The Corkscrew Railroad

a Bennington Historical Society presentation

Phil Jordan presents a fond look back at the Rutland Railroad’s Chatham SubDivision, the so-called Corkscrew Railroad, whose wandering rails and tight, twisting curves in its traverse of the valley between Bennington, Vermont and Chatham, New York earned it its enduring nickname. Built in the 1860s by a speculating railroad tycoon in order to out-maneuver competition, it was the proverbial back way to New York City commerce.

Philip R. Jordan is a native Vermonter and hobbyist photographer who retired from Vermont Magazine as its editor-in-chief and publisher in 2019. He has written books on transportation subjects, such as Rutland in Color (Morning Sun Books, 2003), has been a columnist for This Old Truck magazine, and been a contributor to Old Cars Weekly and USA Today. His first novel, As Crooked as They Come was published in 2021 by Onion River Press. He most recently contributed content to Volume IV of the Vermont Almanac. He lives in Sunderland, Vermont with his wife, Edie, and is a member of the League of Vermont Writers.

Supported by Nexus Consulting

You may also like the following events from Bennington Museum:

• This Friday, 20th June, 05:00 pm, Concerts in the Courtyard: midnight choir in Bennington
• Next Friday, 27th June, 05:00 pm, Concerts in the Courtyard: Phil Henry and the Newsfeed in Bennington
• Next month, 11th July, 05:00 pm, Concerts in the Courtyard: The Insolent Willies in Bennington

Also check out other Arts events in Bennington, Literary Art events in Bennington.