Confessions of a Train Geek

I went up north on Monday, returning Tuesday, and I saw a few things along the way.

MONDAY MAY 4

I heard CN 9524 get clearance to work north of Bathurst at 11:15. I knew the southbound freight was due in soon, so they would have to meet somewhere on the road. I heard them get clearance from Belledune so I ducked into Pointe Verte and shot them there at 11:45 with CN 5346 and 5288 leading a longish train.


I caught the northbound freight returning to Campbellton at 17:25 with 5288 leading this time. There were quite a few empty container flats on the end of the train.




Michel Boudreau caught the same freight outside Bathurst.


Later, VIA 15 arrived around 22:00 with VIA 6401 and 6412 leading the usual Renaissance consist. I went to Matapedia to watch them cut the Chaleur into the train. I'll get into that in another post, but the Chaleur's consist was 6446, 8609, coach 8124, Skyline 8507, Chateaus Bienville and Richelieu.

TUESDAY MAY 5

The next morning, I saw VIA 14 roll through Belledune after stopping to reline the switch at 08:20. VIA 6449 and 6420 provided the motive power.






I saw the tail end of the southbound freight leaving Miramichi, with the Ultramar tank cars on the end, but I didn't see the power.

Not a bad trip!

Labels: belledune, campbellton, chaleur, cn, matapedia, michel boudreau, via

I had a quick trip up north yesterday, my first in a long time. I was very fortunate this trip and my timing was good.

I left Fredericton later than I had hoped, so I figured I would have no chance of seeing VIA 14, the Ocean, in Miramichi. As I passed the VIA station after 11 AM, I was surprised to see a lot of cars there. I stopped and asked the agent, and he said the Ocean was due in a few minutes. I went down the line a bit and they rolled past at 11:27 under an overcast sky, with 6449 and 6416 pulling a Renaissance set.


There was no talk of the southbound mainline freight on the scanner around Bathurst, so I continued on. As I approached Belledune, I heard some local switching chatter so I looked for them at Chaleur Lumber. Sure enough, there were CFMG 6910 and 6909 pulling out of the spur.


They coupled on to the rest of the train, then spent some time trying to contact the RTC. They finally got through and went on their way at 13:21. They had those two old warhorses wide open when they went past.


I saw two CN SD40s switching a train in Belledune but I was too far away to get any numbers.

Later, I managed to find the northbound CN mainline freight at Beresford at 17:00 with 6909 leading this time. I would guess from the time spread that they did not go to Miramichi.


I understand this may have been the last run of the last NBEC / CFMG SD40s on the line. I'm glad I was fortunate enough to see them.

I'll post about the rest of my sightings later.

Labels: 14, 6909, 6910, belledune, beresford, cfmg, miramichi, ocean, sd40, via

There's a notice on CN's web site that indicates they are intending to complete integration of the CN and Quebec Railway Corporation customer systems by February 1. Customers will get a single CN bill, work under a new tariff system, and probably most importantly, pay a fuel surcharge for local traffic.

There is also an article in Friday's Moncton Times & Transcript about the Port of Belledune. The port is very encouraged by CN's acquisition and hopes that it will lead to more business for the port. Containers at Belledune was raised again, as it has over the past number of years.

If all these projects go through, every port on the Atlantic coast would handle containers, it seems. Projects are being discussed for Sydney, Canso and Belledune. It seems strange that when the container traffic at Halifax and Saint John has plummeted, other ports are so optimistic.

Labels: belledune, cn, nbec

I posted two new videos from May 26. The first shows NBEC 402 pulling out of Belledune, after it had switched Chaleur Lumber. NBEC 6900 and CFMG 6906 smoke it up as they pull a long train toward the camera.


The second, from earlier in the day, shows VIA 14 approaching Miramichi. 6431 and 6421 lead a Renaissance train.

Labels: 14, 402, 6900, 6906, belledune, miramichi, nbec, via, video

As I mentioned a while ago, synthetic gypsum is being shipped by rail from Belledune to Saint John. I had the opportunity early this month to see the cars on site at Belledune. There were two blocks of seven cars on the one siding in the plant.


Here's a closeup of one of the cars, with the gypsum pile a pile of limestone behind it. The limestone is used in the scrubbing process to remove the contaminants from the power plant's exhaust.


Most of the cars were the same CN 198xxx series used to ship the raw gypsum from Nova Scotia to McAdam, but a few are gondolas.

