NEB&W Guide to North Bennington, VT

• [Prototype photo c. 1950, unknown photographer, from our collection.]

Ice House

• The ice house was on one leg of the wye. The model was scratchbuilt by Brian Albrecht.
  • [Prototype view showing Jeff English and Paul Hubbs measuring the building in 1973. Note the same red and white stick leaning up against the corner as used in a number of photos we took at this time.]
  • [Prototype view, other end, c. 1971, taken with a lousy Instamatic.]
  • [Model photo.]

• In steam days, an anonymous photographer took a snapshot of a Mikado coming around the wye behind the ice house.
  • [Snapshot.]

• Jim Shaughnessy caught a VTR train on the wye, with the ice house in the back on the left.
  • [Prototype view c. 1970.]

• On the layout, NEB&W switcher 106 pauses between the freight house and the ice house.
  • [Model photo by Lou Sassi.]

Freight House

• The office end of the freight house was octagonal. Originally it was two-tone green, standard Rutland colors. By 1972, it had been painted a solid dark green. A few years later it was painted red with white trim.
  • [End view c. '64. Photo in our collection.]
  • [Similar end view c. '72. (Taken by my Instamatic.)]
  • [Broadside view of one end c. 1970's. Note the red and white scaling stick.]
  • [Broadside view of the other end c. 1970's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 2002.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 2002.]
  By the way, this is a Queen Anne style building - the half-octagonal hip roof on the one end, the diamond panes in the upper window section.

• Geoff Hubbs scratchbuilt our model of the freight house.
  • [Model photo by James Lauser of the freight house with the ice house behind.]
  • [A low level model photo.]
  • [The NEB&W switcher runs between the freight house (behind) and the ice house.]

The Water Tower

• The water tower was located on the south leg of the wye, between the diverging tracks. A water column was in the middle of the small yard.
  • [Prototype steam-era photo, of one of the first Exchange Club Specials. (Unknown photographer, from our collection.]

• The water tower lasted almost a decade after steam was retired.
  • [Prototype photo c. 1965, by Jim Shaughnessy, from his The Rutland Road.]
  • [Prototype color view c. '64 with the tower in the distance. Photo in our collection.]

• Geoff Hubbs scratchbuilt a model of the water tower.
  • [Model photo.]

Two Section Houses

• There were a couple of tool sheds on the south leg of the wye next to the water tower. We used a pair of AM models as stand-ins for the prototypes (and will probably eventually use the Rutland Car Shops sheds).
  • [One of the two tool sheds, photo c. 1972, from my crappy Instamatic.]
  • [View c. 2002, when they much the worse for wear.]
  • [Further down c. 2002.]
  • [Model photo.]

Landscape

• A little further north, the village peters out and it terrain sort of looks like that of Whitehall alongside the yard, flat grassy areas with islands of trees. (Okay, at North Bennington, the grass is mown.)
  • [North Bennington landscape, 1990's.]
  • [Whitehall c. 1980's. (Sorry for the white spots on the print.)]
  • [Whitehall c. 1980's.]
  • [Model view.]

North Bennington, Not Modeled

• Behind the station was a little coal dealer and I think creamery. (Unfortunately, we don't have room to model this, as it would be in the aisle.)
  • [Sanborn Map.]
  • [Prototype view, trackside, c. 1970's.]
  • [Prototype view, street side, 2002.]
  • [Prototype view, street side, 2002.]
  • [Prototype view, street side, 2002.]

See our Layout Guide for North Bennington.

Also see The Fund for North Bennington, Inc. - Information about past and present North Bennington.