Washington County Railroad

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Washington County Railroad
Reporting marks WACR
Locale Vermont
Dates of operation 1999–present
Track gauge ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Burlington, VT

The Washington County Railroad (AAR reporting marks WACR) is a class III railroad operating in Vermont. The railroad, which operates trackage leased from the State of Vermont, is a component of the Vermont Rail System, which also operates the Vermont Railway and other shortlines.

The railroad operates two discontiguous segments of trackage. The Montpelier & Barre Division runs from Montpelier Junction, Vermont through Montpelier to Barre; the Connecticut River Division operates a line running northward from White River Junction, Vermont through St. Johnsbury to Newport.

The Montpelier & Barre Division (which was once the Montpelier and Barre Railroad) has freight connections with the New England Central Railroad (NECR) at Montpelier Junction and with Vermont Railway (through a haulage arrangement with NECR). Its primary commodities are now lumber, granite and silicon carbide since the Bombardier plant in Barre Town was closed in 2002.

The Connecticut River Division connects with the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway in Newport, and with the NECR, the Claremont Concord Railroad, and the Springfield Terminal Railway in White River. This line was once owned by the Boston and Maine Railroad. More recently, the Canadian Pacific Railway operated the line north of Wells River.