I was in Saint John, New Brunswick in mid May 2018. I met up with Caleb Wentzell in the evening for a little... OK, a big chase.
Our target was CN 406, the daily Moncton-Saint John train. It usually heads down to Moncton in the afternoon and returns in the evening. Railfans were excited about this train because it had two leased units, CREX 1505 and CEFX 1011.
On the way down, CREX 1505 was in the lead. Since I was working, I missed that, but I knew it would be returning in the evening. Caleb was in town and wanted to meet up, so we arranged a rendezvous along Rothesay Avenue in Saint John, by the Ocean Steel rebar plant.
This is a good location because it's at the "throat" of Island Yard. All of the yard tracks converge just south (railway west) of the crossing there. When I arrived, I could see CN 2977 on the "bypass" track in the distance. I took this long shot using my 70-200mm lens and cropped in a fair bit.
CN 2977 pushing back in Saint John
As I watched, they pushed back and around the bend, out of sight. I imagine they were pushing the potash cars back onto the back half of their train to make up the whole train.
I knew this would take some time to complete, as they would have to do a full air test before coming back to my location. I ducked out to grab some supper, then returned to the location to wait for the train and wait for Caleb.
Caleb showed up, and we said our hellos. He had a few model train cars for me - part of a trade we made more than a year ago but never actually completed in person. Patience pays off...
Eventually CN 2977 pulled up, followed by the lease units.
CN 2977 with leased locomotives
As they pulled past, I took the opportunity to photograph the leasers.
Leased locomotives in Saint John - CEFX 1011 and CREX 1505
We didn't wait for the whole train to pass. We had discussed shooting it by the Rothesay train station, as Caleb had never shot a train there, and I always like that location. We were traveling in separate cars, because Caleb was going to carry on to Nova Scotia after the chase, and I had to return to Saint John to work the next day.
Rothesay
CN 2977 passing the historic Rothesay train station
Well, that shot worked well.
We arrived several minutes before the train did. Since there was no sun out, we had our choice of angles. I decided to shoot from this angle to include the historic station. Caleb was a little closer with a wider angle.
I shot the other leaser, CREX 1505, as they passed by us.
CREX 1505 on train CN 406
This time, we were trapped by the train, so it was time for a selfie by the train.
Caleb Wentzell and yours truly. He's quite a bit taller than I am!
We discussed our next move, and we decided to get them at Hampton. It's fairly easy to get into from the highway.
Hampton
When we arrived in Hampton, I suggested going to the one lane iron bridge just before town to get an overhead view. We arrived just in time to catch the train snaking around the curve and blasting underneath us.
Overhead view of CN 406 at Hampton
While breathing in those tasty diesel fumes, I grabbed overhead views of the two leased locomotives as well.
Overhead views of CEFX 1011 and CREX 1505
Next up... Norton! I had never been there, but Caleb had, so he led the way.
Norton
CN 406 at Norton
I liked that old building, now used as a recycling depot. I think this location would work well for westbounds as well, because you could include that yellow building seen in the photo below, plus there are a few interesting buildings on the other side of the tracks.
CN 406 rolling through the crossing
The next shot was a grab shot near Apohaqui, by the highway. It was getting pretty dark so the photography was getting challenging.
Apohaqui
Roadside view near Apohaqui
Caleb was showing good shooter form as he photographed CN 406 going away.
Bang bang
Caleb suggested another overhead view just west of Sussex. This was a good choice, as going into Sussex would be challenging to do in time, and we'd have no chance of another shot after that.
Sussex
Overhead CN 406
This would have been nicer with more light, but what can you do? I think the location was good and the photos turned out OK.
CEFX 1011 from above
Our final location was Penobsquis, by the shuttered potash facility.
Penobsquis
Here I elected to shoot video, as I hadn't done any video, and I knew this was the last spot. It's pretty dark and backlit, but here it is.
Once the train went by, we took a few photos of the potash facility... and its lonely locomotive.
PotashCorp plant in Penobsquis
Their locomotive is an EMD SW900, originally CN 7253.
Penobsquis switcher locomotive
The angle wasn't great but it was all that was available.
I said my goodbyes to Caleb and I headed back to Saint John. It was great to see him again, and I look forward to railfanning with him again!
Running Extra
NB Southern's yard in Saint John
I didn't do much railfanning the next evening, but I did take this photo of NB Southern's yard and shops from the nearby overpass. You can see their passenger equipment on the left edge, a few tracks in. A GP38 and a blue MP15 are at the shops, with a GP38/slug set on the side, and a few locomotives in storage at the back.
In Fredericton, I bought the latest book by Owen Laukkanen, noted Canadian mystery writer (and railfan!), Gale Force. It's a thriller based around a salvage tug and its crew. If you like thrillers by Clive Cussler, you'll love this book.
