Miramichi Port Spur Torn Up

In the latest of the "death of a thousand cuts" affecting rail service in northern New Brunswick, CN started removing the rail leading to the port of Miramichi on Wednesday. This prompted Hal Raper, chief financial officer of Miramichi Lumber Products, to complain to CN (and the CBC) that they had plans to ship wood chips and lumber to Saint John starting this spring. CN says the line had laid dormant for seven years and they needed the rails elsewhere.

Mr. Raper said they planned on shipping about 700 cars/year. CN says they will put the rails back if there is sufficient business to justify it.

Miramichi Lumber Products was known as Newcastle Lumber until a few years ago, when the family-owned business went into receivership. It is back in operation with a new name and new equipment.

I don't think the rails will ever go back. The northern line is in dire danger since CN filed for abandonment in August last year and nothing has come up since then to indicate they will change their minds. There is simply not enough traffic to justify CN making the investment to repair the line's many faults. The various levels of government, private business, and community leaders need to work together to get more industries using the rails to make the business case for retaining the line. Organizations like this are good but there needs to be more... much more.



I remember seeing New Brunswick East Coast Railway trains coming down to the port many times to spot boxcars, and even to switch the Irving propane facility there when it still had rail service. I have a note that I saw an SD40 / C-424 combination coming away from the port on February 13, 2001 but in general I only saw RS-18s there. Of course, the above photo is an exception as the second unit after NBEC 1867 is NBEC 4230.

In January 2004 it was a pair of RS-18s (NBEC 1814 and 1821) working the port. Note the BC Rail boxcars. There was a shift around this time from a dog's breakfast of boxcar roadmarks to more uniform CN and BC Rail boxcars in northern New Brunswick.


The last time I saw a train at the Port was in the evening of July 18, 2006 when NBEC 1854 and NBEC 1816 were working. Clearly this was shortly before the end of rail service if CN says the line has not had customers in seven years.


Notice how my camera quality improves with each picture! ;)

JLCX 1816

Former NBEC 1816, now JLCX 1816, was shot by Ken Lanovich shortly before its trip to the Jabco scrap yard in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It along with other ex-NBEC RS18s were purchased by J&L Contracting for parts & scrap.

Note how the CP NBEC Rail on the side has been roughly painted over, and a rough JLCX was added. No need for finesse when it's going to be scrapped in a few days.

Ex-NBEC 1854 was behind it in this photo.

Here was NBEC 1816 in happier days, in Miramichi on September 16, 2006.

More RS18s To The Scrapper

NBEC 1854 and 1867 in Miramichi, November 7 2006

Ken Lanovich reports on the LocoNotes group that "New Brunswick East Coast RY RS18u`s, 1816, 1834, 1840, and 1854 have been delivered to JABCO scrap yard in Chicago Heights, IL."

Sigh.

Scrapped

By Thursday afternoon (June 4), NBEC 1809 and 1830 have been scrapped at Campbellton with 1855 in the process of being scrapped. Plow NBEC 55420, flanger 56201 and spreader 50955 are next.

I saw them on May 30 in a line railway east of the shops. Click on the photo for a larger view.


You can see that all the parts have been stripped. Number boards, classification lights, bells, even handbrake wheels were all removed. Even some of the headlights were gone.

Also, I understand that NBEC 1814, 1816, 1834, 1840, and 1854 have all been sold for scrap.

Goodbye, Alcos.

NBEC Plow Train

On Sunday, Chris M caught an NBEC plow train returning from the Gaspe. His photos of NBEC 1816 and the plow are on his blog. Check it out!

NBEC this afternoon

I went up to Miramichi for the Miramichi Model Train Show, and on the way there I heard NBEC 403 preparing to leave Miramichi for Campbellton. I rushed to the yard only to see the power disappearing in the distance at 14:43. Train 403 had CFMG 6902, 6910, 6908, and 6907 leading 24 loads and 36 empties, including the 17-car Ultramar Tank Train set at the rear. 6907 is going to Campbellton for servicing overnight and returning tomorrow.

After the show, I returned to the yard to try to find the yard power. They were nowhere to be seen. I heard them on the scanner shunting, but after checking the lower yard, UPM, and finally the port, I figured they must have headed over to the other side of the river. Then I heard them call a foreman to tell them they were tying up and going off shift, so I figured they must have returned to the yard. They had.

NBEC 1856 and 1816 were parking by the depot when I arrived. I spoke with the very friendly engineer and he told me NBEC is purchasing 6 new 3500HP units, possibly as a replacement for the SD40 units they have. I'd like to see that!

Notice the shiny new front end on 1856. It was involved in a grade crossing accident near Noel, Quebec on July 14. It has also received the SmartStart upgrade so there are some new stickers on the hood and the handrails and roof have been repainted.


Contrast that with good old 1816.

NBEC 1816 in Quebec again

As I mentioned back on February 3, NBEC 1816 was in Quebec. Apparently it left the CFC a day after it arrived, but came back on February 9 and has remained there since.

Jean Francois Dumont took some photos of 1816 on the 10th and posted them to Railpictures.net.

This one is my favourite.
A close runner-up.
A great distance shot.
This doesn't really show 1816 but it does show one of CFC's locos quite well.

NBEC 1816 in Quebec

NBEC 1816 has gone to the CFC (Chemin de fer de Charlevoix) in Quebec to help them out for a while.

Northern NB Trains

I had a little trip to Dalhousie on Tuesday the 9th and managed to catch a few trains en route.

When I passed by the UPM-Kymmene plant at 09:45, switcher 711 was shoving a cut of boxcars into the plant. One would almost think it was a steam engine by the huge plume of white smoke it was emitting. I'm no mechanic but it seemed highly unusual. There were six boxcars in the outside yard.

The string of NB Southern log racks I saw on July 15 doesn't seem to have moved.

VIA 14 arrived at Miramichi at 10:06 with 6416 and 6432 leading 18 Renaissance cars and Evangeline Park. They departed at 10:14. Listening to the scanner, they had a slow order at mile 48 (near Rogersville) and were cleared only to mile 33 (near Harcourt).



When I passed by Bathurst at 11:10, I heard 402 working in the yard over the scanner.

I left Dalhousie around 17:45, after verifying that the Dalhousie local was not around. I heard a squawk on the NBEC channel so I went up highway 134. There are some really nice places for train photography along the stretch between Dalhousie and Belledune.

At mile 138.26 the track crosses the highway in Jacquet River, and the crossing lights were flashing. I quickly determined that there was no train around, so I called the NBEC emergency number and informed the RTC that the lights were stuck on. He thanked me and issued a notice to train 403 over the radio. Then he asked 403 for a position check and they were at mile 134 - almost on top of me!

I beat it back to the bridge over Jacquet River and waited for 403. They came at 18:32 with 6906?, a C424 and another SD40 leading about 88 cars. I shot video from the highway, and it turned out OK if a little wobbly. I think it would be a great spot for still photos. There's an ancient iron bridge over the tracks just north of the river that is a great place for getting an overhead shot.


In Miramichi, 1816 and 1819 were shut down on the "main" at the Ultramar facility with a string of boxcars behind them.