Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad

The Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad ( HTW, HT & W) is a former railway company in Massachusetts and Vermont ( United States). It existed as an independent company from 1886 to 1971. You ran the railway line Hoosac Tunnel Wilmington.

History

First, they founded 1884 Deerfield Valley Railroad in Vermont. She built the following year a railway track gauge of three feet (914 mm) from the Hoosac Tunnel in the north of Massachusetts about 17 miles through the valley of the Deerfield River until after Readsboro (Vermont ), which was opened on 4 July 1885. On December 28, 1886, the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad was formed and acquired the lying in Massachusetts branch. The rest of the section they leased from the Deerfield Valley Railroad. The line was extended through the Deerfield River Railroad on November 4, 1891 another 23 miles to Wilmington. In Readsboro first was a railhead. It was only on January 1, 1892 merged the three companies. From 1908 to 1914 about 50 kilometers of forest paths from Mountain Mills station were built in the valley of the Western Deerfield River shortly before Wilmington, which also had 914 millimeter gauge.

1911 accumulated to the Deerfield River, the railway transported personnel and building materials for new Somerset Dam. They recognized the inadequacy of the narrow- operation and thus announced in July 1912 to rebuild the railway to standard gauge. This conversion was completed on August 2, 1913. At the same time, a new through station was built in a tight corner in Readsboro. Thus, the time-consuming reloading the transport of goods on the Hoosac Tunnel Station and reacting the train in Readsboro fell off. Not affected were the forest tracks that continue schmalspurig stayed and where the locomotives and freight cars of the narrow gauge railway could continue to be used. 1924 established the New England Power Company, which in 1920 acquired the railway company, another dam, the Harriman Dam. This building forced the railway company to lay their track in 1922 in the northern part higher, as the valley was flooded by the resulting reservoir. This required between Whitingham and Mountain Mills two hairpins are created to overcome the height difference, which extended the driving time.

In November 1927 a flood destroyed parts of the railway, including the Trestle over the Deerfield River shortly before Wilmington. The passenger traffic on the route was replaced by a rail replacement bus services and never resumed. The line was barely repaired and reopened only in 1929. On March 18, 1936, the bridge was again destroyed by a flood. The railway company was sold to a private investor. The places and local businesses trying to reach a reconstruction of the total distance, however, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved on 3 December 1937, the closure of the section Readsboro - Wilmington. The remaining section from Hoosac Tunnel to Readsboro was reopened in 1938.

In 1949 the railway company a steam operation and put diesel locomotives on the route. In 1971 when another dam on the Bear Swamp Reservoir should be built, the rail line would have to be installed again. The railway company decided to abandon for reasons of cost and it covered the distance quietly on October 13, 1971. She was flooded by the reservoir above the Hoosac Tunnel station.

Rolling stock

In fiscal year 1909/10 ordered the still narrow gauge steam engines on six, five cars, two baggage cars, and 115 freight cars.

Passenger

The schedule of 23 June 1913 and the last official schedule before Umspurung, foresaw two daily mixed train pairs, required for the Hoosac Tunnel route - Wilmington 73-90 minutes away. In Hoosac Tunnel was partially connectors facing the Boston and Albany.

According to the timetable of 25 September 1933, was at that time already no more passenger on the track, but it went on weekdays two buses in the rail replacement bus service, which required about 100 minutes for the drive from Hoosac Tunnel to Wilmington, which is significantly longer than the train needed.

The Roadmap from August 1964, only the section to Readsboro is included for freight, including a connection to the Yankee Atomic Electric Co.

References and further reading

  • Bernard R. Carman: Hoot Toot and Whistle. The Story of the Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad. Stephen Greene Press, Brattleboro, VT 1963.
  • George H. Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads 2nd Ed. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 2000, ISBN 0-89024-356-5
  • Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume II New England Press Inc., 1993, ISBN 978-1881535027.
  • Private site on the web with lots of pictures, etc. (English)
  • 1435 mm
  • Former Railroad Company ( Massachusetts)
  • Former Railroad Company ( Vermont)
  • Track width 914 mm

Pictures of Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad

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