Chicago sightings, part 2

In my last post, I described my first two days in Chicago. Here I will describe my last two days.

After all the excitement from May 8, I had a quiet day on the 9th. Again I got up early to go to the Prairie View Metra Station to shoot a few trains. I went a little later and caught three Metra trains, again all with cab cars leading.

07:02 Southbound Metra: METX 115, METX 419 (6 cars)
07:11 Southbound Metra: METX 122 (5 cars)
07:21 Southbound Metra: METX 118 (4 cars)

In the evening of the 9th, the group of us from our conference went for a boat ride on Lake Michigan.

My flight left O'Hare at 15:45 on the 10th. I left a lot of time for the drive to the airport, as I had no idea what the traffic would be like. As it turned out, I made very good time and I had some extra time before I had to get to the airport. I decided to go to CP's Bensenville Yard, seen from the highway last time, and see what I could see. A lot, as it turns out. (Google Maps)

When I arrived, I saw a few SOO switchers, CP 4526 under the Mannheim Road overpass, and UP 3236 and 2864 running out of the yard. The two Union Pacific units came to the end of the yard, the conductor lined up some switches, and they went back into the yard.


12:01 UP 3236, UP 2864



After a little ground-level photography, I decided to go up on the Mannheim Road overpass to shoot from there. The view east is great but the view west is obscured by wires in a number of places.

12:25 Westbound arriving at yard: NS 9347, NS 8835
-- In yard: SOO 2064, SOO 1595, SOO 1544, SOO 1532, SOO 1547

Things became very busy for a while...

12:44 CP westbound passed through yard.
12:46 Eastbound reading to leave with coal loads.: CP 8539, CP 9639. They pulled under the bridge but stopped short of the end of the yard.
12:47 Departing eastbound with mixed cargo: SOO 1553

-- Shunting yard: SOO 1546
-- Shunting tanks: CP 4526

It was difficult to figure out where to point my camera next!

13:02 Westbound arriving with doublestacks: SOO 4443, SOO 4446
13:03 Westbound Metra 1xx (6 cars)
13:07 Eastbound Metra 4xx (7 cars)

The real catch was a string of Norfolk Southern and CSX units coming out of the yard. They came down the yard ladder and under the overpass, before going back into the yard.

NS 9882, NS 9246, CSXT 7524, CSXT 5472, CSXT 8811, CSXT 8245, NS 9780

After that, I figured I should get to the airport. But I did catch one more train before getting home.

In Montreal, I stepped out of the Trudeau Airport for a minute to breathe some real air, and I saw an eastbound CP trailer train go by the Dorval station. Sorry, I didn't catch any numbers. :)

For other trip reports, see:

• Steve and Dave's Excellent Gaspe Adventure
• Railfanning Prince George
• Ontar-eye-O
• Down to UP

Chicago Sightings, part 1

I spent several days in the Chicago area last week, and I managed to do a bit of railfanning during my off time.

My hotel was near Metra's North Central Service (NCS) line, specifically the Prairie View station. On the morning of May 8, I got up early and shot a couple of southbound Metra trains.

06:24 Southbound Metra train 102: METX 105 (5 cars)


06:40 Southbound Metra train 104: METX 115, METX 418 (5 cars)

In both cases the cab car was leading and the locomotive(s) trailed.

I had a free evening Tuesday night, so I decided to take Bill Linley's advice and go to Lagrange to shoot at the intersection of the CSX/Indiana Harbour Belt line and the BNSF line. As I was crawling along the interstate, I noticed a yard to my right. It turns out this was the CP Bensenville Yard.

2007/05/08 17:45, Location: Chicago (Bensenville Yard)
-- Seen from highway: CSXT 8149, NS 9915, NS 2687, CSXT 8764, SOO 1537, SOO 1544, SOO 1547, UP 3236, UP 2864, UP 2370, CEFX 118

I arrived in Lagrange (map) just as an Amtrak train rolled by on the BNSF line, with two private cars on the tail end. No time for a picture - drat.

