Trackside Log for Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Today was the last day of my east coast trip with Sam and Missy. We started the day by visiting Biscotte & Cie in St-Bruno, Québec. After Sam made her purchases we were headed west toward home. I only made one railway related stop. I heard about two westbounds on the scanner and drove to Dalhousie Mills, Québec to attempt a photograph. Unfortunately they were gone before we arrived. However, an eastbound was on the way. I decided to drive ahead a bit to meet it.

• 1416 EDT Glen Roy, ON - CP eastbound - CP 8707/CP 9607 (DPU)
  

Just after the train cleared the crossing and I was about to resume our homeward trek, an unmarked OPP vehicle stopped behind me. I've had this happen a few times before but this time the officer was curt and quite rude. Normally the police have been polite when asking what I'm doing. After running a check on me and finding nothing of interest he left us to ourselves. Several miles later we encountered him again chasing down another car.

With that we made our way back home with only a stop at Sam's parents' home once again. Then the trip was over. Although much of what Marcus and I saw ten years ago is no longer, I enjoyed myself.

Trackside Log for Monday, September 10, 2012

We three travellers awoke this morning in Edmundston, New Brunswick and set off for the day. Before leaving town I drove down to the Canadian National tracks in town. Parked there was a pair of GP38s so I took a quick photograph.

• 0945 ADT Edmundston, NB - CN power - CN 4719-CN 4810
  

Next we were off and quickly changing time zones as we made our way back to Québec. My first destination was three hours away in Vallée-Jonction. I wanted to see what the Québec Central looked like these days.

• 1301 EDT Vallée-Jonction, PQ - former Québec Central station
  
• 1303 EDT Vallée-Jonction, PQ - museum display - CNR 46
  
• 1311 EDT Vallée-Jonction, PQ - former Québec Central engine shed
  

Sadly the old engine shed and turn table were sitting empty and idle. Everything has been removed. It was really rather disappointing. With nothing else to photograph we made our way west to Sherbrooke where I found a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic locomotive and the Orford Express tour train's M420TR.

• 1657 EDT Sherbrooke, PQ - MMA power - MMA 2004
  
• 1659 EDT Sherbrooke, PQ - Orford Express power - OEX 26
  

Our next stop was in Richmond to see if anything interesting was at the St. Lawrence & Atlantic. Unfortunately when we drove along the yard we could see only freight cars. It was getting a bit late so we decided to call it a day and made our way to Brossard for the night.

Trackside Log for Sunday, September 9, 2012

This morning we departed Moncton, New Brunswick somewhat late. We weren't terribly energetic thanks in part to the dull overcast skies and the forecast of rain all day. However, as we set off the weather remained dry. Our first stop of the day was the New Brunswick Railway Museum in Hillsborough.

• 1106 ADT Hillsborough, NB - New Brunswick Railway Museum equipment
  

After photographing much of the equipment at the museum, Sam, Missy and I set off for Saint John. We followed the Canadian National tracks much of the way but nothing was rolling on them.

Ten years ago Marcus and I made this same trek with the intent of photographing the New Brunswick Southern Railway. To put it bluntly, we got hosed. We didn't see anything to photograph. So this time I really wanted to find something to point a camera at. As we were headed toward their yard, we heard on the scanner that a pair of locomotives were headed to Harbour Station. I wasn't familiar with the area so I didn't know where this was. However, luck was with us. As we drove around a curve there they were.

• 1417 ADT Saint John, NB - NBSR eastbound - HLCX 6315-HLCX 6318
  

I thought it was interesting to note that the lead unit, HLCX 6315, is the former CP 5522 running on former Canadian Pacific tracks.

After the light power rolled away we continued to the New Brunswick Southern's yard. When we arrived we found a leased GP38-2 switching the east end.

• 1435 ADT Saint John, NB - NBSR switcher - GMTX 2666
  

After photographing the switch crew sorting auto racks into the transfer facility it began to rain lightly. I took this as my cue to leave. I was quite happy to have photographed something on the New Brunswick Southern but it was time to drive to Edmundston for the evening.

Trackside Log for Saturday, September 8, 2012

This morning Sam, Missy and I departed Halifax and drove to our first stop of the day: Peggy's Cove. After some very nice photographs we meandered our way to the Windsor & Hantsport Railway. The first location was Windsor where the shop building is. The railway has been idle for some time now due to the closure of the gypsum mine which is obvious from the quantity of rust on the rails.

