March 5th, 2016
The final leg of our trip saw us wake up to the persistent sound of a symmetric braking unit on the scanner in Bellows Falls, which led us to parked-running Guilford engines on the Walpole side of the river, before we turned north to see the Claremont and Concord, west to Rutland, and north to Burlington, stumbling completely by chance on a local working the Omya plant in Florence that we did not hear on the radio. We wrapped up our impromptu vacation stopping in Montreal to visit family.
Bellows Falls, Vermont
(map) Vermont Rail System member Green Mountain Railway meets the NECR at Bellows Falls. There is purported to be a GMRS Alco RS-1 here, as well. It is directly across the river from North Walpole, New Hampshire.
Claremont, New Hampshire
(map) Claremont is the junction and interchange of the NECR and the Concord and Claremont Railroad (CCRR), between North Walpole, New Hampshire, and White River Junction, Vermont.
Rutland, Vermont
(map) Called Vermont's rail hub by the Vermont Rail System, this city on the New York border is not a fantastic railfanning spot, though not for a lack of good trains. The main drag through town offers few good locations and the yard, found at the East end of a stretch of track common to 4 VRS lines is not very accessible. Outside of the city there are many nice locations but with only a couple of trains per day, understanding the cryptic clearances is critical. Rutland is not really near anything in Vermont, but is along the Western boarder of the state about an hour North of Massachusetts.
Florence, Vermont
Florence is the small town hosting an Omya plant north of Rutland.
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A Vermont Rail System local works the Omya facility in Florence, Vermont.
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A Vermont Rail Systems local switches the Omya plant in Florence, Vermont.
St. Albans, Vermont
(map) CN and NECR (New England Central Railway) meet at St. Albans. Amtrak's Vermonter originates here at 06:35 and returns at 20:45. There is a large yard in the town and the station is sufficiently well lit for readable night shots without a tripod or flash in the winter.
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is the junction point of the CP, AMT, CN.
