Canadian Railroads > A Visit to NB Southern

After catching CN 407 last Sunday, the first order on business Monday morning was to see what NB Southern was up to.  NBSR operates the former CP lines east of Brownville Jct., ME.  There has been plenty of speculation that CP would buy back that line to go along with the CMQ purchase earlier this year.  I would be surprised to see that happen, since NBSR is well financed, and much of their traffic base is wood products for parent company JD Irving.  I don't think they want that supply chain to be at the mercy of Canadian Pacific.

While waiting for the road train (907) to leave for McAdam (typically about noon), I heard on the scanner that one of the switchers working Dever Rd. Yard on the west side of Saint John, would make a trip to the Port for some "hot" cars.  The switcher turned out to be one of the road's GP38-3/slug sets, 913 (former Helm, UP and B&O) and 003 (former CN built new slug).  They are shown here descending the grade on the west side of Saint John to the port area at 09:40.

About 40 minutes later the set was hauling up the hill at Bayshore (the site of the former Saint John roundhouse) with a string of empty well cars.  In the background are the two cranes on the Saint John container pier.  The major activity on the pier seems to be AIM's scrap metal business, with dozens of gondolas being loaded, and a Trackmobile for moving them around.

NB Southern train 907 left the Dever Rd. yard about 13:00, Atlantic time (the railway runs on Eastern time, even in New Brunswick).  By 13:48 they were heading west between Westfield Beach and Welsford with a bit less than 100 cars, about half of them empty woodchip cars to be loaded in Maine and New Brunswick (St. Leonard, via Van Buren, ME).  NBSR has most of their owned power painted in the bright green scheme displayed on the two SD40s (6304 and 6318, both former Helm leasers), but business has been good and leasers CEFX 420 (which I last saw on the CMQ in Farnham over a year ago) and GP40-3 GMTX 3055 (which started life as an L&N GP40) were along to help out.  Track speed is currently 25 mph, although the track appears to be in good shape with 115 lb. jointed rail.  

The Canadian crew ended their trip in McAdam about sundown, and did some switching before handing the train over to the American crew which would continue on to Brownville Jct. that night, with a meet with 908 planned for Bancroft in Maine.  Unfortunately, the eastbound train operates totally in the dark, unless something goes wrong and they are much later than usual leaving Brownville Jct.

GTD

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The CP/Irving issue is interesting. I recently finished reading a history of the Irving family and their business dealings. Some of the CP rail network in New Brunswick was acquired or leased. The Irving family have large pulp and paper interests in New Brunswick and decades ago they purchased a large tract of forested land from long established land owners. In this case, the owners were one of the precursor railway companies leased by CP.
When CP exited New Brunswick, the Irving company decided to assert their ownership.

Many years ago, when I lived in New Brunswick, I was told that the Irving family had a long tradition of buying land or businesses -- but never selling land or businesses.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

I haven't been on the Canada board for a while so I'm late responding, but I like seeing posts on this RR.  Both times I've been in St. John (on Carnival cruises) I was lucky to catch NB Southern in operation, on the Reversing Falls bridge.

Andy