The Bonavista Train Display

NF110 CN 932 in Bonavista, Newfoundland

The second place we stayed on our summer vacation in Newfoundland last month was Bonavista. This charming town on the east coast of the Rock is near the tip of the eponymous Bonavista Peninsula.

History of the Bonavista Branch

The Bonavista Branch was the second longest branch line in the system when it was completed at the end of 1911. Stretching 87.9 miles from Shoal Harbour just outside Clarenville, it ran past picturesque Trinity (through the famous Trinity Loop) until it terminated near the ocean in Bonavista.

Port Union train station and museum

Construction began on the branch in November 1909 and the branch was officially opened on November 8, 1911. The line was lightly built, like most Newfoundland branches, and only the lighter G8 diesel-electric locomotives were permitted on the line. The last train was mixed train 205, which departed Bonavista on November 23, 1983 with CN/Terra Transport 802 and 803 for power. The branch was suspended shortly afterward due to track conditions and never reopened.

One unique feature of the branch was the Trinity Loop. The track had to drop more than 30 feet in a short distance to get close to Trinity. This was the only visible train loop in North America; there are others like it but this is the only one where the entire loop is visible.

After the closure of the railway, the Loop was leased by a local businessman and operated as an amusement park until 2004 when it was shut down. Hurricane Igor did serious damage to the remnants of the park in 2010 and it is dubious whether it will ever reopen.

The Bonavista Display

Bonavista station and locomotive

The train display is at what was the very end of the Bonavista branch line. The display consists of locomotive 932, a flatcar, a passenger car, and a caboose, along with a speeder. The train station and freight house are both still on site as well.

I walked over there from our hotel (the excellent Harbour Quarters Inn) on the first evening we were in town. The display is not really front and centre, being midway between the two main north-south roads through town. You could drive through town without even noticing it.

CN 932

CN 932 and train

CN 932 is an NF210 locomotive, one of 38 narrow gauge 1200 HP diesel-electric locomotives built for CN for service on Newfoundland. It is a bit out of place in Bonavista as the NF210 and nearly identical NF110 locomotives were prohibited from operating on this branch due to their weight. The lighter G8 locomotives were the only diesels that operated on the Bonavista branch line, to my knowledge.

I didn't take any photos of the flat car, CN 12142.

The Diner Car

Dining car in Bonavista, NL

The dining car in the train was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry Company for the Newfoundland Railway in June 1943, as NF 12. It was renumbered to CN 174 in April 1953 and it retired from diner service in July 1973, becoming work car #5018 until after the official closure of the Newfoundland railway.

The car is in CN white and black but has no external markings.

Caboose CN 6060

Caboose CN 6060 in Bonavista, NL

The caboose at the end of the train, CN 6060, was built by National Steel Car in December 1962.

The Station and Freight House

Bonavista Train Station

The train station, on Station Road, is now home to the T.K. Kelloway Senior Citizens 50+ Club. Based on some recent town council minutes (PDF) it sounds like it requires some repairs.

The former freight house is still in its original place, on the other end of the train display. It doesn't look like it is being used for anything but it is intact.

The former freight house in Bonavista

Here's a great photo by Joe McMillan of the mixed train in Bonavista on June 30, 1980.


Joe has great photos from Lethbridge (not the Alberta one) and Port Rexton on Flickr.

There's also a little speeder in Bonavista. I was surprised to see this on display outside.

CN speeder in Bonavista

I tried to visit the Trinity Loop when we were touring Trinity, but I wasn't 100% sure where it was. I ended up driving up a road for a bit, then getting frustrated and turning around and giving up.

I realized that night that I was on the right road, only a few hundred metres away from the Loop. Shoot.

Instead I'll share this fantastic photo of the mixed train by Joe McMillan, taken from the top of the Trinity Loop.


That's the last of the railway displays I've seen in Newfoundland. There are a number of displays in central and western Newfoundland that I haven't seen yet. The biggest ones are at Bishops Falls and Port Aux Basques, with a variety of cabooses, and freight cars scattered around the island in private use.

The most unique piece on Newfoundland I haven't seen yet is the G8 locomotive at Carbonear, CN 803, the only G8 remaining on the island. I understand it is looking very shabby. I have seen a G8, though... CN 805 was outside at the Exporail museum in July 2005 when we visited it.

G8 locomotive CN 805 in Delson, Quebec

Thanks for reading and taking a virtual tour through the railway sights in eastern Newfoundland!

I'll leave you with a few non-railway images from Bonavista and area... including this photo of me enjoying cod cheeks in Bonavista. They were tasty!

Bonavista harbour at sunset

Inside the Cape Bonavista lighthouse, with its rotating reflectors

CCGS Vladykov, docked in Bonavista, NL

See more!

