reason to believe
that the New Haven system binds it
self to complete the double tracking
| of it's road between Brattleboro and
| Windsor, to double track the road
from White River Junction to Con-
! cord, necessary to Central Vermont
/ trains in getting to Boston, and I'M
! der a trackage agreement, the terms
of which have been treated as parti-
/ cularly satisfactory to allow the
trains of the Grand Trunk system to
run over these rails.
To Build Link to Burlington
On its side the Grand Trunk binds
itself to double track its segment of
the Connecticut Valley line of rail
road, which extends from Windsor
TO White River Junction, also TO
double track its line from Montpelier
to Essex Junction from which the
New Haven intends to build short
connecting link of road to unite with
the Rutland at Burlington, and TO
give the New Hampshire trackage
rights over these lines and rights
over the Grand Trunk proper INTO
Montreal similar to rights over the
New Ravens lines into Boston. The
expense of double tracking is to be
borne by the road making the i'm
provements, but it is understood that
in case money is needed for the
work By the Central Vermont or
Grand Trunk. it Will be provided by
the New Haven on very reasonable
terms.
The effect of the arrangement is
TO supplement the White mountain
service of the New Haven from New
York. over which passenger traffic is
already very great and 10 open up
The Green mountains and Lake Cham
plain 90 these same passengers not
TO mention the advantages derived
from connecting It's lines in The east
OF the state with the Rutland on the
west side and the profitable freight
channel thus opened The Grand
! Trunk gets am improved line 90 the
sea al NtH London ana Way into
, Boston WitA i,s uue double track
I ed on both ends of the strip of road
/ from Montpelier TO White River
| Junction the Central Vermont would
| pract Caily De forced TO double tracl
| that Competition ifs as free as II
could De- the only difference bein.
that the roads win compete over th'
same rails instead oi being at the ey
pense OF building and maintaining
separate roadway
| Vermont on the Frontier.
| When the Grand Trunk BEGAN q
grope its way through New England
toward t.dcwater. railroad war Wa
known 10 De Imminent The lr0ntie
| in this struggle was Vermont Tn
| BrattiehOro contest wich ragged /
the Vermont legislature two year
ago, was hailed as the opening battl
This preliminary graphic over a con
paratiyely short bic of track CAV
some inumauou TO the contend.n
companies of the expense and vast,
fulness OF "a whole campaign alou
like lines. lt also brought them to
clearer outlook upon the facts
The facts on the other side were tina
that the vast Grand Trunk syster
/ with its sources OF traffic somewher
in the wheat fields OF western Can.
da must get some outlet for IL
freight where ships could come an
! 90 twelve months in the year an
- since there was 40 feasible outlet {
- this kind In Canada 1t must be oil
= tanned on the New England coas
/ The facts onthe other side We're ths
the New Haven system. having co.
cred an area, none too rich. wit
about all the service the trait
would bear. could illafford to hay
its lines duplicated and the trait
divided
The expense of extending IN
1 Grand VrrnE rnnRtr-,r. t1,-,,,~h a