As is our custom, here is the list of fallen model railroaders who have made a significant contribution to the Forums in the past:
Hi everyone!!
For the month of June, we are going to have to switch out the trucks on the Diner. We are going back in time to visit the Newfoundland Railway which was narrow gauge. Every freight car that came to the island had to have the trucks switched to accommodate the 42" rail spacing.
Here is a bit of history if you are interested:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Railway
As was mentioned in the May Diner, the menu will have a couple of additions. Newfie Screech will be added to the liquor selection https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_Screech . Patrons are asked to keep their vocalizations to a minimum if they are doing shots. We also add a couple of local delicacies like salt cod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_and_salted_cod and cod tongues and cheeks. Your steak will be either caribou or moose, and Figgy Duff pudding will be the dessert of choice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figgy_duff_(pudding).
The Diner will make a stop so that we can participate in the celebratory tradition of 'Kissing the Cod' in order to become an honourary Newfie. It involves doing exactly what it says, but the act is made much more palatable by consuming copious quantities of Screech beforehand.
I will post more details about the Newfoundland Railway shortly. For now, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, Thank you for moving the Diner.
I am looking forward to an informative month.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Good morning Diners. A busy day ahead, so a coffee on the go please, Janie.
Thanks for moving the Diner, Dave. An interesting, informative month ahead.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
The World Is A Beautiful Place
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Time for me to hit the rack.
Thank you for the flawless move of the Diner, Dave
Windsor Junction, NS in 1970:
CN_601 by Edmund, on Flickr
I'll bet that boy had his face plastered to that window for the entire trip. I know I would have at his age!
Dee Ann was in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland last summer. I'll have to see if there are any appropriate photos to post.
90°F yesterday, 65 tomorrow! Always a surprise when it comes to weather...
Regards, Ed
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Just checking in to say hello. I've got depressing news, so if humor or distraction is what you need, by all means stop reading and move on.
My oldest daughter (the one who has been dealing with a medical/surgical issue for over a year now) got some poor news from the doctor yesterday. After her second surgery, healing was happening, but very slowly. Appointment yesterday found that the surgical site (which was literally almost healed a month ago) actually opened back up to an appreciable depth, all while not increasing discharge. The only good news is that it is not infected. She is being referred to a plastic surgeon as our small town docs can't figure out why her body refuses to heal up. The plastic surgeon apparently should have techniques to make it happen. Another month wait to see them, then schedule whatever comes next, all while trying to get her ready for her first year of university. Frustrated doesn't begin to describe it. For those that actually read this, thanks and sorry. I just needed to let it out. Perhaps some of Dave's Screech is in order.
Mike
I had a patient like that. A wound on the buttock. I had to clean it out twice a day and pack it with a wet-to-dry dressing. In the beginning I could put a whole package of dressing in there, but as the weeks went on it would take less and less until finally he did not need idt any more.
Since this is june I thought we should have some June Beetles....
Wow, Mike. It appears like two steps forward one back.
My daughter would look at it another way. No infection, so just knocked sideways never backwards.
Our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery for your daughter.
Happy month of June to everyone! I've never been to Newfoundland. I have been to Nova Scotia a couple of times. I saw the Total Eclipse in 1972. Nope, no Lear Jet.
My best to all those who aren't feeling well, and their family members as well. The GF is going to see the cardiologist today. She's going to see my cardiologist this time. He's more of a minimalist. A lot of doctors here, unfortunately, have become mere wage slaves and seem to be more interested in profits for their employers than good outcomes for their patients. And don't get me started on doing medical appointments over the phone.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Best wishes to all those in need of support...
CN_Newfoundland by Edmund, on Flickr
Six Turning, Four Burning by 95wombat, on Flickr
On 18 March 1953, Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth was co-piloting a Convair RB-36H Peacemaker bomber on a 25-hour journey as part of a simulated combat mission flying from Lajes, Azores back to the Rapid City Air Force Base. As part of their exercise, the bomber's crew was observing radio silence and had switched off their radar guidance, flying via celestial navigation. They had planned to fly low over the ocean, steadily increasing to higher altitudes before reaching the mountainous countryside of Newfoundland.
