Canadian Railroads > Cape Breton Coal

As I observed a few days ago, coal mining had ceased on Cape Breton Island in 2000 or so, but coal was still being imported to supply the generating stations there and in Pictou Co. of Nova Scotia.  The daily trains from Sydney were also a thing of the past, but CBNS would run periodic extras with coal imported at Whitney Pier on Sydney Harbour.  Here is one of those trains, running as 301, from September 14, 2004.  This was a Tuesday, because I had chased the Bras d'Or that day from Halifax, but with the sun angles for an eastbound train getting worse, and the promise of a relatively rare westbound freight up ahead, I broke off the chase at Iona, and moved ahead for this first shot at 17:00, as the train curved around Big Pond between Sydney Mines and Florence.

In the second image, the three 4-axle locomotives are crossing the beach between Big Pond (on the right) and the Atlantic Ocean.  The middle unit was GP40-2L 9410, leased from CN to handle the extra business.  The Helm SD45-2s would have been working 305/306 between Truro and the Strait.

About half way down the east side of the Bras d'Or Lakes, the train was in Boisdale at 17:37.  They must have met the Bras d'Or somewhere, likely Gannon, but it is inaccessible and I didn't get a photo.

GTD

 

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Photo one would make a great two page center spread in a magazine.
Bob