by Harrison Smith/photos as noted
When most railfans think about heading to Vermont to make photos, the Green Mountain Railroad or Vermont Rail System lines are usually the target. The New England Central’s operations in the Green Mountain State are largely nocturnal, but a trip to the state’s far northwest corner will yield reliable daylight action with easy chasing and scenic views.
History of the Swanton Sub
The New England Central Swanton Sub consists of 18.7 miles of track from St. Albans, Vt., to the United States/Canada border at Alburgh. The Swanton Sub was originally part of the Central Vermont network, an important segment of the bridge route between Montreal and southern New England. Canadian National’s subsidiary Grand Trunk Western owned and controlled the Central Vermont from 1899 until 1995, when the privatization of CN resulted in CV being sold to short line holding company RailTex.
RailTex’s New England Central Railroad (NECR) became the owner of the former CV as far north as the Canadian border, which included most of the Swanton Subdivision. Except for a short period when the NECR operated to Montreal, Canadian National has interchanged with NECR at the latter’s Italy Yard in St. Albans. RailTex was purchased by RailAmerica, another short line holding company, in 2000. Genesee & Wyoming acquired RailAmerica in 2012, and continues to operate the NECR over a decade later.
ABOVE: Canadian National Train M324 arrives at North Junction, the north lead to Italy Yard in St. Albans on October 20, 2024. The view is from the Brigham Road grade crossing. —Dillon Heefner photo
Swanton Subdivision Operations
The NECR Swanton Sub is a railfan’s dream: Operations have remained extremely consistent for many years and favor ideal sunlight. Canadian National train M324 departs Taschereau Yard in Montreal every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday morning. During the winter, M324 operates on Friday in addition to the normal triweekly schedule, with occasional extra runs on other non-scheduled days.
North Elm Street in St. Albans is the best spot in town to catch a variety of action. NECR job 501 spends much of the day (most weekdays) switching cars, frequently crossing the road. CN M324 passes North Elm Street if required to break up their train, and the chip train passes on its way to and from Swanton. Movements that typically occur under darkness include NECR job 502, Amtrak’s Vermonter turning their train, and NECR road trains 323 and 324. The historic CV station is located around the corner, and trains working the yard will often pull up to or past the station while making moves.
Canadian National Train M324 typically arrives at the international border in the mid to late morning. While still in Canada, it will typically call the NECR dispatcher to get track authority on the Swanton Sub. M324 also informs U.S. Customs when it will be arriving, and all of this radio chatter can be heard on the NECR channels (visit radioreference.com for a list). The first location to observe M324 in the United States is at the Greenwoods Road crossing in Alburgh, north of the Customs stop. Due to its extreme proximity to the border, you may be questioned by the U.S. Border Patrol, but the author has never had an issue after explaining his business to them.
ABOVE: Amtrak P42DC 122 leads train 55, the southbound Vermonter out of the St. Albans station, crossing Lake Street, Friday, September 13, 2024. The historic office building in this view was built in the Second Empire-style for the Central Vermont Railway in the 1870s and is now used by the New England Central Railroad. The current Amtrak station building is located behind this large edifice and was formerly a switch house from circa 1900. —Andrew Grahl aerial photo
After arriving in Vermont, M324 will stop at Alburgh Springs Road, where the U.S. Customs VACIS scanner and office are located. Customs agents meet the train crew to exchange paperwork and documents, allowing you time to take photos of the train stopped at the unique apparatus. M324 typically remains stopped for several minutes before Customs gives the order to proceed south at 5 mph.
Once M324 begins moving, it’s best practice to be on the east side of the VT-78 grade crossing in East Alburgh, as the long, slow-moving train will block the road for several minutes and you need to get onto and over the Missisquoi Bridge over Missisquoi Bay, an arm of Lake Champlain, to either shoot from an elevated perch on the highway bridge, or from the east shore. Make the first right onto Lakewood Drive, where excellent views of the train slowly crossing the wooden pile trestle can be had from the correct side of the sunlight.
On a cloudy, overcast day, it’s possible to take photos from the bridge; eastbound traffic will be stopped for the train, allowing for safe stopping on the bridge itself. On a sunny day, the view from the bridge will be completely backlit, and the best photos will be made from a small access area on Lakewood Drive. M324 crawls at 5 mph until the entire train clears the trestle, allowing for multiple angles and worry-free repositioning. Once M324 is halfway across the trestle, you can choose to continue watching it from the view on Lakewood Drive, or you can quickly move to the north side of the crossing on Lakewood for some (slightly backlit) photos of the train entering Swanton. The latter option is recommended if you prefer “shooting heads” and getting right into the chase…
ABOVE: CN M323, with 2324 in the lead, crosses the Alburgh Trestle on May 18, 2023, as seen from Trestle Drive in Alburg. —Harrison Smith photo