• 1302 ADT Windsor, NS - WHRC Evangeline Express passenger car
  
• 1303 ADT Windsor, NS - WHRC shops
  
• 1305 ADT Windsor, NS - WHRC ballast sweeper and gypsum cars
  
• 1314 ADT Windsor, NS - WHRC caboose - WHRC 150
  
• 1314 ADT Windsor, NS - Windsor & Hantsport tracks
  

When I looked through a window in the shops I could see that the two B23-7s, WHRC 1968-WHRC 4079, were inside.

Next, after Sam visited Gaspereau Valley Fibres near Wolfville, I drove through Hantsport. This is the location of the gypsum ship loading facility and a former Dominion Atlantic Railway station. Here is where I found most of the gypsum cars parked.

• 1433 ADT Hantsport, NS - WHRC station (former Dominion Atlantic Railway)
  
• 1435 ADT Hantsport, NS - WHRC gypsum cars
  
• 1442 ADT Hantsport, NS - WHRC hi-rail
  

After visiting Windsor and Hantsport I saw that things are very different from ten years ago when Marcus and I visited the railway. The RS-23s were in service and we photographed a tourist train. The current state of the railway is sad indeed. Having finished photographing the remains of the last extant section of the Dominion Atlantic Railway, Sam, Missy and I drove the south shore of the Bay of Fundy and watched the tidal bore on the Salmon River in Truro before finding lodging in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Trackside Log for Friday, September 7, 2012

This morning Sam, Missy and I departed from Truro, Nova Scotia and passed by the Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia yard again. Once again nothing interesting was there so we began our journey toward Cape Breton Island. Our first stop was Stellarton where we discovered the road power, a GP9 and a snow plow.

• 0946 ADT Stellarton, NS - CBNS plow - CBNS 55371
  
• 0948 ADT Stellarton, NS - CBNS power - HLCX 7869-HLCX 7232
  
• 0949 ADT Stellarton, NS - CBNS power - HLCX 8151-LLPX 2269
  
• 0950 ADT Stellarton, NS - CBNS power - RLK 4004
  

After photographs we continued eastward. We stopped at Port Hawkesbury but were not rewarded with anything to photograph. After a couple Blizzards from Dairy Queen we drove to Sydney. Ten years ago Marcus and I were in Sydney not long after the closure of Sydney Steel and the Devco mine. It was very bleak looking. I discovered that nothing remains of the steel mills and some of the lands have been converted to parkland. Sydney is much less depressing looking than my previous visit.

After some exploration and a visit to Luckenbooth Yarns for Sam, we headed back west again. After another knitting stop at Baadeck Yarns in Baddeck and we were on to Orangedale to visit the railway museum there. The museum looks much the same as my previous visit of a decade ago.

• 1703 ADT Orangedale, NS - Orangedale Railway Museum - Terra Transport "Terra Nova" 2
  
• 1704 ADT Orangedale, NS - Orangedale Railway Museum - CN 55432
  
• 1705 ADT Orangedale, NS - Orangedale Railway Museum - ex-Georgia Pacific GE 50-ton
  
• 1705 ADT Orangedale, NS - Orangedale Railway Museum - DR 6006
  
• 1705 ADT Orangedale, NS - Orangedale Railway Museum - CN 78513
  
• 1710 ADT Orangedale, NS - former Intercolonial Railway station
  

We continued west and stopped off in Stellarton once again. This time the road power was missing. It likely went to Truro. By this time the sun was getting low so we drove directly to our lodging for the evening and to visit with a friend, Shannon, who lives in Halifax.

Trackside Log for Thursday, September 6, 2012

This morning Sam, Missy and I set out from Summerside, Prince Edward Island and toured much of Prince County. We were taking in the scenery, I was photographing the lighthouses in the county and we made two knitting related stops at La Co-op d'Artisanat d'Abram-Village, in Abram's Village and MacAusland's Wollen Mills in Bloomfield. I found the mill quite interesting. It's been operating for 80 years and was a lumber mill before that.

While there is little remaining of the island railways, we did happen across the old Canadian National station in Alberton.

• 1503 ADT Alberton, PE - former Canadian National station
  

Ten years ago Marcus and I toured much of Prince Edward Island and photographed some of the other railway remnants.

After a very interesting day on the island we decided to head back across the Confederation Bridge to Truro, Nova Scotia. Just after the bridge we made a small detour to Cape Tormentine. This is former site of the Canadian National car ferry dock. Little remains now, but the old station, engine shed and water tower remain.

• 1704 ADT Cape Tormentine, NB - former Canadian National station
  
• 1704 ADT Cape Tormentine, NB - former Canadian National engine shed and water tower
  

Finally we drove to Truro. We passed by the rail yards there but nothing interesting was present so we ended the day with supper and lodging.