Vermont Rail System, the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad and timeless New England scenery will headline the 2015 NRHS convention in Rutland, Vermont. Plans are being finalized for the June 14-20 convention, where members can choose from seven days of rare excursion trains and historic tours.
Convention trains currently include the following:
- A Vermont Rail System “photo freight” from Rutland to Ludlow and return, powered by a classic Alco RS-1 engine, through the scenery of the Green Mountains (June 14).
- A Saratoga & North Creek passenger trip from Saratoga Springs, NY, to North Creek and return, following the scenic Hudson River and led by rare BL2 diesels (June 15); passengers will have the option of riding Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express between Rutland and Saratoga Springs.
- A VRS passenger trip from Rutland to Bellows Falls and return over the Green Mountain Railroad and the former route of the original Steamtown excursions (June 16).
- A VRS passenger trip from Rutland to Burlington and return, including a two-hour layover at the Burlington waterfront or a three-hour tour of the famous Shelburne Museum (June 18).
- A rare mileage trip from Rutland to the Omya processing plant on the remains of the original Clarendon & Pittsford Railroad near Florence, VT (June 19).
- A VRS passenger excursion between Rutland and North Bennington/Hoosic Junction and return, passing the one-time home of Norman Rockwell and the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln and the president of Pullman Palace Car Company (June 20).
Tickets are expected to go on sale in mid-September; watch for updates on NRHS.com and our Facebook page. Dome, lounge and business car seating will be available, as well as coach and table seats; premium seating tickets will be limited.
Public tickets will also be sold for an afternoon “Father’s Day” excursion (June 21) on the Green Mountain Railroad between Rutland and Ludlow, passing Summit station, the site of the driving of the final spike on the Bellows Falls-to-Burlington route. These tickets will be sold by both NRHS and VRS. The train’s 4 p.m. return to Rutland will allow passengers to easily transfer to Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express bound for New York City.
Non-rail events will include heritage tours covering the New England Maple Museum, Cabot Cheese, Quechee Gorge State Park, the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, the Vermont Marble Museum and more. Also taking place are the NRHS annual membership meeting and banquet, plus history seminars about regional railroading.
The convention will be based at the Rutland Holiday Inn, which will host all convention meetings, seminars and the annual banquet. The hotel is offering a special room rate of $99 for one person, $119 for two, $139 for three and $159 for four, which includes a free hot buffet breakfast offered in advance of event departures.
Watch for an announcement here when tickets go on sale!
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