Eastern Railroad Discussion > Chasing an SD70M-2 across Vermont

Vermont Rail System runs a train south out of Rutland six days a week.  The usual routine is to alternate between Rutland-to-Bennington and Rutland-to Bellows Falls.  October 6, 2026 was a Bellows Falls day.

Train 263's crew went on duty in Rutland at 08:00 and shuffled around some cars for a while before eventually leaving town at 08:53.  I'm not sure if they needed that much power, but SD70M-2 VTR 431 was the leader with trailing GP38s VTR 216, 206, 215, 214.  Although 3 of the 38s still have blue leaser paint, they all have VTR reporting marks now.  By 09:25 they had reached the Cuttingsville Trestle (not really a trestle), one of the iconic locations on the former Green Mountain line.

While the Cuttingsville shot might be a tad overdone (but you have to do it anyway!) the next shot here is a bit less common.  After making stops at Ludlow and Smithville, the train winds through Cavendish Gulch, a steep sided, tree lined canyon that  doesn't allow much sunlight to illuminate the track.  We did find this one spot between MP 20 and 21 where the nose of SD70M-2 was lit sporadically, and the fall foliage on the hillside in the background didn't hurt either.

As the train emerges from the Gulch it crosses the Williams River yet again and gets out into the full sunlight at Gassetts.  The river overflowed its banks here, and in many other places, a couple years ago, causing headaches for the railroad, and much new ballast had to be dumped.

GTD

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Great photos!

Dan

Posted from iPhone

Geoff,
Your photos and reports are always appreciated. Thank you for sharing
gonut

Nice catch and beautiful shots. Number 1 is definitely IOTD material...

JG

A good catch, and just in time - 431 and 432 have reportedly been sold.

Nice pics!!