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

A Glimpse of the Essex Terminal Railway

I was in southern Ontario again last week and spent a bit of time one evening looking for signs of the Essex Terminal Railway. The ETR is a shortline that runs between Windsor and Amherstburg, Ontario. The Essex Terminal Railway theoretically runs from a point on the VIA (former CN) Chatham subdivision through to mile 19.50 after Amherstburg. The interchange with VIA is out of service, so it really starts at the Ford plant in Windsor at mile 0.25. They have a detailed history on their web site.

I visited their home area at mile 1.50. There is a four-stall engine house, a smallish yard and a concrete water tower there, as well as two cabooses ETR 1600 and ETR 1610. "No Trespassing" signs are prominent.


The engine house is the large white building in the background. I took this shot over a chain-link fence. Like I said, there are many "No Trespassing" signs and I did not want to trespass.


This was shot from Lincoln Road. If you want to go here, set your GPS to 1600 Lincoln Road in Windsor and it will take you right here.

Here's a somewhat side shot of ETL 1610. I know it says ETR on the side but the Essex Terminal Railway's reporting mark is ETL.


I did not see any locomotives at their home area. Perhaps some were in the engine house but there was no way to look in.

I drove down to Amherstburg to have a look around, and on the way I stopped at the large complex south of Windsor that includes Morterm, Ltd., a company that transloads between rail, truck and ship, as well as an ADM Limited grain elevator and other customers.

ETL #105 was sitting just outside Morterm and the port area. This engine is either an SW9 or an SW1200, depending on which source you look at.


The Essex Terminal Railway lists a complete roster on their site. In addition to #105, they have two GP9s, an SW14 and an SW1500. They also own a steam engine, an 0-6-0 built in 1923 that is resident in St. Thomas, Ontario and is undergoing restoration by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society.

They serve about 15 customers in Windsor and on the line between Windsor and Amherstburg. In Amherstburg they serve a BP site as well as Don Hearn and Sons Ltd., a freight shipper. The Trackside Guide lists four Alco locomotives for them and I believe I spotted #317, an S-3 built in 1953.


This is a much better photo of it. Note the baggage car behind it (again, better photo), former CP 4769.

I also saw this little old switcher at the ADM grain elevator south of Windsor, also served by the Essex Terminal Railway. This is a 25-ton Plymouth engine.

Again, here's a much better photo of the engine.

Myles Roach has a great album of Windsor railway photos.