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Severe Snow Blocks the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad

An Engine Wrecked and Engineer Injured in the Storm

A brutal winter storm derailed a freight engine and stranded trains for hours — a small but telling snapshot of how weather crippled 19th-century rail travel.

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Burlington Weekly Free Press · February 13, 1885 · Page 1

1 min read

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt.

Wednesday was the severest day of the winter at St. Johnsbury. The St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain railroad was blocked with snow, and trains were four hours behind time. Tuesday night an engine on a freight train jumped the track, was badly smashed, and the engineer somewhat injured.

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