Photographs of
Technology-Related Subjects
Photographer Not Known
Larger image Rowan Gorilla II Drilling Platform in Halifax Harbour, 1998
[Source: http://www.soep.com/gorilla.html ]
Larger image Photograph of the original Nictaux hydro-electric power plant, probably taken in 1940. There is a rubber-stamped "Middleton, June 26, 1940" on the back of the print that was scanned for this gif file (probably stamped when the print was made). This plant was located at Nictaux Falls, about 4km south of Middleton, in Annapolis County. It was demolished in the early 1950s to make way for the construction of the new and larger hydro-electric power plant, also called Nictaux, that was built on this site by the Nova Scotia Light & Power Company, and put into service about 1956. It is believed that the original power plant was built to supply electric power to the iron mines at Torbrook, near Nictaux; it is not clear what company built it or owned it originally. At the time this photo was taken, the plant was owned and operated by the Avon River Power Company. The photo was taken from a position downstream from the plant, looking upstream over the tailrace toward the tailrace tunnels. The smaller tailrace tunnel, on the left in the photo, was for the original generating unit; the larger tunnel on the right, was for unit number two. The surface appearance of the tailrace clearly indicates that generator number one was running at the time the photograph was taken. [The print was generously made available to me in August 1997, by Mr. Jim Sangster, who hired on with Avon River in 1936, and was an operator at this plant in the late 1930s.]
Photographs by Douglas Conrad, Halifax.
New Brunswick Southern Railway is the new Irving-owned short line that, on 5 January 1995, bought almost all of the track in New Brunswick that was abandoned by Canadian Pacific on 30 December 1994; including the yard and industrial trackage in West Saint John, the main line from Saint John to MacAdam, the St. Stephen Subdivision from MacAdam through Watt Junction to St. Stephen, and the Milltown Spur from Milltown Junction in St. Stephen, through Milltown to the Guilford / Springfield Terminal interchange at the US border. It is believed that NBSR also bought the branch line from Watt Junction to St. Andrews, abandoned by CP in 1992 but which, in October 1996, had most of its track still in place. NBSR bought all of the remaining CP track in New Brunswick except a short spur, about six miles long, to the McCain Foods plant in Florenceville, that later was bought by Iron Road.
Larger image New Brunswick Southern Railway, Van 434919, in MacAdam, New Brunswick, 27 March 1996. In 1995-96-97, van 434919 was normally assigned to work the five-days-a-week freight train from MacAdam to the GST interchange in Milltown, and return. A van is essential on this freight train, which, because of the track layout at Milltown Junction, has to move backwards (van ahead) in both directions along the Milltown Spur, which has fifteen grade crossings in its 4.8-mile length, most of which are not equipped with electric warning signals. These are all urban crossings with significant street traffic including pedestrians. The Princess Street crossing has exceptionally high levels of juvenile pedestrian traffic at certain hours, because of the nearby elementary school. The highest concentration of grade crossings (average distance apart only 640 feet) is between the King Street crossing at mile 0.53 and the West Street crossing at mile 1.62 -- in this section there are ten crossings (including the two named), and only three have electric signals, the other seven are equipped with plain cross-buck signs. When moving backwards along this track, a crewman on the rear platform keeps watch, and uses a compressed-air whistle to blow the standard crossing warning (long-long-short-long) when approaching each crossing; the whistle takes air from the train brake line which is filled with compressed air supplied by the locomotives. #434919 was on the rear of the freight train that was wrecked at the first crossing south of Watt Junction, on the St. Stephen Subdivision, on 30 September 1996. The van was undamaged in the wreck, aside from the disarray of the contents because of the sudden stop.
Larger image New Brunswick Southern Railway GP9u #3744 in MacAdam, New Brunswick, 27 March 1996.
Larger image Canadian National #5692, GM SD75I 4300 horsepower 3200 kilowatts in Halifax, 9 November 1996.
Photographs by G. Wayne Hines, Kentville.
Laying new track in the Annapolis Valley
December 1996
The Dominion Atlantic Railway, which operated in the Annapolis Valley for nearly 100 years, was abandoned on 29 August 1994. That same day, the Windsor & Hantsport Railway, a new short line company, bought all the remaining track, and began operations.
In December 1996, the W&HR built a new siding at New Minas. Here are five photographs taken during the construction of that new siding, which has a capacity of eight cars. The first train to use this siding arrived on 26 December 1996, when the daily freight westbound from Windsor Junction stopped here to run the engines around the train for the trip back to Windsor. This was the first train to operate along this section of the main line since 16 September 1993, when the Last Train From Kentville passed here eastbound. Until January 1990, there was daily passenger service along this main line, between Yarmouth and Halifax.
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At the east switch of the new siding, looking eastward along the main line toward Wolfville and Windsor.
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Construction equipment, backhoe and tamper. The main line is in the foreground.
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At the west switch of the new siding, looking eastward along the main line toward Wolfville and Windsor.
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At the east switch of the new siding, looking westward along the main line toward Kentville. The track gang has just finished work for the day. We see piles of crushed stone, ready to be spread as ballast for the siding. Some crushed stone has been spread over the switch ties. In the distance we can see the highway overpass, which carries Middle Dyke Road over the W&HR main line and the Cornwallis River. As of November 1996 - March 1997, the end of track is about 1000 feet 300metres beyond this overpass.
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The tamper stands on the new siding at New Minas; on the main line is the weed cutting machine rented from CP for four weeks. The weed cutter has hydraulically-powered arms that can reach as far as 30 feet 10 metres on either side of the track, to cut brush and small trees with rotating cutting blades – much like a lawn mower on steroids. Crushed rock ballast has been dumped on the new track. The next step is for the workers to use track jacks to lift and level the new track; then, to complete the job, the tamper will force crushed rock under the ties to make the track permanently level. After this, the track will be finished and ready for use.
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Latest revision: 1999 November 08