NB Southern Ballast Train

On Friday August 17 I was making my way across Saint John, heading to Fredericton to visit my family. I heard "NBSR 2612 East" getting an OCS clearance from mile 22 to the Saint John yard limits.

Now, mile 22 is just railway east of Welsford. How do I know that? Read the timetable and you will see that Welsford's station sign is at mile 23.4.

This told me that the train had not cleared Welsford, which gave me plenty of time to intercept them. As it happens, I was approaching the ferry landing at Westfield Beach when I saw the crossing lights come on there. I made a quick U-turn and shot them just across from a nearby school.

The train consisted of GP38 NBSR 2612, caboose CN 79624, and ten NBSR ballast cars.

As I gave chase, I considered where I would shoot it next. One thing I have always struggled with is whether to go for quantity or quality. I knew I wanted to get the overhead shot by the Grand Bay Co-Op, and I was considering whether I could squeeze another shot in between. In the end I decided not to take the risk of getting stuck behind a slow vehicle, and proceeded directly to the overpass. I think it was the right decision.

After a few minutes of waiting, the train rolled by with a few toots for my benefit.

I gave up the chase at that point, as I had an appointment to keep in Fredericton. It was nice to see an NB Southern train on the road again... just like old times.