NBEC 1821

In my recent survey, someone posted they liked MLW locomotives and would like to see more. For those who don't know, MLW was the Montreal Locomotive Works, originally a subsidiary of the American Alco company and later owned by Bombardier. Alco/MLW engines are revered by many railfans for the smoke they produced as well as a certain sound the diesel engines made.

My personal exposure to MLW engines comes from two main sources: the former New Brunswick East Coast Railway's extensive roster of MLW locomotives and the Salem and Hillsborough Railroad's pair of MLW locomotives.

I've decided to feature NBEC 1821 in this post, as it was the NBEC RS-18 locomotive I happened to see the most, and also one of the two NBEC locomotives I saw first.

I first saw NBEC 1821 on July 5, 1999 in Miramichi (Chatham) paired up with NBEC 1866. I took some truly bad photos of the pair of them at sunset.

Well before I learned how to pan

These were the among the very first railfan photos I ever took. The very first ones I took were on May 3, 1999 I believe.

The best of the lot

If you're familiar with the area, you can see that the latter photo shows them crossing Water Street in Chatham in front of the Lafarge facility.

I didn't see 1821 again until January 9, 2001 when she was paired up with 1840 and 1864 for local switching. By then I think my film camera was broken so I really had nothing to photograph with.

The next photo I have of NBEC 1821 dates from July 22, 2003 when I was using the 1 megapixel digital camera in my Sony DCR-TRV25 video camera. I still hadn't learned to stand on the sun side of the train.

I'll take a moment to explain what type of locomotive NBEC 1821 was. MLW produced a series of locomotives designated RS-18 (Road Switcher 1800 horsepower). It was essentially the Canadian version of the Alco RS-11. CN bought the vast majority of the RS-18s (225) and ran them long-hood forward, while CP bought 72 and ran them short-hood forward. The PG and E (which became BC Rail) bought 29 and various resource railways bought a few each. All of these were delivered with high short hoods like CP 8743 here (Greg Brewer slide):

CP 8743 in Fredericton, slide by Greg Brewer

NBEC 1821 was built as CP 8741 in April 1957. It soldiered on for years until 1984 when it was rebuilt, the short hood was cut down, and it was renumbered to CP 1821. It continued in service on CP until the New Brunswick East Coast Railway bought it in April 1998.

OK, moving on. My next photo of NBEC 1821 was from October 6, 2003 in the Miramichi yard. 1821 was paired up with NBEC 1849 and was nicely parked in the sun.

Still only a 1 megapixel photo

I next photographed it down at the port of Miramichi on January 8, 2004, doing some switching with leading engine NBEC 1814.

Note the long string of BCOL and CN boxcars. This was after the CN-BC Rail deal was announced...

Later that month I photographed it and 1814 in the Miramichi yard on January 28, 2004. I was taking some detail photos, I guess.

Note the class lights above the number boards, the bell mounted right in the middle, the red safety stripes (some of NBEC's engines had black stripes) and the "NBEC" painted over the CP in "CP Rail".

On February 18, 2004 she was paired up with NBEC 1867 as yard power in Miramichi. The yard power tended to change fairly frequently as they went back to Campbellton for servicing and reassignment. The only constant seemed to be that black NBEC 1857 stayed close to Campbellton most of the time.

Hadn't really mastered night photography...

My next photograph of NBEC 1821 was taken on March 29, 2006 and here I have a different camera! The Fuji FinePix A210 was/is a 3 megapixel camera and takes decent photos as long as nothing is moving.. kind of like today's smartphone cameras.

So much better quality

Here 1821 was coupled up to derelict NBEC 4219 and 4243, locomotives used for parts. They were apparently moved to Miramichi for final scrapping and languished in the back of the yard for months before finally meeting their doom.

Next we fast forward to May 28, 2007 with NBEC 1821 at the head of an empty ore train in Bathurst, NB. You'll note yard power NBEC 1845 to the left and a string of blue ore cars to the right.

Finally, NOT Miramichi!

By this time I was using my Canon S3.

Here's a video from 2007 featuring three RS-18s including 1821 in Bathurst, pushing some ore cars back across Golf Road.

A few months later I was photographing the loaded ore train in Bathurst from the St. Anne Street overpass on September 14, 2007.

Ready to roll!

I took video of this train leaving. THIS is why people love Alcos... that chugging noise.

I chased this train... I caught it on a curve at Madran on its way to the smelter in Belledune.

A little pop of fall colours..

My next photo of NBEC 1821 was at Belledune on February 21, 2008.. apparently it was cold as there is some fog on the lens.

Note the black box behind the cab. This is new and I believe NBEC 1821 was one of the engines to get retrofitted with smart start but I could be wrong. 1821 was behind two SD40 engines on the main line train. For some reason I was back to using the Fuji camera on this trip so the resolution is not as good.

I saw 1821 again the next day (February 22) in Bathurst by the station.

I didn't know it but NBEC 1821 had less than a year of operation before she would no longer grace these rails. In fact, I would see it only for three more months.

Here's a Bathurst video from the spring of 2008 featuring NBEC 1821 and 1819.

Here it was on May 26, 2008, the last time I saw it. It was on the empty ore train, heading out of Bathurst toward Brunswick Mines.