• Trains in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Flickr photo of CN 805 in Bonavista
• Story and photos of the Trinity Loop
• Brian Hiscock's photos of Bonavista, 2000

Lewisporte Train Park, Newfoundland

CN 6069 at the Lewisporte Train Park in Newfoundland

In July we paid a brief visit to the Lewisporte Train Park in Lewisporte, NL. I took a different route back from Twillingate via Lewisporte to take in this railway park, and I'm glad I did! My wife and kids were happy to spend a few extra minutes as we stopped at the nearby Tim Horton's in town for a snack.

Lewisporte is a bustling town of about 3,300 people. It was located at the end of the 9.4 mile Lewisporte Branch, built to provide a deepwater port for the Reid-Newfoundland Company's coastal boats. It was originally called Burnt Bay but was renamed Lewisporte after Lewis Miller, who was a Scottish lumber mogul. The branch became critically important during World War 2 with the rapid expansion of the Newfoundland Airport (now called Gander) and its importance for trans-Atlantic flights. Fuel for the important Gander airport was brought to Lewisporte by ship and travelled twice daily by "oil train" to the airport.

The branch connected to mile 244 of the main line at Notre Dame Junction.

TerraTransport

After the creation of Terra Transport, the subdivision was downgraded to a spur and eventually saw its last train in 1987 and was closed in 1988.

Here's a photo by James F. Primm II showing CN 931 working the CN Marine warehouse on the docks at Lewisporte.

Lewisporte still hosts ferries to Labrador.

The train park is located right beside highway 340 and is very easy to find. There is a parking lot next to the train and a nice walking trail behind the display. The train station still exists in the town proper, but we did not visit it.

Snowplow

Snowplow CN 3462 in Lewisporte, NL

The display is headed up by the ubiquitous Newfoundland snowplow, CN 3462. This plow was built by National Steel Car in November 1953. It is unusual in that it has a lot of stenciling on it. Most display pieces lack most of the stenciling that the equipment had when in railway service.

CN 902

The locomotive CN 902 demonstrates this lack of stenciling.

NF110 locomotive CN 902 in Lewisporte

It's surprising that CN 902 doesn't even have the zebra or Terra Transport markings. The far side doesn't have a number at all and the window is boarded up. Note the lack of number boards, too. Perhaps this is undergoing restoration, as Brian Hiscock's photos from 2000 show it with a CN "noodle".

Unlike most of Newfoundland's branch lines, the Lewisporte Branch could operate the heavier NF110 and NF210 units (~100 tonne), because it had a minimum of 70 pound rails. Most branches could only support the lighter G8 (66 tonne) locomotives.

I liked how the garbage cans were railway themed!

Put your trash in the choo-choo bins

Coach CN 764

The sole passenger car is next.

CN 764 in Lewisporte

Coach CN 764 was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry company in June 1949 for the Newfoundland Railway as #47. I peeked in the windows and the seats are still inside.

Note that there would not be a passenger car on a plow train, as this is strictly against the rules. I understand it was commonly done during the Newfoundland Railway days but banned after Canadian National Railways took over the island's railway.

Caboose CN 6069 was built in January 1967 by National Steel Car.

The plow apparently makes a nice play structure!

Climbing the snowplow

(that's not my child on the plow)

The bold Terra Transport logo was evident on the passenger car.

TerraTransport logo

I'm almost done describing the Newfoundland railway sites that we visited. The last to come is Bonavista.

See also:

• Clarenville station and display
• Whitbourne station and display
• Railway Coastal Museum, St. John's
• Avondale Museum
• Corner Brook Railway Museum

The Clarenville Train Station and Display, Newfoundland

Train station and railway display in Clarenville, NL

My family went to Newfoundland in July 2016 for their first visit to the Rock. I had been to Corner Brook very briefly but this was my first trip to the east end of the island. We landed in St. John's and drove up to Twillingate, and on the way we stopped in Whitbourne and then in Clarenville to catch the railway sights.

Clarenville is an important hub in the area, being the largest town in the area and a service centre for the Trinity-Bonavista peninsula. During the time of the railway, it was a station stop for trains, and the Bonavista branch started at Shoal Harbour, 1.1 miles railway west of the station.

After the railway officially closed on September 29, 1988, a few work trains passed through Clarenville to gather equipment and facilitate rail removal. The last train to enter Clarenville was in October 1990 with engine 914 leading a boxcar, coach and caboose.

NF110 #900 in Clarenville, Newfoundland

CN 900 was restored to its green and gold Canadian National livery and looks great. It was the first NF110 unit built by London's GMD plant.

I find it interesting that the Newfoundland locomotives all have a "skirt" along the side covering the wheels that mainland units seem to lack. I wonder why they had it?

Behind CN 900 is diner #176, built in 1958 for CN by National Steel Car. Apparently this was the last diner built in Canada for the CNR.

