Confessions of a Train Geek

I noticed a new Youtuber online, chandlersub. He joined a couple of days and posted several nice videos. Nice to see he uses a tripod. :)

He shot a nice ballast train led by NBEC 1818 at Pabos, Quebec on August 6.


I shot the Chaleur there last year.

Here's VIA 615 (the Ocean) rolling through Matapedia, Quebec on August 4.


Also, VIA 17 (the Chaleur) departing the same night. It looks like it had two units and about 11 cars... quite a train for the peninsula.


Thanks for posting those videos!

Labels: 1818, chaleur, chandlersub, matapedia, nbec, quebec, via

Matt the saintjohnrailfan shot several trains at Marsh Junction in Moncton.

Here's VIA 615 and CN 534 at Marsh Junction, within a few minutes of each other. 534 had CN 4725 and three cars.


Next, returning CN 534, VIA 614, and CN 407 all pass through Marsh Junction.


Finally, CN 408 in the sunset at Marsh Junction to end the day.


Matt posted more about this trip here. Great videos!

Labels: 14, 15, 407, 408, 534, moncton, saintjohnrailfan

I heard trains running all night long while I was trying to sleep. I'm not complaining... I laid awake between 6 and 7 AM listening to a steady parade of trains going by, before I dragged my butt out of bed and got dressed. I went trackside shortly after 7 AM expecting to see more trains, yet nothing came. I resolved to stick it out, and at 08:13 I was rewarded with an eastbound coal unit train with CEFX 1032 and CP 9515 pulling and CP 9774 pushing 123 cars.


Later, I heard a train slowing to a stop. It turned out to be westbound CP 5987? and 5717 holding the main for a meet at 10:43. Shortly thereafter, they were overtaken by a westbound container train with CP 9564 leading and CP 8538 mid-train. The train had 19 autoracks and 39 platforms. As you can see, I was on the "bad side" of the light.


Afterward, I heard one of the crews saying there was someone on the elevator track taking pictures. :)

While we were out riding horses, an eastbound came into town and met the local working the salt mine. The local had a pair of GP38s as far as I could see.

At 15:46 I shot an eastbound container train with Olympic unit CP 8872 on the head end with CP 9565?, and CP 8846 pushing.



For my final train at Chaplin, I saw a westbound grain train at 16:38 with CP 8836 and CP 8518 pulling precisely 100 cars. This was one of my favourites from Chaplin.

Labels: chaplin, cp, saskatchewan

After I visited Regina, I went to the tiny town of Chaplin, Saskatchewan for a visit. Did you know Chaplin has a Wikipedia entry? I had no idea.

From a railway perspective, CP's main line runs right through Chaplin, which used to be a division point in the steam age. The grain elevator still stands in Chaplin, and is still in use, but I'm not sure it still handles grain. There is also a sodium sulphate mine in Chaplin that sees rail traffic.

I was sitting on the back deck with the scanner on, and I heard the hotbox detector west of Chaplin. I walked over to the line to wait for trains, and alas nothing showed up. I had given up and had started walking back when I heard a train blowing for the crossings. I ran back and at 17:58 I saw an eastbound train with Olympic unit CP 8859, CP 8752?, 95 platforms (almost all doublestacks), and pusher CP 8714 on the end.


Sorry for the poor quality - these are video captures.

Later, I walked over to the rail line around 8:30 PM to see what was what, and soon afterward an eastbound passed through at 20:46 with CP 8520, a second unit, CP 3125, 19 platforms, 6 steel cars, and 78 others. The detector at Secretan said it had 428 axles.

Labels: chaplin, cp

I have started YAB (Yet Another Blog) - this one for the Fredericton Friends of the Railway. I have been posting about every week, just noting the condition of the station and the articles being published in the media about it. Soon Enterprise Fredericton will have a study completed and we'll proceed from there. Have hope, friends!

Labels: fredericton, station

Gary Lee shot a couple of videos of the Pan Am Railways (ex-Guilford) unit in St. Stephen. Pan Am has an isolated piece of track from Calais that serves the Woodland, Maine mill. They interchange with NB Southern in Milltown at the border. Occasionally you can see the Guilford unit in McAdam as it gets shipped out for servicing by Pan Am. I saw MEC 320 in McAdam on November 25, 2006.

