Update: The service successfully completed Friday, December 23rd.
Having been helped by the Agency of Transportation to rebuild, the railroads are now helping the Agency of Transportation by running stone trains to help rebuild 107 in Bethel. The trains are loaded in the Vermont Rail System yard in Burlington and run by the New England Central Railroad using locomotives from both railroads and cars from Amtrak, RailAmerica, CN and Pan-Am.
Here's a link to a really nicely done TV story with some great video footage of the train being loaded, running and unloaded.
According to Kevin Burkholder, writing for Trains Magazine, the Vermont Agency of Transportation "estimates it needs 150,000 cubic yards of rock and material to restore the road and access to homes and businesses that have been inaccessible for two months." Rebuilding the road, which was partially washed into the river, was complicated by weight restrictions on bridges that access it. The rail shuttle solves that issue. Giant highway building construction trucks pick up the rock directly after it is dumped off the side of the bank in Bethel.
Please note that the operation is not for sightseers! This is hard hat territory! Please keep your good sense and your distance.
The rock is taken from the F.W. Whitcomb quarry in Colchester to the Burlington rail yard by the dump trucks of Barrett Trucking, which also delivers rail hauled rock salt.
Steve Coomes, General Manager of the New England Central Railroad told Trains Magazine that, “This is truly a showing of teamwork between the state’s railroads to make the project work.”
The Agency of Transportation's Acting Rail Director, Trini Brassard told Trains Magazine: “Following Irene, the highways helped get the railroads back in service, and now the railroads are helping get the highways back in service.”
This photo is by Dick Hosking. The Vermont Strong spirit of teamwork and Get 'er Done attitude in action!
