Nostalgia & History > CN ‘Narrow-gauge’ Employees Timetable

Here’s the October 27, 1968 Employees Timetable showing CN’s 42" Narrow-gauge division on the Island of Newfoundland.

CN acquired the former Newfoundland Railway when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949.

Looking at the schedules....you’ll find Trains #101 & #102 The Caribou....AKA…The Newfie Bullet for its great speed across the island....547 miles in 22 hours! This was North America’s last full service narrow-gauge passenger train with coaches, sleepers, dining car and lounge. It was discontinued in 1969 but mixed trains continued for another 20 years until the entire railway was abandoned in 1988.

Other interesting schedules shown are the Vessel Services beginning on page 19. These were the Coastal Boats operated by CN....linking the scattered communities along the coast that did not have rail or road access. The routes were arranged in a timetable like format. For example: Argentia to Port-aux-Basque: 529 miles but the 37 ‘stops’ shown were wharfs instead of stations in the small communities.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/17 02:06 by ghCBNS.

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Coastal Boat Model

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Thank you for posting

Back in August of 1988 when I heard that CN and the Province had agreed to a deal to shut down the railroad, I made my way to ride the mixed train that covered about 175 miles of the line where it diverged from the highway and served some fairly remote territory. Here are two photos of my trip. I wish I had gone earlier but the time and cost of getting there made me put it off "until next year" - until there were no more "next years".

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I’m in Nova Scotia….two hours from the ferry and I can be on the ‘Rock’ in about 8 hours so I was able to make several trips before the abandonment.

Today we still travel the T’Railway as nearly the entire right-of-way has been preserved.

http://www.trailway.ca/

....but are riding is now on 4-wheelers!

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Along the old station platform at Millertown Jct.

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Neat post! Ahh, Newfoundland, the province I've yet to make it to. Someday, someday. Too bad I didn't make there when I was in Cape Breton in 1977. One of those life regrets we all accumulate over time.

Thanks for sharing this!

Lee Hower - Sacramento

Many Thanks for helping me. The 42" line was one I didn't get to see. wag216

Note the location of the dispatcher wire on crossarms on page 23. Folks used to climb poles with a portable phone handset, connecting to the wires with alligator (etc.) clips when they needed to talk to the dispatcher. In Older Times, some operators had a small portable key/sounder for the same purpose.

TAW

In njmidland's photo above.....just to the right of #915 is the bridge at Bishop's Falls. A buddy of mine is from Bishop's took theses photos of the restored bridge.

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When I was at CPR in 1978 as Asst. Supt, we were issued a canvas bag with pole sections and a hook on the end section to string up to the pole line from the ground. We could then call the dispatcher in an emergency. Used them several times at derailment sites.

Dan Sabin