Late into the night, the aircraft struck bad weather and went off course, reaching Newfoundland 90 minutes earlier than planned. At 4:10 am near Burgoyne's Cove, with sleet, fog, freezing drizzle, and visibility estimated at less than 1⁄8-mile (200 m), the plane struck an 896-foot (273 m) hill at 800 feet (244 m) with a ground speed of 202 knots (374 km/h; 232 mph). The aircraft's propellers severed the tops of pine trees while the plane's left wing hit the ground, tore off, and spilled fuel. The rest of the plane impacted some thousand feet (300 m) further. The impact and subsequent fire from the plane's fuel tanks scorched an 8-foot-deep (2.4 m) trench in the countryside. Loggers on a nearby hill spotted the fireball and alerted rescuers, but all 23 on board were killed on impact.
https://www.hiddennewfoundland.ca/burgoynes-cove-b36-crash
Cheers, Ed
Water Level RouteMy oldest daughter (the one who has been dealing with a medical/surgical issue for over a year now) got some poor news from the doctor yesterday.
Hi Mike,
That is not a good development. I hope the new approach will solve her problem.
Mike, that's not good news, but with no infection, it's not completely bad. I know your daughter (and you) must be getting completely frustrated and depressed, so just know you have a bunch of friends on this forum who are thinking of you.
York1 John
I recall watching this some years ago. Very well done —
Here is another article about the history of the Newfoundland Railway:
The Newfoundland railway operated for a little over a century. From 1882-97 the trains ran over completed portions of a projected trans-insular line. The first passenger train across the island ran in June 1898. Regular passenger service ceased in July 1969, and the last freight ran in June 1988. The railbed has since been designated a "T'railway" and a linear provincial park.
Built to narrow (3'6") gauge for reasons of economy, the Newfoundland railway was the longest such line in North America, and was regarded with particular affection by railway buffs (its gently mocking nickname, "the Newfie Bullet" dates only from World War II). The main line was 548 miles, from St. John's to Port aux Basques. Numerous branch lines made the operating trackage in the peak years (1915-31) 906 miles.
Of course, the railway has a particular mystique for Newfoundlanders as well. The line connected the major bays to each other, and the old headland "fishing capitals" to the new towns of the interior. The railway provided substantial employment and created a brotherhood of railwaymen as well as a network of railway families. It also provided the first overland link to the mainland. The saga of the line's construction across the interior and its continued operation in the face of enormous difficulties was a source of national pride in Newfoundland. After Confederation with Canada in 1949 the railway continued as a symbol of Newfoundland's former independence. The construction era figures in our history much as the building of the great trans-continental lines does in the history of Canada and the United States: as both a milestone in the march of progress and an exercise in nation-building.
Although the first construction contract was let in 1881, it was not until 1890 and the advent of contractor Robert Gillespie Reid (1842-1908) that the line extended beyond the Avalon Peninsula. The Reid family ran the railway until 1923, when operations were taken over by the Newfoundland government. Canadian National Railways assumed operations in 1949 under the Terms of Union between Newfoundland and Canada.
For a century the railway was a major policy issue in Newfoundland. A line of such length, across such an underpopulated country, could never operate without steady infusions of cash from the public purse. In addition to the general scarcity of traffic, there were two systemic problems which harkened back to the construction era. The decision to build a narrow-gauge line had lasting implications for carrying capacity and freight costs. Further, the decision to build a line across the high barrens of the Gaff Topsail plagued winter operations. But there were also crucial junctures in Newfoundland history when the railway proved its worth: the beginnings of the pulp-and-paper industry in the early 20th century, during the two world wars, and the post-Confederation boom years.
The railway did indeed fulfill some of the ambitions of its earliest promoters, as a "development road." The line and associated developments in heavy industry, transportation and communications were key to developing the forest industries of Newfoundland, mining and hydro-electricity. The railway itself, and attempts by the Reid family to encourage development of the lands awarded under various operating contracts, not only made the vast interior known but further made the potential of land-based resources a staple of public policy.
The railway gave Newfoundland a "new" interior region and its first towns "out of sight and sound of the sea," from Whitbourne to Deer Lake. It also gave the older population centres of the east coast an expanding hinterland. Like its North American neighbours, from 1898 Newfoundland had a West. Completion of the railway contributed to the settling of French Shore issue, opened the west coast to further settlement and provided a tangible link with the rest of the country.
