Canadian Railroads > Chasing L507

I escaped the smoke of Halifax yesterday, and instead spent the day chasing trains in New Brunswick and northern Nova Scotia with John Reay.

The afternoon was mostly occupied with L507, the daily Dartmouth-to-Moncton manifest train.  It leaves Dartmouth each morning, usually picks up cars in Truro, and then leaves for Moncton.  The same crew will come back to Halifax on Z120 the next morning.  L507 had met Z120 at Alton (15 miles east of Truro on the Bedford Sub) just around noontime, and then proceeded to back into Truro, putting their Dartmouth cars in an empty track.  Coincidentally, CBNS 305 arrived from Stellarton just as 507 was backing in, but the CN train didn't wait for their cars, and just picked up the 20 or so that the car men had already checked.  They were back on the road with the expanded train in less than an hour, and we shot them several times between Truro and Moncton.

The first shown here is Springhill Jct., at a spot I hadn't been before.  The track crew appears to have installed a crossing on the main and siding tracks, and cleared the alders that were impeding the view.  8947 and 2336 were having no trouble climbing the grade as they passed the station sign here.  Next up was Sackville, just over the border in New Brunswick.  The train is shown here passing the sandstone VIA station on the outskirts of town.  Since Sackville was turned into a flag stop, passengers have been unable to use the station except to peer through a window at the electronic arrivals and departure board.  When the Ocean ran 6 days a week, it was well patronized by the college town.  Finally we jumped ahead to the west end of Painsec Jct. siding near Dieppe, NB for the last shot of this train.  When the double track around Moncton was removed c. 2000, CN kept the 9240 ft. at the east end and turned it into the siding.  The actual junction was the connection to the Shediac spur, near the east end.  At this end, the switch to the Dieppe Spur can be seen on the siding.

GTD

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Nice series, Geoff, with some new locations. Regarding the third photo, I have to admit it takes dedication to put graffiti on the stakes of a flat car.
Fred

Continuing the theme from Geoff's post here are a few of my shots. We started the day trying to bag 120, which had left Gordon yard at 08:41.
However we missed at Dorchester and after a few minutes realized he was already by us. We got back on the highway and made it to 
Fort Lawrence in good time for our first shots of the day. This is the farthest west I've been in my first two years living in Nova Scotia.

Next was a shot practically in my backyard from the bridge on highway 142 "the Springhill Connector" over the Springhill sub where the
sun was right on the nose. The trees make this the only time of day to get this shot.

From there we headed to Folly Lake where I got this shot of 120 at the east end of the siding in good light.

...John Reay
Springhill NS



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/23 03:26 by newtonville150.

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120 had two units up front and a DPU mid-train, seen here at Folly Lake.

Then it was a quick drive down to the bridge at East Mines over old highway 4.
This has been on my bucket list for some time.

Then an encounter with CBNS 305 arriving from Stellarton at Truro (Salmon River)
with a leased unit in the middle and "some guy taking pictures" stage left.

..jr



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/23 02:56 by newtonville150.

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Finally (from me) an alternate wider angle view of 507 at Springhill Junction.

..jr

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Nice pics!!