Dining car CN 176, Clarenville, Newfoundland

The elements are taking their toll on the roof paint.

Engine 900 and diner 176 were transported by road from the Railway Coastal Museum in St. John's to Clarenville in the summer of 2007. At the time #900 was in CN "zebra stripes" and the diner was in a two-tone blue colour scheme.

Bringing up the rear of this short train is bright red caboose CN/TT 6061.

Caboose CN 6061

There are a few other pieces of railway equipment. Oddly there is no snowplow, unlike almost every other railway display on Newfoundland, it seems!

Two former US locomotives are preserved on a second track.

Former US Army 7596, Newfoundland Hardwoods #31

30 tonne Plymouth locomotive #31 was built for the US Army as #7596 and worked at the base in Argentia, NL before going to Newfoundland Hardwoods.

Former US Navy 65-00236, Newfoundland Hardwoods #32

The other Plymouth locomotive is a 35 tonne unit, built for the US Navy in 1943. It also worked at Newfoundland Hardwoods before being donated to the museum.

There are three flatcars present, mostly ex Newfoundland Hardwoods cars.

Flatcar at Clarenville, Newfoundland

Speaking of Newfoundland Hardwoods, this was an interesting operation that had its roots in the construction of the Gander airport in the 1930s. The asphalt for the runways was landed in Clarenville at a facility next to the railway yard and shipped to the future Gander airport in tank cars. Over time the facility got into pressure treated lumber and became Newfoundland Hardwoods, a Crown corporation. The facility is now privately owned.

A "double gear grab winch", whatever that is

Newfoundland Hardwoods still had three locomotives in 1989, according to the Canadian Trackside Guide (CTG), even after CN ceased operation. The #30 listed in the 1989 CTG is the #32 shown above; #31 is the same, and the 1989 CTG lists a 14 tonne Plymouth locomotive #32... not sure what happened to that one.

Loco selfie!

I am reasonably sure that Newfoundland Hardwoods was the last operating railway on Newfoundland, with two diesel mechanical locomotives, sixteen flat cars and about 3 miles of track. It ceased operating in 2005. Please correct me if I am wrong!

I am glad that the museum was able to acquire the locomotives and a few flat cars. The equipment is owned by the Clarenville Heritage Society.

The station itself is owned by the Clarenville Shriners (shared with the Masons) and is a registered as a municipal heritage building. It was built in 1942 and is one of the few mainline railway stations remaining in Newfoundland.

For more information:

• History of Newfoundland Hardwoods
• Clarenville Railway History
• Whitbourne
• Railway Coastal Museum
• Avondale
• Corner Brook

The Whitbourne Museum, Newfoundland

On our recent family vacation in Newfoundland, we saw the Railway Coastal Museum in St. John's and the Avondale Railway Museum. The first railway display we actually saw was the Whitbourne train station and display.

History

The town of Whitbourne has a special place in the history of Newfoundland's railway, as it was founded as part of the original railway construction on the island and became Newfoundland's first inland town.

Prior to the construction of the railway, there were very few inland roads on Newfoundland and communities were connected to each other by the sea. There was a great desire to diversify Newfoundland's economy beyond fishing, and therefore to develop the timber and mining resources in the interior of the island.

Whitbourne station/hotel, 1890

The initial railway construction on Newfoundland was undertaken by a New York-based group known as the Blackman Syndicate or the Blackman Company. The railway was to be built from St. John's to Hall's Bay. Construction commenced in 1881 and foundered by the end of 1883 as the syndicate ran out of money. By this time the railway had reached Harbour Grace Junction, which eventually became known as Whitbourne. One of the first permanent buildings in Whitbourne was a combination station/hotel built by a Colonel Davenport.

Whitbourne rapidly increased in importance as the first branch line was constructed to Placentia from Whitbourne in 1887. When the Reid Company took over the railway, it established its headquarters in Whitbourne and built car shops and other facilities there.

Whitbourne's railway significance declined after the Newfoundland Railway moved its headquarters to St. John's, but it remained an important junction until near the end of the railway when the branch to Placentia/Argentia was closed.

Today

Whitbourne train station and railway cars

The quiet town of Whitbourne has a railway station, along with a collection of rolling stock. The station houses the town hall as well as a small museum. The town is a few kilometres off the Trans-Canada Highway.

The station is a nice little building. I am not sure how old it is but it is clearly not the original station. It was closed up when we were there on a grey Sunday morning.

The rolling stock consists of the ubiquitous snowplow, an NF210 engine, an express baggage car, a coach and a caboose. They are not in great condition, as you will see.

Snowplow

Snowplow and other equipment in Whitbourne, NL

The snowplow is ex CN/TT 3459, built by National Steel Car (NSC) in 1953. Snow plows were very important on Newfoundland as the railway was plagued by significant drifts. At one time the railway had two rotary snow plows!