Train 587 of the New Brunswick East Coast Railway takes the gypsum cars to Bathurst, where they get on NBEC train 402 to Moncton. There, CN takes them to Saint John on train 406, and finally NB Southern Railway delivers the cars to a location behind Irving Paper where they are unloaded.

Labels: belledune, gypsum, nbec

My evening started off with a great find. As I left Belledune I heard the EOT device chirp on the scanner at 17:52, so I beat it for the west end of the Belledune siding. As I approached the crossing the lights came on, and I just had time to jump out and take one snapshot before CN 121 was blasting by.


Then I took video with the Canon S3.


Michel Boudreau shot it just before me, in Bathurst threading its way through the yard. 121 had CN 2560 and 2645 for power. It was reported into Campbellton just after 20:00.


As I approached Bathurst, I heard NBEC 402 (with 6904 for power) getting an OCS clearance (22 loads, 5 empties, 2797 tons, 1927 feet). I thought that very odd because I saw 6904 in Miramichi in the morning! I'm guessing that NBEC turned 402 in Bathurst rather than have it proceed all the way to Miramichi, and had 6904 bring the northbound traffic up and take the southbound traffic down. That would also explain the empty Ultramar tank train in Bathurst yard tonight, which would normally never dwell in Bathurst.

ANYway, I drove over 402 on highway 11 at 18:21, then took the next exit and beat it for Nepisiguit Junction. I was there a minute before 402 showed up. They were talking about going into the siding at Bartibog.

I went back to the yard and saw NBEC 586 making up its train. At 19:14 they left for the Nepisiguit Subdivision. They had 9 loads, 50 empties, 3320 tons, and were 2830 feet long.


I taped it with my weenie tripod right on the bridge members. It was a little precarious.


At 19:32 NBEC 586 reported it was on the Nepsiguit Sub, and at 19:40 NBEC 402 reported that it left Bartibog.

VIA 15, the Ocean, arrived in Bathurst in fairly heavy rain at 20:09 with VIA 6410 leading.


I had a tip later on that CN 123 was coming, so I went down to the station and saw them come through at 22:32. CN 123 had CN 5704, IC 2462, CN 4775, and another GP38 for power.

Labels: 121, 123, bathurst, belledune, cn, detour, nbec, nepisiguit, via

I put a video of Friday's VIA 14 at Belledune online. Sorry for my shadow in the foreground. :)

Labels: belledune, via, video, youtube

Bright and early Friday morning, NBEC 1821 was waiting at the Bathurst station.


I headed north from there. As I approached the tracks at Belledune, I saw VIA 14 stopped just north/west of the crossing. They had to stop to reline the switch that the NBEC ore train had left. Within a few minutes, VIA 6406 pulled the stainless steel train past me on its way to Halifax.


Right after that, I heard NBEC 1821 (as train 597) request permission from the RTC to proceed from Bathurst to Nepisiguit Junction.

Later on in the day, I was just approaching Miramichi when I heard someone calling the RTC at about 15:00. I couldn't hear the conversation but I assumed it was NBEC 403 getting clearance to leave. When I got to the yard, I talked to the crossing guard and he said the freight left at about 15:10. I called Chris M and let him know, and Chris was able to catch the train as it approached Campbellton. He wrote about it in his blog.

I also heard the NBEC local train entering the Loggieville subdivision, which explained why there was no power at all in the Miramichi yard. I assume the local was taking the Ultramar tank cars over.

That was it for trains for me on Friday!

Labels: 148, 1821, 6406, bathurst, belledune, nbec, ocean, via

I'm writing this from Bathurst, NB tonight and boy, is it cold! I shouldn't complain too much, as the prairie provinces seem to be having a far colder winter this year, but -12 (or -20 with wind chill) is cool enough.

I passed through Miramichi at about 09:40 this morning. I was surprised to see that half of the NBEC yard is not plowed... I guess it shows how little local business there is now. NBEC 6905 was idling away in the yard but there were no RS18s to be found. Tim Dryden has seen SD40s on the Loggieville Sub so perhaps the RS18s are rare in Miramichi now.


I passed Bathurst and there was no talking at all on the scanner. I was beginning to wonder where NBEC 402 was, when I heard it near Belledune. I went to the west end of the Belledune siding, and there was NBEC 6904, CFMG 6903, and NBEC 1821 rolling light out of the Chaleur Lumber spur. They coupled up to the four lumber loads and pushed them back onto the rest of the train. They must have just put some empties in when I arrived. Train 402 left Belledune at 11:15 with 42 cars. (4 lumber loads, 6 boxcars, 3 empty log cars, 5 woodchip cars, 3 CN covered gondolas, 1 tank car, 3 86' boxcars, and the 17-car Ultramar ram).