I parked at the local library and decided to watch the IHB line for a while. There were two CSX units in the little yard just west of the BNSF line. My first sighting was a Metra train on the BNSF line:
18:11 Metra: METX 187

Within a few minutes, a Canadian Pacific freight came crawling along.
18:13 Northbound general freight: CP 8620 (70 cars)

As I taped that, an Amtrak train crossed over it at 18:14.

The next train on the IHB line was a Norfolk Southern train. I'll have a video of that online shortly.
18:23 Northbound general freight: NS 7506, NS 9763

Just after that passed, the two CSX units ran light northward. Just after they went, a Metra train crossed overhead.
18:38 Northbound running light: CSXT 9023, CSXT 9032; Metra: METX 196


The rest of the action here was on the BNSF line. I stayed down on the IHB line for a while, then decided to go up to the Lagrange station to see the rest of the traffic.
18:44 METX 191
18:52 BNSF train: BNSF 5715, BNSF 5785

19:04 Metra 4xx: (7 cars)
19:11 METX 193

The nice thing about railfanning at the Lagrange station is that you can see signals in both directions. Although I'm not familiar with American signals, it's pretty obvious that when the signal is green, a train is coming. There are three tracks there, so the signals tell you what track to watch too. I waited quite a while for the next one, noticing a group of three guys looking down the line too. I assume they were railfans but they had no cameras nor did they seem to take any notes.
19:28 METX 200

19:45 General freight: BNSF 5093, BNSF 7072, BNSF 8060
19:50 Bare table train: BNSF 575

The light was really failing by this time, so I decided to head out. As I was walking to my car, I shot one more Metra train. The light was so bad that I shot at ISO 400 and ended up with shutter speed 1/20s and aperture F3.2.
20:06 METX 1x6


That was a great location - 14 trains in 2 hours.

See part 2 for more Chicago trains!

So when does the road industry go green?

Rail Industry to Go Green Under Government Plan

Basically following the EPA's emission reduction plan as far as I can tell.

All well and good... but when is the government going to stop building more roads and instead encourage people to use public transit? THAT is where the real emissions savings are. We need more public transit and the government needs to fund it in a big way.

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!

CN Detour on NBEC/CFMG - Position Update

07:00 CN 308 left Riviere-du-Loup
10:30 CN 308 met CFMG 403 in Rimouski (2629 leading 308)
12:00 CN 305 departs Moncton
11:10 CN 308 through Mont-Joli
14:30 CN 305 through Rogersville
13:00 (approx) CN 308 in Campbellton
16:15 CN 305 through Bathurst
17:00 CN 308 by Tide Head approaching Campbellton from the west
308 split her train in two to wait for 305
17:20 CN 305 just outside Campbellton from the east
18:15 CN 305 left Campbellton
20:00 CN 308 left Campbellton, expected to meet VIA 15 near Charlo
22:50 CN 308 (3CN+1ICG locos) past Nepiguit Jct (Bathurst)
23:00 CN 305 near Mont-Joli
01:00 CN 308 near Rogersville, 142 cars, IC 6064 last unit

The track was opened by 06:00 Saturday morning.

I guess that's it! :)

Position Update

07:00 CN 308 left Riviere-du-Loup
10:30 CN 308 met CFMG 403 in Rimouski
12:00 CN 305 departs Moncton
11:10 CN 308 through Mont-Joli
14:30 CN 305 through Rogersville
13:00 (approx) CN 308 in Campbellton
16:15 CN 305 through Bathurst

Where did 305 and 308 meet? I would have guessed Bathurst.

At some point VIA 15 is going to overtake CN 305, likely somewhere in Quebec.

CN 308 meets CFMG 403

Today Patrick Sirois taped the meet of CFMG 403 with CN 308 near Rimouski as CN continues its detour over CFMG/NBEC lines. CFMG 403 (6907/6909/69xx/1856) took the siding, then CN 308 with three units rolled by on the main.



Thanks for posting that, Patrick!

CN 308 derailment update

As I mentioned, 54 cars of CN 308 derailed near St. Andre Thursday afternoon.

