The  River St Bridge
Here is the view looking down from the bridge on the south side.  As you can see, a second track has been added in this area since you last saw it pictured in TRAINS magazine, and ALCO visits are fairly rare now.    That really is a piece of Rutland "snap-track" in the foreground.  Track sections and switches were assembled in the parking area to the right of this photo, and used to double track everything from the MacIntyre Fuel depot to the north side of the new passenger depot, allowing  passenger and freight operations to co-exist in Rutland without getting in each other's way.
If you look up from the bridge to the south, you will see the three track yard heading southeast to Bellows Falls on the left, and a multi track yard on the line heading south to Bennington on the right.  MacIntyre Fuels, the turning wye, the salt shed, CVPS utility pole yard, and the engine house are on this side.  The River St bridge is a great place to get close-up photos of trains.  It has a sidewalk on one side only, however, and carries heavy truck and auto traffic.  It requires a bit of concentration on personal safety  to take pictures here. 
< Click here for a Mapquest map of this area.

Looking north from the bridge gives an overview of the track winding around the back of the downtown shopping plaza.  The plaza provides a good place to park while watching trains from this area.  You will want to spend some time trying to figure out if that really is a dreaded S-curve right here.  And these guys seem to be taking their time working up the courage to cut into the new trackwork to finish that crossover on the curve.  Quite a daunting prospect.

The switch to the Himolene plant used to be located just where these track curves to the right.  It has been relocated to a straighter location further around the corner which also decreases the length of the siding.

 
The Footpath
There is a foot/bicycle path starting on River St at the end of the bridge to the left (west) of the picture above.  It parallels the tracks, and is actually between the tracks and that white house you see by the curve.  The path crosses the Himolene siding as shown at the left, and comes out at the passenger station where special signalling has been provided to keep you off the tracks when the trains are coming.  The path is mostly snow covered here, but it is kept plowed and passable.
The Plaza Parking Lot

This picture of the bridge was taken from the parking lot at the rear of the plaza - another great place to safely get close-up pictures.

Another view of the bridge: From the fuel depot drive
 

 
The Old Parking Deck
The old parking deck is entered either from the downtown plaza or Evelyn St.  It, of course, provides a free place to park while viewing trains in Rutland.  (The stairways tend to smell bad, however)  My Amtrak arriving photos, and views of the new passenger station were taken from here. 
The top floor of this deck provides a panoramic view with some decent scenery that doesn't involve trains, and space is always available now that a newer deck opened a block away.
The Route 7 Crossing
If you notice that the morning train for Bellows Falls is complete and has paused to make its brake test, you have time to drive (or walk quickly) to the point where the tracks cross Route 7 (Main St).  There are parking lots on either side of the street here which provide a good place to get a good camera angle and, of couse, parking.  The lead engine for this train will often be stopped within ten feet of the sidewalk.  You can't get any closer to a working engine than this unless you actually work for the railroad. 
This train - four engines and 59 cars
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