Caption: MLW on a Misty Matapedia Morning

Via Train 16, the Chaleur is beyond Routhierville, Quebec and is nearing Glen Emma, Mileage 28.69 of CN's Mont Joli Subdivision. Running alongside the Matapedia River, a world-class salmon fishing stream, the train will turn east at Matapedia, Mileage 12.81. It's 9 a.m. Sunday, August 28, 1983, and the Chaleur is nine and a half hours into its almost 17-hour, 654-mile run from Montreal to Gaspe.

The Intercolonial Railway completed the rails through the scenic Matapedia Valley on July 1, 1876, finishing the link between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Quebec and beyond to Ontario. The railway was one of the terms of confederation that brought these first four colonies together to form the new Canada on July 1, 1867.

CNR 6760 (10-1958 #82269) was the first of 34 A and 12 B units in a new model, the FPA/B-18 introduced by MLW in 1958. Fortunately, MLW underbid GMDL's offer for additional FP9s by a mere $500 per unit to secure the order in July 1958. MLW delivered the A units in two subclasses MPA-18a and 18b, between October 1958 and May 1959. Each locomotive featured MLW's 12-cylinder 251 series diesel producing 1,800 horsepower, GE-752 traction motors and a GT-581 main generator. They had a long service life, notably in Eastern Canada, lasting for the most part until March 1989 when they did not receive the federally mandated Reset Safety Control feature. By this time, the arrival of 59 GMDL F40-PH2s and pending massive service cuts rendered them redundant. Sixteen of the FPA-4s and five FPB-4s went on to Canadian and American museums or second careers on tourist lines in the U.S.A. VIA acquired 6760 from CN in March 1978, and ten years later, it went to the Napa Valley Wine Train as their 70.

The train's consist included baggage dormitory 9480, which had 14 of its 22 roomettes remaining after its rebuilding in 1973. CNR had acquired NYC's former Delaware Bay (Budd 8-1948) in January 1959 and renamed it Valpoy. Greenwood (P-S 1954) a 6 section, 6 roomette, 4 dbl bedroom sleeper, Dayniter 5711 converted from CC&F 1954-built coach 5484 in 1973, coach-cafe-lounge 759 formerly the 3020 built as coach 5451 and coaches 5584 and 5652.