Dog River Delight
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 head into Montpelier with more than a dozen loads of granite armor rock from the Northeast Materials quarry. They set off their whole train on the old CV main, where they were temporarily left and are now running light engine down to Montpelier Junction to pull empties from the NECR interchange and make room for the outbound loads they'll bring down later.
They have just passed under Interstate 89 and crossed Junction Rd. at MP 0 on the Washington County Railroad's Montpelier and Barre Division. This is the west end of the railroad and the property line between VRS and NECR ownership. As they cross the short thru girder span over the Dog River they leave the city of Montpelier and enter the town of Berlin and approach the tail swith for the wye which is right behind me.
The power is VTR 206 (a GP38-3 206 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38) and green GMRC 804 (a GP9r blt. Oct. 1955 as NW 13) and these particular rails are ex CV, first laid in 1849 by CV predecessor Vermont Central. In 1958 Sam Pinsly's Montpelier & Barre purchased them and he quickly consolidated the parallel CV and old Montpelier & Wells River routes between downtown Montpelier and Barre. The state purchased the line in 1980 when the M&B petitioned for abandonment, and they've had multiple contract operators over the years until finally settling on Vermont Rail System's Washington County Subsidiary about two decades ago.
Berlin, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025
Dog River Delight
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 head into Montpelier with more than a dozen loads of granite armor rock from the Northeast Materials quarry. They set off their whole train on the old CV main, where they were temporarily left and are now running light engine down to Montpelier Junction to pull empties from the NECR interchange and make room for the outbound loads they'll bring down later.
They have just passed under Interstate 89 and crossed Junction Rd. at MP 0 on the Washington County Railroad's Montpelier and Barre Division. This is the west end of the railroad and the property line between VRS and NECR ownership. As they cross the short thru girder span over the Dog River they leave the city of Montpelier and enter the town of Berlin and approach the tail swith for the wye which is right behind me.
The power is VTR 206 (a GP38-3 206 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38) and green GMRC 804 (a GP9r blt. Oct. 1955 as NW 13) and these particular rails are ex CV, first laid in 1849 by CV predecessor Vermont Central. In 1958 Sam Pinsly's Montpelier & Barre purchased them and he quickly consolidated the parallel CV and old Montpelier & Wells River routes between downtown Montpelier and Barre. The state purchased the line in 1980 when the M&B petitioned for abandonment, and they've had multiple contract operators over the years until finally settling on Vermont Rail System's Washington County Subsidiary about two decades ago.
Berlin, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025