VIA 16 (Chaleur) Cab Ride Video

André Berthelot sent me this super cab ride video he shot back in January 2011 aboard the Chaleur (VIA 16) between Matapedia and New Carlisle, Quebec. It's long but well worth a view.
He saw quite a few deer, but the highlight is at 6:50 when about five deer run down the track before finally scattering.

The train was going at a good clip for most of the video, apparently about 45 MPH.

Other highlights:

• 09:00 Passing the lumber mill at Nouvelle
• 14:00 Good footage of the engineer hitting the reset button to show he's still awake and in control
• 18:45 Crossing the bridges at Cascapedia
• 22:30 New Richmond station stop
• 25:50 Under the highway at Caplan
• 29:15 Bonaventure station stop
• 30:00 New Carlisle yard and station stop

You may remember that André posted a cab ride video before.

VIA Over The Weekend

The Chaleur at Matapedia on August 11, 2007.

David Morris sent along the consists of most of the VIA Ocean trains this weekend. David was chasing the Chaleur so he was up bright and early to get the train at Matapedia.

2009-07-11 VIA #14 at Matapedia
6408-6428-6412
8620-8123-8124-8500-DOLLIER-BIENVILLE
7011-7228-7230-7227
7316-7402-7308-7518-7517
7509-7501-7525-7512-7601
EVANGELINE
(This implies the Chaleur was 6412 with the six stainless cars right after 6412)

2009-07-11 VIA #15 at Matapedia
6440-6432-6412
8620-8123-8124-8500-DOLLIER-BIENVILLE
7009-7220-7108-7231
7208-7309-7400-7313-7508
7522-7521-7526-7519-7524
7600-KOOTENAY

2009-07-12 VIA #14 at Matapedia
6425-6400
7003-7223-7226-7222-7217
7315-7401-7314-7500-7520
7507-7502-7513-7504-7602
REVELSTOKE

The Ocean in Quebec

On Saturday, after hearing that the Ocean was over three hours late due to an electrical fire in Montreal, we decided to head to Amqui, Quebec to get her there. Of course it was raining, but we made the best of it. VIA 14 eventually rolled up to the station at 07:38 Eastern, over 3.5 hours late.

The consist was VIA 6431, 6440, 6425, 8609, 8124, 8507, BIENVILLE, RICHELIEU, 7009, 7220, 7108, 7316, 7402, 7308, 7518, 7517, 7509, 7311, 7516, 7504. The 6425 and the next five cars became the Chaleur at Matapedia.

We booted it to Causapscal next, where the bridge was damaged last September after CFMG derailed there. I shot video, so this is David Morris' shot at 08:08:


The next spot was a real treat. It was just past Routhierville, and we shot from the highway bridge across the river at 08:21. I shot video but I had a chance to take a few photos and I love how they turned out.




Our next shot was at a place David calls Glen Emma, and I shot video there.

For Matapedia, I decided to head up the steep path to the bluff overlooking Matapedia to get some overhead shots. It's quite a hike and you definitely need to be moderately fit to make the climb. I shot video of the Ocean arriving but then took a bunch of stills. Here's the full train at the station.


They pulled the three engines and the first five cars off the Ocean and ran up to the bridge, then backed down past the station to the other end of the yard. David was up by the bridge supervising.


They then cut off 6425 and the five cars and ran them up the other side of the engine to become the Chaleur. 6431 and 6440 ran back up to the bridge and then backed onto the Ocean consist.


I headed down the hill, and just as I reached the ground I heard two toots as the Chaleur headed out. I ran to the car and we gave chase.

Read the next post!

Combined Ocean and Chaleur

Jean-Rafael Parent aka cfmgd recorded an interesting time at Matapedia, Quebec on the evening of May 16. CN 402 rolled past the station with CN 5662 and 2694 on the head end. While 402 was rolling by, the Chaleur arrived off the Gaspe line with 6421 for power. Then VIA 15 came by!


He also posted a video of the combined Ocean/Chaleur leaving.


Good work!

Switching the Chaleur

As I mentioned, I saw the Ocean and Chaleur switch at Matapedia this past Monday night. You may or may not know that the two trains travel together from Montreal, then split at Matapedia and go their separate ways. When the Chaleur returns later that day, it is merged back into the Ocean and they travel as one train back to Montreal.

They start with the Chaleur on the track leading to the Gaspe coast, and the Ocean beside the station on the other side. Both trains face railway west.

The basic procedure is this:
- Uncouple the engines from the Ocean and run forward to the switch
- Back those engines onto the head of the Chaleur
- Take the entire Chaleur consist forward to the switch
- Back the entire Chaleur consist onto the Ocean's cars.

