Vermont Central Railroad Co. (Northfield, Vt.)

The Vermont Central Railroad, initially planned to connect Windsor with Burlington, was built between 1845-1849. Charles Paine, the first president of the Vermont Central, used his political clout to ensure a route through his hometown of Northfield, rather than along a shorter and flatter route through Williamstown. His successful insistence on this route produced great dissension among the board of directors, and consternation from those in Barre and (particularly) Montpelier, which were bypassed by the selected route. The branch line which was to be built into those communities was not viewed as a satisfactory solution, and many former backers of the venture withdrew their financial support.

Construction of the 116 mile line was at a considerable cost; the general contractor, Sewall F. Belknap, eventually defaulted and the construction was completed by other contractors. Charles Paine was personally brought to financial ruin as well. The total cost of constructing and equipping the railroad exceeded $4.1 million.

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