Issues → July/August 2008 → Features → 25 People You Must Meet This Summer! →
Bruce Cloutier, Railroad Engineer, Bellows Falls, Vermont
by Barbara Hall
He got his first model train when he was 5; it was an American Flyer and he still has it. More than 50 years later, Bruce Cloutier is still into trains -- right up in the cab, in fact. Following 32 years of elementary-school and college teaching, Bruce turned his summer train job into a second career. Now a certified engineer for Green Mountain Railroad, he takes passengers on the two-and-a-half-hour round trip between Bellows Falls and Chester Depot four days a week in the summer (including twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays) and twice daily in foliage season. "Foliage is the big draw," he notes, "with up to 600 folks on board." The train pulls vintage 1930s passenger coaches, and one restored 1913 wood railcar, at speeds of up to 30 mph. "It's pretty hard not to smile when you're up here," he says.
Green Mountain Flyer, 54 Depot St. 800-707-3530, 802-463-3069.
Reader Comments
Registered users can add comments.
Registration is free, and just takes a moment.
Login or Register.