Comments on: A bunch of us fans gathered on a rather miserable cold day; alternating bits of sun but mostly cloudy and damp; to catch the last run of the rather infamous aluminum bodied CN Turbo Train, heading east to Montreal. The location we chose was a wooden bridge over the line in Newtonville, popular among the local fans. I have forgotten the exact location, but it apparently became known for a time as the “Bee Bridge”. An explanation for this can be found in the comment section of RP photo #6832. The gas turbine powered Turbo, built by United Aircraft, was a bit of a lemon from the start, with various problems sidelining it. On the first trial run in Dec 1968, it hit a truck at a crossing near Kingston. Not a good omen. Five sets were originally ordered, and one of those caught fire and burned the control car and a couple of coaches near Morrisburg in 1975. Due to various conditions, the train was kept to a 95 MPH limit, although it was capable of much faster speeds. I had this in mind when shooting this image. Using film, dull days meant slower shutter speeds, and the blurring of such a fast train was very likely; so shot it quite a ways before it got to where we were standing. Anyway. This is history. None of the trainsets were preserved, and I have no idea when or where this one was scrapped. Anybody??

By: awmooney

awmooney — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 16:36:40 +0000

Thanks Jakob. Now that you mention Naporano, I seem to recall that name. I really appreciate this info, as I had totally forgotten about it.

By: Peter Newman

Peter Newman — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 16:04:35 +0000

Very nice, Mr. Mooney!

By: ngineered4u

ngineered4u — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 14:30:42 +0000

They scrapped a few others in London, Ont. I remember seeing one being cut up. I was lucky enough to have worked a few trips on the Turbo as a brakeman, back in the good old days

By: Jakob Mueller

Jakob Mueller — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 04:48:29 +0000

In terms of the fate… this one was scrapped at the Naporano Iron Metal Company in Newark, NJ, in July 1984.

By: Stephen C. Host

Stephen C. Host — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 02:46:15 +0000

A historic photo. Why is it that last trains always happen on crummy days?

By: Kevin Flood

Kevin Flood — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 02:23:16 +0000

I think I know why it was dubbed the “bee bridge”. I got stung once while on one of those bridges!