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.

Trackside Log for Wednesday, September 5, 2012

This morning I took Missy out for a short walk in Campbellton, New Brunswick. Since the rail yard was nearby I decided to take her there. I was last in Campbellton in 2002. At that time the railway was the New Brunswick East Coast. Now it is back in the hands of Canadian National. When we walked by we could see a Canadian National GP9 and GP38-2W switching. We finished our walk, returned to the Howard Johnson, had breakfast with Sam, and then set off for the day. We passed by the yard again and found the local finishing its work.

• 1011 ADT Campbellton, NB - CN 564 east - CN 4114-CN 4773
  

Since the train was running in the same direction we were, I headed out ahead of it. I found a bridge to photograph it on at Promenade des Religieuses Hospitalières de Saint-Joseph at the east end of Campbellton.

• 1041 ADT Campbellton, NB - CN 564 east - CN 4114-CN 4773
  

Our next photo location was at Blair Malcolm Road in Dalhousie Junction.

• 1100 ADT Dalhousie Junction, NB - CN 564 east - CN 4114-CN 4773
  

We stopped at Bathurst where I had intended to stop by the Smurfit Stone plant to see if the former TH&B SW1200 was around. It wasn't and neither was the plant. It has nearly all been demolished.

We also passed by Miramichi but nothing was there aside from a long string of parked centre beam flat cars. By this time it had started to rain so we continued toward Moncton and ultimately Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Our only two stops were at London-Wul, a yarn shop near Moncton, and in Borden, Prince Edward Island, the end of the Confederation Bridge and former Canadian National ferry dock.

Trackside Log for Tuesday, September 4, 2012

This morning Sam, Missy and I departed Rimouski, Quebec and began our journey around the Gaspé Peninsula. I wasn't expecting to photograph many railway scenes. The tracks on the south shore of the St. Lawrence only extend to Matane. The next railway town is Gaspé which is nearly 300 kilometres away. Fortune was with us this morning though. Whilst looking at a covered bridge near Matane we heard horns blowing for the crossing we had just passed over. We drove ahead to Matane and photographed the train pulling into town.

• 1050 EDT Matane, PQ - CN 561 east - CN 4711
  

We had a fantastic drive around the peninsula stopping along the way to admire the scenery and photograph a few lighthouses. When we arrived in Gaspé we discovered the VIA station and track under heavy construction. With nothing to see, we continued around the south shore and managed to photograph rocher Percé before dark. Then we found lodging in Campbellton, New Brunswick. It was an excellent day.

Trackside Log for Monday, September 3, 2012

Happy Labour Day. Today Sam, Missy and I departed the hotel and were on the road headed east along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. Our first stop was Saint-Thomas and the junction of the Chemin de fer Lanaudière and the Québec-Gatineau. Only parked cars were present so we followed the line north. In Joliette we encountered several motorcars on the line but weren't in a position to photograph them. In Saint-Félix-de-Valois we found the terminus and the headquarters. Unfortunately everything was indoors.

Next we followed the Québec-Gatineau eastward. We stopped in Trois-Rivières and found a GP40-2W but it was in no position for a photograph. We followed along to Québec where we discovered some road power parked by the shops.

• 1418 EDT Québec, PQ - QGRY power - QGRY 6908-QGRY 6904-QGRY 2501-QGRY 3016
  

Just as we were about to leave an SW1500 parked alongside the road power.

• 1427 EDT Québec, PQ - QGRY power - QGRY 1500
  

...and then the road power pulled away from the sanding tower.

• 1430 EDT Québec, PQ - QGRY power - QGRY 6908-QGRY 6904-QGRY 2501-QGRY 3016
  

After the flurry of activity departed and crossed the St. Lawrence toward Charny. We passed by Canadian National's Joffre Yard but there was nothing of interest. So we continued east to Rimouski for the night.