Turn of the Century Teleglobe

In February 2008, I received an unsolicited email from a gentleman offering some insight into the former Teleglobe facility located in Queens County, Nova Scotia. The email included photos of both the interior and exterior of the building, and the satellite dishes, as it was before the electricity was turned off and the building was left open to the elements. Operations ceased at the facility in 1995. Photos must date between 1995 and 2002.

The email's author, who requested anonymity, mentioned a few other things I was previously unaware of in 2008. According to the email, the facility was bought by it's private owner, from Teleglobe, to be scrapped. The new owner was plagued by theft and vandalism long before this satellite station ever appeared on an urban explorer's radar. Approximately one year after purchasing the station, the owner attempted to start it's gas turbines, only to find out someone had stolen the entire tank of fuel that was included in the sale of the facility. There was even talk about Nova Scotia Power operating from the site, however the theft and vandalism was too much, and the owner began the process of scrapping the building and dishes before sale of the property.

Also in the email was a paragraph about the danger that lies beneath the water in the foundation of the rear satellite dish. The dish has since been removed, however, as far as I know, the foundation remains. The emailer warned the foundation is four to five stories deep, that portions of the decking had been cut, and that underwater gates could "easily trap you." This hazard likely still exists in 2013.

Enjoy!



Check out highlights from my 2005 Teleglobe adventure here.

Satellite Earth Station 2005

I first visited the satellite earth station while on Spring Break in 2005. I was really interested in the place and ended up leaving with hundreds of snapshots.

I've returned to the station annually since. Currently, the building sits open to the elements with a wrecking ball almost certainly in it's future. Anything of value has been removed from the site. I assume many components of a satellite earth station can be sold as scrap.

The massive dishes- In 2005, one dish stood upright while the other laid on its side. Since then, the standing dish has been cut, pulled down and mostly removed along with the other dish.

The whereabouts of my pictures from February 2005 were unknown for the longest time. I assumed I'd lost them before finding them on a burnt DVD destined for the shredder. I'd only had low resolution copies with an awful watermark to share until the discovery.

1. The first dish located at the station's main building.


2. Dish, again.


3. Inside the station below the dish.


4. Inside the station below the dish, looking up.


5. Again, computers inside the station.


6.


7. Manuals and guides for station operation.


8. More computers inside the station.


9. At the rear of the station is a garage and a number of derelict vehicles.


10.Inside the rear garage was a suspicious car complete with slashed tires and no windows.


11. The rear dish lying on it's side.


12. Close-up of the rear dish.


13. Entering the base of the rear dish is not recommended.


14. From the rear dish looking toward the front dish.


15. Leaving the facility, we walked through the long hallway and looked back at the first dish.

Satellite Earth Station at -20°C

Chris, Jacob and myself left Halifax on Saturday evening around 6pm headed for the South Shore and the satellite earth station about 1.5 hours southwest by car. The temperature was a breath-freezing, skin-numbing -20°C.

We parked at the gate, immediately noticing the road beyond it had not been plowed since the last snowfall. We all bundled up for the 1km hike to the facility through the snow. Fortunately, the sustained -20°C for several days prior to our visit had made the snow ideal for walking on top of it. We observed both human and animal tracks in the snow. The human tracks trailed in and out of the brush before circling back to the gate. Animal tracks carried on throughout the walk. Some tracks observed were quite large.

We toured the facilities, skipping the underground tunnel, following the long hallway from the first building to the second, where the collapsed remains of one of the dishes still rests. Snow has drifted into the buildings in many spots through not only open doorways and broken windows but holes through walls and roofs as well.

Once we reached the rear of the second building exited through the back doors and made our way to the top of the snow-covered mound to our immediate right. Atop this small hill is an open concrete well. It isn't all that deep, but is about 1/3 full of frigid cold, but NOT FROZEN water. There was only about 1cm of ice above 2m of water after about 96 hours at temperatures well below the freezing mark.

For the most part the facilities remain unchanged from my last visit in the Fall of 2008.

Since we arrived, toured and left under cover of darkness, there wasn't much for photo opportunities.

1. Obligatory smashed toilet photo.


2. Three tubes descending underground through concrete. Quite deep.


3. Glove found on the floor. Large hole through the back of the hand, small hold through the palm. Looks like a combo of piercing, fire and harsh chemicals.


4. Computer cabinet illuminated by several flashlights.