An Invitation to Membership


THE CENTRAL VERMONT RAILWAY
A BRIEF HISTORY

The Central Vermont Railway was a north-south railroad serving as a bridge route linking the eastern provinces of Canada with the United States. The CV had its origins as the Vermont Central, chartered in 1843 to build a rail line from the southeastern corner of Vermont, along the Connecticut River to White River Junction and over the Green Mountains to the city of Burlington on the shores of Lake Champlain.
The next 30 years saw rapid expansion of the Vermont Central, including the lease, in 1870, of its major competitor, the Rutland Railroad. The railroad grew rapidly until it controlled track from New London, CT, on Long Island Sound, to Ogdensburg, NY on Lake Ontario„a railroad that was, at that time, the seventh largest in the United States. The state of the national economy and several other factors, including the onerous lease of the Rutland resulted in reorganization of the company which emerged as the Central Vermont Railroad in 1873.
The Central Vermont was acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada in 1896. In 1923, the GTR and several other bankrupt Canadian railways were united to form Canadian National Railway System (CN).
In November, 1927, a massive flood virtually destroyed the CV in north central Vermont. Expending a considerable amount of capital, the CN rebuilt the main line and in early 1928, reorganized the CV as the Central Vermont Railway.
The CV was a railroad with a variety of personalities in the steam era. The Northern Division, from the border with Canada to White River Junction, VT, was a railroad of fast freights, first-class passenger service with an international flair and milk traffic moving through picturesque New England countryside.
The Southern Division operations were a different matter. Rail and bridge restrictions were in effect from Brattleboro, VT to New London, CT, limiting the weight of locomotives and thus tonnage and length of trains. Medium 2-8-0Ís with short trains were the norm, though occasional consists of 75 cars were not uncommon.
For passengers, service consisted of aging Moguls (2-6-0s) pulling wooden cars, or a gas electric, contrasting with the ñspit and polishî of the trains found further north. 
   The CVÍs diesel fleet was as interesting as its steam roster„ first generation EMDs and ALCOs sporting an assortment of attractive paint schemes. Since the early 1900Ís, motive power and rolling stock from other members of the CN corporate family have been seen on the CV regularly „ providing the variety all railfans and modelers enjoy.
The Central Vermont is a railroad with wide appeal and a fascinating history. From steam 4-4-0s to diesel GP-38-2s, from small mountain villages to the sea coast, and all between. If you are a railfan, modeler, historian„or a little of each, you are sure to find something to delight, interest, and inspire you along the Central Vermont Railway. 


THE CENTRAL VERMONT
RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (CVRHS)
The CVRHS is a Not For Profit Historical, Educational and Technical Society chartered in the State of Vermont as a non-profit corporation and as a tax-exempt organization under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to the CVRHS are tax deductible. Among it's purposes, the CVRHS acts as an educational and historical resource, promotes public awareness and disseminates information on railroads, their economics and operations, and cooperates with other historical societies, museums and libraries to preserve the history and artifacts of the Central Vermont Railway and associated companies.
The CVRHS is not associated in any way with the CV Railway Corporation or any of its affiliates or successors.
Another purpose of the Society is to bring together people who share an interest in all facets of the CV, its predecessors, and as has come to pass, its successor. To that end, the Society publishes the Ambassador. 

THE AMBASSADOR
The Ambassador is our medium for mostly original articles of historical interest, anecdotes, and information for modeling purposes, in addition to providing a forum for CV enthusiasts.
Each issue contains something of interest to all CV fans. Equipment histories, roster data, paint schemes, modeling notes, and reports of current news along the railroad make up a typical consist. We also have at least one item featuring some specific era in the railroadÍs history, equipment, or operations. As with all such societies, the CVRHS relies heavily on member submittals for articles.
Meetings and conventions that emphasize the railroad and not society politics, are an annual feature. The first two were held in Saint Albans, VT, 1991 & 1992, the third at White River Junction, VT, in 1993. Succeeding annual conventions have been held in at various significant locations along the Central Vermont main line in both the Northern and Southern divisions.

MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to all and includes a subscription to the Ambassador. For the United States, the dues are $15.00 US for regular membership and $20.00 US for Candian regular membership. Overseas memberships are $25.00 US to defray the extra cost of postage. 
Sustaining members are asked to contribute an additional $5.00, but do not receive anything extra other than an acknowledgment in the Ambassador and a heartfelt ñThank you!î. The additional funds are for improvement of the Ambassador and to provide for projects of benefit to all the members. 
All functions of the Society are conducted by volunteers who receive no compensation for their efforts. 
One of the goals of the Society is to provide Central Vermont fans with a means to exchange information among themselves. To make it as comprehensive as possible we ask you to submit a completed membership form.

Membership Application

Name:________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________
City: _____________________________
State/Prov: _________
ZIP/Postal Code: ___________
Telephone: ________________
E-mail: ___________________


I wish to join as a
__ Regular member ($15.00)
__ Canada ($20.00 US Funds)
__ Overseas Member ($25.00)US Funds.
Sustaining Members please add $5.00. Please make checks payable to CVRHS.

My area of interest in the Central Vermont is: (please check all that apply)
__ History
__ Engineering
__ Personnel
__ Modeling
__ Photos
__ Locomotives
__ Equipment
__ General
__ Preservation

Please exclude my information from the published roster of
__ Addresses
__ E-Mail
__ Telephone
Rev 2008