Manchester, Dorset and Granville Railroad

The Manchester, Dorset and Granville Railroad was a railroad in Vermont ( United States). It was founded by the Norcross - West Marble Company on 21 June 1902, intended to establish a cross-connection between the running in a north-south direction stretches of the Rutland Railroad and the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad.

History

The course should branch off in Manchester from the railway Rutland Hoosick Junction and lead to the northwest over Dorset, where there were significant marble quarries, up to Granville on the railway line Castleton Eagle Bridge. Construction began in January 1903 and already on April 1 of the year went to the 8.19 km long section to the quarry in Dorset in operation. The ownership of the track were complicated. The Einfahrweiche in Manchester railway station and 50 meters of the track belonged to the Rutland Railroad, the subsequent 219.5 meters belonged to the quarry company, and the rest of the route of the railway company.

The further construction was omitted because a profitability seemed not guaranteed. On September 23, 1903, recorded by a passenger car was added to all freight trains with two pairs of trains weekday the first unofficial passenger. It was not until the mid- 1910s appeared on the web in official timetables. However Haupttransportgut was degraded in Dorset marble. 1913 took over the Vermont Marble Company railway operation and the quarries in the area of Dorset. Lack of profitability and due to the increasing competition from the roads the route on June 1, 1918 shut down and dismantled later. Popularly known as the web Mud, Dirt and Gravel Railroad (mud, dirt and bulkheads travel path ) was known.

Following closure of the tracks were first obtained. 1924 wanted two smaller local quarry operator to revive the route. They built a gasoline-powered truck to a rail vehicle and transported small amounts of marble South Dorset to Manchester. In 1925, this has ceased operations. 1934 sold to the railroad tracks to a scrap dealer and the line was dismantled. On February 28, 1936, Manchester, Dorset and Granville Railroad Company was officially dissolved.

Rolling stock

The Company had 1911 a locomotive, a passenger car and ten flat freight cars available. The first locomotive ( road number 1) was an acquired by the Rutland Railroad locomotive used the wheel arrangement 4-4-0. Also, the first passenger car ( road number 100) was acquired second hand, from the Cumberland Valley Railroad. This was in 1906 damaged in an accident and replaced by a purchased by the Rutland Railroad cars. 1913 took the operator of the train, the Vermont Marble Company, the locomotive No. 1 out of service and replaced it with a locomotive with the wheel arrangement 0-6-0, which was acquired by the Vermont Marble also of belonging Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad and the operation number 2 received.

Operation

On the way to the quarry the locomotive pushed the cars, but pulled the wagons. On the way to Manchester pulled the locomotive, riding backwards, the whole train, at the end of which was the passenger cars. Fixed breakpoints for passengers there were in Manchester, South Dorset, Dorset and at the quarry, but kept the trains, if necessary, on the open road for to ascend and descend.

Accidents

Only an accident, the property, but without personal injury, ended with a high, occurred on the track. On July 6, 1906, at three quarry just loaded freight cars broke from her anchorage and rolled downhill leaderless, only shortly after the regular train had left the station. Only a few minutes after the train arrived in Manchester and the locomotive was uncoupled, drove the marble fully loaded freight cars standing on the track in the passenger cars. The passenger car was then only used as a tool storage room and a flat freight wagon was equipped with makeshift benches. Due to numerous complaints by passengers, however, they purchased shortly afterwards a used passenger cars of the Rutland Railroad.

References and further reading

• Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume II New England Press Inc., Shelburne, VT 1993, ISBN 978-1881535027. .
• Robert M. Lindsell: The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 2000, ISBN 0-942147-06-5.

• 1435 mm
• Former Railroad Company ( Vermont)