Sweating the Assets

The Fredericton train station, May 2003

Railways are notoriously frugal. They will "sweat the assets" (as Greg McDonnell says), but when they are done with an asset, it is usually discarded with little or no remorse. As an example, the rapid destruction of train stations (unused since the decline of passenger rail travel) in Canada in the 1970s and early 1980s was only stopped by the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act of 1988.

Sometimes private individuals or businesses buy old rolling stock and repurpose it. Many cabooses become cottages, for example. In my travels I've stumbled across a few pieces of rolling stock still in use for some purpose.

Sweating the assets, Bayshore Bulk Transfer, Saint John, NB 2002

Old caboose at Bayshore Bulk Transfer, Saint John, NB 2005

Boxcars for storage, NB Coal, Minto NB 2006

Repurposed CN container, McGivney NB 2008

NB Southern converted a boxcar to use for transloading pulp in McAdam. The boxcar even has a forklift in it to help move the pulp over from truck to boxcar.

Pulp Trans-Loading Boxcar in McAdam

CN 235058 was used for storage by Northumberland Dairy, Fredericton, NB 2006

Spring Specialty in Moncton NB used to have a boxcar for storage

Kenny's Trucking in Miramichi had a boxcar around

Of course, there was this old boxcar I found at Hathaway last summer:

What have you seen around?

PS Thanks to Glen aka busman for the post idea.