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Fisher Railroad or Chubb, Lamoille County

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Inventory Number: VT/45-08-16
County: Lamoille County
Township: Wolcott
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Fisher Railroad or Chubb
Crosses: Lamoille River
Truss type: Town (Double)
Spans: 1
Length: 98'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1908
Builder: Boston & Maine Railroad
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N44 31.938
Longitude: W072 25.658
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 2.9 miles west of jct VT14 on south side of VT15 in roadside park. West of Hardwick, east of Wolcott.

Fisher Railroad or Chubb Bridge, Wolcott, Lamoille County, VT Built 1908
Bill Caswell Photo

Fisher Railroad Bridge, Wolcott, Lamoille County, VT Built 1908
Richard E. Roy Collection

Fisher Railroad Bridge, Wolcott, Lamoille County, VT Built 1908
Bill Caswell Photo, October 13, 2014

Fisher Railroad or Chubb Bridge, Wolcott, Lamoille County, VT Built 1908
Todd Clark Collection

Fisher Railroad Bridge, Wolcott, Lamoille County, VT Built 1908
Bill Caswell Photo, October 13, 2014

Comments:
Steel Deck. The bridges east and west of Wolcott can be distinguished by the number of panels on the smoke vent. The east bridge (Fisher) has 11 panels while the west has 19. The bridge is named for Christopher (Crit) Fisher whose farm bordered the tracks and river at the time the bridge was built. The floor system was in poor condition in the mid-1960s and facing replacement with a new steel truss bridge. In 1968 the State of Vermont assisted in funding a project to replace the existing floor system with a four steel girders and new ties to carry the live load of the trains. A timber pier pile group was constructed in the Lamoille River creating two simple spans (42-51ft). The covered bridge trusses, siding and roof were left in place to carry their own weight along with snow and wind loading. The State of Vermont purchased the entire rail line in 1973. The bridge carried rail traffic into the 1990s under lease to several different railroad operators. Severe flooding in 1995 and 1997 damaged much of the line such that it was not profitable to repair for rail traffic. In 2002 the State of Vermont let a contract to remove the ties and track to prepare for this line to be converted to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. The 93-mile long trail was completed in late spring 2023 with an official dedication set for July 15, 2023. That dedication was postponed due to severe flooding in the area.

Sources:
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume 26, Number 2, July 1968, pages 6-8
Conwill, Joseph D.. Images of America - Vermont Covered Bridges, 2004, page 97
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 144