Progress is fine, but it's gone on for too long.: Newfoundland Railway

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Newfoundland Railway

Newfoundland was a few years late getting railway fever, and being isolated with no need to interchange with standard gauge railroad, decided on a 42 inch gauge when they started building in 1881. Heading west from St. John's, the line was finally completed in 1898, after a series of delays and setbacks.
The railway was routed through the interior on its way to Port aux Basques and played a large part in opening up "the west" which had been largely inaccessible to that point.
For most of its life the railway suffered from lack of traffic but during WW2 proved its worth as Newfoundland gained in strategic value.
In 1949 the line was taken over by CN and despite capital investment, continued to stagger along through 1969 when passenger service was discontinued until full closure in 1988. The roadbed is now a trail.