Location
Ron Pelletier reports "the accident occurred at Bellefleur station mile 189 on the Napadogan Sub, which is in the Municpality of St André." He reports the old highway 2, paralleling the track, was closed although the Trans-Canada Highway was not.

Mile 189 is almost midway between Grand Falls and St. Leonard (See June 8, 1980 CN timetable).

CBC
CBC news has an update on the derailment. About 100 people were evacuated briefly but are now back home. The news story has an aerial photo of the wreckage - it looks substantial. It looks like a number of boxcars and autoracks are on their sides or upside down.

The CBC also have a video interview with Sgt. Derek Strong of the RCMP on their web site. There are a few shots of the derailment from the ground in the video. The sergeant said CN would be spending all day today building temporary track.

CN
CN has a statement on their web site. They say 55 cars derailed near St. Leonard.

Detours
Wendell Lemon reports that CN 305 is leaving Moncton and detouring over NBEC/CFMG tracks with CN 2575 and three other engines, "with 9580 feet including 12 dangerous commodity cars." He also reports that CN 308 is or was in Campbellton en route east.

Derailment on CN

CN 308 derailed near St. Leonard, NB at 4:20 PM Thursday, putting about 55 cars on the ground. The train had 62 loads and 71 empty cars. The derailed cars include two LPG cars and two acid residue cars, but no leaks are reported.

There are rumours of detours over the CFMG/NBEC. Someone reported that the next CN 308 will detour.

CBC news story

Chicago videos

I am in Chicago for a few days, and last night I went to Lagrange, IL to see some trains. I saw quite a few and I hope to put a report together in the next day or two. In the meantime, I have put a few videos on YouTube. The quality is not great, as these were taken with my Canon S3 still camera and not with the Sony video camera. I accidentally left the video camera on and my battery was pretty much DOA when I got to Lagrange. I did take a few videos with that but I don't have the software to get the videos off the camera here. In the meantime, have a look at these.

Amtrak:


BNSF coal train:


I see a few people have rated these videos on YouTube, and that's great. I appreciate people taking the time to give me their feedback. On these two I have not received very good ratings, and that is fair - they are not great videos. I'm glad to get feedback on anything I put on the Net.

NB Southern Tank Train, take 2

Bob Boudreau took some photos of the "real" NB Southern tank train Tuesday. He had sent a link to his photos from Sunday's test train, and they informed him the train was headed to Harvey. He found it near Westfield Beach and followed it to around Nerepis. They had a hi-rail truck ahead of the train to jackhammer a few rock outcroppings. The train itself had NBSR 2319 leading with eight bulkhead flats (7 with tanks and the last one empty) and caboose NBSR 422990 trailing. Ah, a train with a caboose.

Here it is at Westfield Beach:


Farther on down the line:


Thanks for posting your photos, Bob!

May 3

2006
Several Fredericton railfans and I chased the supposedly "last" Budd Ocean from Oxford Junction to Moncton. Read my blog entry.




The current "last" Budd Ocean left Halifax on April 30 2007. It may be back again in the fall... hopefully.

2004
In early May I was in Edmonton, Alberta. On the evening of the 3rd I went up to the CN mainline east of Calder Yard and watched some trains go by. These are what I saw:

17:36 CN 5306, 5391, 4784 came off the Vegreville Sub with 144 cars. It was quite an impressive sight. The train took nine minutes to pass by me.

18:47 CN 9670, 9672 eastbound, general freight
18:59 CN 5290, 4778 eastbound, running light
19:03 VIA #2 the Canadian with 6434, 6437 and 18 cars

19:12 CN 5281, 9455 eastbound, 22 cars

19:33 didn't catch the numbers, westbound freight with mostly grain cars

While I was in Edmonton, Phil Ross noted that OCR 4204 (soon to be SFEX 4204) was brought to IRSI in Moncton for some work.

Green 2319 on the road

Dave Dineen caught NBSR 2319 leading the westbound freight out of Saint John tonight. His photos are in his photo album. It looks like 2319, 9802, and 2610 were the power on that train.

