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. Prototype photo shows Jeff English and Paul Hubbs measuring the building in 1973. Note the same red and white stick leaning up against the corner. The model was scratchbuilt by Brian Albrecht.
  • [Prototype view.]
  • [Prototype view, other end, c. 1972.]
  • [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.]

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. Geoff Hubbs scratchbuilt our model of the freight house.
  • [Prototype photo c. 2002.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 2002.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [Prototype photo c. 1990's.]
  • [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.
  • [Model view.]

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.]

• 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).
  • [Prototype steam-era photo, of one of the first Exchange Club Specials. (Unknown photographer, from our collection.]
  • [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.]

The Town Garage

• No. 620 Main Street, just across the track from the depot, was the town garage but earlier, it was a hotel.
  • [Insurance map. No. 620 is depicted in yellow.]
  • [The original hotel c. 1915.]
  • [Another view.]
  • [Town Garage, trackside c. 1950. Howard Townsley photo courtesy Bob Nimke.]
  • [Photo courtesy Art Tonjes.]
  • [Photo courtesy Art Tonjes.]
  • [Trackside. Back in steam days, the clapboard panels were plate glass.]
  • [Another view. There are lines scribed on this print to aid making a plan.]
  • [Rear view c. 1950. And note the number of stately elms.]
  • [Rear view c. 1981. There are also lines scribed on this print. And it has been altered since the above photo.]
  • [Our unfinished model c. 2004.]
  • [Close-up of the model c. 2006.]

The Houses

• The houses up from the depot will be included in the model.
  • [Insurance map.]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981 of the row on the right side of Main Street.]

No. 605 Main St.

• No. 605 Main Street, an ornate house on the left side of the road.
  • [Insurance map. No. 605 is depicted in purple.]
  • [From the station, c. 1970's. (Note all the stately elms.)]
  • [From the tracks, c. 2002.]
  • [Front c. 1981.]
  • [Front c. 2002.]
  • [From the other side, c. 2002.]
  • [The garage c. 1981.]

No. 66 Main St.

• No. 66 Main Street, the next house up from no. 605. (Strange numbering system!)
  • [Insurance map. No. 66 is depicted in green.]
  • [Trackside c. 1973.]
  • [Photo c. 1980.]
  • [Photo c. 2002.]
  • [Ornate carriage house behind no. 66, c. 1981.]
  • [Carriage house, 2002.]

No. 611 Main St.

• No. 611 Main Street, the third house up, was very simple.
  • [Insurance map. No. 611 is depicted in yellow.]
  • [No. 611 is just visible past no. 66, c. 1973.]
  • [Photo c. 1981.]

No. 623 Main St.

• No. 623 was a very low house, particularly the second floor.
  • [Insurance map. No. 623 is depicted in green.]
  • [Photo c. 1981 (white house on the far right).]
  • [Photo c. 2002 of the side facing the track.]
  • [Front c. 1981. It is 25 feet wide.]
  • [Other side c. 1981.]
  • [Other side c. 2002.]
  • [Rear view c. 1981.]

No. 63 Main St.

• The next house on this side was no. 63.
  • [Insurance map. No. 63 is depicted in orange.]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981 with the house in the background.]
  • [Photo c. 1981 of the other side.]
  • [Another photo c. 1981. The depot is visible in the background.]
  • [Photo c. 2002, with the porch removed.]
  • [Rear view c. 1981. (There don't appear to be any windows on the back of the main building - weird!)]

No. 67 Main St.

• The third house back was no. 67.
  • [Insurance map. No. 67 is depicted in purple.]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981.]
  • [Another view c. 1981.]
  • [Other side and rear c. 1981.]

No. 632 Main St.

• There was a two car garage in the middle of the field.
  • [Insurance map. What I think is this building is depicted in blue.]
  • [Insurance map (rotated). Again the garage is depicted in blue, way at the bottom of the map.]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981.]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981. Note Whitman way over on the right in the background.]

• No. 632, a single story house, was also in the middle of the field.
  • [Sanborn Map (rotated). This house is depicted in orange.]
  • [Photo c. 1970's. (The back of No. 15-17 Greenwich is in the background.)]
  • [Another photo c. 1980's.]
  • [Photo c. 1980's. (Whitman in the background.)]
  • [Prototype view c. 1981 of the garage. A corner of no. 632 is just barely visible on the right side of the garage.]

No. 23/25 Greenwich St.

• The house right behind the feed store was a duplex, no. 23 and 25 Greenwich St.
  • [Sanborn map of this section. The duplex is red.]
  • [Panoramic view , c. 1981. The house is the one partially obscured by the grain bins.]
  • [Another view , c. 1981. The house on the left.]
  • [Side view , c. 1981.]
  • [Three-quarter view of the side and front, c. 1981.]
  • [Three-quarter view of the other side and front, c. 1981.]
  • [Side view , c. 1984.]
  • [Rear view, c. 1984.]

No. 112 Greenwich St.

• The house across the street from Whitman's was 112 Greenwich St.
  • [Sanborn map of this section. The house is green. At this time, it had an open porch across the entire front.]
  • [Panoramic view , c. 1981. The house on the far right.]
  • [Another view , c. 1981. The house on the far right.]
  • [Photo, c. 1981. Note the asbestos shingles. (The shingles were a pale green.) The front porch has been removed.]
  • [Photo, c. 1984.]
  • [Another view, c. 1984.]

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.