Back On The M&WR
After setting out all the empties at Barre Transfer on the old main (ex CV) Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad crew is headed west at about MP 2.4 on the Montpelier and Barre Division running light with 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).
They are 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 duck into the west end of the old CV main to pick up the outbound loads they'd left here earlier and take them down to Montpelier Junction yard to the NECR interchange.
Montpelier, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025
Back On The M&WR
After setting out all the empties at Barre Transfer on the old main (ex CV) Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad crew is headed west at about MP 2.4 on the Montpelier and Barre Division running light with 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).
They are 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 duck into the west end of the old CV main to pick up the outbound loads they'd left here earlier and take them down to Montpelier Junction yard to the NECR interchange.
Montpelier, Vermont
Friday August 1, 2025