Rutland & Burlington Rail-Road Company

Product Details

Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Rutland & Burlington Rail-Road Company dating back to the 1850's. This document, which has been signed by the company President and Treasurer, was printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson and measures approximately 9 1/4" (w) by 5 3/8" (h).

This certificate features four great vignettes - the Vermont State Seal at the top, and a very detailed wharf scene flanked by a pair of farming scenes at the left side.

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

The Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to build between Rutland and Burlington. When the Vermont legislature created the state railroad commission in 1855 to oversee railway construction, maintenance, and operations, the first person appointed to the position was Charles Linsley, the Rutland and Burlington's counsel, and a member of its board of directors. A number of other railroads were formed in the region, and by 1867 the Rutland & Burlington Railroad had changed its name to simply the Rutland Railroad.

Between 1871 and 1896 the Rutland Railroad was leased to the Central Vermont, regaining its independence when that road entered receivership. The New York Central Railroad briefly had a controlling interest in the Rutland from 1904, but sold half of its shares to the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1911.

In 1901, the Rutland Railroad completed construction of a system of causeways and trestles across Lake Champlain, through the Champlain islands, to connect between Burlington, Vermont and Rouses Point, New York. The purpose of this construction was to give the Rutland access to Canada independent of the tracks of the competing Central Vermont. At the final approach to Rouses Point, though, both companies did end up sharing the same bridge over the Richelieu River by using an unusual gauntlet track that allowed sharing without the need for switches. The causeway between Burlington and South Hero built at that time is today maintained as a recreation trail called The Island Line Trail. The company also had a line from Rutland, southeast to Bellows Falls, in southeastern Vermont, opposite New Hampshire, and a line from Rutland south to North Bennington, thence to Chatham, New York. Chatham was a major junction for connections via the New York Central to New York City and the Boston & Albany Railroad service to Massachusetts.

The railroad operated a day passenger train, the Green Mountain Flyer, and a night train counterpart, the Mount Royal, from Montreal to New York City, via Burlington and Rutland.

The Rutland's primary freight traffic was derived from dairy products and to many the railroad is fondly remembered for the long trains of milk that used to move over the system. At its peak the Rutland served about a 400-mile system that roughly resembled an upside-down "L" running from Chatham, New York north to Alburgh, Vermont (the railroad's northernmost terminus was Noyan, Quebec) and thence west to Ogdensburg, New York along the St. Lawrence River. Never a solid financial operation, the Rutland entered receivership for the first time in 1938. Cost cutting, including wage reduction, brought things around. A reorganization in 1950 changed the name from Rutland Railroad to Rutland Railway.

After World War II the decline continued; many branches were closed down. In 1950 the company was reorganized as the Rutland Railway. The year 1953 brought three weeks of employee strike action, which killed off the remaining passenger service on the line. In 1955, the Rutland retired its last steam locomotives.