Canadian Pacific Lines in Vermont

The lines of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) operated in the State of Vermont were set up as a separate company to comply with Interstate Commerce Commission regulations and were considered a Class I U.S. railroad (in 1950, railroads with operating revenues over $1 million). The company operated 90 miles (140 km) of railway in Vermont.

Canadian Pacific Lines in Vermont
Overview
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Reporting markCP
LocaleRichford, Vermont, Newport, Vermont, Wells River, Vermont
SuccessorCanadian Pacific Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

History

The CP's lines in Vermont were composed of the former Newport and Richford Railroad, leased to the Canadian Pacific in 1881, along with 64 miles (103 km) of former Boston and Maine trackage from Newport to Wells River. A portion of the route between Newport and Richford enters the Canadian province of Quebec. The Newport-Wells River, in conjunction with the Boston and Maine, served as a through route between Montreal, Quebec, and Boston, Massachusetts. The CP, together with the B&M, operated a day passenger train, the Alouette, and a night passenger train, the Red Wing, over this route. The Vermont lines did not connect with another CP subsidiary in the United States, the Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the company reported financial losses for a few years, in contrast to other Canadian-owned lines in the U.S.[1][2]

In 1950, the freight revenue from this line was $1.9 million, with an additional $162,000 in passenger receipts, qualifying it as a Class I railroad in the United States.

Service came to a temporary halt on Friday August 27, 1966, when sixteen trade unions in Canada stopped work in a nationwide strike action to demand higher pay rates.[3][4][5] Parliament put forth a back-to-work bill the following Monday,[6] and union leaders opted to honor the Parliament's request, officially ending the strike on September 2 (although some scattered railroad workers still refused to return to work, and many local union chapters enacted a work slowdown action).[7][8]

Vermont filed an opposition to the B&M sale to Guilford Transportation in 1981 citing the potential for predatory competition to CP and the Lamoille Valley Railroad.[9]

References
  1. "Losses of More Than $10,000,000 Reported by 10 Railroads". The Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. December 17, 1938. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Canadian Rails in U.S. Show Higher Earnings". National Post. Toronto. July 19, 1941. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Vermont Press Bureau (August 25, 1966). "Canada Strike to Seal Border". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Associated Press (August 27, 1966). "Canadian Railroad Strike Disrupts Vermont Service". The Burlington Free Press. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. UPI (August 27, 1966). "Railroad Strike Hits Canada". Bennington Banner. Bennington, VT. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. UPI (August 30, 1966). "Solution may be hours away in Canadian railroad strike". The Montana Standard. Butte, MT. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Associated Press (September 2, 1966). "Canadian Railroad Strike Ends; Some Workers Still Reluctant". Tucson Citizen. Tucson, AZ. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Associated Press (September 3, 1966). "Trains Run Again in Canada". The Burlington Free Press. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Vt. opposing Guilford's bid for the B&M". The Boston Globe. December 25, 1981. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.


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