Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad was an intrastate railroad in central Vermont
. It ran from Waterbury
to Stowe
, a distance of approximately 12 miles (19.3 km).
Traffic on the line was never heavy, with the primary shipper being the Burt Lumber Company in Stowe, which shipped clapboards and other wood products to the Boston area. Damage from the 1927 hurricane-related flooding was minimal, but traffic declined further in the early 1930s, and the right-of-way was passed to the state of Vermont in 1932, which promptly turned much of the roadbed into the first concrete paved road in the state, Vermont Route 100
.
The corporate structure of the MMER remained until 1963, operating trucks which carried goods over the new concrete road from Stowe to the train freight station at Waterbury.
The Stowe terminus had a covered station in the back of a storefront. That building still stands on the south side of the main street in the village, but has been extensively renovated. Small stations were built at the side road leading to Moscow
, Vermont, and in Waterbury Center. There was no station at the Waterbury end of the line, and passengers used the Central Vermont Railroad station (still in existence), and freight was carried to the freight depot. There was an interchange and boxcars and loads of coal made their way over the entire line by use of the freight motors.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. It ran from Waterbury
Waterbury, Vermont
Waterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, in the United States. It is also the name of a village within that town. The population was 4,915 at the 2000 census.-Economy:-Industry:...
to Stowe
Stowe, Vermont
Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,339 at the 2000 census. Tourism is a significant industry.-Geography:...
, a distance of approximately 12 miles (19.3 km).
History
An electric railroad between Stowe and Waterbury, connecting with the Central Vermont Railway, was authorized by the legislature of Vermont in 1865, 1872, 1888, and 1894. Not until 1897 were sufficient funds raised and construction started. A power plant was built at the south end of the Stowe town, outside of the village, along with a battery house just north of Colbyville village, and service began in 1898. The line operated three passenger cars with baggage areas, two freight motors, a single truck work car which was basically an open-air trolley, and a doubled-ended rotary snowplow. This last saw minimal service, as the unit damaged the track and neighboring structures, and was not effective at the Waterbury end of the railroad due to low current. One of the passenger cars was damaged in a wreck early on and removed from service almost immediately.Traffic on the line was never heavy, with the primary shipper being the Burt Lumber Company in Stowe, which shipped clapboards and other wood products to the Boston area. Damage from the 1927 hurricane-related flooding was minimal, but traffic declined further in the early 1930s, and the right-of-way was passed to the state of Vermont in 1932, which promptly turned much of the roadbed into the first concrete paved road in the state, Vermont Route 100
Vermont Route 100
Vermont Route 100 is a north–south state highway in Vermont, United States. Running through the center of the state, it travels nearly the entire length of Vermont and is long...
.
The corporate structure of the MMER remained until 1963, operating trucks which carried goods over the new concrete road from Stowe to the train freight station at Waterbury.
Stations
An 1897 timetable listed the following stops from south to north:- Waterbury, VermontWaterbury, VermontWaterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, in the United States. It is also the name of a village within that town. The population was 4,915 at the 2000 census.-Economy:-Industry:...
- Stowe, VermontStowe, VermontStowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,339 at the 2000 census. Tourism is a significant industry.-Geography:...
The Stowe terminus had a covered station in the back of a storefront. That building still stands on the south side of the main street in the village, but has been extensively renovated. Small stations were built at the side road leading to Moscow
Moscow, Vermont
Moscow is an unincorporated village in the town of Stowe in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States....
, Vermont, and in Waterbury Center. There was no station at the Waterbury end of the line, and passengers used the Central Vermont Railroad station (still in existence), and freight was carried to the freight depot. There was an interchange and boxcars and loads of coal made their way over the entire line by use of the freight motors.