Vermont Railway

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Vermont Railway
Reporting marks	VTR
Locale	Vermont
Dates of operation	1964 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Burlington, Vermont

The Vermont Railway operates the section of the former Rutland Railroad from Burlington to Bennington, Vermont under the direction of the State of Vermont, which owns the line.

A crippling strike in 1961 shut down the Rutland Railroad for good, and the railroad was officially abandoned in 1963. Much of the western side of the state of Vermont was left without rail service as a result, though the need existed for continued service. The state had acquired the track prior to abandonment (in an effort to save the Rutland) and a new operator was found. Jay Wulfson came to Vermont from New Jersey to create the Vermont Railway on the 6th of January, 1964. The line initially consisted of 125 miles of track from White Creek, NY (an interchange with the Boston & Maine) to Bennington, Vt, and north to Burlington. Operations began in 1964, and immediately the railroad was such a success that they had to order larger locomotives. It was the nations first Public/Private railroad, and the first railroad to be built from the ashes of an abandoned company. Through keeping the purse strings tight and agressively seeking new ways to attract customers, Vermont Railway has proven successfull. In 1967, VTR got into the intermodal business by purchasing a fleet of highway trailers. In 1972, the VTR purchased the Clarendon & Pittsford from Vermont Marble Co. In 1983, VTR Purchased the Delaware & Hudson Railroad's Whitehall, NY to Rutland, VT branch and assigned it to Clarendon and Pittsford. The CLP's original line, parallel to VTR's main line, was torn up a few years later with exception to a couple spurs and a branch to Florence, VT to serve a Limestone quarry. In 1997, Vermont Rail System was formed when VTR acquired controlling interest of Green Mountain Railroad. Since 2000, VRS has acquired The New York and Ogdensburg railroad, completing ownership of the last remaining miles of the Rutland railroad. Washington County Railroad was recently acquired as was the trackage of the former Northern Vermont Railroad as the Connecticut River Division of the Washington County Railroad.

Vermont Railway, still owned by the Wulfson family, is now part of the Vermont Rail System, which also operates the Green Mountain Railroad, the New York & Ogdensburg Railroad, and the Washington County Railway.