Canadian Railroads > CBNS Coal Extra

Around the year 2000, coal mining in Cape Breton ran into some serious problems.  The mines ran for miles out under the ocean, and Devco (the federal Crown Corp. than operated the mines) was having problems with "geological instability", or roof falls.  This severely hampered coal production, and NSPI, the provincial electric utility started importing foreign coal to fire its thermal plants in Trenton, Pt. Tupper and Industrial Cape Breton.  Some of this coal came in at Aulds Cove, near the Canso Causeway, but it also was imported at the International Pier in Whitney Pier, next to Sydney.  The Pier had been built to export coal, but could also receive it.  

Moving coal from Sydney to Pt. Tupper and Trenton had been a good source of traffic for CBNS (and CN before it), and in March, 2003 we got word in Halifax that a "test" train of imported coal would travel from the International Pier to the Strait and then Trenton.  Two of us made the drive up to record the event on March 19.  As usual with things on the railway, things didn't go quite according to plan, and it was well into the afternoon before the train of Devco hoppers was brake tested and ready to leave Whitney Pier for points west.  The train is shown here with CBNS' usual rainbow of power (SD45-2, GP15-1, SD45-2 and GP40u), along with two of Devco's GP38-2s, crossing the infamous Sydney coke oven and tar pond site, years before the environmental remediation was completed.

By this time Devco had been dissolved as a Crown Corp., and the Geeps were owned by the Sydney Coal Rwy (SCR).  At the time, we thought they had been sold to somebody (NBSR bought some), but these two stayed on the SCR and are still there, although one has a different number now.

GTD

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One beautifully framed shot !    Glad you made the effort to record this historic event.

Yes, I second perklocal's comments.  Your subject is very unique indeed.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa, ON

At the time, it was hoped that this test train would provide a model for future rail service on the Island.  But in the end NSPI built their own coal pier at Pt. Tupper, and the former Devco International Pier continued to feed just the two generating stations in the Sydney area.  Only one of those, Lingan, near New Waterford is served by rail.  The Pt. Aconi station never had rail service, and coal was always trucked to it.  There was at least one occasion when Sydney Harbour was full of ice, and CBNS ran loaded coal trains in the opposite direction (east) to supply the power plants near Sydney.  The south side of the Canso Causeway, where Pt. Tupper is located is ice free, so doesn't have that problem.

Without coal trains across the Island to give a steady traffic base, most of the Sydney Sub has withered.  In 2015 CBNS ran its last train across the Island and the track has slowly been disintegrating since then, with some sections of track badly washed out.  Even before the last trains ran, track speed had slipped from 50 mph for freights when I first chased the CBNS in 1996, to 10 or 15 mph for the last run.

GTD

Excellent photo and interesting subject.
Never knew coal was mined under the ocean.
Thanks very much for your posting.
ALLEN

The paint scheme on the coal hoppers (?) really helps the photo, with the bright yellow ends. Ambitious for coal carriers; I know, Devco colours.
Fred