9003 at Fredericton Junction.
9003 lifting reefer at Fredericton Junction, New Brunswick
off No. 42 The Atlantic Limited from Montreal on May 17, 1960. James
A. Brown
Wendell Lemon has provided the details about the reefer
car.
It was a load of fresh meat (probably sides of beef and pork) that came
out of Montreal.
It was placed on the tail end of # 42, The Atlantic Limited,
for ease of dropping at Fredericton Jct.
The reefer was brought into Fredericton on train 107 where most of the
meat was picked up by
Local stores or a wholesaler. The reefer was then put on the mixed train
to Minto and
Chipman where the remainder of the meat was removed. The reefer car
would return to
Montreal on regular freight trains.
At Fredericton Jct the line from Fredericton, commonly referred to as
'The Branch' connected
to the McAdam to Saint John 'Main" line East and West of the station
via a wye. The station
was located in the crotch between the East leg of the wye and the main
line. The 3rd point
of interest was the North switch on the branch (Fredericton was track
North from the Jct).
The normal operation would have 9003 arrive as train 108 on the east
leg of the wye and
Stop behind the station for unloading at 0730. Westbound train 101 (local
psgr Saint John-
McAdam) would arrive at 0745. After 101 arrived/departed, 9003 would
proceed to the east switch,
then back west past the station, then enter the west leg of the wye
to the north switch, then back
to the station and wait for train 42 to arrive at 0810. Train 107 would
depart for Fredericton at 0825.
Trains 42 and 101 would meet at Vespra, 12 miles west of the Jct.
On the 1 day a week that the reefer car was handled, the 9003 would
not go to the east switch,
but would back to the North switch, then move along the West leg of
the wye. Once 42 arrived
the 9003 would move onto the Main line and back to connect the reefer
car as in the photo.
After 42 departed at 0820, the 9003 and reefer car would back east to
the switch, then come up the east leg of the wye,
stop behind the station, load express, mail and passengers from both
42 and 101, then depart for Fredericton as train # 107.
The 9003 had replaced steam # 2929 on Feb 17, 1956.
The 9003 was involved in a collision with an automobile
in Fredericton at University Ave at a date I am still trying to determine.
The 9003 was replaced with the 9005 at some point and it may have been
following this collision.
The last day for CP passenger service on the Branch was April 28, 1962.