NBSR 2612 was in McAdam last night but apparently had some mechanical troubles. NBSR 9801 is currently the South Job power that goes to St. Stephen three times a week.

Train Carrying Solid Rocket Booster Parts Derails

Note - nothing to do with New Brunswick. :)

CNN is reporting that a train carrying segments of the Space Shuttle's solid rocket boosters derailed. Talk about your giant fusees! Read more

Last Budd Ocean leaving Halifax

Ken Squires has posted a few more videos showing the last? Budd Ocean leaving Halifax on April 30.



Someone must have driven fairly fast to get ahead of the train for this shot!

Another Dave Dineen NB Southern chase

Dave Dineen chased the NBSR eastbound freight again on Saturday, April 28 from Fredericton Junction toward Saint John. He has added more photos to his NBSR gallery.

085, 088 and I think 089 show the train approaching the Welsford highway crossing.

The train had NBSR 9802 and 2610 leading with what looks like 2318 and 9801 trailing.

Budd VIA 14 April 22

drc35ca has posted a really good video of VIA 14 going through Nepisiguit Junction on April 22. The camera work is great and he chose a great angle.

NB Southern Excursion Train Schedule 2007

NB Southern has announced the dates for the Rally of Hope train rides in 2007. The departure dates and times are:

May 26 (Saturday): 10 AM
May 27 (Sunday): 10 AM, 2 PM
June 9 (Saturday): 10 AM, 2 PM
June 10 (Sunday): 1 PM

All trips depart from Harbour Station in Saint John and go to Welsford and back, and will take about 2.5 hours.

Tickets are $11 per adult and $6 per child (12 and under).

Call (506) 632-5823 to reserve your tickets.





Here is my blog entry for the May 13, 2006 train and the video:

Last? Budd VIA 14 into Halifax videos

Ken Squires has posted a series of five videos showing the Budd-equipped VIA 14 coming into Halifax. I'll show the last two of the series here.





Thanks for posting those, Ken!

NBSR 2319 update

I'm told 2319 was in full primer Friday, getting ready to have the black paint sprayed on.

Here it is in its yellow days at McAdam on March 11, 2006.

Two new videos

VIA 15 at Amherst with the railfan group from Nova Scotia, and NB Southern switching at McAdam. The VIA video was taken by Peter Gough - thanks, Peter!

NBSR 9803 update

I hear 9803 now has 3700's old engine onboard, and the engine was fired up on the 12th. There's lots of work to be done yet, but it's on the way to getting back on the road.

Here's a shot of 9803 at Harbour Station, Saint John on May 10, 2003, by Steve O'Brien.

Railfan Kevin chased VIA yesterday and put his videos on YouTube. Here's the videos he took of VIA 14. 14 was a little special because it had the Telus unit on point with the Loto Quebec unit trailing.

VIA 14 arriving at the West End of Moncton, NB, just west of the station.


VIA 14 arriving at Sackville, NB.


And then arriving at Amherst, NS. You have to drive pretty fast to beat the train from Sackville to Amherst. :)

CN 149 at Cantor

Today I decided to do something different and try to railfan CN, rather than the usual NBSR. I loaded the two youngest kids in the van and we headed toward Chipman, leaving Fredericton a little after 10 AM. I figured we had a chance to catch CN 149.

We arrived at Cantor (Hardwood Ridge) at about 10:50. I noticed the east-facing signals were showing green over red, and the west-facing signals were red over red. I parked and started setting up to tape the westbound train that was coming. Suddenly I heard someone say "CN Cantor" on the scanner, so I knew the train was imminent. I finished setting up the tripod, put the video camera on it, and prepared to take some shots.

Suddenly I heard the blast of CN 149's horns as she rounded the corner at the highway 10 crossing.


CN 2200 and 2529 led a long train past me.


And just like that, it was over. I decided to proceed to Chipman anyway, just in case something else came along. The only thing I saw in Chipman was this MOW thingie:


We had a nice lunch at a diner in Chipman, then I drove around a bit. I found this vantage point near a park on highway 123 that offers a good view of the Chipman bridge.


