Last Days of The Newfoundland Railway (CN -TerraTransport)

Rail Innovations video about the end of CN's narrow gauge Newfoundland Railway. By 1988 the railway was operated by a CN subsidiary called TerraTransport. Due to loss of market share to other transportation modes the federal government of Canada and CN chose to shut down it's Newfoundland rail operation announced in June 1988.
This video shows the last schedule fright train on September 29th 1988, extra 944 eastbound, although the train is not hauling any revenue freight only transferring rolling stock from Bishop's Falls to St. John's. Video is shot onboard the locomotive plus alongside the train. Also includes footage of the crew change in Clarenville and removal of some train cars at Clarenville. The camera person rides as far as Whitbourne.
The next train shown is the passenger run from Bishop's Falls to Corner Brook on September 30th 1988. Again a camera person riders the train in both the locomotive cab, the passenger coach's and caboose.
The beginning of the film has an introduction on the railway and several photos of various rolling stock and trains over the years are shown.
This video was released by Rail Innovations in 1989 on VHS. Rail Innovations sold the video for several years but the masters were eventually damaged and it was discontinued. Rail Innovations sold most of it's video catalog to Greg Scholl Video Productions. Several of the tiles have been re-released by Greg Scholl but not the Newfoundland one.
Several years ago I bought some items off the owner of the former Rail Innovations, Steve Bradly, and he included a complimentary DVD of this film. I have an original VHS copy of this film also. This has been uploaded only to share with others for educational - historical purposes only seeing as its quite rare by now and no longer for sale. No copyright infringement is intended.
© Rail Innovations 1989

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

Great video. I happened to stumble across it today, September 30, 2023, 35 years to the day since rail service ended on Newfoundland.

[@keiichi902]

Great video, a damn shame it was allowed to happen.

[@Zyo117]

Disgusting shame is more like it.

[@ohidalgoe]

Diesel Trucks are more cost efficient

[@James_Knott]

I was in Newfoundland, on my vacation in August 1978. I took the ferry from North Sydney to Argentia and the rode my bicycle to St. John's. I spent a couple of days there and then checked my bike onto express to send it home and then took the bus, the one that killed the Bullet, to Port Aux Basques, where I then took the ferry back to Nova Scotia and the train home to Toronto. Back in those days I was an employee of CN Telecommunications so my ferry, train and bus fair were free. I didn't see any trains, but I do recall the tracks leading to the ferry and that the cars had to have the gauge changed.

[@MartinMiller1]

Very interesting and a great loss for Newfoundland

[@MrMASSEYJONES]

By the look of things, I would have missed riding the Bullet, but in 1974, while at Summerside PEI with our airforce squadron,, I got an invite from Newfoundland CN crews, to come and ride the train, likely a cab ride. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity, as I had to replace my boss, when his family had an emergency, back home in Quebec. It’s still in my bucket list to some day, visit Newfoundland; the only Canadian province I have never been into.

[@TheSpikestr]

That suck because you would love it here

[@Zyo117]

You'll have to visit Avondale then. It's the only place left with any actual rail infrastructure that wasn't replaced with a walking trail.

[@MrMASSEYJONES]

My love of Newfoundland is probably because my French ancestors from Brittany or Normandy, fished on the Grand Banks, back in the late 1700-1800s. This ancestor was a sea captain, who lived on the boat with his wife. When she became pregnant, he sailed to Maryland and his sons eventually crossed the border and established a thriving trading business in Montreal, I was born there 87 years ago, but still plan to visit Newfoundland, before taking the ultimate trip upstairs.

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

⁠@@Zyo117I heard the people of Avondale fought hard to save that one stretch, 1.6 miles or so, from being torn up by CN. I’m glad they were able to save it and can use it for speeder train rides.

[@EWisAmazing]

So glad to see this video. I’ve seen a few of these spots

[@billsemchuk8380]

Thank you so much for uploading this piece of railway history.

[@wolftrainservicesltd6418]

Look at all that great scrap metal !

[@RobertValinsky]

Sad to see that happen. They should have converted the line to standard gauge instead of shutting it down. I visited Newfoundland in 1989 , was at Port aux basque and saw the remains of the railway. There was still some rolling stock and trackag e left.

[@shnorth888]

@@RobertValinsky conversion to standard gauge was looked at several times by CN. Just after confederation in 1949 when CN took over the railway and again in the 60's and 70's. While it would've been beneficial to the railways survival, the cost was deemed to high and it was more than laying the rails further apart. The roadbed needed to be widened, rock cuts made wider or removed altogether, several trestles either widened or rebuilt. Big money to do this but it might have kept the railroad running.

[@TheSpikestr]

I live i clarenville and the old train still sits here to this day not operating of course

[@Zyo117]

Part of history. Shame they let it rust away.

[@patricknoveski6409]

Just brutal. 😢

[@patricknoveski6409]

That was Brutal. . . 😢

[@dougb5202]

That route map at 0:30 is not entirely accurate. Several of those branch lines, including the Northern and Burin peninsulas were never built.

[@shnorth888]

Im not sure why the map was done that way. I know tracks were laid as far as Terranceville on the Burin Peninsula and one train was ran down that way but derailed and it was decided to scrap the idea and the existing tracks were taken up. The line was supposed to go to Burin itself As for the line going to Bonne Bay/ Woody Point, a rail bed was graded but no track was laid. Im not sure how far the railbed was built before this was dropped.

[@Zyo117]

I was surprised to find the Trepassey line in there considering it only ran for a decade or two. To this day it's still hard to find the exact rail right-of-way, especially through LaManche

[@ih302]

@@shnorth888 It would be very interesting to see any remaining evidence of the Bonne Bay line today...I guess one can only wonder what route it would have took through the mountains and where it would have crossed the mighty Humber.

[@chriscohlmeyer4735]

Surprising how much of the Trepassey route is still viable on recent aerial imagery. Even on older aerial photography I've never noticed any indication of the Bonne Bay "proposed" route.