Troy & Rutland Rail Road Company

The Troy & Rutland Rail Road Company (T&R) was a division of the much larger Rutland Railroad. Although the Rutland operated for more than a century, the Troy & Rutland existed as such for only six of those years. The Troy & Rutland was chartered on April 10, 1849, but financial issues prevented the start of construction until the following year, and it was not completed until early 1852. The T&R directors contracted with Barker, Sipperly & Company to build what would become the southern portion of the Rutland Railroad's domain by connecting Salem Village at the Vermont state line to Eagle Bridge in Rensselaer, NY. Upon completion, the railroad served dual purposes by transporting passengers and freight. Although the Troy & Rutland spanned less than 40 miles, it was part of nearly 400 miles of track operated by the Rutland Railroad, extending all the way up to Montreal. The T&R had only just become fully operational when it was leased to the Rutland & Washington Railroad.