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Caption: Canadian National 1200 hp NF210s 924 and 928 pull by the station in Lewisporte, Newfoundland on Friday, August 27, 1982. The units had left Bishops Falls that morning as Extra 928 with a train of empty pulpwood cards and a handful of boxcars for Lewisporte. At Notre Dame Jct., Mileage 244.5, they set off the pulpwood empties which they would deliver to the loading grounds at Glenwood some nine miles to the east on the Clarenville Subdivision. In the meantime, the units traversed the 9.4-mile Lewisporte Subdivision. Upon arrival they wyed their train and proceeded to switch the docks where CN Marine's PETITE FORTE, the KLOSTER and the MARINE TRADER were loading for various outports. The Lewisporte Sub boomed from the late 1930s through the 1960s as the inbound port for materials and aviation fuel that was shipped to the nearby Gander airport. Previously Lewisporte had served as a staging area for the construction of the paper mill in Windsor from 1906 through 1909. Light, 50 lb rail required the used of 2-8-0s until the CNR relaid the line with 70 lb rail after 1949. As traffic dwindled in the late 1970s the line was downgraded to a spur with intermittent traffic until it was abandoned in 1987. Formerly the line hosted weekday Trains 909 and 910 from Bishops Falls. Unit 924 became the last unit to run in Newfoundland with engineer Brendan Dicks at the throttle when it was placed on display in Bishops Falls on Wednesday, November 21, 1990. NF 928 went to Nicaragua and later Chile for further operation. NF110 902 is displayed in Lewisporte. For further views of Lewisporte and throughout "The Rock" please contact me at bill.linley@gmail.com about my forthcoming MOrning Sun book: "Trackside Newfoundland,"
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Remarkable and historical. Great stuff, Bill.
Beauty! Thanks for sharing Bill
You are one of the few who managed to capture the Lewisporte Branch Bill. Well done indeed!
It was a lucky catch to see a train on the branch. While waiting around Bishops Falls for the departure of Train 203, the mixed for Corner Brook, I noticed an eastbound ready to roll. A spur of the moment chance to get a shot of it crossing the multi-span bridge over the Exploits River led to another and another shot. Soon it was evident that Train 203 might leave before I could get back. Ah well, so be it as my two railfan buddies were safely on board for their trip across the Topsails. Then, delight was mine as the 928-924 combo stopped at Notre Dame Jct. and took the switch for the line to Lewisporte. I had expected that they might just continue to the log loadout at Glenwood. So, I was able to cover them shoving into the transfer shed on the dock etc etc. Oh, and I did cut away without chasing them back west so I caught up with Train 203 at Pearson’s Peak approaching Grand Falls. A happy day’s chase!
Such a fantastic image! Such a shame the rails are all gone now.
Fantastic image, Bill. Interesting pile of rails buried in the pavement at left.