Trying to catch a train!

So this summer I've taken up two different types of past times, I've taken up golf and chaseing trains, after reading the bloggs of Steve Boyko and others as well as the numrous videos up on Youtube I thought it was my turn to show the Youtube community that I can make other videos other than Military tributes.

My first one was of Via 15 arriving in Cambellton, NB on July 17th 2007 and then my second as I was leaving work one evening in July as a NBEC Freight was arriving in Cambellton from the Cascapedia Sub. It was a small freight as you may have seen, only five cars loaded with lumber from the Gaspe Coast. The third was like the first two, I had just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Me and a friend of mine were coming home after an afternoon of playing golf when Freight train 403 had went roaring past McClouds and into Campbellton well I had just happened to have my camera with me and I took the short video of the head end at a level crossing when thirty seconds into the video the batteries died, so that's why it's a short one.

The fourth and fifth chase well those were my first chase's, the first chase was rather interesting, I had receved some info on time tables and what not from Steve Boyko and what time I should expect Freight's 402 and 403 well that first chase was a long one. I live aprox twenty minutes to half an hour from Charlo so I figured (I don't know how or why) I'd leave my house around four in the afternoon. Thinking we'd get there before the train and we'd catch it in time with little or no time to spare. Well I was way off, First off when we arrived in Charlo it was roughly about four thirty so we waited about two and a half hours track side for the 403 to arrive.

It was about seven O'clock when my Wife had decided that it was time to give up the chase and head home, Our Daughters were starting to get restless and annoyed with Dad's new found hobby though I knew there would be some waiting but they didn't care too much for the waiting aspect of the whole train chasing thing. So before we drove onto the highway my wife wanted to goto the Charlo Airport to see what time the airshow would start that Saturday (September 8th) I got out of the car and read the poster that was on the door of the terminal as I was walking back to the car my ears had perked up to the distant and distinctive sound of a freight train in the distance. Then I heard the horn of CFMG 6906 leading 403, I jumped in my car and my wife knew exactly by the exspression on my face the train was indeed coming. It was 1909hrs.

When we arrived at the crossing that we were at earlyer I had just enough time to turn the camera on and focus when the train went by. After the train my wife used her Massachusetts licences as an excuse to drive as though she were in NASCAR. We made it to Dalhousie Jct just in time as you seen in my second video. But I was having camera problems so that's why I didn't catch the train head on. We caught that train in Richardsville however I only took stills at that crossing. I took a video, I tried to get artistic but it didn't workout too well, I tried to get the wheels of the train but the camera didn't focus to well that close.

The fifth chase was good, though this time I had taken Steve's advice and left my house around six thirty and arrived in Charlo fifteen minutes ahead of Freight 403. So Thanks Steve!

On Wedsenday evening I had decided to catch a Freight train on the Cascapidia sub which is about a five minute drive from where I live. While we waited track side we went on a little side trip up to a lake which is aboout another five minute drive, and on the way down the mountain road I thought it would have been a "great" idea to take video of the car going down the mountain with the camera roughly about half a foot off the ground as we're moving, I've done this before and the effects are awesome. But I didn't put into consideration that dust and moving parts don't really mix all that well and don't do wonders for eletronics. So now my camera doesn't close. Also it'll be a few weeks before I have another video up on Youtube because my camera is now probably somewhere near or around Vermont or Ohio I'm not too sure but I had to send it to Texas to get repaired by Kodak. Yeh I can be a real Genious sometimes.

So as soon as my camera returns in top working order I'll post more videos and I can get back to this whole train chasing thing, it's rather fun really!

So there you have it, the confessions of another train geek!

I'll keep you posted on any other chases that I'll be involved in, Ihope you've enjoy this first blogg of mine.