East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge
Shoreham, VT
WGN Number: 45-01-05
Photo by Steve Brown © 2018
The East Shoreham Railroad Bridge once connected Leicester Junction with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad at Ticonderoga, New York. A monument to structural engineering, the old railroad bridge is now a popular place for fishermen.
The Covered Spans of Yesteryear website provides a brief history of the bridge: "It (the bridge) carried rail traffic until the line was abandoned in 1951. The bridge underwent major restoration in 1983, including a new roof, new siding, and a new eastern abutment. The railroad tracks were replaced with a wooden deck of lengthwise planking laid across the original railroad ties. The structure is owned by the Vermont State Division for Historic Preservation."
In 2007, the bridge went through a complete rehabilitation. The work was completed by Blow and Cote of Morrisville, Vermont. The scope of the rehabilitation included the "superstructure (everything above the abutments), new roofing and roof framing, new top chords, the rotted portions of the bottom chords, and "other work". Original fabric in good condition is to be retained. "Other work" include(d) replacement of bearing and bolster beams, the installation of collar ties, rafter ties, and new rafter beams into the roof system, as well as end diagonal and bearing plate repairs. The cedar shingles (were) replaced with steel standing rib roofing, some siding (was) replaced." The rehabilitation was documented in the following articles from the VCBS website: East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge Gets Grant and Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge Rehab Underway.
Click here for more information on the curious Lemon Fair River name: The Origin of the name of the "Lemon Fair" River
Our thanks to the Town of Shoreham for allowing the posting of the Vermont Covered Bridge Society Welcome patch. For more information about the Shoreham area, visit their website at www.shorehamvt.org.
East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge Vital Statistics
| Town: | Shoreham |
| Location: | Shoreham Depot Road |
| Crossing: | Lemon Fair River |
| Date: | 1897 |
| Builder: | Rutland Railroad |
| Truss Type: | Howe |
| Truss Length: | 108 feet |
| Other Names: | Rutland Railroad |
| National Register of Historical Places Listing Date: | June 13, 1974 |
| Date Rehabilitated: | 2007 |
| Renovation Contractor: | Blow and Cote Morrisville, Vermont |
Additional Information:
Join Phill Gatenby as he takes us on a video tour of the East Shoreham Railroad Covered Bridge in East Shoreham. Phill provides interesting history and commentary for this bridge. Click on the YouTube image below to get started
You can also follow Phill on his Facebook group Vermont's 100 Covered Bridges
Credits: All pictures, information, and descriptions are taken from Spanning Time Vermont's Covered Bridges by Joseph C. Nelson ©1997 and the World Guide to Covered Bridges - 2009 unless otherwise specified.
