A Moment in Halifax

I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia for a few days in September. My company was having a social get-together and it was a good opportunity to spend a couple of days in the same building as my coworkers, rather than just seeing each other as disembodied heads in Teams.

Naturally I tried to squeeze a little railfanning in, and met up with a friend or two.

The Ocean

I was very pleased that Chris Mears made time in his life to meet up with me for a few hours. We sat in a Tim Hortons in Bedford. It was next to what Mears called “Linley’s Curve”, after noted Nova Scotian author and photographer Bill Linley. (I look forward to seeing Bill again next month at Real Rails 2025 where he’s giving a couple of talks!)

Anyway, Chris and I had a very interesting and wide-ranging conversation about trains, modeling, and many other things. During our conversation, the eastbound Ocean passed by and I grabbed a few shots through a window.

You should read Chris’ blog, Prince Street. He has a way of writing (and talking) and is an unconventional thinker.

A Harbour Tour

Our work get-together was a Halifax Harbour tour. We boarded the boat in downtown Halifax and sailed southeast, past George’s Island and around into the Northwest Arm.

It was a beautiful night with great company. I like the people I work with and it was nice to see them in person again.

Lots of people were out on the water, sailing and boating and generally enjoying the last little bit of summer.

I spotted CN’s Dartmouth Yard and I had to photograph it with one of the Halifax Regional Municipality’s iconic harbour ferries, Viola Desmond.

While we were putting around, a giant cruise ship, the Norwegian Getaway, left the dock by the VIA station and headed out to sea.

This monstrous vessel was built in 2014 at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, and can carry almost four thousand guests in double occupancy in its 326m long hull.

Night Walk

I lived in Shearwater outside of Halifax for three years (1979-1982), and although I crossed the Angus L. Macdonald bridge many times in a car, and several times on a bicycle, I never walked across the bridge.

On September 12, I walked from Halifax to Dartmouth, and back. It was a lovely night for a walk, and the cities looked great.

I was very fortunate that CN’s Autoport local train was arriving in Dartmouth while I was walking over there.

Led by a pair of GP38s (I think), it consisted of two tank cars and a lot of autoracks. Dozens. They must have totally cleaned Autoport out for the weekend.

On my way back, I photographed HMCS Fredericton and another frigate at the docks. Clearly Fredericton was undergoing some work, as its gun turret was absent.

Onwards

So that was Halifax. I love that city.

I spent Saturday in Oromocto, then drove to Moncton on Sunday morning to catch a flight home. On the way to Moncton, I detoured through my old stomping grounds of Minto and Chipman to take a few photos. That’s another post…