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!

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!

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.

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.

NBEC RS-18 1813NBEC RS-18 1816NBEC SD-40 6905NBEC SD-40 6906

NBEC SD-40 6905 (Again!)NBEC RS-18 1868NBEC RS-18 1857NBEC SD-40 6908NBEC(QRC) RS-18 3000NBEC RS-18 1857 (Again!)

I have a lot more pictures of NBEC/CFMG locomotives but this should be enough for now, enjoy and keep chaseing those trains!

Spring is approching!

So now that spring is approching that also means more daylight chases! So to celebrate the time shift on Saturday night, I had packed up my cameras and decided to chase the 403 from Charlo to Campbellton. Well I have this problem it's called "Timing" yes! Timing is an issue to me because every time I make a plan to catch any train I am almost always too early or too late! So in rare cases I'll be on my way and I'll meet up with a train. Sunday evening was no exception to that. Along the way to Charlo I met up with 403 in Richardsville. So turning around now I'm heading back into Campbellton, upon arrival back in Campbellton, I decided to take a few shots of the head end. Well Sunday was pretty warm so a lot of snow melted and the streets were pretty wet. So that ment the camera got spray from the vehicle infront of me. You'll see in a few shots exactly what I mean, AND how to adapt and over come such incident.

So I arrived at a pre selected crossing and began my shoot. I managed to get both video and stills! I got some decent shots, the video is pretty good too! Well here are my pictures.

Above I had mentioned road spray from another vehicle ahead of us, well this is what happend the lense got sprayed and the shot was messed up? Ahhh but not really! Because why let a great shot goto waste when you can take advantage of such a mess up and make it look like a really old picture with Sephia tone!

So that was about it for me this week as far as trains go! I will post more later this week, going to goto McGiveny tomorrow or possibly Thursday so hopefully with some great videos and pictures for you. Till then have fun and keep chasing those trains!

CFQC 3000

It has been brought to my attention via Steve Boyko's blog that CFQC 3000 has been sold to the Chemin de fer Lanaudiere (CFL). According to Steves blog 3000 was leased to Bell Gaz for their use. I have a few pictures here of CFQC 3000 when it was with QRC on the former NBEC line.

Well that's it for me for now, have fun and keep chasing those trains!

"Operation Life Saver"

I've been railfanning for roughly a year and a half, and in that time, I have seen a lot of things, such as bears, people walking on the tracks in the yard (Campbellton) people being hit by trains while walking on RR bridges etc etc. No I have not seen that sort of thing but I have heard about it and read about it in the news. But one thing that I see more offten than I have seen anything else is RETARDED people crossing the tracks when a train is approching the crossing at aprox 60 mph! Lights and bells are going and yet these people disregard their own safety, the safety of the passing public and the law when they can't wait a few extra minutes for a train to go by.

This summer I have counted fifteen cars cross the tracks while the crossing lights and bells were activated. As a railroad photographer I see how fast a freight train can move and how fast those machines can creep up on you when your not paying attention.

A few weeks ago I was out railfanning chaseing the 402 and I seen a woman with a young child in the car, as she slowed down at a crossing, I was behind her, I could see the top of her childs head and I could see her looking both ways as the lights and bells were activated. She seen the train approching, I had my camera out and ready to film the train pass over the crossing (Thankfully not over her car) but as the train was less than fifty yards away she finally decided to go for it! Look I love adventure and I consider my self a "thrill junkie" but man!!! That's just retarded! Beyond stupid! A child is in her car and she completely disregarded that thought. She should have been stopped by the police and have the heavyest fine or punishable offence given to her for her stupid action.

My question is to those of you out there who "try to beat" the train is, What would you rather loose? a few minutes of your time or your life? The video I am hosting on this blog is the reason for this post, I have seen too much of this in the year and a half that I have been railfanning and wow I just can't get over how many people out there who do this sort of thing.

The typical family sized car weighs roughly about two thousand pounds? Maybe? It will take that car rougly about thirty to fifty feet to come to a complete stop at a speed of 80 to 90 Km/ph. A fully loaded freight train traveling at about the same speed will take about half a mile to maybe two miles to stop! Let's not forget the kanetic energy behind that locomotive and the physics involved! Wow we all seen the videos! We all know what happens to cars after loseing to a train. So why? Anyhow here's a video I found on Youtube and here are a few of my own pictures I took last fall of 403 entering the Campbellton yard. Here's a quote from the video, "The only thing a locomotive engineer can do is watch you die!" Rough isn't it? Well that's the only other option.

Well that's my rant! Have fun and keep chaseing those trains Safely!