Canadian Railroads > Today's L507

CN appears to be trying to get L507, the daily Dartmouth, NS to Moncton, NB train out on road earlier than usual lately.  Through much of the summer they weren't getting away until late morning or early afternoon, but today they got their clearance a bit after 08:00, just after 505 had cleared up in the Burnside yard.

Through a combination of good luck and a slow order, I was able to shoot them three times on the Bedford Sub, starting at Wellington, at 09:28.  The signals here near MP 23 are the approaches to Sandy Cove going west, and Kinsac going east.  As it turned out, the conductor called a clear-to-stop approaching Sandy Cove, so they slackened the pace a bit and toned up the RTC.

The train got the the east end of Sandy Cove before the RTC answered, but by then the signal was green, so they were able to get back up to track speed of about 50 mph.  Meanwhile I jumped ahead to Shubenacadie (mile 42.5) for this broadside of them crossing the river.  Although there doesn't seem to be an obvious source of food nearby, the bridge is the roost for dozens of pigeons, and they scattered as the train approached.

A 30 mph slow order just before Alton (mile 49) allowed me to catch up once again for the last shot at Brentwood, the eastward approach to Alton.  I was a bit nervous about letting the camera follow focus for this shot (ditch lights and dim sun), so I pre-focused instead.  Unfortunately, the sharp focus is on the signals, and the SD70M-2 nose is slightly soft, although it's hard to tell on this small image.  Brentwood (mile 53.4) was once its own siding, but was removed during the 1944 CTC installation.  The double head searchlight indicates a clear-to-medium aspect if the signal at the east end of Alton is at stop.  For some reason it was never upgraded to be able to show advance clear-to-stop, which requires a flashing light.

GTD



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/23 12:18 by cn6218.

---

---

---

Three really nice shots, Geoff. I love the pigeons. To be honest, I still can't manually focus my DSLR worth a darn. I miss my Pentax Pentaprism. I knew without a doubt when I had the focus; the viewfinder was better.
Fred

Photo two is a beauty.
Bob

I think this is the same day as your shots. I was at Oxford Jct waiting as
I knew 507 was going to meet 120 at Springhill Junction. I shot 507 after
it had evidently lifted three cars in Truro, and then waited just over 45
minutes for a very late 120 to show up. The light was OK for eastbounds
and was not at its peak for 507.

...John Reay
Springhill NS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/23 12:32 by newtonville150.

---

---

---

Nice pics!!