Legacy

The Newfoundland railway operated for a little over a century. The first passenger train across the island ran in June 1898. Regular passenger... more

by Zinvolle Art

Title

Legacy

Artist

Zinvolle Art

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The Newfoundland railway operated for a little over a century. 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. Built to narrow (3'6") gauge for reasons of economy, the Newfoundland railway was the longest such line in North America, 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. After Confederation with Canada in 1949 the railway continued as a symbol of Newfoundland's former independence.

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. 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 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.

Although the railway may be gone, it continues to play a role in Newfoundland's identity and heritage.

Resource: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/

Uploaded

December 2nd, 2013