When I came to Bathurst after supper, I found the ore train NBEC 586 at the VIA station. RS18s 1813 and 1868 were idling at the head of a short train. Plow 616-20 was just finishing plowing part of the Bathurst yard. NBEC 586 left at 16:37 with 13 cars (8 NBEC ore cars, 3 CN covered gondolas, and 2 AOK covered hoppers). Probably the same CN gondolas that came in on 402! No photos, as it was dark.

For my final trick, I went to the Bathurst station to see VIA 15 arrive. As I watched the light approach from the distance, I realized the tape in my camera had less than one minute of tape left. I quickly but calmly swapped a new tape (#24) for the old one and put the camera back on the tripod in time for the train to arrive at 20:04 with 6415 and 6418 leading 11 Renaissance cars. They headed out within 8 minutes.


After whining about not having seen any trains for exactly one month, it feels good to be back. :)

Labels: 15, 402, 6415, 6904, 6905, bathurst, belledune, cfmg, miramichi, nbec, via

The Brunswick Smelter engine #506 was spotted leaving Campbellton on January 23. Luc Doiron saw it go through Montreal, probably going to at least Toronto. I wonder if it is going for maintenance or if it has been sold?

I believe 506 was the former Smurfit-Stone engine.

Labels: belledune

As many of you no doubt know, NB Southern has been hauling gypsum to the Westroc wallboard plant in McAdam for a few years now. The gypsum comes from the Milford plant in Nova Scotia and is brought by CN to Saint John, then to McAdam by NBSR.


Recently gypsum has been moving a different way. J.D. Irving is completing the Atlantic Wallboard plant in Saint John at the old shipyard on Courtenay Bay. The plant is a partnership with CGC Inc., a subsidiary of USG. CGC has provided some intellectual property to JDI, who will sell all the wallboard to USG for resale.

CGC is also involved in another way. They have begun loading synthetic gypsum from NB Power's Belledune power plant into rail cars at the plant for delivery to Saint John. The New Brunswick East Coast Railway takes the cars from Belledune to Moncton, where CN brings them to Saint John. Finally, NBSR takes them to a siding behind Irving Paper where they are unloaded and the gypsum is stockpiled for Atlantic Wallboard.

The plan is to have three sets of 12? train cars to run from Belledune to Saint John. So far they have two sets running. They are using the same kind of car that the McAdam run uses, as far as I know.

Gypsum in Saint John, destined for McAdam

Other gypsum operations in the Maritimes include the Milford-Dartmouth run for National Gypsum, and the Windsor & Hantsport's short gypsum run.

National Gypsum cars through Windsor Junction, NS

Labels: belledune, cn, gypsum, mcadam, nbec, nbsr, saint john

Here's a video of NBEC train 402 at Belledune, NB on September 4. Related blog entry.

Labels: belledune, nbec, video

Did you ever have a day or a train chase where you felt like you were just a few seconds behind everyone else? That was yesterday for me. I guess that makes up for my lucky catch of a CN local yesterday.

January 30 started with a quick visit to the NBEC yard in Bathurst. NBEC 1818 was the yard power, and the crew was walking to their unit at about 07:50 in the bitter cold.


I wasn't really trying to catch VIA 14 but I hoped I would get them at Belledune when they stopped to reline the Irvco switch. I heard them on the scanner but I only saw the tail end of the train in the distance. Miss #1.

Ore train 587 was in Belledune but I didn't see it. I assume NBEC 1813 and SFEX 3000 were still the power for that train.

On my way back south, I heard someone calling the RTC as I drove over the tracks on highway 11 but I didn't hear who it was.

As I approached Miramichi I heard train 403 getting its TOP from the RTC at 14:54. Given that I was just by Wal-Mart at that point, I didn't think I would be able to get trackside before they left. I was right. (the TOP was for 6905 West with 8 loads (didn't hear the # of empties), 2693 tons and 2584 feet).

Just as I saw the tracks by the Northumberland Dairy facility, 403 was blowing for the crossings. I saw two SD40 and two C424 units in the distance as they headed north. I estimate they had about 30 cars, 17 of those being the empty Ultramar tank cars on the tail end. Miss #2.

CFMG 6910 was at rest in the yard, waiting to become train 402 later in the day. NBEC 1866 and NBEC 1856 were the power on local 578, which was idling in front of the crew shack. I contented myself with some roster shots in the bright sunlight before heading south.

I like the moon over the unit.

