The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-09-13
BIG MASS MEETING III
BEING CONSIDERED
Criticism Aimed Particular
ly Against RumOred Serv-
ice on West River Branch
and Hours of Arrival OF
First Morning Train Over
B. & Nj. and Afternoon
Train on C.. V.

Train on C.. V.
\ far-reaching protest against the pro-
posed train changes on the Boston &
Maine and Central Vermont railroads
seems to be IN the making.
knowledge of what these changes would
mean to shippers, merchants, business
houses and the travelling public generally
has developed an overwhelming sentiment
against the schedule which the roads pro-
pose to put into effect Sept. %.
kilograms of protest already have been
sent to the general passenger agents of
the Boston & Maine and Central Vermont
companies, and plans are being considered
for a monster protest meeting to be at
tended by representatives from Brattle-
boro Vernon, Northfeld Mass, and ali
of the territory served by the West River
line.
| 1t Is also probable that efforts will be
made to put the publics side of the case
/ before the Vermont and Massachusetts
public service commissions.
! Under the proposed arrangement Brat
/ tleboro's train service would be approx
imately as follows:
South Bound-5.0S a. M, $40 a M,
( 1s-f- D. H. - D. H..
| North Bound-19 a. M, IL a. m, 11.40
a. m. p. m, 10.15 p. m.
The foregoing figures are not official
but are based on tentative schedules made
/ by the companies Their inconvenience.
however, Is obvious. On the SOuth-bound
schedule, for example, there would be
/ Boston x Maine train leaving at LOO and
a Central Vermont train a few minutes
/ later, with no other South-bOund train
until COS p. m, and that the last of the
day. On the nOrth-bound schedule the
first train from the south would not ar
rive until about 10 o'clock, meaning that
local business houses would not get their
morning mail from Boston and New York
until nearly noon, and there would be no
train north between 1140 a. m. and
p. m.
I The strongest protest seems to be aimed
at the hour of arrival of the morning
train from Springfield. Mass, and the
hour of departure of the Central Vermont
afternoon train. In the case of the
latter, which now leaves at 40 and
serves Vernon, South Vernon and North
field it is pointed out that changing it to
approximately , p. m. would deprive per
sons in those towns from having more
than a few hours in Brattleboro and
would practically destroy any reasonable
connection with afternoon trains on the
Ashuelot division.
! Just what the Central Vermont plans
in the way of a schedule on the West
River road Is not officially known. but
there seems to be a definite belief that
officials contemplate making Brattleboro
the terminus, operating one passenger
! train from BrattleborO to South London
| derry in the morning and from South Lon
donderry in the afternoon. with possibly
a mixed train starting north between
and ) p. m. and returning late in the
levening.
| Such schedule. of course. would be
exactly the reverse of anything approach
ing adequate service. As one merchant
put 1t this morning: 1T would make it
comparatively easy for Brattleboro people
to go to Jamaica and South Londonderry
TO do their business but impossible for
West River valley people to come to
Brattieboro for that purpose"
! Residents of the valley naturally are
up in arms at the idea of such so-called
service and are ready to do anything
within their power to prevent the pro
posed change
! Carl S, Hopkins, president of the Brat
tleboro Chamber of Commerce, wired
General Passenger Agent Hanley of the
/ Central Vermont road this morning to
| ind out definitely what was proposed in
! the way of changes on the West River
road, telling him frankly that there would
be monster protest if the intimated
changes were put into effect and also
strenuously objecting to the proposed
change of the afternoon train from Brat
/ tleboro south over the Central Vermont
road. Mr.. Hopkins also wired General
/ Passenger Agent Grant of the Boston &
! Maine in protest against the proposed
Boston & Maine schedule.
Persons familiar with the plight of the
railroads realize that their tables of oper-
ating costs and revenue returns form q
strong argument in behalf of curtail-
ment, but, they contend, if there are TO
| be fewer trains it is all the more impor-
tant that those trains best meet the con
lYenlence of the travelling public In the
case of the proposed schedules for Brat
tleboro and vicinity the general opinion
seems to be that railroad officials have
given the public scant consideration.
There seems to be no good reason why
Brattleboro should not have a morning
train from the south at an hour early
enough to bring New York and Boston
mail here in time for consideration before
dinner, and an afternoon train going south
at an hour late enough to enable subur-
banltes to spend most of the afternoon
here and still reach their homes by sun
per-time. SO far as service on the West
| River line is concerned it is ridiculous TO
think of any arrangement that does not
Iprovide morning train south and a late