MW&WR Reborn
After coming down the switchback route from the quarry in Websterville and stopping in Barre to pick up more cars Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad crew is headed west at about MP 2.4 on the Montpelier and Barre Division with more than a dozen loads of granite armor rock from the Northeast Materials quarry trailing green GMRC 804 (a GP9r blt. Oct. 1955 as NW 13) and red VTR 206 (a GP38-3 206 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38).
The train is curling along beside Barre Street on the nearly mile and a half stretch of trackage which was rebuilt on the former Montpelier and Wells River Railroad right of way west from Barre Transfer four years ago. This grade had been bereft of rails for 55 years when trains returned in 2021, and this was my first time photographing it. You can read more about why this happened here: vrs.us.com/reviving-a-historic-route-to-improve-service/non
Interestingly the former CV trackage including both bridges was not ultimately abandoned and was actually tied in with switches on both ends and is used as a storage track called appropriately enough the 'Old Main'. This crew will pause just ahead and shove the whole string of cars off onto the old CV main where they will temporarily be left while the crew runs light engine down to Montpelier Junction to pull empties from the NECR interchange and make room for the outbound loads.
Montpelier, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025
MW&WR Reborn
After coming down the switchback route from the quarry in Websterville and stopping in Barre to pick up more cars Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad crew is headed west at about MP 2.4 on the Montpelier and Barre Division with more than a dozen loads of granite armor rock from the Northeast Materials quarry trailing green GMRC 804 (a GP9r blt. Oct. 1955 as NW 13) and red VTR 206 (a GP38-3 206 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38).
The train is curling along beside Barre Street on the nearly mile and a half stretch of trackage which was rebuilt on the former Montpelier and Wells River Railroad right of way west from Barre Transfer four years ago. This grade had been bereft of rails for 55 years when trains returned in 2021, and this was my first time photographing it. You can read more about why this happened here: vrs.us.com/reviving-a-historic-route-to-improve-service/non
Interestingly the former CV trackage including both bridges was not ultimately abandoned and was actually tied in with switches on both ends and is used as a storage track called appropriately enough the 'Old Main'. This crew will pause just ahead and shove the whole string of cars off onto the old CV main where they will temporarily be left while the crew runs light engine down to Montpelier Junction to pull empties from the NECR interchange and make room for the outbound loads.
Montpelier, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025