The early chapters in the story of the rise and fall of the Newfoundland railway in many respects mirror the pattern in Canada and elsewhere: initial enthusiasm; the emergence of a political champion (the "apostle of progress", Sir William V. Whiteway (1828-1908)); generous government support and controversial land-grants; ill-planned expansion; and the centrality of the "railway question" in politics. And the same, perhaps unanswerable, questions emerge. Did the railway achieve its promise for Newfoundland? What is the balance between the ideal of progress and the expenditure of so much public money? This last is of particular moment in Newfoundland history in light of the suspension of responsible government in 1934, when the country was unable to service the public debt. Did the railway, then, contribute to Newfoundland's loss of independence in 1949?
Boosters of the railway had long pointed to the line as a necessity for Newfoundland. Its construction was proposed as "the work of a country," a line that would lessen the island's historic dependence on the fishery and create a modern economy driven by land-based resources. Opponents saw the line as a ruinous expense and indeed as a stalking-horse for Confederation with Canada. A closer examination of the history of the Newfoundland railway can only lead to the conclusion that each vision had some merit.
There is a surprising number of surviving pieces of the Newfoundland Railway. This article was done in 2017:
October 31, 2017 / History, Railfanning, Travel
I first learned of CN’s narrow gauge operations in Newfoundland when I read Tom Nelligan’s article on the island’s mixed trains in the June 1980 edition of Passenger Train Journal. It took me 37 years–until 2017–to finally make a visit to the island. Unfortunately for me, the railway closed back in 1988! Still, having the better part of a week to spend in St. John’s, I wanted to see what ghosts were left of the railway in the Avalon region at the eastern end of the island. There was a surprising amount to see, even 29 years after closure…
For orientation to the sites listed below, refer to this Newfoundland Railway Map:
All the photos below were taken in late September 2017.
Lewisporte
I didn’t know that there was an equipment display in Lewisporte. We were just passing through on the cross-island bus when the the Lewisporte Train Park appeared. Fortunately, I had my camera ready as the display passed outside the bus window! The coach here appears to be in the best condition of all I saw in Newfoundland.
St. John’s
At the far eastern end of Newfoundland, the capital of St. John’s was the “home” of the Newfoundland Railway. Here were located the main shops, along with the largest station. Today in St. John’s, parts of the railway infrastructure still exist. The main shop building still stands, now part of the port facilities. The St. John’s station is now the Railway Coastal Museum, with exhibits about the railway and the coastal steamer services, and a display train outside.
The former Newfoundland Railway shop building in St. John’s
The back side of the Coastal Railway Museum in St. John’s, located in the former passenger station. A passenger car has been split in half and “attached” to the museum. The other side inside the building contains mock-ups of various types of passenger cars (sleeper, diner, coach, post office); these show museum visitors what train travel would have been like.
One of the displays inside the museum, located in one half of a former passenger car.
The display train at Coastal Railway Museum in St John’s. Ex-CN NF210 #906 is accompanied by a baggage car and a coach.
A Fairmont motor car at Coastal Railway Museum in St John’s.
Holyrood
Located on the main line west of St. John’s, Holyrood has a nice little display remembering the railway. A replica of the station building stands along the right-of-way, in use as a restaurant. Next to it, a large mural commemorates the railway, along with a plaque outlining the history of the railway in the town.
A steam-powered passenger train appears on the mural in Holyrood.
The railway history of Holyrood
The Station Diner in Holyrood is a replica of the original station.
The “track side” of the Station Diner building at Holyrood.
The Newfoundland T’Railway trail at Holyrood is on the former main line. What a view train passengers would have had here!
Avondale
The next station west of Holyrood on the main line was Avondale, and here today you’ll find the Avondale Railway Museum. Based in the restored Avondale railway station, the museum has inside and outside exhibits. At Avondale you will also find the longest surviving section of 42″ gauge track in Newfoundland.
The Avondale station was originally built as a telegraph repeater station ca. 1870–80, and became a railway station about 1900. It has been lovingly restored inside and out, and now serves as a museum as well as a meeting space for the community.
