Not since 1990 have the sights and sounds of trains rumbling into Clarenville, Newfoundland been witnessed as it was on May 19, 2007. Locomotive No. 900, accompanied by a dining car rolled into town on semi-trailers. Declared surplus to St. John’s heritage needs, the Clarenville Heritage Society arranged for a boom truck, three tractor trailers and two cranes for the 200 kilometre trip. The equipment joins a Plymouth locomotive, a caboose and two flat cars already at the heritage railway station.
No. 900 is a GMD Model NF110 built in 1952. The dining car was built by National Steel Car in 1958. Plans are to cosmetically restore the rolling stock to the CNR 1954 green/black/yellow paint scheme. See photos of the move at www.clarenville.net/photogallery/othergalleries/trainarrival/index.html
The Newfie Bullet is well cared for at Cornerbrook. The only steam engine remaining in Newfoundland, No. 593, a 4-6-2 built by Baldwin heads up a baggage car, dining car and the sleeper “Twillingate”. A Snowplow Extra on an adjacent track consists of a National Steel Car Snowplow No. 3460, GMD Model NF210 No.931 Diesel, a side dump car and caboose No. 6072.
The trains at Twillingate and Lewisporte are well kept but not so at Bishops Falls and Trinity. Vandals have taken their toll and little is done to discourage further destruction. More information on Newfoundland’s heritage railway equipment can be found in the Canadian Trackside Guide available at Central Hobbies.
No stories of railway adventure would be complete without sitting down with Solomon (Sol) Yetman of Deer Lake, Newfoundland. Eighty-five years young, Sol retired from the CNR after 35 years and six months service. The weather in Newfoundland is consistent only in its inconsistency, nowhere is this truer than at “Wreckhouse”, located 20 kilometres north of Port Aux Basques. Gusts up to 150 kilometres per hour have been recorded, blowing trains from the tracks and trucks from the highway. Local lore has it that a farmer named Lockland (Lockie) Mac Dougall would read the signs of an approaching storm and advise railway managers. They would stop the trains to avoid disaster.
Sol Yetman relates his experience while a Conductor on a mixed train number 203. His train went into an “emergency” application of brakes. Telling his brakeman, “we must have a broken hose bag.” (Rubber hose connecting brake line air between cars) Walking forward in strong gusts, Sol observed 17 flatcars being tossed about like flying saucers. Returning to the tail end to flag the following Freight Train No.51, Sol was blown from the tracks and down a steep embankment, bearing scars today of that mishap. There was no need to flag No. 51, 15 boxcars had blown away like matchboxes.
Travelling on to the remote fishing village of Burgeo I was pleased to meet WCRA member Charles (Chuck) Beckett. Chuck is a retired NYC/CN Operator/Dispatcher living in St. Thomas, Ontario. He has volunteered at our Thomas Events and he and his wife will again greet Thomas later this summer in St. Thomas. When asked where I lived Chuck said he had very good friends in neighboring Port Coquitlam, Lavina and Earl Shaw also WCRA members. Lavina is past president of the Morse Telegraph Club and Earl retired after many years of exemplary service at CN.
“It is a small world, after all!”
