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
On Wednesday night, I met up with Matt aka saintjohnrailfan near the Rothesay train station. We set up for CN 406 and shot the breeze while we waited. In good time we heard the horn blowing in Renforth and she came around the corner at about 18:16.
Before CN 406 came, a young couple with their boy arrived and sat down to watch the train. I think they might have placed a penny or two on the tracks. I remember doing that when I was a kid in Shearwater, NS.
When 406 came, they were given an enthusiastic wave from the onlookers.
Matt was taking video (see his videos) and captured this great video. I was very sad to see the deer run out in front of the train at about 1:00. One of them didn't make it. :( I hadn't noticed them at the time as they were far away from us.
As the train passed, Matt and I said our goodbyes and I took off to try to catch CN 406 around Hampton. I got my directions a bit confused and ended up exiting the highway at Bloomfield. I backtracked a few kilometres and ended up on Odell Loop Road on an old iron bridge over the tracks. As you can see, I was shooting directly into the setting sun. Still, it was fun to chase the train.
It was great to see Matt again after so many years... I remember meeting him by the Staples near Rothesay Avenue quite a few years ago. Hopefully it won't be so long before I see him again!
Last week I was in the Saint John / St. George area for a quick trip, to give some training. I had a brief opportunity to do a different kind of training when I chased CN 406 in the evening of September 21. I drove from St. George to Saint John in the late afternoon, and had supper while 406 was in Island Yard. When I left the restaurant, I could see that 406 was rolling out of Saint John. Since I had to go that way to get to the airport, I gave chase!
I caught up with the head end at the end of Rothesay Avenue, by Highway 1. I crossed under the green CN bridge just before CN 5743 did. I was able to get ahead of it enough to get to the overpass a few kilometres down the road, park and sprint back to grab this shot.
The trailing engine was CN 2612.
Afterward, I continued down into Rothesay. I had my windows down so I could hear the engines working to bring 406 up to speed... sweet, sweet music. The traffic was fairly slow but fortunately there are no stop signs or stop lights along the way. As I turned toward the tracks near the old Rothesay station, I could hear the train blowing for crossings... it had caught up to me! Quickly I drove past the station and parked, leaving the car running while I sprinted across the crossing to set up for the approaching train. I had enough time to get the camera out, change lenses, and start shooting as they passed the old Rothesay station.
I had to do a fair amount of post-processing in Digital Photo Professional to get this photo to work, as it was getting fairly dark and there were a lot of shadows. Still, I think it worked out OK.
CN 5743 is an old friend. I saw it on train 314 last July and you can see it in this video. Back in 2006 it was the 3rd unit on train 307 just outside Amherst, Nova Scotia.
I've seen CN 2612 once before, in Island Yard in Saint John on June 22, 2001. I'm not sure I have a photo of it from that time.
The only other time I've shot a train in Rothesay was on February 25, 2007 when I shot CN 5617 leading train 305. There's a video too.
The trees have grown a bit in the last 4 years. Besides the snow and lack of leaves, do you notice one other difference between the two station photos?
Matt aka saintjohnrailfan shot CN 405 rolling through the snow January 14 at Bloomfield Station Road. The train was a big one, with four units (CN 5709, 4721, 5647 & CN/IC 2723) with 154 cars. Apparently a trainee I know was on the train... seemed to be going OK in spite of him. ;)
He shot 405 the day before (January 13) in Rothesay with two of the same units (5647 and 2723) and a shorter train with a mere 108 cars.
Matt the saintjohnrailfan shot CN 405 this morning passing the old Rothesay railway station. It was a short train, only 31 cars with two units (5736 and 2642).
He shot at just about the same location I did back in February 2007. Of course, it was CN 305 then, not 405.
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 posted a really nice video of CN 405 in Rothesay and at Bloomfield Station road. The power was CN 2598 and 5706.
On the original video page there is a link to "watch in high quality". I think this is pretty new, unless I never noticed it before. It does make a difference!
Dave chased the NB Southern eastbound, starting at Welsford. The train had three engines (9801, 2317, and 2612) and 54 cars.
Dave described the chase in his blog. Apparently the last seven cars of the train derailed in the yard in Saint John.
borrowed from