On our way back, I checked the signals at Hardwood Ridge and they were all red.

Upgraded NBEC RS-18s

For the rivet-counters out there, the current list of New Brunswick East Coast Railway RS-18 engines that have been upgraded with the QES system is: 1813, 1819, 1821, 1849, 1851, 1868, and 3000. 1868 has a rebuilt C block and 1821 is supposedly getting one too.

An NB Southern chase

Dave Dineen has posted photos here from his chase of an eastbound NB Southern train on Saturday April 14.



As Dave described them to me:
#013 rounding the curve into the Tracy straight away.
#017-2 is on the straight away in Tracy.
#021-2 a crossing just outside Fredericton Jct, near the lumber mill
#024-2 is at Clarendon.
#027-2, 028 are taken at the highway crossing at Welsford.
#031-2, 032-2 were taken in between the Britain Rd. and the River Rd. along the Nerepis River.
#036-2 is on the straight stretch just outside South Bay.

I found the photos interesting for several reasons. Firstly, I saw a few locations I haven't shot from before. Secondly, where he shot from the same locations the photos are composed differently from my shots. Different perspectives.

I encourage you to check them out.

CFMG 403 with a boatload of engines

Trainmasterpat, aka Patrick Sirois, saw CFMG 403 with 11 engines! They had four CFMG/NBEC SD40 units with 7 ex-QNS&L engines. He was kind enough to put the video up on YouTube. Thanks, Patrick!

Photo of green NBSR 2612

My friend Dave Dineen got a shot of 2612 and 2317 shunting the Dever Road yard last week and passed it along. Thanks, Dave! Visit Dave's web site for more NBSR photos.

Transfer Freight Day

I had hoped to catch a glimpse of the newly repainted NB Southern 2612 today in Saint John, and in fact that is what I saw - a glimpse.

At about 09:00 NBSR 2612 and 2317 were sitting by the shops in the Dever Road yard. I could see the top of both units from Dever Road but there was no photo opportunity. As I was driving away I heard someone identifying themself as "NB Southern 2612" getting ready to move - alas, I had no time to wait.

As I drove toward the Reversing Falls Bridge I saw NB Southern's two SW1200 units pushing a gondola over the bridge. I had enough time to pull over at the tourist facility and sprint up the hill to take this shot at 09:12.

I assume the gondola came from the Ocean Steel facility just over the bridge.

Satisfied, I got in my car and headed over the bridge and down the hill past Ocean Steel. Suddenly, I heard a blip on the scanner from a nearby EOT device. Looking up the hill, I saw another train headed toward the bridge! After a quick turn in Thorne's parking lot, I was back at the tourist facility to see them cross the bridge at 09:18.

CN 7079 and 7010 were pulling 17 cars to the Dever Roard yard.

After that bit of excitement, there were no more trains crossing the bridge. :) In Island Yard, CN 2640, 2569 and 2679 were sitting by the shops while NBSR 3701 and CN 7000 shunted the yard.

Nearing Courtenay Bay, I saw the Courtenay Bay Potash switcher going to fetch some cars. The light is great in the morning for an across-the-bay shot but the switcher disappeared behind a string of cars before I could get a picture.

Later at noon, someone brought a long string of potash empties from the potash terminals to Island Yard - I didn't see what the power was, but it wasn't the CN 305 power.

At 14:45, NBSR 3701 and CN 7000 were at Irving Paper, CN 7074 and 7010 were shunting Island Yard, and CN 305 was ready to go down by Tim Hortons on Rothesay Avenue with 2679 leading. NBSR 3702 and 3703 were at the east end of Dever Road Yard but NBSR 2612 and 2317 were nowhere in sight.

I heard that the NB Southern eastbound left McAdam at 15:30 with NBSR 9802, 2610 and 2318.

That's it for today! :)

Updated Acadian Railway map

I have updated the map on my Acadian Railway site. It appears the rail barge idea has gone by the wayside. That would have been an expensive proposition.

