Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
Encyclopedia
The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257.2 mi) through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 and western Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...

. It connects Labrador City
Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador , near the Quebec border. As of 2006, its population is 7,240...

, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...

, with the port of Sept-Îles
Sept-Îles, Quebec
For the islands in north of Brittany, see JentilezSept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population...

, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. QNSL is owned by the Iron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company...

 (IOC).

History

Built between 1951 and 1954, the QNSL originally connected the port of Sept-Îles, Québec
Sept-Îles, Quebec
For the islands in north of Brittany, see JentilezSept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is the northernmost town in Quebec with any significant population...

 on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River with the northern terminus at IOC's mining community of Schefferville, Quebec
Schefferville, Quebec
Schefferville is a town in the Canadian province of Quebec. Schefferville is in the heart of the Naskapi and Innu territory in northern Quebec, less than 2 km from the border with Labrador on the north shore of Knob Lake. The town has an incorporated area of . It is located within the...

, a distance of 359 miles (577.8 km). In 1958, the Wabush ore body near Labrador City
Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador , near the Quebec border. As of 2006, its population is 7,240...

 was opened by both IOC and the Wabush Mining Company. QNSL built a 36 miles (57.9 km) line to serve these mines, running west from the Sept-Îles, Quebec-Schefferville, Quebec, main line at Emeril Junction, Labrador, to Carole Lake, Labrador, near Wabush, Labrador
Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, known for transportation and iron ore operations for over three decades ....

. Service on this branch began in 1960.

At the same time, Wabush Mining Co. built the relatively short Wabush Lake Railway
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.The Wabush Lake...

 from its mines at Labrador City to the QNSL connection at Wabush. QNSL hauls its own traffic from Carol Lake to IOC port facilities at Sept-Îles, Quebec. QNSL also hauls Wabush Lake Railway traffic from the interchange at Wabush to Arnaud Jct., Quebec, near Sept-Îles, where it interchanges to the Arnaud Railway, which then completes the journey around Sept-Îles Harbour to Wabush Mining Co. port facilities at Point Noire, Quebec
Pointe-Noire, Quebec
Pointe-Noire is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is within the cityof Sept-Îles in the Sept-Rivières regional county municipality and the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec....

.

In the 1980s, economic conditions favoured the closing of the Schefferville mining operations in favour of iron ore deposits located further to the south near Wabush and most residents relocated to Labrador City. QNSL maintained subsidized passenger and freight service for local First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...

 communities along this portion of its system, known as the Menihek Subdivision, until December 1, 2005, when it sold the Emeril Junction, Labrador-Schefferville, Quebec, rail line to Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a Canadian short line railway that stretches 134 miles through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril Junction, Labrador with the community of Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary...

 for the sum of 1$ CAD. QNSL still provides freight services however, transporting employee automobiles, various bulk mine materials, large equipment, and everyday supplies for Labrador City and the various maintenance of way camps.

Currently, this railway, along with the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a Canadian short line railway that stretches 134 miles through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril Junction, Labrador with the community of Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary...

 line, Arnaud Railway
Chemin de fer Arnaud
The Chemin de fer Arnaud is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Quebec.Opened in 1965, the railway operates a line running around Sept-Îles Harbour from Arnaud Junction, on the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to ship loading facilities at Pointe-Noire.The railway is...

, Wabush Lake Railway
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.The Wabush Lake...

, and Bloom Lake Railway, forms an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...

 network.

More traffic

In 2010, Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines opened the Bloom Lake Mine, just west of Labrador City, Newfoundland. As part of this new operation, Genessee & Wyoming was contracted to operate the Bloom Lake Railway to transport ire ore from the mine to a connection with the Wabush Lake Railway
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.The Wabush Lake...

. The Wabush Lake Railway
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.The Wabush Lake...

 began acting as a middle man, taking the Bloom Lake Railway trains, and transporting them to Wabush Junction for the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&L) to transport to the Chemin de fer Arnaud
Chemin de fer Arnaud
The Chemin de fer Arnaud is a Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Quebec.Opened in 1965, the railway operates a line running around Sept-Îles Harbour from Arnaud Junction, on the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to ship loading facilities at Pointe-Noire.The railway is...

 just as they would Wabush trains. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at Pointe-Noire, Quebec
Pointe-Noire, Quebec
Pointe-Noire is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is within the cityof Sept-Îles in the Sept-Rivières regional county municipality and the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec....

.

In popular culture

The construction of the QNSL forms the backdrop for English author Hammond Innes
Hammond Innes
Ralph Hammond Innes was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as children's and travel books....

, 1958 adventure novel about Labrador, The Land God gave to Cain. Innes spent a period of time with the crews building the railway during his research.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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