I had a very early flight and I intended to sleep on either the Saint John-Montreal leg or the Montreal-Winnipeg leg, but this book is such a page turner that I read it straight through with nary a yawn. Highly recommended. BUY THE BOOK
After missing CN 406 (see previous post "Saint John Railway Scenes") I tried again on the next two days with some success!
These days CN 406 leaves Moncton in the early afternoon, arriving in Saint John late in the afternoon. They usually have a quick turnaround, dropping their cars and picking up the cars to go back to Moncton and onward. Since NB Southern does all the local switching in Saint John (except for the potash terminal), they don't have much to do and can get out of town quickly.
CN 406, The First
On October 12th I spotted CN 406 pulling out of the yard at about 5:40 PM. I raced down Rothesay Avenue (which parallels the CN line) and decided to get it at a little private crossing I shot at years ago (Gerry Drive, here)
I popped my 70-200mm lens on my camera and started shooting.
CN 5653 at Coldbrook, leaving Saint John
I stepped across the tracks to try the other angle. Keep in mind they were half a kilometre away and not moving quickly.
CN 5653 leaving Saint John
I hopped in my car and hit the road. I wasn't sure where I could catch them, so I fell back onto my own knowledge and headed for Hampton.
I like Hampton because it's not far from the highway, and it has a nice station there. I photographed it back in September 2011 after chasing CN 406 in the area.
I walked around a bit, looking for any angle that might feature a bit of fall foliage and yet have some light. With an eastbound freight at sunset, you don't have many options.
The fall foliage was really nice, though.
Eventually I decided to shoot at the main crossing in town, to grab a "coming" shot by the station and then get the lead locomotive just past the crossing with fall foliage behind it.
As the train approached, one car stopped at the crossing as the lights started... then darted across as the gates started to come down.
Jackass.
Way to go, GWD-361.
ANYway, here's the "coming" shot with CN 5653 passing the station. I was shooting with a low shutter speed (1/40s) because of the low light at 6:30 PM.
CN 5653 passing the Hampton train station
Unfortunately, I messed up the "going away" shot. Nothing's in focus.
CN 5653 blurring through Hampton
It was a short train and I shot the tail end too. This turned out better.
Tail end of CN 406 in Hampton
So that was CN 406.
As I returned to Saint John, the coming sunset was pretty special, so I searched for a spot to try to capture it. I ended up just upriver of the Reversing Falls bridge to capture this scene.
Sunset near Reversing Falls, Saint John
CN 406, The Second
In the afternoon of the 13th I learned that CN 406 left Moncton around 1 PM and was expected in Saint John around my quitting time. I left work and headed up Rothesay Avenue, wondering if I was too late. I decided to go to the Lafarge concrete plant just beside the highway (here) and hope I wasn't too late.
I had just arrived when I heard the horn of the approaching train. My camera was in the trunk and I didn't have time to get it out, so I jumped out of the car and snapped a few photos with my iPhone as the train passed.
CN 2326 approaching Saint John, NB
It had the same consist as the previous day (2326 - 8000 - 5653), but 2326 was leading because they were coming to Saint John this time.
After the (longish) train passed, I headed back into Saint John. To my surprise, I saw that 406 had stopped for a few minutes and then got started again. Maybe they had to throw a switch? I'm not sure why they stopped.
Regardless, this allowed me to get ahead of them and I took a video of the train as it entered the yard. Be warned, it's long, as the train was long and slow.
I was surprised that someone gave my video a "thumbs down". Who does that? :)
Every post needs a kitten
I didn't have time to stick around to see it leave, as I headed up to Oromocto to visit my mother. She had a kitten!
So that was CN 406, twice.
In my last post of this trip, I related how I took some time between flights to railfan the Dorval train station in Montreal on the way home. READ ON!
After I chased CN 406 last night, I stopped in Hampton to take some photos of the preserved train station there. I have photos I took of that station around somewhere, but why not take more? :)
The station houses the local tourist information centre. It was closed when I was there after 7 PM, and I wouldn't expect it to be open much during the "shoulder" season. In fact, the gift shop has a sign on the door that states "OPEN BY CHANCE FROM AUG 29 TO OCT 10".
There is still a strip of asphalt by the tracks, presumably from when the station saw passenger trains. That hasn't happened since the cancellation of the Atlantic in December 1994. I'm not sure if the Atlantic actually stopped in Hampton in its latter days, and I don't have my VIA timetables with me tonight.The Wikipedia article on the Atlantic seems to indicate it did not.The June 8, 1980 CN employee timetable does show the Atlantic stopping in Hampton. That timetable also shows Hampton as a flag stop for the Railliner (RDC) service.
I was last in Hampton on January 21, 2006, so you can see a few (small) photos of the station as it appeared then. Not much has changed!
