The White River Railroad was an intrastate railroad in central Vermont. It ran from Bethel, Vermont to Rochester, Vermont, a distance of approximately 19 miles.
History[edit]
Planning for the White River Valley Electric Railroad began in 1896, and the line was charted along the course of the White River. The name was changed to White River Valley Railroad and finally White River Railroad before construction began in 1899. Built on a shoestring budget, the first train arrived in Rochester in December 1900. Because the railroad followed the course of the White River closely, it was frequently damaged by floods and was often referred to as "The Peavine". Like most railroads in Vermont, it was heavily damaged by the great Flood of November, 1927. Though the railroad was fully rebuilt the following year, the Great Depression reduced traffic to fatal levels, and the railroad was abandoned in 1933.
Stations[edit]
The railroad stopped at the following locations from east to west:
- Bethel, Vermont (interchange with the Central Vermont Railway and the Bethel Granite Railway)
- Lillieville, Vermont (informal flagstop)
- Gaysville, Vermont (station)
- Riverside (informal flagstop)
- Stockbridge, Vermont (station)
- Tupper's, Vermont (informal flagstop)
- Emerson, Vermont (informal flagstop)
- Talcville, Vermont (informal flagstop)
- Rochester, Vermont (station)
Locomotives[edit]
| Locomotive | Description | Year(s) | Number | Name | Built | Build Year | Previous Owner | Notes | Disposition |
| 4-4-0 American | Straight stack. Upper headlight | 1901 | 1 | Manchester | 1879 | B&M | |||
| 4-4-0 American | Straight stack. Upper headlight | 2 | |||||||
| 4-4-0 American | Straight stack. Upper headlight | 1910 | 3 | Portland Company | 1884 | Maine Central | |||
| 20 pax doodlebug | 4 | Hummingbird | 4-Wheel Drive Auto Company Clintonville, WI | 1911 | New | ||||
| 2-6-0n | 5 | Baldwin | 1913 | New | Only new locomotive | Rock of Ages 1933 | |||
| 0-4-4T | 1913-1922, 1927 | 6 | 1890 | Montpelier & Wells River | light passenger service | ||||
| 2-4-2T | 1913 | 6 | Barre Railroad | ||||||
| 2-6-0n | -1927 | 7 | Destroyed flood 1927 | ||||||
| Stanley Steamer | 1916-1931 | 101 | 1916 | New | Sold B&M 1931 | ||||
| 4-4-0 American | Straight stack. Upper headlight | 368 | B&M | ||||||
| 4-4-0 American | Straight stack. Upper headlight | 1900-1905 | CV 45 | CV Shops St. Albans | 1873 | CV | CV 71 W.C. Smith previously | ||
| 4-4-0 American | diamond stacked wood burner | 1899 | John R. Tupper | D&H | First locomotive |
References[edit]
Jones, Robert C., Railroads of Vermont, Volume II, 1993.
Herwig, Wes, A Whistle Up the Valley : The Story of the Peavine, Vermont's White River Railroad, 2005.
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