Model train show Saturday

I'll be at the Coverdale Model Railroad Show in Riverview, NB this coming Saturday, April 14. I expect I'll arrive around 11:00 to 11:30 and spend a few hours there with my two oldest kids. Say hi if you see me!

NBSR 2612

I hear NBSR 2612, in shiny green, was at work in the NB Southern Dever Road yard today with still-yellow NBSR 2317. 2612 is not ready for the main line yet - it still needs a few more details.

I'll be in Saint John tomorrow - hopefully I'll catch a glimpse of it.

Devco lives on

I was flipping through my archive of railway magazines, looking for an article on the Crandic I know I read, when I stumbled across an article about the Louisville & Indiana in the July 2006 TRAINS magazine. On page 46 there is a picture of the Columbus-Jeffersonville Turn with two ex-Devco units - 220 and 221. Sure, they're lettered for the L&I but they are unmistakably Devco units. There's a nose photo of 220 at the end of the article that confirms it, with the little dip of the yellow stripe in the center of the nose. Probably most of my readers knew this already but I didn't. :)


Another ex-Devco unit, NBSR 2318, westbound at Welsford on 2005/07/23.

Saint John and area Saturday

I took my two younger kids down to Saint John today, to get out of the house, and of course to see trains.

We didn't leave Fredericton until about 11:00 so I didn't expect to see CN 305, and I was right. I didn't get to Island Yard until almost 14:00 and CN 305 left Island Yard before 13:00.

I looked into NB Southern's Dever Road yard on my way in and saw no power at all there. Via scanner I heard someone switching, so I figured they were either at the Port or in behind Moosehead.


Sure enough, there was NBSR 2317, 3702 and 3703 switching the Irving Tissue / Irving Pulp and Paper mill at Reversing Falls. This shot was taken from the hill above the Reversing Falls tourist complex. I moved over to the Simms brush factory parking lot to get this one through the fence. I think this is only the second time I have ever seen a train working this industry.


At 13:50 I passed by Island Yard and noted GP9s CN 7010 and 7079 zipping around the yard.

After lunch and some mall time, we headed back out of Saint John. On the way we saw NBSR 3701 and 7000 kicking a tank car into the Island Yard at 15:40, with 7010 and 7079 snoozing by the shops. Over at Dever Road, NBSR 2317/3702/3703 were coming to a stop by the shops.

It was time to go find the NB Southern eastbound. I had been told that they were going to arrive at McAdam around 14:00. The rule of thumb is that they shunt in McAdam for about 30-45 minutes, and it takes about 2 hours to get from McAdam to Saint John. That would put them into Saint John around 16:30-16:45. I was on the road toward Grand Bay at 16:00, figuring I would meet up with them around Welsford.

I drove all the way through Grand Bay-Westfield without seeing the eastbound, nor hearing it on the scanner. As I entered Welsford, I decided to take the LaFarge road and see if I could hear them down there. I noted several cars on the far side of the crossing and one car in particular was parked near the crossing with a woman in it. I smiled at her and did a little U-turn. Suddenly the scanner came alive.

NBSR 9801 East was calling the RTC to report that NBSR 2318 had a hot wheel and they had cut out the traction motor for that wheel. He also said he was on his way and was passing through Grand Bay.

GRAND BAY! That would mean he was between me and Saint John! I couldn't figure out how he got by me, but I hit the road and headed back, hoping to catch up with him.

I was past Westfield Beach before I really started thinking. How the heck did he know he had a hot wheel on 2318? He must have triggered the hotbox detector west of Welsford. That would mean he stopped in Welsford. That would mean.. he was less than a mile away from me when he made his call to the RTC. That would mean he wasn't in Grand Bay, he was in Welsford!

Another U-turn, and I was heading back to Welsford again. Just west of Westfield Beach, I heard a bleep on the scanner from the End-of-Train unit. I pulled over to a private crossing, and within a minute NBSR 9801 East showed up.




They hammered by me and I jumped back in the minivan to pursue. I decided to try to get them just before the ferry crossing, just east of Westfield Beach. I tried to get the switch signal in the shot but I was too late for that.


I grabbed a few quick shots on the broad curve entering Grand Bay. I like this location a lot.