As I approached McGivney I saw the east-facing signals were green over red, but I didn't have time to sit and wait for a train to show. Experience has told me it could be half an hour at least before something shows. Miss #3.

On the way south I stopped and took a few photos of the old railway bridge at Renous. I've been meaning to do this for some time.


Not a great day for watching trains, but what can you do?

Labels: bathurst, belledune, bridge, c424, miramichi, nbec, renous, rs18, sd40

I was late leaving the Fredericton area, but while I was there I bagged this shot of a runaway caboose:


While approaching Miramichi at noon, I noticed NBEC 1854 and 1866 (RS-18s) shunting the UPM mill. As usual for UPM there was no angle for a photo. I took a quick look through the NBEC yard on my way through, and saw CFMG 6903 idling away and poor old NBEC 4219 and 4243 still rusting away in the back of the yard.


I don't condone graffiti, but this one on CN 598211 amused me.

I especially like how the reflectors have been applied over the graffiti.

I heard the ore train working at Belledune as I drove past.

This being Tuesday, there was no VIA 15 tonight. I figured my best chance was to maybe catch NBEC 403 returning to Campbellton in the dark. I left work at about 19:00 and proceeded toward Campbellton. As I approached Dalhousie Junction I heard NBEC 403 on the radio counting down cars. "15 cars, 403." "15 cars" I figured I was hearing them shunt in Campbellton, so I got off highway 134 and onto highway 11. Imagine my surprise when I passed over the tracks at the Junction and saw CFMG 6910 slowly rolling toward me.

I turned around and exited at Blair Malcolm Road/Dalhousie Junction. They were blocking a crossing south of the highway. I saw the conductor kicking snow on the wheels of one of the CN covered gondolas, and looking around underneath. I guess it must have tripped the hotbox detector. I tried a few shots in the dark but this is the best I could get, with a flash:

The best I can say about that poor shot was that the reflectors definitely work.

I mucked around the Junction trying to decide where to set up, and I finally decided to go to Blair Lane a little past where the rail line crosses highway 134. I set my camera on the tripod, with my car's headlights illuminating the crossing. At 19:42 they slowly rolled past, with the conductor giving me a wave.

The consist was CFMG 6910, NBEC 4214, CFQC 4202 and NBEC 6901 leading a 97 car train. The train included 5? woodchip cars, 8 loaded log cars (mostly CFMG), the usual collection of boxcars and tank cars, four cars loaded with Chaleur Lumber, a bunch of CN covered gondolas, and the usual Ultramar 17-car ram on the tail end. One really unusual pair of cars were two beat-up CN gondolas with an odd load in them - they almost looked like dumpsters or containers, 3 to a gondola.

I caught up with the head end and got to the VIA station before they did. Here I tried a few more stills in the dark and this was the best I got, by panning with the engine movement:


For comparison, here's what happens when you don't pan and you don't use a tripod:


Clearly I have a LOT to learn about using my still camera in the dark.

It appears the NBEC crew just cut the power off and left the entire train there, as it was still in one piece at 22:50 with the FRED still forlornly blinking at the end of the train.

With any luck, I might actually see something in daylight tomorrow.

Labels: belledune, campbellton, cfmg, dalhousie, miramichi, nbec, night

Yesterday was an awful day for travelling, but not so bad for trainspotting.

When I arrived in Miramichi around 09:50, NBEC 6905 was the only power in the New Brunswick East Coast (NBEC) yard. I checked with one of the VIA agents and they told me VIA 14 (the Ocean) was more or less on time. I drove around a bit and found a half-decent spot. I kept moving to try to get a shot without an overhead wire in the shot, and ended up with this wedgie:


VIA 14 arrived at 10:08 with 6419 and 6412 leading a Budd car consist. Here are some but not all of the cars: 8622 (baggage), 8141 (coach), 8140 (coach), 8512 (Skyline), 8413 (Diner Louise), 8206 (Chateau Denonville), 8225 (Chateau Rouville), and 8706 (Glacier Park).

They saw quite a bit of snow and ice on the way from Montreal:


The train left at 10:15.


I saw a ram of tank cars at the Ultramar facility and two NBEC RS18s at the Chatham Mall on my way through. They would prove to be 1840 and 1856 as we shall see.

As I passed Bathurst in the freezing rain at 11:10, I heard the yard switcher train 597 getting a clearance. They had NBEC 1819 for power.

