An Interior Tour of CN's Narrow-Gauge Passenger Equipment

[NS VIA FAN]

Here's a tour of CN's 'Caribou'....a.k.a. 'The Newfie Bullet' Narrow-Gauge Equipment at the Railway Society of Newfoundland on a short section of remaining narrow-gauge track at Mile 404 in Corner Brook.

This was North America's last full-service narrow-gauge passenger train with Coaches, Sleepers and Diner/Lounge that made it's last run in 1969. Some of the coaches were still in service for another 20 years on Mixed Trains until the railway was abandoned 1n 1988.

But there's been a bit of a play on paint schemes here! Old #593 would never have hauled equipment painted in CN's 1960's era black-white scheme.....and the cars would have had the red 'CN' logo.....not that green-gold 'NFLD Railway' tilted logo that disappeared after 1949 when Newfoundland joined Canada and CN assumed control of the railway.

[NS VIA FAN]

[NS VIA FAN]

In the diesel era...the Caribou would have been led by GMD NF110/210s like #931 here:









And here's a typical 'Caribou' consist from the late 1960s

GMD NF210
GMD NF210
Steam Generator Unit
Storage Mail (wood boxcar)
Baggage/Express
Diner (as lounge)
Coach
Coach
Coach
Diner
Sleeper (as Dorm)
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper (Corner Brook set-out/pick-up)
Sleeper (Corner Brook set-out/pick-up)

In the fall of 1968 CN had introduced a fleet of new Roadcruiser buses and passengers soon abandoned the train for the frequent and faster bus service that now covered the 900 km run in 14 hours vs the 22 hours the train took.

The 'Caribou' was discontinued and completed it's last run between Port-aux-Basques and St. John's overnight on July2-3, 1969.

Here's the CN Timetable from 1969 showing the last 'Caribou'.....Trains #101-102 along with the new 'Roadcruiser' bus service (#500 series)

[NS VIA FAN]

With Covid numbers so low here....the four Atlantic Provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland have formed the 'Atlantic Bubble' that allows residents to travel within these provinces without requiring a 14 day isolation when crossing a provincial border. So with that in mind it was time for a Trip!!.....and I was off to Newfoundland. And while in Newfoundland this Covid Summer what better way to 'social-distance' then do some camping while hiking along portions of the old abandoned CNR Narrow-Gauge Right-of-way where nearly the entire 548 miles is now preserved as the T'Railway Provincial Park....a hiking, biking and ATV Trail







The old CNR Drawbridge at Howley







Below is the T'Railway thru Deer Lake near the old CN Station site



When the Trans Canada Highway was widened to 4-lane through the Humber River Gorge near Corner Brook it did encroach on a portion of the old CNR right-of-way.

[marquisofmississauga]

Thank you for posting these interesting photos. I was hoping to visit the site in August on an Atlantic crossing of the Queen Mary 2, but as with all ocean voyages that was cancelled.

[jbvb]

Cool! I never made it past Truro and Halifax back in the '80s, and since then I've bought some books.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Thanks for your pictorial of the "Newfie Bullet" equipment, Mr. Hadfield.

"Once upon a time", such as during the CN passenger service initiative, I was "close" to considering a "Newfie" ride during Sep '65, which was when I chose to leave "university" (short of a degree) and enlist in the US Air Force (got my Accounting degree, and my Charter, after I "got out").

But I was running out of time, and there was no telling Uncle Sam "oh can I have another week so I can ride trains in Newfoundland?". The trip was curtailed to NY-Montreal on the Montrealer, Montreal-Halifax on the Ocean complete with MILW Skytop, and finally CYHZ-KJFK on Air Canada.

Then it was time to "raise my right" to "support and defend the Constitution...".

[NS VIA FAN]

"Once upon a time", such as during the CN passenger service initiative, I was "close" to considering a "Newfie" ride during Sep '65, which was when I chose to leave "university" (short of a degree) and enlist in the US Air Force ......

That display of the 'Newfie Bullet' equipment is just 50 miles from the former United States Air Force base at Stephenville. There's still lots of evidence there of the old base.......

https://goo.gl/maps/pXNgvSgvM8AFXYAM9






And to keep this on a railroad theme....the USAF even operated their own narrow gauge railway to connect with the NFLD Railway near Stephenville Crossing.