The rail crossing of the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 (United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

) at this location originates from the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad. The V&MRR was chartered in 1844 and completed an extension between Millers Falls, Massachusetts

Millers Falls, Massachusetts

Millers Falls is a census-designated place in the town of Montague in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,072 at the 2000 census...

 and Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...

 by 1850. Alvah Crocker

Alvah Crocker

Alvah Crocker was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in Leominster, Massachusetts, Crocker attended the public schools and Groton Academy. He was first employed in a paper mill at Franklin, New Hampshire, in 1820...

, a paper and railroad magnate and U.S. Representative, was the first president of the V&MRR. Initially, the V&MRR was operated by Crocker's Fitchburg Railroad

Fitchburg Railroad

The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...

.

This rail bridge is used by Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's Vermonter

Vermonter

Amtrak's Vermonter is a 611-mile passenger train service between St. Albans , New York City and Washington, D.C. One trip runs in each direction per day....

 passenger service.

General references

• USGS
  United States Geological Survey
  The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
  
   Warwick, Massachusetts-New Hampshire-Vermont Quadrangle Map, March 1894, reprinted October 1915. Historic USGS Maps of New England & New York, University of New Hampshire Library Digital Collections Initiative.