| Newfoundland Railway | |
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| Reporting marks | NFLD |
| Locale | Newfoundland |
| Dates of operation | 1898–1949 (merged into CN, abandoned 1988 |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Headquarters | St. John's, Newfoundland |
The Newfoundland Railway was a railway which operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. St John's (ˌseɪntˈdʒanz French Saint-Jean) is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and located on the eastern tip "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of With a total track length of 906 miles, it was the longest 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railway system in North America. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a Railway that has a Track gauge narrower than the of Standard gauge railways [1]
Contents |
Early construction
In 1880, a committee of the Newfoundland Legislature recommended that a narrow gauge railway be built from the colonial capital in St. John's to Halls Bay, 547 km (340 miles) to the west. St John's (ˌseɪntˈdʒanz French Saint-Jean) is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and located on the eastern tip Halls Bay is a natural bay located near the Baie Verte Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland Construction was started on the Avalon Peninsula in August 1881 by a group of investors; by 1884, the Newfoundland Railway Company had built 92 km (57 miles) west to Whitbourne before going into receivership. The Avalon Peninsula is a large Peninsula (10360 km²) that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. Whitbourne is a Town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in Division
The same investors continued to build a 43 km (27 mile) branch line from Whitbourne to Harbour Grace (the Harbour Grace Railway), which was completed by October of that same year. Harbour Grace is one of the oldest towns in Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland
The colonial government undertook to build a branch from the junction at Whitbourne to the ports of Placentia and Argentia between 1886 and 1888. Placentia is a town on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, consisting of the amalgamated communities
Robert G. Reid
The colonial government sought new investors to continue the stalled project to Halls Bay and in June, 1890, Scottish-born Montreal resident and railway engineer/contractor Robert Gillespie Reid agreed to build and operate the line. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Sir Robert Gillespie Reid ( October 12, 1842, Coupar Angus, Perthshire, Scotland &ndash June 3, 1908) was a By 1892, Reid's workers were approaching the halfway point at the Exploits River when the government changed the terminus from Halls Bay approximately 400 km (250 miles) further west, first to St. George's and finally to Port aux Basques. The Exploits River is a Canadian River in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. St George's ( 2005 est pop Newfoundland and Labrador The town Channel-Port aux Basques (also Port aux Basques) is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland The route itself was diverted inland up the Exploits valley and over the Gaff Topsails (some of the highest elevation terrain on the island) and away from the coast once on the north bank of the Exploits River. Gaff Topsails is an abandoned Railway settlement located in the interior of the island of Newfoundland, Canada, between the communities of Millertown This extension to the system was initially operated as the Newfoundland Northern and Western Railway and for it, Reid was granted land totalling 13 km²/km (5,000 acres per mile). The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U
The new line west to Port aux Basques was completed between 1894 and 1898. At the same time, Reid proposed a ferry service across the Cabot Strait from Port aux Basques to North Sydney, Nova Scotia, and contracted for a steamship to be built in England. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and Cabot Strait (détroit de Cabot is a Strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 Kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and North Sydney (2001 pop 6775 is a community in Nova Scotia 's Cape Breton Regional Municipality. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Bruce arrived in the fall of 1897, before the line was completed to Port aux Basques, so her initial runs to Cape Breton Island were made from Little Placentia Sound. Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, Little Placentia Sound is a small natural bay ( sound) located within Placentia Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, in On June 29, 1898 the first passenger train arrived at Port aux Basques and the Bruce set sail with passengers for North Sydney. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
Later that same year, the colonial government persuaded Reid's company to take over operation of the bankrupt Newfoundland Railway Company and its sister Harbour Grace Railway, as well as the government-owned Placentia branch, in order to unify the system across the entire island (known as the Railway Contract of '98). The Reid company agreed to operate the lines for 50 years, in exchange for outright ownership and land grants. They also purchased the government drydock in St. John's and the telegraph system. The Reid company purchased eight new steamships to operate as coastal ferries around the island and into Labrador. Modern Labrador Just like its island neighbour Newfoundland early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and
Controversy followed the awarding of so many assets to Reid, and in 1901 the contracts were modified to place everything under a limited liability corporation, named the Reid Newfoundland Company. The Reid Newfoundland Company was incorporated in September 1901 and was the operator of the Newfoundland Railway across the island from 1901 to 1923
Reid's railway development in the colony began to attract attention to the potential of the island's natural resources. In 1903, the Reids partnered with a St. John's businessman, Harry J. Crowe, to purchase timber rights in Botwood, Norris Arm, Gambo, Gander Bay, and Point Leamington. Botwood is a town in north-central Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Norris Arm is a town in north-central Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Gambo is a Town in northeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Gander Bay is a collection of communities along Route 330 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Point Leamington is a small community located north of Botwood and Grand Falls-Windsor. In 1904, British investors named Harmsworth declared their intention to build a pulp and paper mill in Grand Falls and on January 7, 1905, the Anglo Newfoundland Development Company (AND) was formed, based on a partnership between the Harmsworths, Reid and the colonial government. The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American ( United States, Canada) Northern European ( Finland, Sweden Grand Falls-Windsor is a town of 13558 people located in the central region of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Botwood was expanded through the construction of deepwater wharves and warehouses for shipping the finished pulp. To link the two, AND built the narrow gauge Botwood Railway (built to the same gauge as the Reid Newfoundland Company trackage) beginning in 1908 and completing it in 1909. It would later be renamed the Grand Falls Central Railway.
