Vermont Rail System (VTR, GMRC, WACR, CLP, NYOG)

To finish off with the switchers, it sounds like SW1500 1505 (ex-NEGS) is also more-or-less permanently assigned to the ex-NEGS out of Concord.

Every time I head to NH, I stop at NEGS world HQ in Canterbury, and 1505 is always parked there, except for the one time it moved to the engine house in Laconia for a periodic inspection.

I believe they're doing the 3M runs at night these days, at least a couple have been documented in the wee hours.

206 has joined the list of newly painted units.

NHV 669 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 11:07 am I believe they're doing the 3M runs at night these days, at least a couple have been documented in the wee hours.

Correct

202 has become red again.

It appears that VRS has done what we had believed wouldn't happen; they're now crewing the G18/19 job between Newport and Farnham, using CP power capable of operating in Canada.

Apparently the service is back up to 3x a week, seems like they're moving some decent traffic lately based on recent photos.

I was driving in East Ryegate the other day and noticed along route 5 there was about 30-40 tanker cars being stored, any reason why? Just trying to find out some information

White tanks? Storage for OMYA.

Black tanks? Storage in transit for one of the fuel dealers further south.

Looks like some are visible in Google Satellite and Street View, so they've either been there a long time or this is a common occurrence:

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2197725 ... 384!8i8192

Those are like the ones I spotted from I-91 in that siding a few months ago. WACR also recently moved a few sizable trains of OMYA tanks north for storage along the line, those have been spotted there as well in recent years.

Hello,
So far what I have seen stored this winter are:

Willoughby - white OMYA tank cars
St. Johnsbury - white OMYA covered hoppers
Bell - black methanol tank cars

I haven't been farther north or south since the beginning of the year, so I don't know what is stored at Orleans or Ely. As far as I know, these are all empties.
Best,
Fritz

Should be more OMYAs at Orleans, Ely was empty as of roughly a month ago.

Giving this thread a kick: Green Mountain RR has filed a notice of exemption with the STB as of 3/28/23 to implement trackage rights over NECR granted as part of the CSX acquisition of PAR and G&W/B&E acquiring Pan Am Southern operating rights.

Excerpts:

ARTICLE 1. GRANT OF TRACKAGE RIGHTS
Subject to the terms and conditions herein provided, NECR hereby grants to GMRC the right to operate the locomotives, cars, and equipment in VRS's revenue waybill account with its own crews over all mainline track and passing sidings along the following segments of NECR's railroad (hereinafter collectively refened to as the "Trackage Rights"):
A. Between milepost 14.46 on NECR's Roxbury Subdivision at White River Junction, VT and milepost 144.8 on NECR's Palmer Subdivision at Bellows Falls, VT, a total distance of 40.3 miles (the "Upper Segment"); and
B. Between milepost 144.8 on NECR's Palmer Subdivision at Bellows Falls, VT and milepost 99.0 on NECR's Palmer Subdivision at Millers Falls, MA, a total distance of 21.1 miles (the "Lower Segment" and, together with the Upper Segment, the "Subject Trackage'').

Note that the trackage rights on the lower segment are "pop-up" in nature and kick in if interchange service handled by PAS/B&E between Bellows Falls and E Deerfield experiences unacceptable delays.

https://dcms-external.s3.amazonaws.com/ ... 306390.pdf

How do crews get qualified on trackage rights territories? Is this a friendly, business as usual agreement or grudging and adversarial?

16 cars north on today's WJNP, good to see "big trains" are still a thing on the WACR in 2023.