A Rutland Railroad passenger train makes its way across the marble causeway from Burlington to South Hero and on to Alburg. The route was later expanded to Montreal.
The Island Line service continued until 1963. The rail bed is now used for the alternate transportation route (bike path) connecting the same route via ferry during the month of August.
This photo was taken in 1949 and depicts the savage beatings the causeway took from the ice floes and wind on Lake Champlain.
Here is one of the four manually operated draw bridges connecting the causeway that spanned the lake for over six miles. The causeway project cost $1,000,000 and employed 500 men to complete at the turn of the century.
These bridges used a hand operated bloc system of red and green lights to signal the approaching train of the position as it neared the span. Closed.....green over red.....open red over red.....signaling it to stop 300 feet from entry.
This station had an agent and telegraph operator on duty for several hours a day. The passenger service was terminated in the early 1940's, but freight trains continue to roll today.
This RR bridge is an open 278 x 20 foot span supported by 76 foot high arches allowing the tracks to cross the Winooski River. Considerable repairs were made in 1937.
This train is crossing the Porter land on its way to Mills point and on thru the islands. New markets are now open. With the advent of the RR's the local farmer could get his produce to large cities in one day via refrigerated box car.
St. Michael's College can be seen in the background as trolley tracks pass under stately elm trees on Route 15. A bus service replaced the trolley in the 1940's.
Those people utilizing the hospital facilities in the early 1900's could travel by electric trolley from as far away as Burlington and Essex Junction making the necessary transfers to the Military Post Railway from connecting railroads.
