Island Pond, Vermont
Photo by the author
Deep in the "Northeast Kingdom" of Vermont lies Island
Pond. Home to the first international railway in North America,
Island Pond is located midway on the Grand Trunk Railway between
Portland, Maine and Montreal, Quebec. On July 18, 1853 the first
through trains ran on the line which was foreseen as one link in a world
wide railway and steamship transportation network.
The present grand brick and stone station was constructed in 1904
when the Grand Trunk was in the midst of a great expansion scheme all
the way to the Pacific coast! The company was led by Charles M. Hayes, a
rail entrepreneur of boundless energy. Island Pond reached its
zenith of railroad activity about 1912. Residents could travel to
Portland, Lewiston, Sherbrooke or Montreal utilizing the excellent
passenger service to shop, and return the same day. Boston and
Montreal newspapers were readily available. Disaster, however,
struck when Mr. Hayes was lost in the sinking of the Titanic in
April 1912. This blow, coupled with severe competition from
financially stronger roads such as the Canadian Pacific, and a changing
Canadian and U.S. economy after World War I rendered Island Pond as a
town frozen in its past.
Grand Trunk Railway, Island Pond, Vermont,
August 1993.
Veteran steam photographer, Philip R. Hastings often journeyed to
the remote town in pursuit of the Grand Trunk, by now a part of the
vaster Canadian National system. Island Pond offered a unique
blend of Vermont scenery, situated on the forested shores of the huge
pond, and steam in abundance during the days when steam power was fast
disappearing from the rest of the New England landscape. Make it a point
to visit Island Pond if you journey to the "Northeast
Kingdom". You'll be enthralled by the timeless beauty of the
location, and its fascinating railroad history.
