Redemotion In Red And Green
Continuing with this series here's the next spot on our chase of day seven of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO) Autumn Explorer VI that saw the special train travel north from St. Johnsbury to Orleans then back south to Bellow Falls via VRS' Washington County Railroad, the former Canadian Pacific and Boston and Maine Conn River mainline.
This shot was the second priority for me for this chase after the Crystal Lake shot and it too worked out fabulously. They are rolling south past Morrison's Custom Feeds mill at about MP L53.2 on modern day VRS Washington County Railroad Lyndonville Sub. I really like this scene because the track here reminds me of those old photos of the Milwaukee Road branchlines in the Dakotas back in the 1970s that had to be mowed. I had gotten terribly CFed when I tried this a few years ago: flic.kr/p/2oX4BaP so this was a wonderful redemption.
As for the railroad, the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad first arrived here in 1850 when their line was extended from Wells River to St. Johnsbury. In 1857 they continued the line north to Barton, then in 1863 they built on to Newport and finally to the Canadian border in 1867. The railroad operated independently until 1887 when it was leased by the Boston and Lowell only six months before the B&L itself was leased to the Boston and Maine which affected practical control from then on. In 1926 when the B&M leased the line north of Wells River to the Canadian Pacific which ultimately bought it outright in 1946.
The CPR ruled this line for another half century until retrenching in 1996 when they sold the Newport and Lyndonville Subs to Iron Roads Railways which created the new Northern Vermont Railway which took over on September 28th of that year. The Iron Roads system was bankrupt within a half dozen years and the NV ceased to exist with the Lyndonville Sub and the former Boston and Maine Conn River Mainline between Newport and White River Junction being purchased by the State of Vermont and contracted to Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad Subsidiary. The WACR is now at the two decade mark operating the 103 mile line while the Newport Sub north into Canada passed to succesors Montreal, Maine and Atlantic and then Central Maine and Quebec until remarkably returning to the CP fold in 2020 when they purchased the CMQ.
The train is led by VTR 206 a GP38-3 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38. Trailing is VTR 313, a GP40FH-2 that was rebuilt from original NYC GP40 3078 blt. 8-67 for New Jersey Transit commuter service. She later ended up working for Iowa Pacific on their assorted passenger operations until that company went belly up and then was purchased in the bankruptcy auction by VRS in 2020.
See prior posts to learn more about the history of the line and for a roster of the cars participating in this trip.
Barnet, Vermont
Friday October 10, 2025
Redemotion In Red And Green
Continuing with this series here's the next spot on our chase of day seven of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners (AAPRCO) Autumn Explorer VI that saw the special train travel north from St. Johnsbury to Orleans then back south to Bellow Falls via VRS' Washington County Railroad, the former Canadian Pacific and Boston and Maine Conn River mainline.
This shot was the second priority for me for this chase after the Crystal Lake shot and it too worked out fabulously. They are rolling south past Morrison's Custom Feeds mill at about MP L53.2 on modern day VRS Washington County Railroad Lyndonville Sub. I really like this scene because the track here reminds me of those old photos of the Milwaukee Road branchlines in the Dakotas back in the 1970s that had to be mowed. I had gotten terribly CFed when I tried this a few years ago: flic.kr/p/2oX4BaP so this was a wonderful redemption.
As for the railroad, the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers Railroad first arrived here in 1850 when their line was extended from Wells River to St. Johnsbury. In 1857 they continued the line north to Barton, then in 1863 they built on to Newport and finally to the Canadian border in 1867. The railroad operated independently until 1887 when it was leased by the Boston and Lowell only six months before the B&L itself was leased to the Boston and Maine which affected practical control from then on. In 1926 when the B&M leased the line north of Wells River to the Canadian Pacific which ultimately bought it outright in 1946.
The CPR ruled this line for another half century until retrenching in 1996 when they sold the Newport and Lyndonville Subs to Iron Roads Railways which created the new Northern Vermont Railway which took over on September 28th of that year. The Iron Roads system was bankrupt within a half dozen years and the NV ceased to exist with the Lyndonville Sub and the former Boston and Maine Conn River Mainline between Newport and White River Junction being purchased by the State of Vermont and contracted to Vermont Rail System's Washington County Railroad Subsidiary. The WACR is now at the two decade mark operating the 103 mile line while the Newport Sub north into Canada passed to succesors Montreal, Maine and Atlantic and then Central Maine and Quebec until remarkably returning to the CP fold in 2020 when they purchased the CMQ.
The train is led by VTR 206 a GP38-3 blt. Oct. 1969 as SOU 2718 and originally a high nosed straight GP38. Trailing is VTR 313, a GP40FH-2 that was rebuilt from original NYC GP40 3078 blt. 8-67 for New Jersey Transit commuter service. She later ended up working for Iowa Pacific on their assorted passenger operations until that company went belly up and then was purchased in the bankruptcy auction by VRS in 2020.
See prior posts to learn more about the history of the line and for a roster of the cars participating in this trip.
Barnet, Vermont
Friday October 10, 2025