In the low rays of Mid-December 2025, New Brunswick Southern's #505 had recently swapped trains with counterpart #506 along the St. Croix River in Calais, Maine. Recent rumblings had mentioned the Woodland Pulp mill in Baileyville going idle for a spell just before the Christmas Holiday, and the reasons were not celebratory. This run of #505 was supposedly the last one planned for the immediate future, so it pleasantly surprised us when they picked up 20 loads of logs to bring back to Woodland. Recently into their return trip to the mill, lone 2317 approached Neilds Ave in Calais. This old EMD is one of only two active '38s on NBSR, and it was a motivator for our two-hour drive that began before daybreak. Fortunately, the downturn we expected at Woodland never came to fruition by the end of 2025, and more loads of logs were announced within days of our pursuit.
