THE NEWFOUNDLAND RAILWAY

The A L Blackman Syndicate of the USA began construction of the Newfoundland Railway on 9 August 1881 under the engineering direction of a Mr Boland. In 1890 a Scotsman, Robert Gillespie Reid (1842-1908) with his partner Mr Middleton, contracted to extend the line to Hall's Bay. The decision was then made to continue the line across the Island, which was completed in 1897, at a cost of $11,644,692, or an average of $21,250 per mile of track. The route followed was approximately that of the present Trans Canada Highway, and segments of the track bed can still be seen from that highway. The first regular express train left St John's at 7:20pm on Wednesday 29 June 1898, on its 548 mile journey to Port aux Basques on the extreme southwest corner of the Island. At 10:45pm on the night of 30 June, 27 hours and 25 minutes after leaving St John's, the train arrived at its destination amid much excitement as the S.S. Bruce waited on the pier for the next leg of the journey, 90 miles across the Gulf of St Lawrence to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

The last regularly scheduled train made its journey 90 years later, on 30 September 1988, headed by Diesel locomotive #917.

The 4-6-2 locomotive in this picture, #593, is a little more modern than the two that made the first trans-Island trip in 1898. This one was ordered by the Newfoundland Railway on 17 September 1920 from the Baldwin Company of Philadelphia, USA, and was delivered to St John's, Newfoundland, in 1921 for a cost of $36,870. A maker's plate on the boiler housing below the chimney displays the number 54401 and the date January 1921. Used regularly by the Newfoundland Railway as a passenger hauler until 1939, she ended her working life as a yard switcher in Port aux Basques in 1957 after 36 years and 1.5 million miles of service. The locomotive had an operating weight of 115,000 lbs, the tender 84,000 lbs. After retirement from service and replacement by Diesel-electric locomotives, this engine was on display near Corner Brook for many years, When the railway closed she was moved to a section of siding in Corner Brook where she has been restored by retired railway workers and is now the focus of an excellent museum operated and maintained by the Railway Society of Newfoundland.

The cost of construction of the Railway had been excessive for the small population of Newfoundland with its very limited resources, even though all possible measures in the interest of economy had been used. One such economy measure which was perhaps to create more problems than it solved was the decision to use narrow gauge track.

The accompanying picture shows the narrowness of the gauge of the railway track in relation to the width of the locomotive. Narrow gauge has the advantage of cheapness in construction because it can negotiate sharper turns, and maintenance costs are lower because a narrower ballast bed is sufficient. However there are drawbacks in the form of slower speeds and more frequent derailments. When the Newfoundland Railway became part of the Canadian National Railway system at Confederation with Canada in 1949, in order to fit the Island's narrow gauge track all rolling stock crossing to and from Newfoundland on the new railcar ferries had to have bogeys replaced on arrival at Port aux Basques..

The narrow gauge was also an additional problem in winter, when the track was often blocked with many feet of snow after a major blizzard. Snowploughs like this one were stationed at strategic points along the route, but even so trains were frequently delayed or even occasionally snowbound for days on end at locations such as the Gaff Topsails. Such events however were taken in their stride by travellers who enjoyed the unexpected delay as an opportunity for a party. (Follow this link to RCAF officer Reg Miller's account of his experience in 1958 when he was snowbound for four days en route from Stephenville to St John's!) For this and the general slowness of the trains, American servicemen stationed in Newfoundland during World War 2 ironically but affectionately dubbed the express "The Newfie Bullet", a name it retained until the very last passenger train ran on 2 July 1969. This picture taken in August 1996 fails to do justice to the gigantic orange snowplough which, doubleheaded by a pair of Baldwin 4-6-2's, should be seen blazing down a snow-filled track throwing snow in every direction!

Another sight, rare on modern freight trains but essential on the Newfoundland Railway where the rear end of the train was more often out of sight of the engineer up front than it was visible, was the caboose or brake van. This one, although quite venerable, carries the logo of CN Rail, successor to the Newfoundland Railway.

Every boy's dream come true! Of course this locomotive is unlikely ever to steam again, but it makes a good picture! The members of the Newfoundland Railway Society are doing a wonderful job of preserving these elements of our history and making them readily accessible to Newfoundlanders and visitors alike. You can come here and stand on the footplate of #593, or sit in the seat of the snowplough operator, have an inside view like that of the brake man in the caboose, or see what it was like to travel as a passenger on the Newfie Bullet, as all these items are on display at the museum.

The Corner Brook railway museum featured in the above pictures is located at the Humbermouth Siding near the new Canadian Tire and Walmart Stores.

Free guided tours are provided approximately June to August. Donations towards the upkeep of the exhibits are appreciated.
Contact The Railway Society of Newfoundland, P.O.Box 673, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, A2H 6G1.

The Reid Newfoundland Railway terminal, St John's, built in the 1890s, symbolised the magnificent concept of the trans-Island railway system which changed for ever the lives of townie and bayman alike. The Railway did much to improve accessibility of some more remote areas of the land, and it brought the capital within two days' journey or less for most Newfoundlanders. It was Newfoundland's first megaproject, and perhaps the most important economic development to affect the Island until Confederation with Canada in 1949.

During the 1860s when sponsored by the governments of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Québec) to determine the best rail route to link them with the Maritimes, the renowned Canadian railway engineer Sir Sandford Fleming recommended a line to terminate at Shippigan in northeastern New Brunswick. At the same time, he suggested a land/sea link with Europe that would include Newfoundland in a journey of 171 hours from London to New York. He described it as follows, although some of his time estimates may have been a little optimistic:

From London (England) to Valentia (SW Ireland) using existing facilities              16.0 hrs
From Valentia by sea to St John's (Newfoundland)  1,640 miles at 16½ mph             100.0 hrs
From St John's (NF) by rail to St George's (W NF) 250 miles at 30 mph                  8.5 hrs
From St George's (NF) by sea to Shippigan (New Brunswick)  250 miles at 16½ mph       15.5 hrs
From Shippigan (NB) by rail to New York, 906 miles at 30mph                           31.0 hrs
                                                                           --------------------
                                                                         TOTAL       171.0 hrs

Sir John A Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada, offered to finance the Newfoundland section of this project, if the Island would agree to confederation with Canada. An election was held in Newfoundland in 1869 and the anti-confederates won. A further obstacle was the British Government's concern to maintain the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht. Consequently the magnificent dream of Sandford and Macdonald never progressed beyond the drawing board. In 1882 the Newfoundland Legislature passed an act to incorporate "The Great American and European Short Line Railway Company", whose objective was the establishment of more safe and speedy communication between America and Europe by way of Newfoundland. Sadly for Newfoundland the moment had passed.

One is tempted to conjecture on the effect such a project would have had on the history of Newfoundland, had it gone ahead. This Island's strategic location, half way between London and New York on the Great Circle route, would have been significant, and Britain's oldest colony may have been brought into the main stream of North American life a century ago.