Of course, there is lots to do in between, because all the various cables and hoses have to be detached and attached on every movement. There are a lot of connections!


On Monday the procedure was done by one person on the ground together with one of the Ocean engineers. The Chaleur head end crew was not involved. I'm not sure if they were onboard or had booked off.


I was glad I could see the procedure. It was quite a little dance.

Northern New Brunswick Monday and Tuesday

I went up north on Monday, returning Tuesday, and I saw a few things along the way.

MONDAY MAY 4

I heard CN 9524 get clearance to work north of Bathurst at 11:15. I knew the southbound freight was due in soon, so they would have to meet somewhere on the road. I heard them get clearance from Belledune so I ducked into Pointe Verte and shot them there at 11:45 with CN 5346 and 5288 leading a longish train.


I caught the northbound freight returning to Campbellton at 17:25 with 5288 leading this time. There were quite a few empty container flats on the end of the train.




Michel Boudreau caught the same freight outside Bathurst.


Later, VIA 15 arrived around 22:00 with VIA 6401 and 6412 leading the usual Renaissance consist. I went to Matapedia to watch them cut the Chaleur into the train. I'll get into that in another post, but the Chaleur's consist was 6446, 8609, coach 8124, Skyline 8507, Chateaus Bienville and Richelieu.

TUESDAY MAY 5

The next morning, I saw VIA 14 roll through Belledune after stopping to reline the switch at 08:20. VIA 6449 and 6420 provided the motive power.






I saw the tail end of the southbound freight leaving Miramichi, with the Ultramar tank cars on the end, but I didn't see the power.

Not a bad trip!

Flood Protection

It has been reported that a work extra was dispatched last night from Campbellton with ballast-laden cars for the railway bridge at Matapedia. This was done last year as well, but a lot later in the month of April.

A locomotive will be in place at Matapedia to move the cars off and on the bridge to allow other trains to pass.

CFMG Derailment

I'm told the CFMG derailed two cars in Causapscal, Quebec on the Mont-Joli subdivision just before midnight last night. This has blocked the line in Quebec and forced some changes. The derailment is expected to be cleared soon.

VIA 615 returned to Campbellton and spent the day there, after turning on the wye in Matapedia this morning. It will become VIA 614 to Halifax Saturday morning.

NBEC train 402 arrived in Moncton at 14:45 with CFMG 6910 and 6909 leading 34 Ultramar cars (two rams of 17 cars each). Likely the empty Ultramar cars will go west on the Napadogan sub on CN 305 or 473 to the refinery in St. Romald, Quebec. Rumour has it that 6909 is going to Sydney.


EDIT: Réal D gave me the correct spelling for Causapscal and provided me a link to his video showing a forklift transferring lumber from a damaged centerbeam flatcar to another.

New Youtuber

I noticed a new Youtuber online, chandlersub. He joined a couple of days and posted several nice videos. Nice to see he uses a tripod. :)

He shot a nice ballast train led by NBEC 1818 at Pabos, Quebec on August 6.


I shot the Chaleur there last year.

Here's VIA 615 (the Ocean) rolling through Matapedia, Quebec on August 4.


Also, VIA 17 (the Chaleur) departing the same night. It looks like it had two units and about 11 cars... quite a train for the peninsula.


Thanks for posting those videos!

Matapedia Flooding

Kevin Babcock took a few photos last week showing the ice jam at the mouth of the Restigouche River at Matapedia. The Chaleur had to be cancelled, and passengers were transferred to busses.


NBEC took the unusual step of weighting the rail bridge with loaded ore cars. Students of New Brunswick railway history might remember what happened when CP did the same thing in 1987. There was a flood and CP put loaded fertilizer cars on the Perth Andover bridge that was washed away, and the fertilizer ended up in the river.

Fortunately this bridge survived and everything is open again up there. Best of luck to everyone in the Saint John river area.

EDIT: Changed date from 1976 to 1987. The 1976 date was the year the Woodstock bridge was carried away.

VIA Ocean and Chaleur Combined

As many of you know, VIA often runs the Ocean and Chaleur trains together to Matapedia, Quebec, where the Chaleur is detached and runs up the Gaspe peninsula. Sometimes they run separately all the way from Montreal.

This weekend, there was a storm and there were problems with two of the engines. The combined train had Operation Lifesaver 6411, 6413, and Spiderman 6434. At Matapedia only 6434 was still working, but they managed to restart 6411 and it departed at 10:30 (5.5 hours late) on Saturday February 2.

Photo by Jim Babcock

Chaleur passengers were bussed from Matapedia. However, the train itself continued on to Halifax as part of the Ocean. It was an odd train, with three engines, 5 stainless steel cars, and the Ocean's 10 Renaissance cars on the end.

