As I chase trains I wonder if I'll ever get that perfect shot.: April 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

Weekend railfanning

On Saturday Jess and I caught CN 564 at Dalhousie Jct, we just happend to be in the right place at the right time. We decided to go take our Daughter out for a walk on a dirt road that paraelles the tracks. As we parked the car my scanner pipped up with the detector at M.P.. 159.9 calling out CN 564. I didn't pick up the whole report it was a little hard to hear with all the static. I did catch there were no defects.

So turned around and headed back to the crossing, and moments later 564 came around the bend, with a good mix of freight. It's not easy to spot in the video I had posted on Youtube, but in my pictures you can see the engineer waving to me as he passed by.

Here are the pictures from Saturday.

Here's the orgional picture. I had to crop it. The corpped picture is further up in this post.Also on Saturday afternoon Jess and I seen the "look out" has finally been opened for the summer, which happens to overlook the Yard. I took a few pictures and noticed there are still some NBEC RS-18's sitting in the yard. I assume these ones are dead and are of no use. Were more than likely used for parts.

When I zoomed in on the number boards, the only one I know for sure of is 1858, I stand to corrected but I think there is also 1850 and possibly 1855. The others I couldn't make out at all.

On Sunday we went to Bathurst, but I'll save that post for later. Have fun and keep chasing those trains!

Monday, April 13, 2009

From the banks of the mighty Restigouche.

In the past couple of weeks there has been some really good reasons to fear a major flood on the Restigouche River, in some places west of Campbellton the river has crested it's banks, Matapedia has expirenced another spring flooding, CN has dispatched another ballast train to sit on the bridge crossing the Restigouche, to aid in the prevention of the bridge being carried down stream. CN locomotive 9592 has been sitting at the station in Matapedia since sometime last week, to pull the ballast cars off the bridge to allow other trains pass over, then to return the cars back on the bridge. This has been a yearly custom for as long as I can remember.

The flooding has been as bad as some has predicted and not nearly as bad as last year or even near the flood of 1994. The Canadian Coast Guard has been sending a hover craft ice breaker to the Restigouche since 1995 to break up the ice before another major flood could cause some damage to surounding properties.

The St John river from what I have been hearing and reading on the news is doing just about the same, some areas have flooded but no major flooding expirenced such as last spring. So I guess it would be a safe bet to say the NTR will not be closed this time due to flooding on the St John river. The river has crested it's banks but the water is receading and things look good so far.

I have a few pictures taken over the weekend in Matapedia, of the ice jam in Matapedia and some of the flooding. enjoy and remember, have fun and keep chasing those trains!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A very late VIA 14!

I am not sure on the reasons but the Ocean 14 is very late on arriving in Campbellton. The Ocean typically arrives in Campbellton at abour 0730 six times a week and is typically out of Campbellton by 0800hrs. Here are some pictures I had taken a few moments before writting this post.

Monday, April 6, 2009

NBEC 6900 series

Today is April 6th, according to Steve Boyko's (Traingeek) blog there is one SD40 - 2 left on the former NBEC. 6910. Here is 6909 sister to 6910. Taken June 2008.

All that is left in Campbellton to my knowledge is 6909, I have noticed lately there is increased car loads in the Campbellton yard, though I know that don't mean a whole lot, just an observation. I would like to share with you though, my small collection of pictures I have accumulated of the past two years of NBEC/CFMG RS-18's and SD-40's.