New Video on Youtube

As the title says I had just completed a new video and posted it to Youtube! It's just a collection of some of the better pictures I have taken in the past year to "celebrate" my first year as an active railfan hahahaha Yeh I know geeky but oh well. I had a lot of fun in the past year chaseing trains and learning a lot about the hobby and learning a few safety tips as well.

Steve Boyko posted his blog on his attempt at catching VIA 615 on the NTR and well he didn't get that shot. Well it happens to the best of us, on Monday I chased the 402 as far as Richardsville (Campbellton City limits) and heard on the scaner that the 402 would turn in Bathurst and become the 403. Well I got pumped up for it and made plans to catch it in Dalhousie Jct that evening.

I waited and waited and waited till FINALLY my scanner pipped up and it was RTC calling 403 to find out where they were. Turns out 403 was between Charlo and Eel River Crossing. Well that was about ten minutes or so from me. So I grabbed the scanner off the roof of the car and grabbed my camera and ran down the hill and got into postion and waited. Than all of a sudden the sun dissapeard behind large black clouds. I figured I had a few minutes before the rain started and continued my wait. Than I seen lightning streek across the sky and immeaditly after that a very loud clap of thunder split the air and made me throw my self to the ground, (Reflexes I guess.) Well that's when I had decided to pack it up and head back to the car because that lighting was pretty damn close. As I was walking back up to the car another strike and loud clap of thunder freaked the crap out of me and I began to run to the car. No sooner was I in the car when the huge down pour of rain started and well I was getting dissapointed.

The 403 was less than ten minutes away and I couldn't get my shot. So we decided to try and catch it at the crossing just a few hundred meters down the road but the downpour was so heavy that I couldn't see no more than five feet in front of the car and if I had opened the window than my camera would have been useless. So due to the weather I had no choice but to call off the chase and head home empty handed and quite dissapointed. So my whole point is, Steve chin up buddy at lease you got the tail end of the Ocean and a video of the CN freight, I didn't even get a single picture. Like you said in your comment on your blog, "I had my scanner not my Crystal ball." Well I should invest in one of those too or maybe check the weather before heading out hahaha.
To add insult to injury I knew the 403 was right there, it was withen hearing distance and I knew where it was but DAMN! Friggen weather. Oh well so yesterday I again went back to Dalhousie Jct to try my luck again. Well this time the weather stayed pretty decent no rain and no sudden thunder storms and no 403. Apprently the 403 arrived in Campbellton around 2030hrs so yeh....I'm thinking about chaseing it again this evening but I don't know. By the way I left Dalhousie Jct around 1900hrs. Roughly about an hour and a half ahead of the 403.

So here are a few pictures I have just something to share I guess. Also here is the video I posted on Youtube.

I took this picture one evening on my way to chase 615 and couldn't help but laugh when I seen the exit number. This is on Hwy 11 on my way to Dalhousie Jct. Exit 403 HAHAHAHA Yeh I think I'm taking this hobby a little too far eh?

The picture below was taken in December of NBEC 4203 and the one below it was taken the first week of July 08. Almost the same spot as in December. With less snow!
Well that's about it for me as for trains, I'm hopeing the Ocean will be back tonight on the Newcastle Sub. So keep chaseing those trains and have fun.

VIA 615

Earlyer this week the Ocean had some issues with a wheel bearing on the baggage car. Apprently it set off the defect dectors and the decision was made in Campbellton to put the train on the shop track and bus the passengers to their distenations. Safety comes first eh! Anyhow on Tuesday morning I went to the Campbellton yard and took these pictures. Steve Boyko posted in his blog about the defective wheel

http://www.traingeek.ca/blog/2008/07/defective-wheel-bearing-on-ocean.html#links

So here are the pictures not many but I didn't want to trespass either so I had to stay where I was to get the shots I could get.

NBEC 402

This morning I was heading out to get my morning coffee when suddenly I remembered the words of a wise rail fan and VIA Rail employee Ron Jackson(Ret). "A true rail fan never leaves his house without his camera and scaner." So I ran back in the house and picked up my camera and scaner. Just as we were pulling onto the bridge crossing the Mighty Restigouche what do I see sitting in the Campbellton yard waiting for RTC to give the "ok" to leave...None other than NBEC 402. So after some minor convincing Jess and I went to the Ceader street crossing, (After we got our coffee.) and waited for the 402 to leave. After five minutes or so I could hear the bell of NBEC 3000 ringing signaling as it was making it's way to the crossing. I got video of 402 at that crossing. My intentions were to chase it to Dalhousie Jct and take pictures along the way. However the forces that be decided today wasn't going to be the day. In Richardsville my cell phone started ringing. Apprently there was a misscommunication somewheres and I had to be home for 1030hrs and not 1400hrs as I had previously thought. So the chase had to be cut short and turn around to head home. However I did catch some really neat shots as we were side by side with the freight.

For the past few days I've noticed a Government of Canada grain car in the Campbellton yard. Now I'm not sure where it's going or when it's leaving but it's not everyday you see a grain car in Campbellton. Last time I seen a Grain Car was in Montreal back in April. I took this from the Quebec side of the river so the picture is kinda crappy because I had to zoom in quite a distance to get even a practical picture. So here it is.

