ELECTRIC RAILROADS of VERMONT


Springfield Electric (1897 - 1921) which became Springfield Terminal Railway Company (1921-1984) hauled freight as its major source of revenue. (Click on the pictures if you want to see a larger version, or more information).
Springfield Electric ran from Charlestown, NH to Springfield, VT. This is a postcard showing downtown Springfield with the trolley in front of the Adna Brown Hotel. This railroad was owned in part by the city of Springfield, Vermont.
This post card had a caption of Evening Storm of March 18th 1914, Springfield, Vt. It looks like The Springfield Electric trolley is waiting to take some of the local shop keepers home for the evening or is it waiting for the departure time to take the mail to the B&M's Night Owl? The trolley is in front of the Adna Brown Hotel as usual.
Springfield Terminal Railway Company took over operations of Springfield Electric in the 1920's. The Boston & Maine Railroad bought a controlling portion of the stock. Springfield Terminal Railway Company car number 16 is seen here after the transfer to Connecticut Electric Railway, Warehouse point, near Hartford Connecticut. The picture is dated August 1956.
Springfield Terminal owned two Baldwin Westinghouse Class B-1, 50 ton Steeple Cab electric locomotives. They were numbered 15 and 20. Here is a picture of number 15 with number 20 peaking out from behind.
By 1947, Springfield Terminal was only moving freight. this picture was featured in Green Mountain Rails, by Robert W. Jones was taken in the 1950's. This is one of my favorite pictures of trolley freight operations in Vermont.
follow this link for more recent information

CREDITS: Information was gathered from the following Resources:

Correspondance and conversations with Dwight A. Smith,
the general manager of Springfield Terminal Railway Company from 1956 to 1959.
Robert C. Jones Railroads of Vermont II.
Shelburne, VT : New England Press, 1993
R. W. Nimke Railroads of the Conneticut River Valley, Vol. VIII. Rutland, VT : Sharp Offset Printing Inc., 1993

Albert(Bud) Spaulding Green Mountain Trolleys The National Railroad Historical Societie's Bulletin 1968 Philladelphia, Pa : 1968

I ran New Englands Last Country Trolley Line , The Railroad Enthusiast, Summer and Autumn 1969, Traction Issue , Dwight A. Smith Jr., Railroad Enthusiasts, Inc. 1969.

Robert W. Jones Green Mountain Rails.
Los Angeles, CA : Pine Tree Press, 1994

Photo 1 from an old postcard in my collection.
Photo 2 from an old postcard in my collection.
Photo 3 from an old postcard in my collection.
Photo 4 from my collection.
Photo 5 from my collection.
Photo 6 was taken by Dwight Smith
Photo 7 from Green Mountain Rails.

Electric Railroads of Vermont Springfield Terminal Railway update- A Map of the Railroad- Table of Contents- e-mail - equipment rosters - the interchange .