A History of the Newfoundland Railway

by A.R. Penney, Fabian Kennedy

A History of the Newfoundland Railway (100th Anniversary Edition) by A.R. Penney and Fabian Kennedy

216 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Elliot Savage]

I learned more about NL history from this 109 page book than I have learned in the past 16 or so years of living here. A little dry in some places, but a highly informative read that made me aware of why so many things are the way they are now, why places are named and how the city ended up laid out the way it did. Looking forward to reading the second part and learning even more about this place where I've ended up living.

[John]

The Newfoundland Railway was at one time the largest narrow gauge raillway open in North America. Although cars from the mainland came and were moved on special trucks, it was much more like other British colonial lines in New Zealand or South Africa.

Bleak weather and vigorous coastal shipping always made it a losing proposition which nearly came and went in a generation. A.R.Penney, the author, was a labourer in its construction and a senior manager at its closing. This makes this account an insider story and different from most railway histories.

While the view is unique and the writing good, it's not easy reading and key data is hard to find. If you have time, this is a good book, but for your first intro to the Newfie railway Omer Lavallee's 'Narrow Gauge Raiilways of Canada' is a better bet.