The Avondale station sits in its original location, and a section of 42″ gauge track is still in place next to the building.
A Fairmont M19 motor car, modified for narrow-gauge service, sits on a set-off track next to the Avondale station.
Canadian National caboose #6059 with the TerraTransport logo tails the display train.
Another view of Canadian National caboose #6059.
Coach #769 wears the CNR “maple leaf” logo.
Coach #769 is displayed in CN green and gold at Avondale.
Another view of coach CN769.
An ex-RPO (railway post office) car painted as Newfoundland Railway #233. This car was actually built after CN absorbed the Newfoundland Railway.
A view of the display train, looking back towards the station at Avondale.
The Newfoundland Railway logo is proudly worn by RPO #233.
The “power” for the display train is CN 925, an NF210 built by GMD. It is “power” in name only, as it is only a shell, without a diesel engine inside.
There were a lot of snowplows in Newfoundland—almost every train display seems to have one! At Avondale, the plow is CN3465.
The last extant section of the Newfoundland Railway main line exists at Avondale. Running for about 1.5 km starting at the station, the line is used for rides on a small homebuilt excursion “train”.
The “Avondale Express” is a home-built train used for giving rides in the summer over the approximately 1.5 km of remaining track at Avondale.
A last view of the Avondale Railway Museum. I was impressed by this little museum and wish them luck with their endeavours!
Whitbourne
The town of Whitbourne was located west of Avondale on the Newfoundland Railway main line. At one time a branch split off here, leading to Blaketown and Heart’s Content. Today, the station building is in good condition as the town office, and apparently also holds a small museum, which was closed on the day of our visit. Next to the station is a line of display equipment, all of which shows a lack of attention.
The former-CN station at Whitbourne, now the municipal offices
The former-station building at Whitbourne, with the display train off to the right
It’s another snowplow! The display train at Whitbourne sits on part of the former main line. It has no number, but the snowplow is apparently ex-CN3459.
NF210 #940 wears the TerraTransport logo. This locomotive is also a shell, without a prime mover. There were originally 38 of these 1200-horsepower locomotives built for use on the 42″ railway in Newfoundland.
This now-unnumbered baggage car was built in 1943 for the Newfoundland Railway as #242. In later CN service it worked as #1602, and was eventually retired to work-train service as #4147.
This un-numbered coach is another car built in 1943, as Newfoundland Railway #33.
This unnumbered caboose was CN #6053 when in service.
The display train, as seen from the rear—I hope the community will be able to do something with this train. It is quickly deteriorating and needs some attention!
Carbonear
Carbonear was located at the end of the Carbonear Branch, running north off the main line. The branch extended further north to Grate’s Cove and Bay de Verte, but these extensions were abandoned in 1934. In the latter days of the Newfoundland operations, Carbonear was served by a mixed train from St. John’s.
The railway station at Carbonear still exists. It is now owned by the Carbonear Heritage Society, and used as a museum and visitors’ centre.
A historical plaque on the Carbonear station
A historical plaque with the history of the Carbonear railway station
On display near the Carbonear station is ex-CN #803, a GMD G8. The G8s were light-weight locomotives built primarily for use on the branch lines to Carbonear, Bonavista and Argentia.
Poor #803 is just a shell, with no prime mover. Even the fuel tank is missing! Six G8s (875 h.p.) were delivered to CN for use in Newfoundland.
A view of the short section of track still in place, leading away from the Carbonear station.
The G8 is on display in the remains of the Carbonear yard. The station stands further away, past the building with the clock.
Western Bay
The line running north of Carbonear to Grate’s Cover and Bay de Verde was closed in 1934, but 83 years later, the little wooden station in Western Bay still stands and is in use! The building is used as an office for the North Shore Central Ambulance Service.
The track side of the Western Bay station
The back side of the Western Bay station
Another view of the Western Bay station, in the traditional yellow-and-green Newfoundland Railway colours
Harbour Grace
Between Carbonear and the main line at Brigus Junction, the branch line passed through Harbour Grace. The station here still stands and is home to a small museum.
The station at Harbour Grace as twilight falls
The Harbour Grace station—again with the yellow and green colours!
The station from the express room end
The entrance for the express room, and a vintage CN sign
Next to the Harbour Grace station is this 42″ gauge Fairmont MT14 motor car.