But 1821's story doesn't end there. My friend David Morris photographed it in Gaspe meeting the Chaleur on December 2008, after CN bought the NBEC and its sister railways back.

Photo by David Morris

Michel Boudreau caught it in Bathurst, NB on February 7, 2009, paired up with a CN GP40, presumably on the ore train.

Photo by Michel Boudreau

But that still isn't the end of 1821.

It was purchased by the railroad of Le Massif de Charlevoix (together with NBEC 1868) and pulls the tourist train in Quebec.

Still operating, after 57 years. Not too shabby.

The Metis In Action

You may remember that the New Brunswick Southern Railway purchased the private car Metis a while ago. David Morris chased the Metis on an NB Southern excursion train on October 12 and shared many photos with me. I don't know what the occasion for the excursion train was.

Here is the NB Southern excursion train at Harbour Station in Saint John, NB. I am so glad it has not been repainted!


David shot the excursion train crossing Chesley Drive in Saint John. The bus station is just to the right. I think David was standing at the end of Clipper Passage, a new street in the area. It's a nice viewpoint!


Here's NBSR 2612 leading the train off the world famous Reversing Falls bridge.

This was a familiar location for me... I shot NBSR 9803 there as well as a 2007 excursion train, among others. I didn't manage to get a cruise ship in the background like David did.

Here the train is passing the wye on the west end of the NBSR yard. David is standing on or near the Gault Road crossing.


The same location, facing the other way:


Next, here's the Metis crossing highway 7 in Welsford as they approach the siding for the run-around.


NBSR 2612 runs around the train in the siding at Welsford.

If you can draw your eyes away from the gorgeous fall foliage that David captured, you can see a bit of the ABS block signal lying in the grass to the right of the switch. The McAdam subdivision used absolute block signals until the end of CP's ownership, as you can see in the September 11, 1994 CP timetable.

After ABS was removed, the signal masts remained but the signal heads were turned away from the tracks until the special test tank move of May 2007. At that time the remaining masts from Saint John to Harvey were unceremoniously knocked over and left to lie in the ditches. Many are still there.

After the run-around, the train proceeded back to Saint John. David shot it coming into Grand Bay at my favourite curve.


The next few show the engine facing the wrong way on the train. I'm not sure exactly what happened to get it facing the other way. Here's the train on the Reversing Falls bridge again.


Also on the Reversing Falls, but from across the water...


One more shot, I think around mile 6 of the McAdam subdivision.



Thanks to David Morris for sharing his photos of the Metis, the lovely fall colours, and the excursion train!

The UNICEF Train

David Morris sent along some photos of the New Brunswick Southern Railway UNICEF train that ran on September 30. The NBSR runs a train every fall between McAdam and St. Stephen in New Brunswick, Canada to benefit UNICEF.

The train had Maine Northern 9801 on the head end, followed by NBSR 5448, NBSR 5471, NBSR 5537 and "office" van NBSR 422990.

He first caught the UNICEF train passing through Harvey, NB en route to McAdam in the early morning light.


Things were much brighter on arrival in McAdam! Note the nice UNICEF banner.


This is the interior of car 5448, one of the three ex-VIA Rail coaches on the train.


After all the passengers boarded, they left for the slow trip to St. Stephen. David shot them at Moores Mills en route to St. Stephen.


Trouble was waiting at Watt Junction! These fierce train robbers were lying in wait for the train.


The train was accosted by the train robbers, some mounted on horseback.


Finally, they arrived in St. Stephen. David took this shot on the Milltown spur outside St. Stephen.


The engine ran around the train and pulled it back to McAdam. I believe David shot this from the highway 1 overpass just outside St. Stephen.


Once back in McAdam, the train was marshaled behind the freight power of NBSR 2318, 008, 2319 and HLCX 906.


Thanks for the photos, David!

Here are posts from previous years' UNICEF trains: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

MNR 9801 and the Dragon Boat Train

David Morris sent along these photos of Maine Northern 9801 from Saturday. NB Southern ran several trains out to Renforth Wharf in Rothesay, NB and back to carry people to and from the Saint John Dragon Boat Festival, like they did in 2009 and I think in 2010.

As you can see, it was quite foggy.


I believe all of these photos were taken at Harbour Station.


Passengers board NBSR 5448 and the other cars.


Thanks for the photos, David!

VIA Plow Train

David Morris chased the Ocean and Chaleur a few times in February and sent along these shots of the trains plowing snow.

First, here's the Ocean at Nigadoo, NB.


Next, the Chaleur plowing a crossing at Escuminac in Quebec.

Hopefully he didn't get too wet after this shot!

Here's the same train at Anse a Beaufils.


They met the real plow at New Carlisle, propelled by SFG 1856, the former NBEC 1856.

A VIA Chase

David Morris sent along these photos of his chase of VIA 14, the Ocean, from Petit Rocher to Moncton in New Brunswick. The lead engine was VIA 6432 and the date was October 17.

First, Petit Rocher.


Next, this great shot of the Ocean crossing the Miramichi River at Nelson Junction.


He shot it at the station in Rogersville, NB.


Another great shot, a pan near Kent Junction.


Finally, the Ocean comes into Moncton amidst a riot of colour.


Thanks for the shots, David!

See Also

• Chasing VIA 14 and 15
• All VIA Rail posts