Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-02-19
RAILROAD CONDITIONS
APPROACHING NORMAL
Passenger Trains Nearer on
Time Than They Have Been
Since Last Saturday-Milk
Again Flowing Towards New
York City and Freight Moving

Immediately following the worst day
this winter, yesterday found the rail-
roads in better shape than they have
been since last Saturday. Men were
kept hard at work all night Tuesday
night and by midnight things began
to move once more. The Montreal-to-
New York flyer, which was s%nowbound
FOR 16 hours just north of st. Johns,
was released at his time and return
ed to Montreal, leaving there on time
yesterday and arriving. I'm Burlington
only an hour behind schedule. Most of
the snow drifts were cleared out by
midnight and trains from five to 16
hours late went on once more after
the worst tie-up since the winter of
1917.
At five o'clock yesterday morning
the first milk train from ~Ogdensburg
to New York which was run since Sat-
urday went through Burlington. This
turday went throuh Burlington. This
route from Ogdensburg to New York
is the longest one into that city and
stopping that train is a serious affair
for New York milk consumers. The sec
tion of HI Rutland road west of AL
burg has been particularly hard hit
during the storms of late and for that
reason 1T was impossible to run this
train. To add to the difficulty the farm
ers who sent milk down on that train
have been s%nowbound and unable to
get to the stations.
Yesterday, too. both the Rutland and
General Vermont roads started to move
freights with perishable goods on
board. and if the snow which fell yes
terday does not add to the general bad
condition 1t is thought that some of
xLo f,.i-hx. b.
necessaries will be put into motion to-
day.
South of Burlington the snow was
changing to sleet and rain yesterday,
and in Rutland the temperature rose
to So degrees. This turned some of the
heavy snowfall to slush and If the cold
wave. that is expected comes. a crust
will be formed and then the snow can-
not drift anymore. Railroad men are
hoping for such a condition.
One very important train of freight
cars which was started on its journey
yesterday was one of II cars of pro-
duce which was stalled in a snow drift
at Essex Junction late Tuesday night
and dug out yesterday afternoon.
The delay in freight from New York,
Boston and Montreal has not been due
in the past two weeks to conditions on
the Rutland n Central Vermont
roads for the only delay of any con-
sequence or these lines has been in
freights originating locally. Since two
weeks age when the snow storm struck
them so hard, the New York Central,
Boston G. Maine and New York. New
Haven &c Hartford railroads ave not
been able to move their freights be-
cause of the terrible condition on those
roads. These freights have not come
over the Rutland and Central Vermont
roads at all yet, though it expected
they will begin to move in a few days
If no more billiards. strike southern
New England.
Another problem which threatened
to add to the tie-up of that section of
the Rutland railroad in Western New
York was averted yesterday when a
strike of section men was settled. 1t
was planned to walk out at seven
o'clock Tuesday but before the hour of
the strike everything was settled in a
satisfactory manner This strike would
have affected 100 men and would have
done much to add to the burden of
Strengthening out the traffic on the
Rutland road.
Yesterday the New York sleeper ar
rived in Burlington only an hour and
a half late, after making the best time
in about two weeks. The Boston sleeper
was only an hour late and the Mont
real train just about the same. The
milk train was three hours late. On
the Central Vermont, too, trains were
running on the best schedule in two
weeks. None of them were more tina
an hour late.
Yesterdays snow seemed to have lit
tie effect on the trains and unless the
storm increases and the wind comes up
traffic will soon be moving normally
again on both roads.