Postscript—-Delson (Montreal)
Just over a week after leaving Newfoundland, I had a chance to visit the Exporail museum in Delson, Quebec, near Montreal. Here I found a refugee from Newfoundland—a short train of Newfoundland 42* gauge equipment on display.
#805 wears a different paint scheme than its sister in #803 in Carbonear. At least this unit still has fuel tanks!
CN #805 is one of 6 G8s built for use in Newfoundland.
A narrow-guage stock car
Ex-CN coach #760, built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1949, is in pretty rough shape. The whole train is leaning towards the shed
This is interesting. The Newfoundland Railway nearly got started in 1869, but the then independent colony declined. The situation was far more complicated then just building a railway. Financing for the railway was offered by Canada but it carried with it the requirement that Newfoundland join the Canadian Confederation. The offer was declined.
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."
What a change over seven weeks. This time next week they start going to their new homes. They have already been tested extensively for what the future may hold for them.
A life of service, movie stardom or being the best family pet awaits.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Mike- Our family went through about the same frustration and anxiety with our youngest daughter. Her liver was failing and producing toxic chemicals which were hastening her downward health spiral. She has AB blood so the wait was on for a donor liver that not only matched her blood type but many other factors as well. The waiting game could have gone for several years, which she wouldn't have survived, but we got lucky and she received a new liver 5-1/2 years ago after waiting only 6 weeks. This coming Monday she and her husband have an appointment at the University of Wisconsin Hospital as her husband is exhibiting some of the same symptoms she had early on. Neither consumes alcohol and the local docs are stumped. So it's been highs and lows for all of us for the past 8 years and who knows how long into the future. So hang in there and understand that anxiety, frustration, and a lot of other emotions will come into play. All the best to your daughter and family for a full and speedy recovery.
Mark B.
Dave,
Your three preceding historical posts (and the many photos) are superb! A great education!
John
Attuvian1Dave, Your three preceding historical posts (and the many photos) are superb! A great education!
Yes.
Dave, you have done an excellent job opening and introducing the diner this month.
Thank you.
Part I:
This is a 1943 film about how cross-island communications were established in Newfoundland during WWII. There are lots of great railway shots throughout the first 15 minutes or so, and the military buffs should find some enjoyable footage as well. Remember to click on 'Watch on Youtube' on the lower left of the screen. For reasons unknown the posted film starts at the 16 minute mark so you will have to manually start the film from the beginning:
Getting ready to spray texture onto the living room walls.
I am going to get this done tonight.
I might see the sunrise before I go to sleep.
Guys, thank you for all your kind words of support. It really means a lot.
Mark B, a special thanks to you and my I offer prayers for your family. I hope all turns out well.
Dave, what an introduction to Newfoundland rail history! The standard has been raised on monthly diner introductions! Thank you!
David, "knocked sideways". I like that. I'm going to try to use that tonight to help my daughter with her slipping confidence with this whole ordeal.
Water Level RouteGuys, thank you for all your kind words of support. It really means a lot.
I can only imagine what you are going through.
My middle daughter had a horrid skin disease when she was about one year old. It took a year for it to finally go away.
I got the texture on the walls. It is 7:00 AM, the sun is up, and I am going to bed.
Be back later.
Water Level Route David, "knocked sideways". I like that. I'm going to try to use that tonight to help my daughter with her slipping confidence with this whole ordeal.
Hi Mike. As I mentioned previously my daughter came up with the 'knocked sideways'. The first time I heard it was when we did a 'Relay For Life' for our son who had Cancer.
It was a 24 hour relay and at midnight candlles were lit for Cancer patients. Messages were written. My daughter wrote 'Knocked sideways. Never backwards'. Those words have carried us through many 'trials and tribulations'. That was in 1999.
As for our son? He is alive and well and twice as cheeky with a wife and three children.
Here is a film which talks about the decline of the Newfoundland Railway in the 1970s. The subject is a bit depressing but the footage of trains running is great.
As always, click on 'Play on Youtube' in the lower left corner (Eventually I'm going to stop reminding people to do that, but I'm going to wait until everyone is thoroughly sick and tired of my constant reminders!).