Canadian Railroads > Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Blues

After the CBNS MLWs were retired, the shortline relied on a long line of leased power and/or locomotives painted for somebody else's railroad.  The ex-BN GP50s were still wearing Cascade Green, the SD45-2s were mostly in blue and purple Helm paint, and when they were replaced with SD40-2s, 3 out of the four had blue dip with chevrons Helm paint (the other had scabby BN paint until recently).  It wasn't until Genesee & Wyoming took over that we started to see a unified corporate image when the parent company bought out many of the leases and sent them off for orange and yellow paint.

Two of the better examples from the lease era were on the freight out of Stellarton on June 16, 2009.  7232 led 306 on the way east, shown here climbing through the gorge next to the Trans Canada Highway at Marshy Hope.  In a few more months this location would be a blaze of fall colour, but of course they would put the BN-painted unit on the point when I visited again.  All four SD40-2s were bought by G&W and remain on the CBNS today.  Three got the corporate paint job and new numbers, but 7232 wears the blue dip.

With the work done at Havre Boucher, the crew reversed direction as train 305, this time with 7869 leading.  The train, consisting mostly of loads from the paper mill in Pt. Tupper,  is crossing the French River in the second image, taken at Merigomish Harbour.  The hoppers are likely import coal going to Trenton or the cement plant in Brookfield, while the cement cars are likely returning empty from the Tar Ponds remediation project in Sydney.

A few miles farther west at Egerton, the highway went over the track on an ancient wooden bridge, giving a view of the complete train.  The ex-Devco hoppers seen in the first photo usually carried coal to Trenton (just north of New Glasgow) and often returned as a separate train.  However in the summer the power plant may not have been operating, so not much coal was being moved.

GTD

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/23 16:22 by cn6218.

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Very nice!

Very nice shots; I especially like the first perspective.
Fred

Great shots!

I like Pic 3!!