As an aside, people on Instagram seem to love snowplows. The above photo was one of my all-time highest rated images on Instagram.

TT 940

Terra Transport #940, Whitbourne

Terra Transport #940 was originally CN 940, built by GMD in February 1960 for Newfoundland's narrow gauge railway.

This locomotive is unfortunately exposed to the elements (and vandals) and its cab is not in good condition.

Cab of CN/TT 940

A real shame.

Only one of the display locomotives on Newfoundland still retains her diesel engine, CN 931 at Corner Brook. The hood doors were ajar on TT 940, showing the empty, graffiti-marred interior of the long hood.

38 of these NF210 locomotives were built, each with a 1200 horsepower prime mover. They were operated on the main line and on the Placentia branch, but were not permitted on the other branches due to the light rails still present.

Six are preserved on Newfoundland and eleven were sold to other countries. I hope a few still soldier on in narrow gauge service elsewhere!

Express Baggage

Express car 4147 / 1602 / 242

This unnumbered express car was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry company in 1943 as Newfoundland Railway #242. It was renumbered to CN 1602 and presumably continued to operate in passenger train service until it became CN Work Car 4147 in 1974. It continued as a work car until retirement in September 1989, almost a year after the closure of the railway on Newfoundland.

Coach

Ex Newfoundland Railways coach 33

This unnumbered coach was built by the Canadian Car and Foundry Company in 1943 as Newfoundland Railway #33. It had much the same history as the express car above. This car is really starting to show its age and the windows, although barred, are smashed in places.

*beep*

Caboose

Ex CN caboose 6053

This caboose was built for CN as #6053 by National Steel Car.

Summary

Terra Transport and me

Whitbourne has a long history with the Newfoundland Railway and its successors, CN and Terra Transport.

I hesitated to point out the condition of the display in Whitbourne. I know it is difficult to find dedicated volunteers and many railway museums struggle with funding and staffing. I hope that the town and interested persons can rally to maintain the station and rolling stock for many years to come.


See also:

• The Avondale Railway Museum
• The Railway Coastal Museum
• Virtual Museum entry on Whitbourne
• Whitbourne Museum

The Railway Coastal Museum, Newfoundland

The St. John's, Newfoundland railway station

Newfoundland's Railway Coastal Museum is located in the historic railway station by the port in St. John's. The museum covers the history of the Newfoundland Railway and successors CN and Terra Transport, as well as the coastal boats so important to the Rock's outport communities.

The station itself was completed in 1903. The large station building hosts the museum as well as the provincial archives. The tracks were on the back side of the station, which now has a passenger car split lengthwise into two as part of a display in the museum.

Here's what the passenger cars look like on the inside.

Interior view of cars in the Railway Coastal Museum

I really like how each section of the "two" passenger cars is set up as a different car. There's a railway post office (RPO) section at the far end of this photo. Other areas include a dining car kitchen, a dining car seating area, a sleeper, coach seats, bathroom and the observation platform shown here. A great use of space!

Example panel

The majority of the museum is a series of professionally-made panels describing the history of the railway, the coastal boats and the telegraph system. Many panels include little stories from Newfoundland and many photographs are included. They are packed full of information and are well worth reading from start to finish.

There are other displays including artefacts from the railway and coastal boats, including some models of ferries, so important to Newfoundland.

There is a model train layout, which appears to be a 3-rail O gauge layout. It was not in service when I was there. It seems a little out of place, as it looked quite rough compared to the professional look of the rest of the museum.

A well stocked gift shop features numerous books, toys and other items such as jewelry. I purchased the excellent Rails Around the Rock book by Ken Pieroway and a few other items.

Exterior Display 

Outside the museum is a two car display headed by CN 906.

Speeder and railway cars in St. John's, Newfoundland

CN 906 is a GMD NF110, one of nine 1200 horsepower diesel-electrics built for CN in 1952-1953 for Newfoundland service. There are two other survivors, NF 900 in Clarenville and NF 902 in Lewisporte. I saw both of those and I'll share them in another post.

Behind 906 is CN 1805, a mail car/Railway Post Office (RPO) car built in 1952 by Canadian Car and Foundry. It was on display in Bowring Park until 2006, when it was moved to this location.

On the rear is CN 568, used by the city as a Visitor Information Centre for fourteen years from 1989 to 2003. This car was built for the Newfoundland Railway in 1949, and worked in service for the first years of CN on Newfoundland until it became a work car in the late 1970s.

CN 568 and 1805 behind CN 906 in St. John's, Newfoundland

I highly recommend a visit to the Railway Coastal Museum in St. John's!

More to come from Newfoundland...

See also

• Corner Brook railway museum
• Avondale railway museum
• Railway Coastal Museum web site