The Burlington & Hinesburg

Burlington & South Eastern Railway

This electric railway was surveyed and the first section may have been built. The section that it is rumored to have been built ran from Pine Street in Burlington to what is now the South Burlington and Williston city line, next to the former Digital Equipment Corporation Plant, now a Ben & Jerry's ice cream plant. As the story was told there was some sort of mill or manufacturer on the west side of the Muddy Brook. This industrial site was served by the trolley freight railroad during the construction of the railway. Some of that portion of the line was on the former Burlington & Lamoile right-of-way It should also be noted that some of the people I have spoken with indicated that construction of the line started but the developer may have taken off with the money.

Some of this right of way is still visible between the lanes of US Interstate 89 and the I89 extension to US route 7. An other location where the railbed is visible is on Rocky Ridge golf course. Weather the the golf club removed some of the road bed or if this section was never completed, is unknown. These sections of right of way can be seen best in the early winter and early spring when there are no leaves to obscure the view and a little bit of snow cover.

The Dorset Street underpass, in South Burlington, is a good place to see the road bed. Here it is visible just north of the north bound lane of 89. If you can follow the embankment and support posts for the power lines, you will come a former bridge. Just a gap now but you can see that this was not built for powerlines but to take the railroad across a streem.

The next road to the west of Dorset Street that passes under the Highway is Spear Street. Where right of way is visible between the east and west bound lanes of the I89 extension. Here the right of way is very obvious as it is elevated significantly above the marsh it runs through. At this point the traction route is about half a mile from the B&L. The B & L is to the North on Spear Street about where UVM's dairy barn is.

In researching the Hinesburg section, I found a record of the transfer of property from Burlington & Hinesburg Railroad Company to Burlington South Eastern Railway. Right of way bounderies will be transcribed as time and resources permit.

The purpose of the line was to haul freight to and from Mechanicsville (a part of Hinnesburg) and Burlington. It also would have transported milk and cream, and hay from Hinnesburg into Burlington, with the to the Hoods Milk Plant and some horse stables as customers.