Photos Peter Peverett #1 (Flickr)

  • On a very cold day New Brunswick East Coast C-424 # 4214, RS-18 # 1854 are westbound at Pointe-a-la-Croix, Quebec Feb. 10, 2006. The train has a bit of a old school look with un-wrapped lumber headpin from Nouvelle and chips from the shut down mill at New Richmond. Once the chip pile at New Richmond was cleaned up the freight would terminate at Nouvelle.
  • For years the few trains between New Carlisle and Gaspe have run pretty much around the same times. Here CN GP-38-2 # 4720 with the test train left Gaspe first thing in the morning providing a different view then the normal westbound VIA at New Carlisle, Quebec Oct. 6, 2010 . I think the car with the VIA decals parked at the station is used by the VIA crews to head to the motel when they crew change .
  • In 2005 things looked bleak in the Gaspe Region . The mill in Chandler had closed and in 2005 the mill in New Richmond closed. These two mills were the life blood of the Eastern Part of the Gaspe Region and the Railway. In the winter of 2006 the Railway hauled some woodchips away from the closed pulp mill in New Richmond. It made for some great pictures but a sad reminder that it was all short lived. It seemed for all intents and purposes you were watching the end. New Brunswick East Coast Train 595 C-424 # 4214, RS-18 # 1854 with a train of wood chip loads from the closed pulp mill cross the Cascapedia River at Grand Cascapedia, Quebec Feb. 10, 2006
  • From the winter of 2006 to the winter of 2017 there was not much freight traffic at all on the Gaspe Peninsula . All that was left for the most part was lumber and wood chips from Nouvelle, Quebec. East of there not much at all. After years of talks and hope about new business it finally came to be in the form of wind mill parts from a company in Gaspe. In the company of friends it was great to witness the third train hauling windmill parts depart from New Richmond, Quebec on March 4, 2017. Societe du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspesie RS-18 # 1819, 1865, 1856 have the train of 72 flats underway at Grand Cascapedia, Quebec crossing the Cascapedia River.
  • Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1856 exits the east portal of the tunnel in Port Daniel, Quebec with a ballast train on Oct. 4, 2010. Except for the short lived copper train, freight trains exiting the tunnel were hard to come by in daylight. The eastbound VIA train was always possible here and the west portal on the longer days of the year.
  • Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1856 is ready to head east with a ballast train behind the VIA Chaleur . # 6442 passes the waiting extra and gets a roll by from the section crew at New Carlisle, Quebec Oct. 4, 2010.
  • I didn't make it in time by the late 1980s to see this spot before the bridge in the background was added. The railroad bridge hosted the road on the lower level before. VIA Train # 16 Chaleur F-40PH-2 # 6442 Grand Cascapedia, Quebec 750 AM Oct. 4, 2010. The train is crossing over the Cascapedia River which cuts through the middle of the Gaspe Peninsula. The remote area has many fishing spots which attract people from afar.
  • The westbound VIA Train the Chaleur with F40PH-2 # 6410, 6408 has found a small spot of remaining sun at New Carlisle, Quebec June 28, 2008. The train is slowing for the station stop and crew change. New Carlisle has a small yard and wye left from the CN days which is now overgrown . It has finished the run on the Chandler Sub. and will finish in Matapedia, the end of the Cascapedia Sub. Sadly this far out no trains operate at this time.
  • New Brunswick East Coast Train 595 RS-18 # 1814, 1845 are Matapedia bound at Pointe-a-la-Croix, Quebec Oct. 8, 2003. With un-wrapped loads of lumber head pin the train has a old school look. Straight on the engines still look like pure CP but have been in the employ of NBEC hauling freight on former CN lines.
  • Societe Du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspésie Train 595 RS-18 # 1865 and 1819 are running west alongside Chaleur Bay at Pointe a la Garde on their way to Matapedia, Quebec June 23, 2016. Just missing full sun by a minute.
  • Societe Du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspésie Train 595 is running off the last few miles of the Casapedia Sub. on its way to Matapedia, Quebec. Here the train is running alongside the Chaleur Bay with RS-18 # 1865 and 1819 and 15 loads of lumber and chips. Listuguj, Quebec June 23, 2016. The power is still painted for former owners ( Ottawa Central and CP ), but with a name like that we will have to shorten it up to fit on the units if paint is ever in the future ?