Reid died in 1908 but his company set the pace for development in Newfoundland's interior mining and forestry industries, although the entire operation continued to suffer losses. In 1909 and into the 1910s, the colonial government contracted for additional branch lines to be built. Some of the major works included:
- a line to Bonavista
- a line to Trepassey
- extend the Harbour Grace line through Carbonear to Bay de Verde
- several smaller branches, some of which were graded but rails were never installed
Nationalization
By the early 1920s, the Reid Newfoundland Company's losses were mounting and in 1923 the colonial government passed the Railway Settlement Act which cancelled the operating contract for the entire system, passing the railway into government control (a form of nationalization). Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government Some of the lands that had belonged to the Reid Newfoundland Company were used by the government as part of a deal to develop a pulp and paper mill in Corner Brook.
The railway was initially called the Newfoundland Government Railway but was soon shortened to the Newfoundland Railway in 1926. It would remain the property of the colonial government until Confederation on March 31, 1949 when it was transferred to the federal government's Canadian National Railway. Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
In 1925, the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) perfected a method for recovering individual metals in ore and entered into partnership with AND to develop a mine at Buchans, which was connected to the Newfoundland Railway by the Millertown Railway, also narrow gauge. ASARCO LLC is a Mining, Smelting, and Refining company based in Tucson Arizona that mines and processes primarily Copper The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across An ore is a volume of rock containing components or Minerals in a mode of occurrence that renders it valuable for mining Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body Buchans is a town located in the central part of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Wartime
Although the railway saw an increase in traffic during the First World War, it was extensive military-related construction in the late 1930s and early 1940s which proved the worth of the Newfoundland Railway as a strategic asset. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All An air force base was developed adjacent to the main line in Gander, and major American military bases were constructed in Stephenville (Ernest Harmon AFB), Argentia (NS Argentia) and St. Gander is a Canadian town located in northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland Stephenville ( 2006 est pop 6500 is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville Newfoundland and Labrador. Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994 John's (Pepperrell AFB), in addition to Canadian and British defence facilities in St. Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, was a former United States Military base located in St John's. Given the lack of roads and all-weather highways in Newfoundland during the 1940s, and the U-boat threat in the waters off-shore, the Newfoundland Railway became a vital, yet very obscure, supply link in the defence of the North Atlantic and the allied convoy system.
The Second World War also saw the Newfoundland Railway experience its most tragic loss, when the ferry Caribou was torpedoed and sunk 40 km (25 miles) off Port aux Basques by German submarine U-69 on October 14, 1942. See also Newfoundland Railway Marine Atlantic CN Marine U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 137 passengers lost their lives and only 104 people survived the sinking. In honour of the lost passengers and crew, the Newfoundland Railway Employees Association had the entire workforce forego a day's wages as a donation to a public campaign to build a memorial near the Port aux Basques railway terminal.
Canadian National
Newfoundland became the 10th province of Canada on March 31, 1949, and the Newfoundland Railway's assets were transferred to the control of the federal Crown corporation Canadian National Railway (CNR, CN post-1960). Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the Commonwealth realms a Crown corporation is a State-controlled company or enterprise CN became a major presence in Newfoundland's early years as a province, controlling the railway, dry dock services, many ferries and coastal boats, and the telegraph system.
The Newfoundland Railway's premiere cross-island passenger train, The Overland Limited was renamed the Caribou by CN, although it was known colloquially as The Newfie Bullet. The Caribou, colloquially referred to as The Newfie Bullet, was a Passenger train operated by Canadian National Railways (CNR on the island of Newfoundland CN maintained the Caribou until 1969.
CN made major capital improvements to the former Newfoundland Railway, upgrading the main line, bridges, and rolling stock, and replacing all steam locomotives with diesel units. Additional improvements were made to the ferry service, with new vessels and an expanded terminal at Port aux Basques. An additional indirect service improvement to the Newfoundland railway operations was made in 1955, with the opening of the Canso Causeway, linking Cape Breton Island with mainland North America and removing the need to ferry railcars destined for Newfoundland across the Strait of Canso. The Canso Causeway is a 1385 m (4583 ft rock-fill Causeway in Nova Scotia, Canada. Cape Breton Island ( French: île du Cap-Breton - formerly île Royale, Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Cheap Breatuinn, The Strait of Canso (also Gut of Canso or Canso Strait) is a Strait located in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
CN's Newfoundland operations continued to see significant traffic increases with its improved ferry and rail connections, but faced increased truck and bus competition on completion of the Trans-Canada Highway across the island in 1965. The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial Highway system that joins all ten provinces of Canada. New railcar capable ferries were introduced; mainland standard-gauge railcars were ferried to Newfoundland, where their standard gauge bogies were replaced with narrow gauge bogies in Port aux Basques. See also Merchant ship A train ferry is a Ship designed to carry railway vehicles A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the Rail gauge. Channel-Port aux Basques (also Port aux Basques) is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland This innovation was unsuccessful. The first casualty was the passenger rail service, which was abandoned in 1969 in favour of buses. CN began to demarket its own Newfoundland rail operations through the 1970s and began to rely on trucks for hauling cargo.
