In the center of Randolph, Vermont, just down the tracks from the Randolph Depot sits the former Randolph Coal and Ice Shed, ca. 1920. The railroad is no longer delivering coal to Randolph, but the structures sit relatively intact and intriguing.
The building sitting trackside.
Looking to the Randolph Depot (on left). It sits in a cluster of buildings.
Randolph Coal & Ice is still visible on the shed.
View on the other side of the building.
Two large wooden silos held the coal.
Coal chutes.
Conveyor systems of buckets carried the coal, which is still visible throughout this building.
A door allowed access above the silos.
The coal shed is adjacent to the side rail.
The rail industry has changed in the past 100 years, but these buildings allow us to understand how important this transportation network was to our country. Whether carrying passengers, agricultural products, timber, coal, quarry products, it was the best mode of transportation at the time. For this reason, towns were often built around the railroad and associated buildings were located prominently in the centers of our cities and towns. Do these rail buildings have a use? It’s hard, as they remain in railroad right-of-way, and often must be relocated. What could a former coal be used for in a new life? Any ideas?
Preservation in Pink 