Old rail car on track for city
Toolbox
By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: September 29, 2009
Rutland City is on track to soon reclaim a rare artifact from its storied rail past.
At the request of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, Vermont Railway Inc. has agreed to donate to the city a 1913 Rutland Railway coach car, one of two original Rutland cars that will be taken out of service on the Green Mountain Flyer this year.
David Wulfson, president of Vermont Railway Inc., said his company will also provide the rail siding for the car, which the chamber hopes will be a centerpiece for a train depot or museum near the downtown train station.
There's just one caveat: The city must construct a covered structure that will protect the car from the elements before taking delivery. To help get that effort off the ground, the chamber Executive Director Tom Donahue and President John Valente on Monday convened the first meeting of what they're calling the "On Track Committee."
Donahue and Valente hand-picked a group of city officials, business community members and rail supporters they said have the will to guide the project through every hurdle — including first selecting and getting clearance for a location and later fundraising to cover construction costs.
On Monday, architect Edward Clark, of Nimtz, Berryhill and Figiel Architects was asked to speak to his firm's partners about designing a structure to cover the car, while city officials including Mayor Christopher Louras and the Downtown Rutland Partnership's Michael Coppinger were tasked with researching site possibilities. While the city owns the land that the train station and some of the surrounding parking lot sit on, Centro Properties owns much of the rest of the Rutland Shopping Plaza.
Once architectural plans are created, developer Joe Giancola, who was also asked to join the committee, has agreed to handle the construction, design and engineering, which includes coming up with cost estimates for the project.
At that point, the committee will then turn to fundraising. Ideas suggested on Monday included tapping the Zamias Fund, exploring Agency of Transportation enhancement grant opportunities and invoking the train station dedication to former Sen. James Jeffords as a fundraising tool — which is where committee members such as Rutland City Democratic state Rep. Steve Howard and Pat Menduni, a former Jeffords staffer, were asked for their input.
While there is no set timeline for the project, it's unlikely it will be completed this year, according to Donahue. He said he'd like to hold the next committee meeting within a month to keep the project's momentum alive.
Dovetailing with the project was news from Friends of Rutland Rail member Herb Font-Russell that Amtrak, enthused by the community's revived interest in promoting their Ethan Allen passenger service, has agreed to make several enhancements to the train station. Those will include a new, lighted sign at the station's peak, solar-powered Amtrak signs at each of the two Evelyn Street entrances to the plaza, a new public address system and a digital board inside the station, Font-Russell said.
"Amtrak is just thrilled with Rutland right now," Font-Russell said. "They'll do anything for Rutland because they're thrilled with the recent interest."
Creating a train attraction around a retired train car is not a new concept; White River Junction has also taken ownership of an antique car and built a structure which Donahue, Valente and Font-Russell have all visited as they consider how to create a similar attraction in Rutland. The Shelburne Museum also houses several antique cars and will receive the second car that's being retired from the Green Mountain Flyer, according to Wulfson.
"If they just sit around they're going to go into disrepair," Wulfson said. "I'd just as soon put them on display for the public. … It will be interesting to see this put in Rutland."
stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com
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