In 1979, CN reorganized its narrow gauge system into Terra Transport, as a means to separate the subsidy-dependent Newfoundland rail operations from its mainland North America core freight rail system. Terra Transport ( TT) was the name for the Newfoundland Transportation Division, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (CN created Rail cargo traffic continued to decline, and all branch lines on the island were closed in 1984. In 1987, Canada deregulated its railway industry, allowing abandonments to proceed with less red tape. Deregulation, a term which gained widespread currency in the period 1970-2000 can be seen as a process by which governments remove reduce or simplify Restrictions on Business The former CN subsidiary CN Marine was reorganized into Marine Atlantic in 1986 and the railcar ferries were sold off, leaving the narrow gauge system with no interchange ability at Port aux Basques. CN Marine was a Canadian Ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick. Marine Atlantic Inc (fr Marine Atlantique) is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering Ferry services between the provinces of In December, 1987 the provincial and federal governments signed a deal worth $800 million (CAD) for highway improvements, removing the provincial government's opposition to the pending abandonment of the railway. The railway was officially abandoned on September 1, 1988. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Following abandonment, trains continued to operate, working with salvage crews to remove the rails from remote locations, particularly in the Gaff Topsails between the Exploits River and Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador. Deer Lake is a Canadian town in the western part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and The last train operated in Newfoundland in November, 1990.
Canadian National continued to operate its Roadcruiser Bus service and a CN Intermodal trucking operation in Newfoundland until 1996. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) With CN's privatization in late 1995, the company divested itself of all money-losing and most non-railroad interests, including CN Roadcruiser. Cross-island bus service was taken over by DRL Coachlines of Triton, Newfoundland on March 30, 1996. Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The CN Newfoundland trucking operation continued until the Fall of 1996, and was then contracted to Clarke Transport.
Legacy
Currently, the former Newfoundland Railway station in St. John's hosts the Railway Coastal Museum. The Railway Coastal Museum is a transportation Museum located in St Numerous towns across the island have preserved railway equipment on display.
The roadbed of the entire main line is now the T'Railway Provincial Park, a cross-island multi-use trail for hikers, skiers, and users of ATVs and snowmobiles. The Newfoundland T'Railway Provincial Park is a Rail trail in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Rail trail is a term for a Trail that makes use of a railroad right-of-way (ROW. The Trinity Loop Amusement Park operates a miniature train for tourists on Trinity Loop, one of the few remaining places on Newfoundland with tracks still in place.
Some of the rolling stock was converted to a narrower gauge (914 mm, 36 inches) and sold to the White Pass and Yukon Route railway, which coincidentally reopened for service in 1988. The White Pass and Yukon Route ( WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U Gravel cars used by WP&YR are still painted in CN orange; unconfirmed information indicates that some Newfoundland passenger cars were converted into passenger cars of vintage appearance for WP&YR.
Technically, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador still has railway transportation, although it is not provided on the island of Newfoundland. The Quebec, North Shore, and Labrador Railway operates between Sept-Îles, QC and the mining region of Labrador West. The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (AAR reporting mark QNSL is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (261 miles through the wilderness Sept-Îles ( pronounced, French for "Seven Islands" is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada Labrador West (2006 pop 8979 refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns A former QNSL line, now owned and operated by Tshiuetin Rail Transportation, serves the former mining town of Schefferville, QC, passing through Labrador. Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc is a Canadian short line railway that stretches 134 miles (217 kilometres through the wilderness of western Labrador Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Innu territory in northern Quebec less than 2 km from QNSL also connects with Newfoundland and Labrador's other active railway, the Wabush Lake Railway. The Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian Short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
See also
References
- ^ Railway:Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the Rail gauge. The Newfoundland T'Railway Provincial Park is a Rail trail in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Terra Transport ( TT) was the name for the Newfoundland Transportation Division, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (CN created Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats the combined army of Pompeian followers and Numidians under Metellus Scipio
Harding, Les. The Newfoundland Railway, 1898 - 1969. A History. McFarland, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7864-3261-5
External links
- Newfoundland Railway - Newfoundland & Labrador Heritage
- History of the railway in the village of Stephenville Crossing
- Photos of railway displays and memorabilia across the island
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