  • Running along side the Matapedia River New Brunswick East Coast RS-18 # 1845 and 1814 head east with Train 594. Matapedia, Quebec Oct. 8, 2003
  • New Brunswick East Coast RS-18 # 1814 and 1845 have just arrived from New Richmond while Matapedia Gulf SD-40 # 6903 has turned on the wye to prepare for its trip back to Mont Joli. VIA F-40-PH-2 # 6403 waits to be added to the next VIA train. Matapedia, Quebec Oct. 8, 2003
  • The Chaleur Bay Railway is in its first year and has yet to own their own units. They have just taken over the CN line from Matapedia to Gaspe, Quebec. Here Train 594 has CN M-420 # 3545, Andrew Merrilles U-33-B #3300, and HR-412 # 3536 for power. The former Reading and Northern unit was a strange sight in this part of the world and the solid black HR-412 was fitting on this dull weather day . The train has just departed the interchange point with CN at the time in Matapedia, Quebec Dec. 17, 1997
  • VIA Chaleur F40PH-2 # 6402, 6408 are eastbound at Port Daniel, Quebec Oct. 7, 2006. They have just pulled away from a quick station stop and will shortly enter the short tunnel on the east side of town and continue on to Gaspe.
  • Papiers Gaspesia 80 Tonner on display across from the VIA Rail station in Chandler, Quebec August 2016. The engine spent its entire life at the pulp mill and escaped the scrappers torch. The engine sits roughly where the lead went into the mill .
  • Chandler Quebec was once home to a pulp mill until October 1999. The last few years the mill was slowly scrapped to the point that the sight is now just a field. Behind the engine is the mill sight. The only remaining hint that anything existed is the former mill switcher and one flat car. Here Papiers Gaspesia 80 Tonner # 05801 is undergoing restoration work June 2016.
  • Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1819, 1849 are westbound passing a old truck for sale in front of a house in Pointe-a-la-Croix, Quebec Oct. 5, 2010
  • The wind is blowing hard as New Brunswick East Coast Train 595 with RS-18 # 1814, 1845 arrives at Matapedia, Quebec Oct. 6, 2003. The crew started in New Richmond and will return there after swapping cars with a train out of Mont Joli.
  • Even though the train 3 days a week year round summer of course was the best time to visit the Gaspe. The long days of summer made the most out of the line and offered up some shots for a short window of the year. On this nice Saturday VIA Train 17 The Chaleur with F40PH-2 # 6412 passes through Port Daniel, Quebec July 11, 2009 550 PM
  • What looks like a regular lighthouse is really some ones creative home along the coast .VIA Westbound Chaleur with # 6410 leading passes by. Ste-Therese-de-Gaspe, Quebec June 28, 2008
  • The calendar says mid April but the temperature, snow and 30 mph wind gusts made it seem like February . Societe du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspésie RS-18 # 1819, former L'Amiral #1849 and 1865 are westbound on the grade at Maria, Quebec April 14, 2018
  • Societe du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspésie RS-18 # 1819, 1865, 1856 are westbound at Pointe-a-la -Garde, Quebec March 4, 2017
  • Happy Canada Day to all my friends north of the border. On a much colder day then July 1st CN SD-40-2 # 6006 passes the station at Port Daniel, Quebec Feb. 17, 1995. The conductor has the window open to toss out a couple waters for us.
  • All dressed up and no where to go. It is year two at the time of the L' Amiral tourist train parked in Gaspe, Quebec due to necessary track repairs not being done to operate. RS-18 # 1849 has since been trucked out. June 2016
  • CN GP-38-2 # 4720 leads the test train as it starts its 202 mile run over the Cascapedia and Chandler Subdivisions. The crew will lay over in Gaspe and return west in the morning. Oct. 5, 2010
  • Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1819, 1849 Pointe-a-la-Garde, Quebec 145 PM Oct. 5, 2010.
  • An old truck and older barn make a great sight along Chaleur Bay, Quebec.
  • VIA F-40-PH-2 # 6412 Train 16 crosses over the outlet of the Baie du Grand Pabos Chandler, Quebec July 11, 2009
  • CN Plow extra M-420 # 3569 and plow are working east across the Cascapedia and Chandler Sub. divisions to reach Gaspe. Here they are hitting a couple drifts at St. Therese, Quebec Feb. 13, 1995. The winter of 1994-1995 was heavy on snow and cold. This plow was out just to deal with fresh drifting as it had not snowed for a couple days.
