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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Burlington, Vermont |
| Reporting mark | WACR |
| Locale | Vermont, New Hampshire |
| Dates of operation | 1980–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Washington County Railroad (reporting mark WACR) is a shortline railroad operating in Vermont and a sliver of New Hampshire, forming part of the Vermont Rail System. The WACR began operating in 1980 over the old Montpelier and Barre Railroad in Washington County, which the state acquired to ensure the continuance of rail service, and ceased operations in early 1999. Later that year, after interim service by other companies, operations were transferred to a new WACR subsidiary of the Vermont Rail System. In 2003, operations were greatly expanded through acquisition by the state and operation by the WACR of a former Boston and Maine Corporation and Canadian Pacific Railway line between Newport and White River Junction, which had most recently been operated by subsidiaries of the bankrupt Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.
The original line, now known as the Granite District, connects the New England Central Railroad (NECR) with Montpelier, Barre, Websterville, and Graniteville. Its primary commodities have been lumber, granite, and silicon carbide since the Bombardier transit car plant in Barre was closed in 2002.[citation needed] The Connecticut River Division includes haulage rights from White River Junction south to Bellows Falls on the NECR, where it connects to the affiliated Green Mountain Railroad. It also has direct connections to the former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway at Newport and Pan Am Railways at White River Junction.