Friday, March 24, 2006

Saint John and area sightings 2006/03/24

I was down in Saint John yesterday (the 24th) and made a few observations.

At 09:00 the CN yard was fairly quiet. CN 5702, 2666, and a 24xx unit were resting from bringing CN 306 down from Moncton. I discovered CN 7015 and caboose NBSR 79635 running light to the west end of the yard.
CN 7015 and NBSR 79635

They dropped 79635 off by KRL 25200, the depressed-center flatcar with the blue transformer that seems to have taken up permanent residence in the yard. They then ran back east to switch some tank cars.
CN 7015
NBSR Worker

At noon, 7015 was shunting but nothing else was going on.

At 15:00, CN 305 was gone. It looks like they took 30-40 potash cars with them as the Courtenay Bay terminal had no cars left. I ventured over to NB Southern's Dever Road yard to find NBSR 2317 shunting on the east end of the yard.
NBSR 2317 Saint John 2006/03/24

It doesn't take vandals long to mark up the cars, even the pretty blue Pan Am ones.
MEC 31979 with graffiti

I wasn't sure if NB Southern's eastbound had arrived yet or not, but I had to get going so off I went. I took highway 7 to Welsford. As I approached Welsford, I turned the scanner back on in the vain hope of hearing something. Suddenly, I heard an SBU squawk!

I immediately turned down Sand Cove Road and rolled down the windows, hearing the thrum of approaching GP38s. I frantically fumbled with my video camera but I wasn't able to get it on fast enough to see the eastbound roar through the crossing. At 15:32 NBSR 9802, 2319 and 9801 led a 34-car train toward Saint John.
  • 9 gypsum
  • 8 boxcars (1 CN extra height, 5 Pan-Am, 2 cryo)
  • 1 centerbeam flat (empty)
  • 16 tankers (mostly Procor)

Thank you again, Peter, for the loan of the scanner!

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