  • The crew of CN Plow Extra M-420 # 3569 is 8 miles away from the end of track and there day at Mile 96 of the Chandler Sub. at Douglastown, Quebec. Feb. 13, 1995. The plow extra started at Matapedia early in the morning and has tried to stay ahead of the Chaleur all day. As the M-420 ate more snow and had to cut traction motors out the R.T.C. had to deny requests to back up and make a second pass at places. By this spot at Douglaston we waited for a brief time and shot the Chaleur.
  • Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1819, 1849 are running later then normal towards the interchange with the CN. Broadlands Quebec west of Pointe a-la-Croix . Oct. 5, 2010. It allowed for some different shots on this day. The foliage varied from peak to a few days past on the Gaspe Peninsula.
  • NBEC RS-18 # 1868, 1840 on Train 592 is seen on the edge of Chaleur Bay at 1105 AM Oct. 4, 2000 at St.Therese-de-Gaspe, Quebec. In 1950 mining started in the town of Murdochville. Raw ore finished with a end product of pure copper anode. By 1999 the mine closed and the last of the copper was being loaded into CN box cars in Gaspe. The Town of Murdochville went from a population of 5,000 in the 1970s to 764 people by 2011. One of only a couple of inland towns on the Gaspe peninsula and several miles from anything the town has had to fight to survive.
  • The train has just departed Gaspe and is starting the trip back west. VIA Train # 17 Chaleur # 6412 Douglastown, Quebec 300PM July 11, 2009.
  • New Brunswick East Coast Train 595 with C-424 # 4214, RS-18 # 1854 run alongside Chaleur Bay at Carleton, Quebec Feb. 10, 2006. The train is back hauling wood chips from the closed New Richmond mill.
  • VIA # 6412 Train 16 Chaleur Carleton, Quebec 740 AM July 11, 2009
  • Standing on the bridge at the Quebec , New Brunswick border Chaleur Bay RS-18 # 1819, 1849 arrive at Matapedia, Quebec Oct. 5, 2010. The bridge spans where the Matapedia and Restigouche Rivers combine to flow into Chaleur Bay.
  • Societe du Chemin De Fer De La Gaspesie RS-18 # 1819, 1849, 1865 are westbound at Pointe-a-la-Croix, Quebec on April 14, 2018
  • CN Train 313 GP-40-2 # 9546, 9617 and M-420 # 3569 Matapedia, Quebec Feb.17, 1995. The second unit was the leader the day before and shows the results of drift busting.
  • Not much fishing going on today as the town pier is full of boats as CN GP-38-2 # 4720 with the Test Train passes above at L'Anse-aux-Gascons, Quebec Oct. 6, 2010
  • As the song says, time marches on. As we wait for politics to unfold on the future of VIA service to Gaspe all we do is hope that service returns at some point. VIA Train # 17 The Chaleur is westbound at L'Anse-a-Beaufils, Quebec Oct. 4, 2010. The Gulf of Saint Lawrence forms the background and is never too far out of sight of the train on the east end of this line.
  • The town of Chaleur once hosted Gaspesia Paper Company. The mill owned their own engine and wharf to load paper onto oceangoing freighters. The story I heard was this ship was loading paper when a storm hit. With a partial load of paper on board this was the end result. In this picture Chaleur Bay Railway Train 594 w/ CN M-420 # 3554 is arriving in Chandler, Quebec on June 10, 1998 at 745 PM passing the ill fated ship. During the last of the CN years and the short time the mill lasted during Chaleur Bay Railways ownership it was very hard to get the freight all the way to Chandler in daylight. The round trip from New Richmond was mostly at night. The ship is no longer in the harbor and the mill has been scrapped.
  • By my math 99 % of people visiting the Matapedia River Valley are there for world famous salmon fishing. For the other 1 % there is some other reason. Not too long after CN sold its lines between Mont Joli - Moncton and Matapedia - Gaspe we see Chaleur Bay Railway w/ CN M-420 # 3563, 3554 at Clark Brook, Quebec June 9, 1998. Here they will meet a Matapedia Railway train out of Mont Joli and swap cars. The train is passing a long square stern canoe common to the area for the other 99%s'.
  • CN GP-38-2 # 4720 with the Test Train is starting a 202 mile run from Matapedia to Gaspe , Quebec at 1130 AM on Oct. 5, 2010. They will test the Cascapedia and Chandler Subdivisions. This line used to be owned by CN but is now home to the Chaleur Bay Railway and VIA operated train The Chaleur. Currently the present condition of the line has VIA providing bus service.