Newfoundland Railway

While on a shore excursion out of Corner Brook, Newfoundland on a New England / Atlantic Canada cruise, we passed a small museum honoring the Newfoundland Railway.  I was on a bus, and wasn’t too happy – as seeing the museum and not being able to photograph it was worse than not seeing it, not knowing it was there, and then not feeling like I missed anything.  We’ve all been there for something.

As things would have it, we had some time before the ship sailed, so…  It was off to the dock and to the cab line.  And then, a short drive to the museum in Humbermouth, NL.

My cab driver was a native Newfoundlander, and had driven by the museum many times, but had never stopped.  He walked with me as I photographed, and as we talked about life in Newfoundland, we also talked about the history we were looking at.  One thing about trains is that they an often tell a story.  The rails themselves tell you who made them and when, and sometimes, where as well.  Castings have the manufacturer’s name, and often the date.  Engines have a Builder’s Plate to tell their story.  So, in about half an hour, we both learned things we didn’t know before our brief encounter.

Unfortunately, the Museum itself was closed, so my education about the Newfoundland Railway was limited to the rolling stock on display.

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The Newfoundland Railway ceased operations in 1988 when the Trans-Canada Highway was completed across Newfoundland.

Here’s a link to the Newfoundland Railway Gallery on Laughing Frog Images.

If you’d like to learn more about the museum, check out the Railway Society of Newfoundland Facebook Page.

The Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador’s railway site can be found here:  Railway Society of Newfoundland

Also worth checking out is the Railway Coastal Museum website.  The museum itself, with excellent dioramas and displays in former Newfoundland Railway passenger cars is in St. John’s, NL.

If that’s not enough information, here’s some recommended reading: “Rails Across the Rock: A Then and Now Celebration of the Newfoundland Railway.”  Pieroway, Ken.  2013  (I don’t have it in my collection yet, but it’s been well received in the reviews I’ve read.)

We saw just enough in Newfoundland to add it to my Bucket List.  A few hours of shore time just didn’t do it justice.

Western Pacific Railroad Museum

The Feather River Express laid over in Portola, CA for two nights, giving The Frog a full day to explore Portola Railroad Days and the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola.

The Western Pacific Railroad Museum is one of the more notable railroad museums in that they not only have a great collection of locomotives,  but also passenger and freight cars from the Western Pacific and connecting lines.  And – you can also rent a locomotive and be an engineer for an hour or two.  Who out there can honestly say they never wanted to run a locomotive?  Who, I ask!

The Western Pacific Railroad ran between Salt Lake City / Ogden Utah and Oakland, CA.  It was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1983.

The Western Pacific Railroad Museum Gallery is a reminder that there was a time before graffiti, and that railroads did paint things other than black and red.  Railroads even had slogans in those days!  And, who knew that the Strategic Air Command had command centers on the rails?

Great museum. Great area.  What else can be said?

For a look at the sights and sounds of modern railroad power in 1952, as well as a look at passenger cars from that era, check out a few short video clips on Laughing Frog’s YouTube channel.

This is a view-only gallery (at least at this time).

If you like what you see, consider making a visit to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum to experience it for yourself, or at least make a donation so that others can continue to enjoy the museum and the artifacts for decades to come.