Saint John Tuesday

I had a quick trip to Saint John Tuesday morning and here is what I saw on the way.

As I approached Chesley Drive in Saint John, I saw three NBSR units running light toward Island Yard. On the scanner they said they were going to pick up 40 cars to bring back to Dever Road. At 09:40 NBSR 2317, 9803 and 2610 entered Island Yard. I wasn't able to get ahead of them, so no pictures.

As I passed Island Yard I saw CN 5757, 2454 and I think 5678 by the shop building, ready to go out as CN 405 later.

A portion of a local train was on the track by Staples paralleling Russell Street, with ten cars and caboose NBSR 79635 ready to lead the way. No engine in sight!


On my way out around noon, I saw SW1200RS NBSR 3703 and GP9 3701 shunting the west end of the Dever Road yard.


I took a little video with my Canon S3 and here it is.

Saint John and area sightings 2006/03/24

I was down in Saint John yesterday (the 24th) and made a few observations.

At 09:00 the CN yard was fairly quiet. CN 5702, 2666, and a 24xx unit were resting from bringing CN 306 down from Moncton. I discovered CN 7015 and caboose NBSR 79635 running light to the west end of the yard.


They dropped 79635 off by KRL 25200, the depressed-center flatcar with the blue transformer that seems to have taken up permanent residence in the yard. They then ran back east to switch some tank cars.



At noon, 7015 was shunting but nothing else was going on.

At 15:00, CN 305 was gone. It looks like they took 30-40 potash cars with them as the Courtenay Bay terminal had no cars left. I ventured over to NB Southern's Dever Road yard to find NBSR 2317 shunting on the east end of the yard.


It doesn't take vandals long to mark up the cars, even the pretty blue Pan Am ones.


I wasn't sure if NB Southern's eastbound had arrived yet or not, but I had to get going so off I went. I took highway 7 to Welsford. As I approached Welsford, I turned the scanner back on in the vain hope of hearing something. Suddenly, I heard an SBU squawk!

I immediately turned down Sand Cove Road and rolled down the windows, hearing the thrum of approaching GP38s. I frantically fumbled with my video camera but I wasn't able to get it on fast enough to see the eastbound roar through the crossing. At 15:32 NBSR 9802, 2319 and 9801 led a 34-car train toward Saint John.

• 9 gypsum
• 8 boxcars (1 CN extra height, 5 Pan-Am, 2 cryo)
• 1 centerbeam flat (empty)
• 16 tankers (mostly Procor)

Thank you again, Peter, for the loan of the scanner!

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.