When I arrived at Belledune at 11:55, I saw there was a cut of cars left on the siding off the mainline, and I heard train 587 (Brunswick Mines to Belledune) chatting away on the scanner. I caught a glimpse of NBEC 1868 and CFQC 3000 pushing a cut of cars into the Brunswick Smelting facility. They had some blue NBEC ore cars and a bunch of boxcars. No pictures - there was no good angle at all.

En route past Bathurst on my way out, I heard the Bathurst yard switcher talking to the RTC, who said NBEC 403 would be leaving Miramichi at around 1600. That's a pretty normal time for them. It gives them enough time to keep ahead of VIA 15.

On my way back through Miramichi, I found RS18s 1840 and 1856 working the yard as train 587 at 17:55. The light was almost gone and the photos suffer for it. There's only so far you can tweak an almost-black photo!




There was nothing at McGivney but red lights in the snow...

PS: This is post #100!

Labels: 1840, 1856, belledune, miramichi, nbec, via

09:45 UPM-Kymmene - the picket lines are gone but it doesn't look like the plant is quite back to full production. There were 4 tank cars in the outside yard and one inside the facility. No sign of the switcher.

Apparently it was maintenance day on the NBEC. I saw a crew rebuilding the King George Highway crossing in Miramichi, a hirailer at Beresford and a couple of trucks in the siding at Belledune.

10:00 Miramichi yard - CFMG 6903/NBEC 1867/NBEC 1819 (SD40/RS18/RS18) coupled together in the parking spur.

11:05 Bathurst yard - There were nine AOK covered hoppers looking shiny and new near the VIA station. The build date was May 2005. I don't think I've seen many covered hoppers on the NBEC. Also in the yard were the usual bunch of CN covered gondolas, four CN chip cars and a few battered NBEC ore cars. No yard power.

11:45 Belledune - NBEC 6901 East blasted through the crossing about 30 seconds before I got there. I saw the ram of TankTrain cars for Ultramar at the end and that was it.

NBEC 587 (the ore train) was pushing a string of ore cars through the scales behind the smelter. There were two RS18s for power, one of which I think was 1854. It was hard to tell from the highway.

After my work I decided to go to Petit Rocher to try to catch NBEC 403 on its way back to Campbellton. I figured it would leave Bathurst around 1700 so I would easily have enough time. I heard it get a clearance from the RTC at 1725 from mile 96 to Campbellton. I should have remembered that mile 96 was SOUTH of Bathurst, so that meant
they hadn't even reached Bathurst at 1725. I waited, and waited, and waited. At 1810 the RTC called for an OS, and 403 said they arrived at mile 108 (Bathurst) at 1755. I waited and waited some more.

Just when I was about to give up, I heard 6901 West blow for a distant crossing. They rumbled through Petit Rocher at 1705. It was a big train.



NBEC 6901
NBEC 4214
CFQC 4203
CFMG 6907
25 boxcars
7 86' boxcars
7 loaded log racks
9 tank cars
5 loaded CN woodchip cars
6 airflow cars
3 centerbeam flats (paper loads)
23 covered CN gondolas
(85 cars)

After I taped the train, I beat it to Jacquet River a few minutes ahead of them, and set up on the iron bridge over the tracks. They rolled right underneath me and I got a good lungful of smoke from 6901 and a jolt from the horn. I swear engineers just LOVE doing that. It was a great location for overhead taping, though.




I rushed to Charlo and caught them at 1955 by the VIA shack. I probably should have picked a better location but time was short.



After that, I was quite hungry so I stopped to put some expensive gas in my car and grab a sub. Then I went to Campbellton in the falling dark, arriving a few minutes before 403 did. Right after they passed, NBEC 1857 rolled out to reline the switches back to the main. It's interesting that 1857's rear lights are almost as bright as the front ones.





They puttered around with some shunting while I checked into my hotel and did a few things. I went back out to catch VIA 15. I decided to set up just east/south of Campbellton on the straight approach before the Irving siding. They were about 15 minutes late at 2145, and YAY it was a Budd train.


VIA 6409
VIA 6420
baggage 8619
coach 8118
coach 8108
coach 8137
Skyline 8506
Chateau Rouville 8225
Chateau Iberville 8209
Diner Acadian 8401
Chateau Joliet 8260
Chateau Viger 8229
Chateau Brule
Revelstoke Park

They took their sweet time getting out of Campbellton for some reason. After all the passengers were on board, the crew fiddled around in the cab for almost ten minutes before rolling out. I didn't have my scanner with me so I'm not sure what the delay was.




Here is a video of the whole NBEC chase.


EDIT: Video added

Labels: bathurst, belledune, campbellton, charlo, miramichi, nbec, via