An NB Southern Chase

I was staying in Saint John NB Thursday evening. I awoke Friday morning (Dec 12) at 8 am and checked my email / Google+ / Facebook and found a post in the RailsNB Facebook group from Brian Barchard reporting an NBSR eastbound freight train through Harvey at 07:25. I did some mental calculations and figured they couldn't cover the 40+ miles to Welsford until 08:30 at the earliest. I grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed out. My intention was to follow the NB Southern line all the way until I stumbled across the train. On my way out of Saint John I saw these two units at Island Yard..

I passed the Ponderosa Yard at Dever Road in Saint John but nothing was going on. Onwards!

I passed through foggy Grand Bay-Westfield without any sign of trains. As I approached Welsford I heard the EOT squawk* on my scanner just as I came to Aikins Lane/Sand Hopper Road and saw white tank cars going east. Time to turn around!

I decided to get them at Brittain Road first. I got there about 2 minutes ahead of the train. Looking at the bright(er) overcast sky and the dark ground, I set the exposure compensation on my camera to -2/3 of a stop. I do that in these situations to prevent the sky from blowing out when the camera meters the ground. I also had the shutter speed at 1/250s because of the low light. Normally I'd prefer 1/400 or faster but it wasn't possible given the available light. It turned out OK.

The consist was NBSR 6315, HLCX 6304, NBSR 6318, GMTX 2226 and GMTX 2233.

Next I was determined to get the overhead shot at Westfield Beach. I parked at the mailboxes and ran like heck up the bridge to get into position. Seconds later the headlights were visible as the train came around the bend.

Detail roof shot, anyone?

I knew I would be playing catch up so I drove through Westfield-Grand Bay. I wanted the curve shot at Milligan Road and arrived just in time. Part of railfanning is choosing your opportunities!

You can see there was some fog...

I grabbed a quick side-of-road shot as the train passed through Grand Bay.

Since I had an overhead shot I felt no need to get the overhead shot by the Co-Op, and the train was there first anyway. I had no real idea of what I wanted next except that I wanted the bridge shot just before Gault Road. I stopped to take this photo at Ketepec Road. The engineer really loved that horn and 6315 has a very loud horn!

Here's the bridge shot I wanted.

As you can see it was raining by this time, but whatever... The nice thing about a heavily overcast day like this is that you can shoot from any direction and the light is pretty much the same! I had to do some serious editing to lighten the pond and engines enough to be seen, yet not blow out the bright sky.

I went to the overpass to shoot them coming into the yard. "Huff and Puff" were working the west end.

These are NB Southern's two SW1200 locomotives.

The eastbound freight stopped for a while. I am not sure why but there was some chatter about a freight car.

Eventually they got started again.. very slowly. I imagine the rails were quite slippery with the rain and it was hard to get started up the grade into the yard. The engines sounded great and the sanders were doing their thing.

It's been a very long time since I chased an NB Southern train! Thanks to Brian for the heads up and the rest of the RailsNB group for all the information they provide.

NB Southern Thursday

I was in Saint John yesterday. Just after getting off highway 1, I saw NBSR 2612 and 3702 parked in the siding at the east end of Island Yard.


There was a string of freight cars by the former VIA station, presumably brought over by them from Dever Road. As I took a few photos, the carman drove by in his ATV and joined the conductor waiting by the freight cars.


I saw freight cars being pushed up the hill from Island Yard. Presumably CN 405 (or 406, whatever CN is calling it now) was pushing uphill to get the rest of the freight cars. Here's a short video in the rain.


CN 7060 was parked by the shop building in Island Yard. I noted one of the blue NBSR passenger cars was parked near the shop with the NBSR "office" caboose 422990, presumably to get ready for the New Brunswick Day excursion between Harvey and McAdam.

NB Southern in Saint John Thursday

I had a quick trip to Saint John on Thursday morning. Here are my sightings.

At 07:45 the Dever Road yard was pretty quiet and empty. I saw GP9 NBSR 3701, caboose NBSR 422990, and the three passenger cars near the shops.


At 09:45 NBSR 2610 and 2612 were shunting the west end of Island Yard, getting the transfer train ready to head to Dever Road.


About half an hour after that, on my way out I saw NBSR 3702 switching the west end of the Dever Road yard by itself. By then 2612 and 2610 had reached Dever Road and were shut down by the shops.

NBSR Switching

I was in Saint John very briefly at 15:30 on Thursday afternoon (March 5) and caught NBSR 3702 (SW1200) and 9802 (GP38-3) switching the west end of the Dever Road yard.

On my way back to Fredericton, I called to find out when the eastbound train was coming through and lo! there was no eastbound on Thursday. Apparently there was no westbound freight train on Wednesday night, so no return train.

I'm told this has been happening fairly frequently. I understand traffic is way down on the MM&A so that may have a lot to do with it. Kevin Burkholder reported a large NBSR eastbound freight on Tuesday March 4 with 4 units and a 45 car pickup leaving Mattawamkeag, Maine at 11:50. Perhaps the cars are being sent every other day instead of daily.

New videos

Dave Dineen posted a video of NB Southern units taking a container train through Saint John. The train had NBSR 2610, 2319, 3701 and 3702 on it with 33 cars. Check out his blog for a description of the chase.


Kevin G was busy on the weekend chasing trains. First we see CN 534 going past the VIA station in Moncton with a couple of GP38s on the head end.


Next, VIA 14 at the Painsec Junction road crossing with the Operation Lifesaver unit (6411) leading.