The train finally arrived at Halifax station at about 23:00, or 6.5 hours late. It departed on time the next day.

David Chiasson caught the weird Ocean coming into Bathurst.


He caught it again at Gloucester Junction on the other side of Bathurst, lead engine smoking like crazy.


Good catch, David!

AWESOME cab ride in the Matapedia valley

"Al in Vancouver" put an excellent cab ride video on YouTube. He took a cab ride with his father in a CN freight around 1970, from Campbellton to Sayabec and back, and captured it on 8mm.

The train had CN 3205 leading another engine and a mixed freight train, including what looks like some CN passenger cars. 3205 was a MLW C-424 built in 1966. It was leased to Mexico in 1978 and finally sold to Mexico in 1983.

The video features the train going through Morrissey Rock just outside Campbellton, crossing the Matapedia River, and meeting the Scotian passenger train with an F unit on the point. Al told me it was the Scotian and I believe him, especially since the Ocean would have been running in darkness.

There's no sound but the footage is just great. I can't say enough good things about this video! :) Thanks so much for posting that, Al.

Steve and Dave's Excellent Gaspe Adventure (part 1)

David woke up at 05:00 Atlantic and called VIA to see if the Chaleur and/or Ocean were on time. The Chaleur was on time but the Ocean was almost 2 hours late. If they were both on or nearly on time, we would have shot them both at Matapedia, but as it was we could not afford to wait for the Ocean.

After a quick stop at Tim's to load up for the long chase, we headed to Matapedia in the dim light. The Chaleur arrived shortly after we did at 04:59 Eastern (all times from in Quebec will be in local time), so we shot it on the bridge approaching the station. You can see that the light was kind of sketchy.


We took a number of shots at the station and across the river from the New Brunswick side. A few of the station shots worked out but the ones from New Brunswick didn't work for me.


We set up on the bridge at the end of Highway 11 and he rolled under at 05:36. The light was BEAUTIFUL as he accelerated away from us to start his long journey up the Peninsula. The warm sunrise glinted off the sides of the stainless steel cars... just lovely. Here's a shot of him approaching the bridge but I just shot video with the nice sun... stay tuned.


The next catch was a highway crossing at 06:01.


We shot it at the side of the road at 06:15 but the light wasn't that great there.

There was a cliffside shot we bungled. David couldn't find the location on the top of the cliff where he shot from, so I had to content myself with taping the train through a rock cut. David did find his spot but too late for me to relocate.

We left route 132 and zipped up route 299 to Cascapedia to get him crossing the two bridges there at 07:20. We took a few quick going-away shots, then drove to the crossing and shot him again as he slowly crossed the bridges. I think they turned out very well.


Next... New Richmond and beyond.

Photos of CN 305 on detour

Jim Babcock shot CN 305 in the fading light last night as it was detouring through NBEC/CFMG territory.

Here it is in Tide Head just inside the New Brunswick border:


Here it is on the flatlands approaching Matapedia, Quebec:


Finally, this one needs no introduction:


Great shots, Jim, and thanks for sharing them!

Guest photos

Paul Campbell from the UK was kind enough to send along a trip report from 2006 as well as some photos. Much appreciated!

"On the morning of 12th August 2006 having travelled over night from Montréal “The Chaleur/Ocean” arrived at Matapédia. Here the train was separated in to its component parts, “The Ocean” staying at the station while “The Chaleur” ran a short distance up the line, before reversing back in on the other track. Once the locomotives were re-connecting “The Ocean” hauled by #6410 and #6420 pulled out of Matapédia leaving “The Chaleur” headed by #6424 standing in the station.


Viewed from the bullet lounge of “Assiniboine Park” #6424 leaves Matapédia to continue its journey to Gaspé. Looking across the valley as we continued on towards Halifax “The Chaleur” could be seen between the trees drifting off in to the distance.

While “The Ocean” stopped at Campbellton station a freight train consisting of box cars passed by hauled by NBEC #6901, CFMG #6909, SFEX #4202, SFEX #4203 and NBEC #1851."


Thank you, Paul!

If anyone else would like to "guest blog" please let me know via a comment, or an email to blog@theboykos.com.

Special Ocean today

There is a special Ocean train leaving from Montreal today. The train is the Ocean and Chaleur joined together in a "J train", reportedly with the entire Chaleur consist ahead of the entire Ocean consist. That means mid-train engines.

The train will not having paying passengers, since this is an unscheduled train (the Ocean does not depart on Tuesdays). It is doing timings from Montreal to Matapedia to determine if it can operate like that and stay on-time. I assume VIA is trying to see if they can save one engine crew by doing this.

I know a few people are going to chase it so hopefully there will be pictures soon!


VIA 15 at Fort Lawrence 2004/04/22