One more thing before I end this blog for the day, Jess had said a funny thing to me as we were chaseing the 402. She noted at every crossing people were either turning around as the train approched or when the lights came on. People were trying to avoid the train and avoid the wait at the lights. We were purposly waiting at the crossings for the train and chaseing it. Seem kinda ironic to me and kinda funny too.

Well that was it for me this morning however maybe later on today I'll catch another the day is still young. If not well there is always the 15 tonight. Have fun and keep chaseing those trains.

Amid the mosquitos...

Indeed what an evening it was with the mosquitos and black flies. I'm still itchy is all I can say about lastnights adventure and so is my Daughter. Last night around 2000hrs I phone the train station and asked what time the 15 would be in, and of course you can count the Ocean being late. 615 was late agian last night by an hour roughly. I went to Dalhousie Jct and waited for the Ocean there. I wasn't there long when the Detector went off, that was when I rushed down to where I had my camera set up. When I got there I had mare seconds to press record. Well I wouldn't exactly say mare seconds just more or less a short period of time. I did catch it though that was the main point. The itchy welts were worth it though.

As it turns out NBECmich had caught the Ocean just outside of Bathurst last night as well, he also reports the mosquitos were just as bad for him as they were for me. Here is his video and about an hour or so later here is mine.





So that was pretty much it for me as far as trains go for this week, so keep chasing those trains and have fun!

Quiet day!

Today has been a quiet day in regards to trains, the scanner has been quiet most of the day except for the occational squlech of the the EOT device and VIA 616 calling RTC. Other than that it's been pretty quiet. However this morning after a failed attempt at chaseing the 402 from Campbellton I decided to go and have a "Heart attack" breakfast at McDonalds and well I was perched atop the lookout overlooking the Campbellton yard and shops, well everything down there seemed quiet! I did take a few pictures, mostly of nothing and of my foot...It's a nice shot! However yesterday I went to Morrissey Rock and took a few pictures there, I was certin I heard a train coming in that direction however I guess I must have heard wrong. That happens...Rarely but it happens. Anyhow that's about it for me for today in regards to trains. Have fun and keep chaseing those trains!

The railfan that tried

This past weekend I went on vacation, Jess and my two Daughters went to Fredericton and we stayed at the Crowne Plaza. It was a great weekend. My oldest Daughter spent 90% of the time in the pool or at Killarney Lake, she is a lot like me, she has water in her vains rather than blood. As my Grand father used to say, "There isn't blood in our vains there is only salt water!" and I burned too! Something that hasn't happend to me since I was sixteen. Anyhow I wanted to get a little bit of railfanning in there this weekend however Jess and my oldest Daughter Hailey had other plans for us and those plans didn't include chasing any trains. However I called Steve Boyko and he gave me a bit of information on when and where to go to catch some trains. However as I had mentioned there wasn't going to be any chances of us going to Tracy to catch NB Southern and well the only chance I remotely had was on the return trip home on Sunday when we would go through McGivney and Hwy 8 goes over the NTR.

It was exactly that on Sunday afternoon when we arrived in McGivney, however my railroad knowledge isn't all that great as far as signals go. When we arrived at the station the lights were red on red, I guessed that meant a train was due, I figured the lights were red because of that. Well I was wrong. I had decided to call Steve to check on that. He told me red on red meant there was NO train coming and I must say I was a bit dissapointed. He also asked me to check the other set of lights and if those were red on red as well than there was no trian coming from either direction. He said if they were red on green or yellow or other combos of the same colours than there would be something coming. Me and Hailey went for a short walk to the other set of lights and to my dismay those lights were also red on red. However I wasn't leaving McGivney without a few pictures which I did take.

Well that's pretty much it for me as far as railfanning go for this past weekend, Thanks to Steve Boyko for the intel on those signals and train times. Hopefully next time I'll catch one. Have fun and keep chasing those trains.

A bit more traffic on the Cascapedia.

Lately I've noticed there has been an increase in carload traffic on the Cascapedia sub. Yesterday I watched a freight go through the community with aprox twenty cars, that's a lot considering just last year the owners wanted to abandon the line at some point! I've seen carload traffic as big as one car and no cars at all, just a locomotive going down the line. However last month I picked up a copy of the "The Gaspe Spec" (June 11th 2008) in it there was an article that caught my interest right away. "Smurfit-Stone and New Richmond settlement opens door to new rail traffic."

The artile reads "The town of New Richmond will finally allowe Smurfit-Stone to use it's New Richmond facility to store and ship overseas a liquid produced by it's Matane plant called 'Wood molasses' " The article further reads that this deal is good news for the Gaspe rail line. The article was written by Gilles Gagne. Yesterday (And a few times prior) I seen aprox ten tanker cars and about ten loaded lumber cars. That is the longest train I've seen on the Cascapedia since I was a child! The loaded lumber cars were obviously from the lumber mill in Neouville (Excuse the spelling) that is the only lumber mill I know of in the area that is still in operation which is owned and operated by Tembec. In all that's great news! I'm glad to see more traffic on the line. As for my self, I haven't done much as far as railfaning goes, I've been working like a dog at work and here at home, I don't have much time to play Golf or to go play paintball, I bought a new marker a tibirus 8. Can't wait to use it however I won't be home this weekend to do so. Anyhow have fun and keep chasing those trains.