For my next trick, er, shot, I went to the overpass just east/south of Grand Bay. As I approached the overpass I noted a column of dark grey smoke from near that location. As it turns out, there was a fire in someone's backyard and fire trucks raced by me as I took video of the train. When I upload the video you will hear the sirens in the background.

I shot them one more time, just east of the Marina. I taped the whole train just to make sure I got the consist right. The train was NBSR 9801, 9802, 2610 and 2318, with 44 cars. The cars were 1 covered hopper, 2 cylindrical hoppers, 2 tank cars, 12 boxcars (inc 3 cryo), 9 mty centerbeam flats, 2 doublestack wells, and 16 woodchip cars on the end. Except for the woodchip cars, the rest were randomly scattered through the train.

Not a bad day. I still wonder why the engineer reported Grand Bay when he was definitely still in Welsford. I wish he had reported mileage instead. :)

YouTube videos of the Ocean

While browsing through YouTube I found a few videos of the Ocean I hadn't seen before.

This video, taken March 25 2007, shows VIA 14 with 6421 and 6403 leading a Budd train, with RDC 6135 on the tail. A very interesting video.


This video was shot at St. Lambert, Quebec on September 8, 2006. I can't read the unit numbers but it had a Spiderman unit trailing, with a Renaissance consist and (I think) Assinboine Park on the end.


I met the author of the first video in Rogersville last November when we were chasing the War Brides train. He showed me the following video he took. I do not recommend trying this at home!

Top 10 Railfanning Spots in New Brunswick

This list is by no means exhaustive, just my opinion. I'd love to hear about your favourite spots! See them on a map

1. New Denmark, Salmon River bridge (CN)
The impressive railway bridge, the second longest in Canada, makes this the number 1 spot to railfan in New Brunswick.


2. Aulac/Fort Beausejour (CN, VIA)
Whether on the dykes at Aulac, or beside historic Fort Beausejour, you have a great field of view for train watching. This is just outside Sackville.


3. Harvey Lake (NBSR)
Lighting is great here for afternoon trains and the combination of the lake in the foreground and the hill in the background make for some great shots.


4. Gort (CN, VIA)
Park yourself on the overpass on Delong Drive and watch the trains go in and out of Gordon Yard. Shots are better to the west but you get a great view either way.


5. Nepisiguit Junction (NBEC, VIA)
Some great overhead shots of mainline VIA and NBEC trains are possible here, and you can catch the trains going on or off the Nepisiguit Subdivision too.

6. Bull Barn, Memramcook (CN, VIA)
David Morris' favourite spot, there are great shots in both directions. Also great for videos.

7. McAdam (NBSR)
There's nowhere else in New Brunswick you can get close to the trains, see the switching, and you get the historic station in the shot too.


8. Westfield Beach (NBSR)
You can shoot from the overpass, or on the ground at the siding, and get some really nice shots.


9. Clarendon (NBSR)
From the highway you can get some great long-distance side shots of the trains.


10. Jacquet River (NBEC, VIA)
If the time of day is right, you can get broadside shots of the train going over the bridge, or you can choose an overhead shot from the Intercolonial-era iron bridge.


Map of all 10 locations

What are your favourite spots?

CN 436 again

Another CN 436 ran through the Picture Province yesterday, bringing 16 more GM export units to Halifax for shipment overseas. The train was headed by CN 2580 and travelled pretty fast:
2007/04/02 18:00 Joffre, PQ
2007/04/03 10:00 Moncton, NB
2007/04/03 11:40 Sackville, NB
2007/04/03 15:30 Halifax, NS


Phil Ross shot the train outside Sackville shortly before it crossed the border.
(image courtesy of RailPictures)

NBSR and paint

I'm told 2612 is now in the Dever Road shops getting the finishing touches put on it, and the proper numbers in the number boards.

2319 is in the Island Yard shop getting that nice yellow paint replaced with green. (sigh)

Seen in Gordon Yard this morning

CN 5784, 5432, and 5320 with a container train at 08:30. Perhaps 149 being made up?