Railroading Past & Present in Barre
GMCR GP9 804 and VTR GP40-2 307 are near MP 6.5 on Washington County Railroad's M&B Division with a handful of empty gons destined for the top of The Hill at Websterville for loadout at Northeast Materials granite quarry.
They are passing the Vermont Granite Museum and their rail equipment display. The locomotive is former Barre & Chelsea GE 70 toner #14 built in Sept. 1947. It served for 20 years until throwing a rod in 1967 while working over on the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad. Never returned to service it was repatriated to Barre in the mid 70s as a display piece paying homage to the granite history that built the community. With it is one of 50 40ft steel frame granite quarry flats built by Laconia Car company in 1911. This car served more than a half century hauling granite slabs down the mountain.
The particular rails this train is on are ex CV, first laid in 1875 when the 1849 branch into the capital city was extended to Barre. In 1957 Sam Pinsly's Montpelier & Barre purchased them and he quickly consolidated the parallel CV and old Montpelier & Wells River (later Barre & Chelsea) routes between this point at Barre. The state purchased these rails in 1980 when the M&B petitioned for abandonment and they've had multiple contract operators over the years until finally setting on Vermont Rail System's Washington County Subsidiary about two decades ago.
To learn more about the Vermont Granite museum display equipment click this link: www.timesargus.com/news/business_vermont/new-railroad-exh...
Barre, Vermont
Friday April 24, 2020
Railroading Past & Present in Barre
GMCR GP9 804 and VTR GP40-2 307 are near MP 6.5 on Washington County Railroad's M&B Division with a handful of empty gons destined for the top of The Hill at Websterville for loadout at Northeast Materials granite quarry.
They are passing the Vermont Granite Museum and their rail equipment display. The locomotive is former Barre & Chelsea GE 70 toner #14 built in Sept. 1947. It served for 20 years until throwing a rod in 1967 while working over on the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad. Never returned to service it was repatriated to Barre in the mid 70s as a display piece paying homage to the granite history that built the community. With it is one of 50 40ft steel frame granite quarry flats built by Laconia Car company in 1911. This car served more than a half century hauling granite slabs down the mountain.
The particular rails this train is on are ex CV, first laid in 1875 when the 1849 branch into the capital city was extended to Barre. In 1957 Sam Pinsly's Montpelier & Barre purchased them and he quickly consolidated the parallel CV and old Montpelier & Wells River (later Barre & Chelsea) routes between this point at Barre. The state purchased these rails in 1980 when the M&B petitioned for abandonment and they've had multiple contract operators over the years until finally setting on Vermont Rail System's Washington County Subsidiary about two decades ago.
To learn more about the Vermont Granite museum display equipment click this link: www.timesargus.com/news/business_vermont/new-railroad-exh...
Barre, Vermont
Friday April 24, 2020