Brian Barchard sent along a few shots of Maine Northern Railway #9801 in McAdam. He spotted it there on the afternoon of August 20 (Saturday). They came into McAdam with a bunch of empty log cars. After dropping them in the west yard, they wyed the engine, and presumably left.
I guess it came back to McAdam a few days later, because Gary Lee shot it there on August 23. It looks like it was coming off the wye.
Brian also mentioned he saw CN 4102 heading west through Harvey toward McAdam on the evening of August 21. As it turns out, Gary was out and saw it shunting the yard in McAdam that night.
CN 4102 has been working in Saint John. Kevin Gaudet caught it and CN 4132 as part of CN 406 on June 11 heading to Saint John.
Matt aka Saintjohnrailfan shot the same train in Hampton, closer to Saint John.
Here's a nice chase of CN 406 by saintjohnrailfan. He chased the train from Sussex, NB to Hampton, NB. There's some nice pacing video in the middle, too.
In case you are wondering where the shave and a haircut in this video comes from, the engineer tooted a little tune on the horn. No doubt you've heard it before.
Here's CN 405 on May 31 with CN 2692, 2696 and BC Rail 756 in Rothesay.
I like this shot of the same train near Hampton. The track runs along the highway and you get a nice side shot.
Here's 405 on June 4 near Courtenay Bay in Saint John and by the E&NA station in Rothesay with 2502, 6135 and 2650 for power. In the Rothesay segment you can see two blocks of gypsum cars on the train - one to Belledune (from Irving Wallboard) and one to Nova Scotia (from McAdam).
Here's a late CN 405 on June 5 coming back light from Courtenay Bay.
The same 405 on June 5 at Tennis Court Road in Rothesay.
Matt the saintjohnrailfan shot CN 405 going to the Courtenay Bay potash terminal to get empty cars, and then the same train returning. There's a little cameo of Kevin Gaudet in there too.
Matt also caught the train blasting through Hampton on its way to Moncton with CN 2650 and 5698.
Matt the Saint John railfan chased CN 405 on Friday from Saint John all the way to Salisbury. The power was the same that I saw in Saint John on Friday.
First, 405 going to Courtenay Bay, then going through Hampton.
I had a busy day of railfanning today with my daughter.
I decided to head down to Saint John. We arrived near Island Yard around 12:45 and the power for 305 was nowhere in sight. I heard them on the scanner talking about brake pressure so I figured I had some time. We went to the Tim Horton's at the end of the yard at Coldbrook and had some delicious chili. Just as we were finishing, I heard the thrum-thrum of engines approaching and saw a couple of big CN engines stopping beside Tim's. One of the crew came in for their snack so I took a photo and hit the road.
305's consist was CN 2666 and 5696 with 101 cars (46 potash cars, 9 single-stack well cars, 24 boxcars, 20 tank cars, 2 covered hoppers).
I decided to get an "on the road" video of 305. I've never chased 305 before so I wasn't sure where the best spot was. I ended up going to Hampton and leaving the highway there. I drove around for a few minutes trying to find a good spot, and settled on a bridge at mile 64.4 just north of Hampton. The light wasn't great but I figured I had better get SOME kind of shot or I would have driven 25 km for nothing.
I heard the train blowing for crossings more than 5 minutes before it actually showed up at 14:12.
I just cut the nose off in this shot. Drat.
While returning to the highway to go back to Saint John, I stopped to take some photos of the station in Hampton. It's a tourist bureau now and it appears to be in great shape.
I didn't realize there was any kind of switch in Hampton. It turns out there's a lead there, switch LE56 (see the Sussex sub in CN Car Control Manual October 1983). It doesn't appear to go anywhere but it was a surprise to see it.
We returned to Saint John, had a quick look at the (almost empty) NB Southern yard and saw little but HLCX 3669 and NBSR 3701 there in different parts of the yard. There were a lot of yellow Sunbury trailers on flatcars.
We took the slow road up through Grand Bay and Westfield in the hopes of seeing the eastbound from Maine. I had pretty much given up when I was approaching Welsford and heard the hotbox on the radio: "Detector McAdam Subdivision. Two naught naught axles. No alarms." Initially I thought I was hearing the Hoyt detector, since it didn't announce its mileage (or I didn't hear it), so I crossed the tracks and then saw the headlights coming. I was trapped on the wrong side of the tracks and had to wait for the train to clear. This was 16:24.
It was NBSR 2317, 2318 and 9803 leading 47 cars (4 centerbeam flats, 26 boxcars, 12 tank cars, 1 single-stack well, and 4 auto racks).
I got them on the S-curve just off the highway at 16:32. The lighting wasn't great all the way along, as the sun was getting very low.
Then Westfield Beach at 16:38. Church was just getting out so there was a lot of traffic.
I managed to get ahead of them in downtown Grand Bay and shot my last segment by the caboose at 16:48.
