The War Years and After (1941-1960)
After WWII, many of the railroad companies abandoned lines and went out of business.
The following timeline chronicles the WWII years and the final years for many of the Vermont lines.
By the early 1940s, passenger service was discontinued on the CVR branch lines. In 1938, service was terminated in Cambridge, Alburg, Richford, and Barre. Freight traffic, however, remained heavy, including the daily "Newsboy" train that operated out of Montreal.
The CVR had a bit of fortune again during the WWII years. The largest passenger service since Dewey Day was the weekend of March 21-22, 1943, when 22 troop trains left Fort Ethan Allen on the Burlington branch to Quebec.
In 1946, three steamers were discontinued: "New London," "New York," and "Vermont".
On May 17, 1946, the federal government once again seizes control of the railroads, in order to avert worker strikes.
Ceremonies were held in St. Albans on October 18, 1950 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first train in the city. Engine 601 was renamed "City of St. Albans." Another centennial celebration took place in Northfield on October 6, 1951, and Engine 700 was renamed "Norwich University."
The branch between Barre and South Barre was abandoned on December 29, 1950. A number of other lines were abandoned after the war, as the automobile is the dominant form of transportation during the 1950s and beyond.