Here are Gary's videos.

Labels: gary lee, mec, st. stephen

I spent some time railfanning in Regina in the afternoon. First, I went to the CN yard off 1st Avenue North. My son and I stood on the berm on the south side of the yard and watched the "choo choos". There was only one unit running around, CN 4790.


4790 was kicking cars in the yard. For those who don't know the term, "kicking" refers to the practice of sorting cars by rolling them through the yard without an engine attached. The engine and cars accelerate to a brisk walking speed, then the conductor on the ground uncouples the car while the engine stops. The "kicked" car or cars continue rolling on momentum down the track until they run out of speed or couple to the cars already in the yard. It's a faster way of sorting cars but I expect it can be a little hard on the cars.


My favourite little engines, the Canadian-only GMD1, were represented by 1438 and 1415.


There were two cabooses in the yard, red 79847 and odd black 79543.


CN 4791 and 4795 were also in the yard.

After we watched for a while, we went over to Dewdney Avenue to the CP yard. I shot a collection of units through the fence, though none of the pictures are really worth printing here. I saw CP 1611, CEFX 104, CP 3133, CP 1603, CP 6007, CP 1568, CP 3103, and CP 3049 as well as caboose CP 434412, as well as one rabbit.

While we were watching, we noticed a train rolling by on the main. I ran over and recorded it with my Canon through the fence. I apologize for the backlit video. I believe the units were CP 8849, CP 8830, CP 5972, CP 6023, CP 9014, and CP 9022.


After that, it was time to go to Chaplin, SK for a day.

Labels: cn, cp, gmd1, regina, video

westsidemonster shot a quick video of NB Southern Railway delivering empty centerbeam flats to the Irving Wallboard plant on Bayside Drive. Nice catch!

Labels: nbsr, video, wallboard, westsidemonster

I was getting my car cleaned on Waverley today in Winnipeg, so I took a stroll over to the tracks. I looked right and there was a train rolling toward me - good timing on their part!

CN 8839 and 2512 pulled a long container train past in the bright sunlight.

Too bad I only had my cheapie Fuji camera with me, but it was better than nothing!

Labels: cn, winnipeg

2008/08/17 all sightings at Chaplin
08:13 e/b coal unit train (123 cars)
CEFX 1032, CP 9515 with CP 9774 pushing

10:43 w/b general freight on main
CP 5987?, 5717
overtaken by
w/b autorack (19) / container (28/39) train
CP 9564 with CP 8538 mid-train

11:33 e/b autoracks
met local in Chaplin
CP unit pushing
local had two GP38s

15:46 e/b container train
CP 8872 (Olympic), CP 9565?? with CP 8846 pushing

16:30 w/b grain train
CP 8836, 8518 with 100 cars


2008/08/18
Belle Plaine
14:29 w/b container and general freight train took siding
CP 5914, CP 6039, CP 5959, CEFX 1044
met
15:06 e/b container train #106
CP 8555 with CP 8507 pushing

15:17 train 106 through Pense

At Pense
15:22 e/b mixed train #212? (5 platforms, 13 cars)
CP 9548, CP 5928

15:31 w/b general freight
CP 6007, CP 3103, CP 1611, CP 8505

Labels: chaplin, cp, saskatchewan

Here's a quick photo from August 17 of a westbound CP freight passing through Chaplin, Saskatchewan. Good times.

Labels: chaplin, cp, saskatchewan

Young CFMGD has posted some videos of CFMG trains in Quebec.

First, a ballast train with NBEC 6905.


Next, NBEC 6901, NBEC 6904, NBEC 6905, and CFMG 6903 at mile 127.6 on the Mont-Joli sub.


Here's a train with NBEC 6901, 6904, and 6905 arriving at Riviere-Du-Loup.


Keep up the good work!

Labels: cfmg, cfmgd, nbec, quebec, video

Here's a couple of short videos I took in Regina, Saskatchewan on the 16th of August. The first one was taken at the CN yard in Regina. CN 4790 was "kicking" cars, rolling them into the yard. This video shows a bit of a loud bang as they come together.


This video was taken off Dewdney Avenue in Regina at the CP yard. CP 8849 and several other engines roll along the main line.

Labels: cn, cp, regina, saskatchewan, video