Railfanning Central Maine & Quebec Railway - New pictures

Fellow railfan Mathieu Gosselin was kind enough to give me permission to post four of his best shots taken on our trip between Lac-Mégantic and Sherbrooke on October 15th, 2016. I hope you will enjoy the pictures as much as I did. I like the very personal touch Mathieu has when framing his subject. Remember, all rights reserved to Mathieu Gosselin and don't forget to ask his permission before reproducing the pictures.

Lac-Mégantic

Lac-Mégantic, Québec (credit: Mathieu Gosselin, 2016)

This one is almost self-explanatory. CMQ consist is slowly running through what used to be Lac-Mégantic downtown before the June 2013 disaster. The crew member on the locomotive platform is getting ready to step down at the former main street to protect the crossing. As a strong reminder, the fire hydrant is almost exactly located in front of the plot where Musi-Café bar used to stand and where the MMA train derailed.

Nantes

Nantes, Québec (credit: Mathieu Gosselin, 2016)

This picture shows a 25 mph train passing by a crossing in the vicinity of Nantes, a few kilometers west from Lac-Mégantic. The rusted rail reminds us CMQ as undertaken serious rehabilitation work on the line.

Scotstown

Scotstown, Québec (credit: Mathieu Gosselin, 2016)

CMQ freight consist cruises along the shore of Lac Dumoulin (Mill's Lake) in Scotstown, a former industrial town centered around the ruins of a plywood mill. This is a very scenic area and a few hundred feet west, the track starts to descent into the scenic but hardly accessible Salmon River valley.

Lennoxville

Lennoxville, Québec (credit: Mathieu Gosselin, 2016)

Later that evening, the train is now nearing Sherbrooke after crossing St. Francis River. Illuminated by CMQ locomotive headlight, the base of an old cantilevered signal bridge protects the junction between CMQ & SLA (ex-Grand Trunk mainline to Portland, ME).