Here's VIA 14 arriving at the Sackville station. Nice light in this shot.


Finally, VIA 15 arrives at Amherst with 6416 and 6425.


Thanks, guys!

Saint John sightings 2006/03/25

I returned to Saint John on Saturday with my daughter to do some shopping, and of course to do some railfanning.

When I arrived at about 12:15, I quickly found out that the yard switcher pair CN 7000/7010 had split a switch and the front truck of 7010 was off the track.

Several people examine the front truck.

I ventured down the yard to find CN 7015 bringing six trailers-on-flat-cars (TOFC) to the piggyback ramp (NBSR 687331, 687370, 687317, 687315, 687430). The very friendly brakeman was the one who told me about 7010's misadventure. The trailers were apparently empties, and soon afterward I saw a tractor pulling them off to replace them with trailers full of fish from Connors Brothers.


Lauren and I went into Tim Horton's to have lunch, and the crew of 7015 came in for coffee shortly afterward.

Soon afterward 7015 ran light to Tim Horton's. What's more Canadian than CN and Tim Horton's?


I returned to the main Island Yard to find CN 7000 and 7010 bringing a local to the Irving Refinery and Irving Paper at 13:12. I guess 7010's problem wasn't very serious!

7000 and 7010 pushed 13 tank cars and 7 boxcars.

At the east end of the yard, I found the NB Southern transfer freight waiting to get into the yard at 14:00. They had a mixed bag of NBSR 3702 (SW1200RS), NBSR 3701 (GP9), and NBSR 2317 (GP38-3) for power.



The friendly crew invited us into the cab of 3702 and we chatted for a while.


We took a break from railfanning after that and did some shopping, then went out to Rothesay to visit the model train store. On our return, we found CN 305 was getting ready to go. I chatted with the carman and we went up to the head end of 305 to give them a roll-by. They left at 16:30 with 81 cars, a mixed bag of boxcars, tank cars, and about 20 doublestacks. Apparently they were delayed by three bad-order boxcars and of course 7010's problem. CN 2430 led 2666 and 5702.


We headed home after that. It was a great day!

Green switcher day

I went down to Saint John on the 23rd and had a bit of luck.

As I crossed the Harbour Bridge I noticed a string of container cars near Harbour Station. I took the next exit, and found twenty-some flats, most loaded, with no engine in sight.


I figured something must be coming along to get them soon, so I backtracked to near Reversing Falls. Just as I saw the Reversing Falls bridge, I heard some chatter on the scanner. The NBSR yard planner was telling someone to line the west end switch for the "Tropical boys" to come through.

Since many of the containers were Tropical containers, I figured they were on their way to get the cars. I heard a train horn, so I beat it back to the Bentley Street crossing (Google Maps) to wait.

Switchers at Mill Street

In about six minutes or so, three NB Southern engines came along - SW1200 3703 and 3702 bracketing GP9 3701. They trundled past the Mill Street sign and went down to couple up to the platforms.

Getting ready to take the hill

At 09:43 they started the pull up the hill to the Dever Road yard. I guess they must have had some trouble pulling them up the hill, as they slowed to a slow walking pace. I didn't stick around to see them get all the way up. I wonder if the morning transfer freight had to double the hill, and that's why the containers were left there. There were 23 platforms.

NB Southern high hood GP9

At noon I saw CN 7010 shunting the Island Yard, with CN 5746 and 5707 sitting idle in the yard.

At 16:30 it looked like another refinery local was being put together or taken apart. CN 7015 and 7000 together with NBSR 79635 were shunting tank cars in Island Yard. CN 5746 and 5707 were still sitting around in the yard.

On my way out of Saint John, I heard NBSR 2319 call the RTC and ask where the eastbound freight was. The RTC said it left McAdam at 16:35. If I had another 45 minutes or so I might have caught it at Welsford but time was not on my side, so I didn't see it at all.

Petitbone MOW equipment NBSR 151014 was sitting at Westfield Beach, off the rails, when I went by.

Saint John Sightings 2005/12/09

It wasn't a bad day. To start off with, I saw an NB Southern high-rail truck near Westfield Beach, so that said "no trains for you" on the McAdam sub.

At 09:40 I saw CN 2629 and 5709 snoozing in the Island Yard, with CN 7015 shunting the yard throat.

At 12:20 I just managed to catch the NB Southern local heading out, caboose first, to switch Irving Paper, the Irving Refinery and so forth.



A quick shot through the windshield. After the train cleared the crossing, I got turned around and caught it at the overpass over the rails by Irving Paper. It wasn't going fast.



The consist was NBSR 79635, about 8 boxcars, NBSR 3701, CN 7000, 3 boxcars and 3 tank cars trailing.

CN 305 was alive by this time, with the two big units above moving through the yard throat to start assembling their train. CN 7015 went to bed at this time. Around 13:00, they had most of their train together and the far end was all the way out the other end of the yard. NBSR 3702 and 3703 were at that end, waiting for 305 to let them out of the siding. CN 305 had 10 gypsum cars, 13 doublestacks and 6 singlestacks near the end of the train. There was a blackened CN generator container on FEC 71642 as part of the consist.

Once 305 pulled its tail out of the way, 3702 and 3703 went on their way to Dever Road. I caught them several times on the way, first going under the road near Harbour Station:



The next location is obvious:



and finally over the Reversing Falls bridge:



With that I went home. I heard CN 305 calling the RTC around 14:00, I assume to get their clearance to go to Moncton.