Biking

"In the field" railroad history adventures...

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Retracing the Railroad - Morrisville to St. Johnsbury Vermont


Crappy overcast and rainy weather but with a forecast for a clearer afternoon made me get started late and detour up to Morrisville to check on any remaining railroad vestiges before I ventured east to ride the rail trail.

Morrisville

The Morrisville Train Station has been wonderfully restored as a coffee shop and also serves as a trailhead for the rail trail northward.
Nicely restored/preserved
Looking Westward
Looking Eastward
East of the Station
Looks like a pretty serious BBQ!


West Danville

I stopped at West Danville to start my rail trail ride but it started to rain so I ducked onto this quaint spot: a post office and a general store - where I had a homemade beef stew while wanting for the rain to subside.

Danville

Still looking lousy outside, I decided to drive to Danville and start my trek there but first….
I checked out the train station!


Riding the Rail Trail

I started my ride at Marty’s. The sky look ominous but the rain never returned!

Once riding, I did notice this tie plate but otherwise there were very few remnants of the railroading days present.

Once I saw this, I immediately burst into the Beatles Song! :-)

There are quite a few rock cuts on this section of the rail trail (I really enjoy the sensation of riding thru a rail cut).

I have made a brief "one-handed" video of some of the highlights of ride- ENJOY!

On my return back up to Danville, I noticed this pile of ties off to the side.

Trail End (St. Johnsbury)

The trail ends in this nondescript site so I just turned around and rode straight back (but going up the entire way took a little longer).



St. Johnsbury Depot

After my ride, I drove down to St. Johnsbury and visited the railroad station. It is now a welcome center and museum.
Museum Photo - in the heyday of railroading
This was marvelous - see the B&M design etched in the leather?
A map of the yard area in the railroads heyday

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