Caption: WINTER WARRIOR WAITING. Terra Transport Steel plow No. 3461 waits in the St. John's yard on August 7, 1988 for a winter that never came. Built in a group of twelve (Nos. 3458-3469) by National Steel Car of Hamilton in 1953 after takeover by the CNR (the first group of steel plows for Newfoundland were built by Canadian Car and Foundry in Montreal in 1944, Nos. NR 830-837 to later become CN 3450-3457) it was still on the roster some 33 years later. The 3461 after a lifetime of battling heavy snowdrifts over the Gaff Topsails was living on borrowed time as was the entire narrow gauge operation in Newfoundland. With the impending shutdown to take effect a little over a month later on September 30, it would never again be called to active duty and would see the scrappers blowtorch. Fortunately, first batch sister 3454 is preserved in Bishops Falls as are second batch sisters 3459 in Whitbourne, 3460 in Corner Brook, 3462 in Lewisporte, 3465 in Avondale and 3467 in Port aux Basques. Despite a dwindling of operations, train 203 to the right with caboose 6061 was already marshalled for its 1930hrs departure that evening.
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