Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-05-03
new TRAIN A SUCCESS
So on First Trip Besides Board
Of Trade Party

Latter Numbered 20 and Had Dinner
In South MISUNDERSTANDING Elk
cee6ed Expectation.
Board!" shouted Conductor John F..
Kierce at the railroad station at $40
o'clock Wednesday morning, and the
new passenger train on the West River
railroad started on her maiden trip be-
| tween Brattleboro and South London
derry. This was the first of two new
| trains, the second to be put on June
| "a, designed to improve the service on
| the West River road and help develop
the summer business in the West River
valley with the cooperation of the West
| River Valley association. In view of
| the fact that the additional train SER
vice was fostered by the Bratteboro
board of trade, which appointed a COM
mittee to take the matter up with the
| Central Vermont Railway company,
| delegation of 90 members of the board
made the round trip, having dinner at
| Hunts Tavern in South Londonderry
and arriving home at 210 o'clock. The
junket was success from every point
of view.
Those of the board Of trade who made
the trip were President M. c. Hough
ton, John l.. Barney, Oscar F. Benson,
| Frank l.. Burnett, Herbert b. Chamber
lain, Maj Frederick w. Chiljs George
l.. Durham, Sidney w. Edgett Ralph J.
Eldridge, Harry l.. Emerson, Walter A.
Gilbert Edward ]. Guthrie, Edwin l..
Hildreth, Lyman E. Holden, Varillus o.
Jones, William ]. Pentland, jr, Ovando
| e. Randall, Howard G. Rice, William A.
Shumway, William b. Vinton, Horton
| d. Walker and Henry p. Wellman
Judge Frederick B. Pier went as far as
Newfane and Frank II. Howard, who
went to South Londonderry the night
| before, returned with the party.
Besides those making the round trip
| IL persons boarded the train at differ
ent stations on the northbound trip and
40 persons came on board on the way
down, making 81 passengers aside from
| the Brattleboro party. This is con-
sidered an excellent first days business
1t greatly exceeded expectations, and as
the summers business has not begun it
is evident that this train will pay
1t will be patronzed to the ex-
cluson of the mixed train as it makes
| better time, connects with the early af-
ternoon express trains out of Brattle-
boro, gives people up the valley an OPP
| portunty to spend a few hours in this
town without being away from home all
day, gives Brattleboro people chance
to visit in any of the towns along the
route and get home before night and
gives summer guests or residents oppor-
| tunity to reach their homes or board
| ing places in the valley by daylight
| Conductor Kierce, who is obliging and
| accommodating, will make two round
trips each day, leaving South London
derry at $50 in the morning leaving
Brattleboro at $40, starting on his Sec
ond trip at 11.45 and returning home
| at 6 p. m, arriving at South London
| derry at o'clock
On account of the morning train from
the north over the Boston & Maine road
being late the new train started 20
I,.I-
but it made up some of the lost time,
although running up grade most Of the
way. The station platform at South
Londonderry is 995 feet higher than the
platform of the Brattleboro station and
it is about 400 feet above sea level.
1t is about 40 feet higher than the sum-
NIT of Wantastiquet mountain opposite
| this town.
| Several members of the Brattleboro
party, some of whom never had been
to South Londonderry, rode on the rear
platform most of the way, and as the
air waS clear and fine beautiful view
of the scenery was afforded as the train
wound in and out among the pic
turesque hills, as delightful as any in
New England, vending its way around
the 295 curves in the SO miles of rail-
road. Attention was called to the Sal
mon Hole above Newfane, the Ok Bow
above Jamaica and other well-known
plowmen and others were passed they
DOTTED their hats and waved as though
in appreciation of the efforts being
made to benefit the people of the valley,
where, in fact, real estate values al
ready have increased since the organ
lied movement in behalf of the valley
was begun.
AS soon as the train reached the
northern terminus the party went at
once to Hunts Tavern. where an ex-
cellent dinner was served, consisting OF
soup, roast beef and pork, vegetables
tea and coffee, different kinds of pie,
pudding, fruit and various accessories.
Ordinarily the time would have been too
short for dinner, but Station Agent E.
| j. Guthrie, being a member of the par
ty, had the train held. L. T. Landman
chairman of the entertainment commit
tee of the South Londonderry board OF
trade, dined with the party and after
dinner furnished cigars from his store
| for all hands.
The train started for BrattleborC
35 minutes late, but made up time
At Townshend John II. Ware, president
of the West River Valley association
stepped aboard, coming to Brattleboro
President Houghton was pulled off the
train a the Townshend station, where q
good number of persons were assembled
and a speech was demanded of him, bu
he contented himself by lighting 6
cigar from a box passed around by
Charles II. Evans of Townshend, chair
man of the finance committee of thu
West River Valley association. The res
of the trip was made without incident
, The mail service on the new train IL
not fully established. The train is nov
taking closed pouches from the soutl
on the outward trip, but not from thu
, Brattleboro post Office the pouches from
that office going on an earlier train Oh
the return trip pouches are taken on a
South Londonderry, Jamaica and Eas
Jamaica for the Brattleboro office an,
from those three stations and Towns
hend Newfane and West Dummerstoi
to connect with the 2.07 Boston & Main
train.