On Monday night I had the opportunity to tour the Campbellton yard. With permission, of course! NBEC 1819 was in the shop track, having received a new head. It was being readied for its new career.
Outside, NBEC 1845 was resting in the yard. 1845 is operational and is currently used as the shop switcher.
There are three dead RS18s around the yard, 1809, 1830 and 1855.
There were a few MOW (Maintenance Of Way) pieces around the yard. Plow NBEC 55420 was the only one left, since its sister 55419 went to the Bay.
Two cars are waiting for the scrapper. The plaque on Jordan Spreader 50955 reads "JORDAN SPREADER O.F. JORDAN CO. EAST CHICAGO INDIANA PATENTED OTHER PATENTS PENDING".
Rare flanger NBEC 56201 is also destined for the scrapper. Yes, it's a flanger, not a caboose.
A quick hat tip to CJF - it was very nice to meet you. Thanks to all the Eastern Railway Services people for your hospitality! I wish you all the best of luck.
I miss the MLW units. I miss the smoke and noise they make. Just to remind myself of them, I uploaded a couple of videos of NBEC RS-18s working in Miramichi.
Here are NBEC 1854 and 1819 working in Miramichi on August 5, 2004. First they push a centerbeam flat into the port area, then they run light through the yard.
This one has NBEC 1866 and 1867 smokin' it up in the Miramichi yard on October 7, 2004.
I had a quick trip up north today. I saw CFMG 6902 at rest in Miramichi with a bunch of 86' boxcars around the yard.
VIA 14
I heard VIA 614 was late, so I elected to wait a few minutes outside Bathurst for it to leave. I was rewarded by this sight of the Telus unit, even with its peeling paint.
VIA 6429 "Telus" leading VIA 14 out of Bathurst, New Brunswick
ASSINIBOINE PARK was on the tail end of the train, with a Renaissance consist.
"Assiniboine Park" on the tail end of the VIA Rail "Ocean"
Here's the video!
Ore Train
Later, I arrived in Bathurst just as the NBEC ore train returned from Belledune. NBEC 1819 and 1851 powered a short train.
NBEC 1819 in Bathurst, New Brunswick
VIA 15
I beat it to Miramichi to catch VIA 15. Fortunately they were late, so I had time to go to the river bridge to get this shot. Railpictures liked it - my first accepted photo of 2008.
Prince Albert Park was on the tail end of this Ocean.
Keiichi902 has another interesting video from Sydney, this time showing NBEC 1819 being pushed to the CB&CNS-SCR interchange. There is a gondola between the two engines, perhaps for spacing or perhaps it is also being interchanged.
Michel R posted a video of NBEC 586, the ore train, leaving Bathurst in the evening for the Brunswick Mines site on the Nepisiguit subdivision. The train had NBEC 1868 and NBEC 1819 with 10 of the short ore cars (345xxx series), 12 CN covered gondolas, and 3 AOK covered hoppers.
This one from Nicober100 is a little different! It features a Microsoft Train Simulator view of former NBEC 4214 on the Chemin de Fer de Charlevoix (CFC) with two LLPX GP-15 units.
As I blogged earlier it appears 4214 has gone to another Quebec Railway Corporation line.
Julien Boily has posted a railfan video from Riviere du Loup, Quebec in June 2006. The first half of the video is a slideshow, and at 03:22 there is video of NBEC 1819, the mainline NBEC freight with 7 (!) locomotives, a brief clip of a CN train, and a VIA train to finish it off.
Today I went to the Bathurst area, and fortunately saw a few trains along the way.
CFQC 3000 and NBEC 1819 in Miramichi
In Miramichi CFQC 3000 and NBEC 1819 provided the yard power, while NBEC 6900 sat at the back of the yard.
I had just exited highway 8 onto route 360 when I heard VIA 14 tell the RTC that they just arrived at Bathurst. I stopped here where the railway crosses 360 and waited a few minutes until VIA 14 showed up. It passed at 09:14 with VIA 6400 and 6417 leading a Renaissance train, with Revelstoke Park bringing up the rear.
VIA 14 at the route 360 crossing, September 2007
By the way, what's up with the weird lettering on Revelstoke Park? Did VIA run out of lower-case stencils?
ReveLstoKe Park at route 360
Later, I heard NBEC 403 arriving at Bathurst at 17:00. They did some shunting, then left quite quickly at 17:35 or so. I handily beat them to Beresford and taped them there at 17:43. They had NBEC 6901, CFMG 6907, CFQC 3000 and NBEC 1819 as power. I guess 402 must have brought a new pair of RS-18s down to Miramichi.
NBEC 6901 leading train 403 through Beresford, NB, September 2007
The train had the usual mix of boxcars, tank cars, wood chip loads, loaded lumber cars, covered hoppers, CN covered gondolas, and the inevitable 17-car ram of Ultramar tank cars for a total of 63 cars (33 loads, 30 empties).
CN tank train in Beresford, NB
Back at Bathurst, NBEC 586 was ready to go to Brunswick Mines by 18:40 with MLW RS-18s 1868 and 1821 on the point. Since I was going that way anyway, why not do a little chase?
They crossed route 430 the first time at 19:00. You can see the shadows were getting really long. I really like this shot - I just wish it was brighter tonight.
NBEC 1868 on the Nepisiguit Subdivision
I got them next at 19:05 at Sewell Road, although I think the video turned out much better than the stills did.
NBEC 1868 and 1821
A quick run down the road got me to the next highway crossing just before the train did, so I just took stills at 19:10.
NBEC 1868
My last catch was a few km up the road, at a private crossing just before the track and the road part ways. At 19:18 the sun was pretty much below the horizon.
NBEC 1868
Train 586 had 15 blue NBEC ore cars, 26 covered CN gondolas, and 5 AOK covered hoppers.
NBEC 1819 is on the way home. It went to the former Sydney Coal Railway shops in Cape Breton for a main generator changeout back in April.
2007/03/07 Left Ottawa for NBEC 2007/04/26 Arrived in Moncton behind NBEC 6901 on NBEC train 402. 2007/04/28 Arrived in Stellarton behind LLPX 2269 and HATX 910 on CB&CNS train 305. 2007/05/17 Passed through North Sydney.
Expect to see it in Truro, then Moncton and eventually back to home ground on the New Brunswick East Coast Railway.
