Friday, October 24, 2008

This past week

Well this past week Jess has been pretty patient with me and has been coming out with me to do some railfanning. On Tuesday we had a failed attempt at 403 and again on Wedsenday and Thursday. However on Thursday we did catch the 15 returning from Halifax, so the two hour wait at Dalhousie Jct wasn't all that wasted. Today however my scanner decided it was going to work! (It's been on the fritz for the past few weeks) so I was able to get a few conversations and what not. Last night Jess and I went out for Chinese, while we were eating I seen a fairly large truck pull into the parking lot. It was a track inspection truck. This is it here.

My guess is (And it is only a guess) as part of the sale of the line to CN there has to be a track inspection! I mean there are other reasons for this truck to be here. But that would be the most logical guess.

In my last post I said I had not ever seen NBEC 1819, 1821 and 1813 on the 403 or in Campbellton! Well tonight's 403 consisted of four locomotives and 69 cars. The lead on 403 was 6901 followed by 1819, 1813 and 1821!!! Ok so I guess this is NBEC's way of calling me a liar. ALSO on Wedsenday's 591 I seen none other than 1821 getting ready to leave the Campbellton yard with three tanker cars. Here it is. Crappy picture I know but it was a quick shot.

Here is tonight's 403, I really like how the sun makes everything bright against the lead locomotive. And it brings out the fall colours...well what's left of them anyhow.

And here's another quick shot of 403 while chasing it.Finally on the way home the Ocean was heading into Campbellton with "my" 6400 in the lead. I had noticed though a park car was on the tail end, when last night's 15 didn't have one. Oh well just thought I'd share that with you. I didn't get any pictures of tonight's 15. As per usual I'll post my 403 video on Youtube later. It's getting late and I'm pretty tired. Well have fun and keep chasing those trains!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

the plan!


So it's a beautiful Sunny Saturday afternoon, I wanted to get out there and enjoy the sunshine and do whatever came to mind. Well going to Bathurst was one of those thoughts and chaseing the 403 to Campbellton was another. Well I went to Bathurst! But no 403. However on the way out of town I suggested to Jess that we take the old road to as far as Dalhousie Jct and get on the highway from there.

We were just about to hit McClouds when we heard the distinctive horn of NBEC 3000 on the tracks below the road. So we pulled into the first drive way and headed back towards Campbellton. We caught up with the train in Richardsville just before the Yard Limits. I pulled over at my usual spot on Arron Street (See my earlyer post) and took a few quick pictures and took some videos.

In Bathurst however it was a bit dissapointing. There were a string of cars in the yard which looked like 403's usual consist. And there were three locomotives further down. NBEC 1819, 1821 and 1813. I figured they were going to be the power for 403 then I thought about it, I never seen those numbers in Campbellton or hauling 403. So I put two and two together and figured they are the local power for Bathurst. So I got a few good pictures and headed into town. Around 1800 we went back to the yard to see if anything had changed. Well there were still the same consist in the yard and the same three locos were still sitting there idleing. So I figured 403 had already gone by and or I was way ahead of it. So I decided to go home from there. Ok well a quick stop at Tim Hortons and then home.

Well here are my pictures from Bathurst and in Campbellton. Enjoy and keep chaseing those trains and have fun!

Another great chase on another great day!


Yesterday Oct 17th was my oldest Daughter's birthday, and for her special day I took her out to chase 403 but this time she was holding the camera and she chose the spots where we would catch the train. It was her day so she called the shots....litterally!

She decided to get the best shots we would goto my favorite spot at the Arron street crossing and stand on the edge of the street which overlooks the tracks. As 403 went by my Daughter was waving to the engineer, and to give her a special "Happy Birthday" he gave her two short blasts of the horn. Her first "hello" she was really proud of that. She took some pretty good pictures which you will see some are mine but I'll point out which ones are her's.

403 had the usual consist woodchip cars, tankers and lumber from the Bathurst mill and a blue ore car. The head end was NBEC 3000 and CFMG 6902
This is her first picture.And this is her second.This one is mine, I didn't have the stabliser on.
And her third shot.Her fourth shot.My picture but this time I had the stabliser on.I fixed the picture up a little made it a bit brighter, same as the one above.Well that's it for me this week, I may go out again this week. We got some videos but she didn't get all of the train, She's a better photographer than a videographer. So enjoy, have fun and keep chasing those trains!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Double the header


Tonight I decided to go somewheres else, so I packed fresh batteries and headed to Matapedia station to catch the Ocean and Chaleur arriving. In Atholville got pulled over at an RCMP road block the usual licence and regestration and have a good night. That set me back a few minutes because when I drove by the station the Ocean had already left.

We were crossing the Restigouche River via the Matapedia bridge and to my left was the Ocean crossing the bridge as well. I thought "Great I'll make it" because I knew they had a slow order on the bridge." Well sure enough I got to the station before they did. I got the Ocean arriving but didn't get any good stills. Just a short twenty something second long video.

The Chaleur on the other hand arrived about ten minutes or so after the Ocean left that's when I found a great spot on the platform and got the "Perfect shots" Ok not that prefect but good enough to post on here. the lead on tonights Chaleur was 6420 followed by 6409. I didn't catch the numbers on the Ocean however it was Evenleign Park on the tail end. Well I'll post my videos on Youtube at a later date. Until then have fun and keep chasing those trains!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Two days worth!


On Monday night I went to Campbellton to catch the Ocean arriving and half an hour later I was on the Quebec side waiting for the Chelaur to scream by. Sure enough she did and I filmed her going by. My first Chelaur since the washout on Aug 4th. Pretty neat that I got both the Ocean and the Chelaur in one night. I caught it first in Cross point (Near Oak bay) and then beat it to Broadlands. Where I got a better night shot of the stainless steel cars with the high beams of the car. Great shot if you ask me! Earlyer that day I caught 403 arriving in Richardsville. (See my earlyer post on that chase.) And tonight I was going to catch 403 in Dalhousie Jct HOWEVER, the forces that be decided tonight wasn't the night. So I gave up my chase or wait to be more accurate. And went home. Around 2000hrs 403 arrived in Campbellton. Although in my past from last week where my oldest Daughter and I went to catch the 403 in that same area we had met "Winnie the pooh" Or a black bear. Tonight was the same thing, I am not sure if it was "Winnie" though I wouldn't be surprised if it were. Unlike the last time though he wasn't fifty yards or so away from me he was more like half a mile or more down the track. I got some "Ok" pictures though. Some are not the best but they are seeable.
This one is clearly the best one I took from the distance we were at.

And this one is also clearly (Or lack of) the worse one. So goes to show how crappy my camera can be if it's not held stable at long distance zoom. Hope he doesn't get hit by a train! I may not like bears too much but I don't hate them. Just a little nervous around them that's all.

Well that's about it for me so far this week with trains, so have fun and keep chaseing those trains! Oh and by the way It's Websenday October 1st and STILL no announcement from CN in regards to the take over of NBEC and CFMG. Although it's been widely rumored it would have been announced today!