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The Northwest Vermont Rail-Trail Council Thursday, October 24, 2002 In 1984, a train derailment caused the bridge Join Lt. Governor Douglas Racine in Light refreshments will be served. Further info: |
| Mileage | Station or crossing |
|---|---|
| 0.0 | St. Albans |
| 1.0 | No. Main St. |
| 1.2 | Sheldon Rd. |
| 2.7 | Sholan |
| 3.1 | Robinsons |
| 4.4 | Greens Corners |
| 8.7 | Sheldon Springs |
| 9.4 | McLeod |
| 10.3 | Sheldon Junction |
| 10.5 | Fair Grounds |
| 12.6 | North Sheldon |
| 12.9 | Spooners |
| 13.7 | River Side Camp |
| 14.6 | South Franklin |
| 15.1 | Beatty |
| 17.1 | Burt |
| 17.8 | Enosburg Falls |
| 20.1 | Brooks |
| 20.5 | North Enosburg |
| 21.5 | Sampsonville |
| 22.3 | Kendall |
| 23.0 | East Berkshire |
| 23.8 | Brown House |
| 24.3 | Nutting Bridge |
| 25.0 | Ladds |
| 26.8 | Hardwood Hill |
| 27.5 | Richford |
Bold face indicates Station
Light face indicates highway crossing
Italic face indicates point beyond the end of trail.
From the Central Vermont Railway public timetable for the Richford Branch effective June 15, 1924.
The preceding railroad mileage chart also serves as a table of contents for the supplementary rail-trail information and associated pictures that has been collected by the Webmaster.
A printed trail facilities guide has been published in June of 1999 and copies are available at local business firms along the trail. Copies can also be requested through the Publications Clearinghouse of the Lake Champlain Bikeways Web Site. Note that this guide includes the official mileage chart, detailed maps of the trail, a description of the scenery to be enjoyed in each section of the trail, the listings of various services and facilities available along the trail, as well as side trips that might be taken.
Note that the Spring 2002 issue of the newsletter notes that this trail guide has been updated. The new guide will be available at sign-in boxes along the trail next spring, or call Cynthia at 802-933-8851.
The Northwestern Vermont Rail Trail Council is the local coordinating agency for the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. As such, it holds business meetings from time to time. Newsletters will be posted below upon receipt, while meeting notices and the minutes thereof will be posted on the Council's Web Page upon receipt. Note that these meeting minutes often carry trail news that is not available elsewhere!
The engineering study of the alternatives for replacing the missing Missisquoi River bridge span at Sheldon Junction. This study includes the relocation and appropriate modification of a suitable historic highway bridge, a prefabricated multi-modal trail span, and the construction of a new railroad span identical to the existing spans.
The Council needs your help to make the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail a premier national example of a community-based recreation path. The Vermont Agency of Transportation funded the trail's construction. However, ongoing maintenance and trail improvements are the responsibility of local communities, the Rail Trail Council, and everyone who supports or uses the trail.
By becoming a Trail Ambassador, you can help to ensure that the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail continues to be a friendly and inviting resource for all trail users and a good neighbor to adjacent businesses and homeowners. Trail Ambassadors act as vital links in the neighborhood-to-Council connection. They promote trail safety and relay information between the Northwest Vermont Rail Trail Council and trail users.
Greyhound Lines
provides intercity bus service to St. Albans
from Montreal and Burlington on
a daily basis, with connecting service on a State-wide and
nationwide basis. Summary timetables and fares are available at
the Official Greyhound Lines
Web Site, while the detailed timetable can be found at the Vermont
Transit Web Site. Note that Vermont Transit accepts
bicycles in boxes on a space available basis.
Amtrak
operates the Vermonter
between St. Albans and Washington
DC via White River Junction VT and
Springfield MA on a daily basis. This train includes a
baggage car with special
racks for bikes and skis, that will accept unboxed bikes and
skis by advance reservation at all stops except Claremont, NH.
Amtrak also accepts bikes and skis in boxes on a nationwide basis at selected
stations as checked baggage. Note that DVARP Web Site has the
Vermonter
schedule, all other Amtrak Schedules, and many commuter train schedules
in the traditional timetable format.
Northwest
Vermont Public Transit Network operates a local
transit service within St. Albans, and also
makes three round trips on the highway that parallels the trail
to Richford. A second bus serves
Grand Isle County, Swanton, and Georgia. A bike rack will be installed on
these busses in the near future, but the operator will accommodate a
couple of bikes in the rear of the bus during the interim period.
Note that this bus presumably operates on weekdays only!
Island
Runner is a Seasonal ferry operated by Vermont State Parks
(Formerly Burton Island Ferry) between:
Each location map on this Web Site is a link to a
map on the Mapblast Web Site
which in turn contains a link to a Business Directory of the
surrounding area.
Books about the trail:
A 27 mile section of the Trail from St Albans (Route 7 & 105) to Richford is described in section 29 of the Official Rails-to-Trails Conservancy New England Guidebook by Cynthia Mascott published in 2000 by Globe Pequot Press. This trail listing contains a photograph, historical description, trail head directions and parking, a trail map, trail details, a local trail manager contact, and much more.
This trail is described in Great Rail Trails of the Northeast by Craig Della Penna. The information includes a historical background of the trail as well as a detailed description keyed to bicycle odometer readings from the author's in person trip down the trail. This book is currently out of print, but copies are still available in many bookstores.
| Item | From | To | Year | RR | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 382 | St. Albans | Sheldon Jct | 1990 | CV | 9.4 |
| 394 | Sheldon Jct | Richford | 1992 | CV | 17.4 |
Directory of rail abandonments 1848-1994 in the book Lost Railroads of New England, 2nd Ed. by Ronald Dale Karr, published by Branch Line Press in 1996.
| Project Name | Year | City | County | Federal $ | Local $ | Total $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Vermont Rail Trail | 1993 | N/A | N/A | $320,000 | $80,000 | $400,000 |
This list is drawn on April 16, 2000 from a database maintained by the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse. Direct questions to NTEC at 1-888-388-NTEC or by email to [email protected].
Sign images are from the Manual of Traffic Signs by Richard C. Moeur.
Updated on October 14, 2002 by Kenyon F.
Karl <[email protected]>.
Unintentional errors are likely!
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