The Importance of the Potato Industry 2 -- Carleton County, NB

These scenes provide a sense of the importance of the potato industry for the Carleton Railway's western New Brunswick operations.  In Rosedale, Carleton County, guest operator Taylor Main is switching the Valley Local (west-bound way freight) at Rosedale.  Notice the string of five potato warehouses along the right-of-way, typical of several small line-side communities in the St. John River Valley in the 1960s. 

 

The nearby Waterville Farms potato house saves on winter heating costs by having earth banked against the foundation on the north and west sides of the building.  

 

Across the St. John River in South Newbridge, a pair of RS3s is spotting leased reefers at Newbridge Potato Shippers and at Carleton Farms potato houses.  

The two potato warehouses pictured below are located just over the York County line in Maplewood.  The Carleton Railway continues back over the county line to Cloverdale in Carleton County, where there are a number of potato farms as well as a remote yard where leased potato reefers are stored until needed. 

Hatfield Industries Ltd. in Grafton not only receives lots of potatoes for making "Cracklin' Crisp" potato chips, but it also has a starch plant as well.  

Produce terminals like Willett Fruit in South Newbridge are an important link between farm and store.

Here is a closer view of some of the potato houses in Silverdale (formerly Rosedale) where three distinct building styles are apparent.

The photo below shows yet one more potato house in Silverdale

McCain Foods has a frozen food shipping facility in Avondale--in the photo below, lots of French Fries are being loaded into those mechanical refrigerator cars.