Canadian Railroads > A Few Halifax Questions

I've booked a round trip on The Ocean and will be in Halifax from July 6th to the 10th.  After some negotiations with my wife and daughter, I've been granted one day of railfanning in the Halifax area.  Our hotel is downtown near the VIA station so I should have some free time to explore that area, although i'm not sure how busy it would be.  What I would like to check out is the area around Rockingham Yard.  Is there any particular time of day that's best, or is it just a hit or miss kind of thing?  Also, besides Rockingham and the downtown area, are there any other locations I should consider exploring - keeping in mind that I'll be relying on public transit.  Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Blackfoot



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/20 13:53 by Blackfoot.

120 should arrive at Rockingham about 10:30 each morning, but that time can be off by hours, either way.  If you want to see it, you probably need some information about when it left Montreal the previous day, or some point farther east.  There are two or three transfers between Rockingham and Halifax Ocean Terminals (HOT) each day, the first one is typically about 7 or 8 in the morning, and the about the same time VIA leaves (13:00, which is a problem with single track there).  Then there is often another later in the afternoon.  The crews will call the RTC on CN Ch. 8 to get an OCS clearance before going downtown.  The Younge Ave. bridge is an easy observation point for HOT.  It's about a one mile walk from the train station.  You can also walk through the port area, although technically it's private property and they could prevent you from taking pictures, but I've never heard of that actually happening.  There's a farmers' market down there, and there will likely be cruise ships in port at that time, so there should be plenty of people with cameras.

The VIA tracks are behind high fences, so get any pictures you want of the trains when you board or disembark.  You will need a ticket to be on the platform, but I think the staff are fairly accommodating as long as you are a passenger.

There is bus transportation out the Bedford Highway to Rockingham, and south to Point Pleasant Park.  The numbers have changed recently, so you should research that on line.

GTD