New T'Railway crossings coming
Brodie Thomas
The Gulf News

T'Railway users will be able to directly cross more west coast waterways by this fall instead of having to find other ways around damaged and missing trestles.

Some $2 million will be spent this year removing and replacing five T'Railway trestles on the west coast, including Codroy North Branch, Morris Brook, Middle Brook, Robinson's River East and Robinson's River West.

Jamie Warren, president of the Newfoundland T'Railway Council, said replacing the trestles was a part of the group's three-year plan from the start. He said the council worked from east to west, knowing the west coast required some of the most expensive trail upgrades.

Mr. Warren said the $2 million was listed in the provincial budget, although at that time it was unclear what part of the T'Railway the money would be spent on.

He said they have actually purchased between 300 and 400 feet of Bailey bridge, which will be installed over these five crossings among others.

"You don't actually buy a bridge, you buy it by the foot," explained Mr. Warren. He said Bailey bridges are ideal for these crossings because they are built to withstand weather and do not require centre piers on long spans.

The Bailey bridges are over 11 feet wide to allow snowmobile trail groomers passage in the winter. In the summer, posts will be put in place to prevent full-sized vehicles from crossing.

Mr. Warren said dismantling current trestles can be an expensive and complicated proposition because they span ecologically sensitive waterways.

Tenders for removal of the five crossing previously listed, plus the bridge at Bear Cove Brook, are being prepared.

The tender has already closed and the contract will soon be awarded for removal of the Crabbes River Bridge, which collapsed earlier this year. It should be cleaned up by the end of the summer, according to Mr. Warren.

He does not know when the new crossing over Crabbes River will be completed.

"It doesn't make sense to have a major gap in the railway bed for continuity purposes, but the timeline for when that will go back is difficult to say," said Mr. Warren.

He said the T'Railway Council's goal is to have an uninterrupted route across the island.


It's going to be great having those Bailey Bridges spanning those rivers. The Detours now have ATV Riders traveling along the TCH in some places for kilometers. Hopefully someday We'll be able to ride the entire Island without detours. As an ex - Railroader i know the obstacles and how expensive upkeep can be over the long corridor. I also know once in place it can be quite a Tourist attraction and have many more business opportunities for anyone who wants to get involved. I also hope the T'Railway council decides to have a few meetings around the Island to get more people involved in day to day operations of it.

Some action on the T'railway matter from the feds today.

Money for T'Railway Improvements
February 17, 2008

Ottawa is providing financial assistance to help make safety and structural improvements to the Newfoundland T'Railway. Earlier this week, the provincial government announced that all structures, including trestles and bridges along the T'Railway are closed to all pedestrian, ATV, snowmobile and vehicle traffic after a number of inspections by Transport Canada indicated that eighteen of these structures pose an unreasonable life safety risk to the public. The province's representative in the federal cabinet spoke on the issue Saturday while addressing the 25th annual convention and trade show of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador at Hotel Gander. Loyola Hearn said that through ACOA, one-and-a-half million dollars will be spent for necessary enhancements and upgrades on the T'Railway across the island.

Progress on T'Railway
February 23, 2008

All inspections of the structures along the T'Railway Provincial Park have now been completed and the majority of structures have been reopened to the public.

Environment Minister Charlene Johnson says all structures between St. John's and Stephenville are now re-opened with the exception of Glide Brook near Deer Lake. A further assessment of Glide Brook has determined that the structure will remain closed until further notice. Mary Ann Brook and Black Duck Brook are also now reopened to the public. Assessments of the structures from Stephenville to Port Aux Basques were completed this week and eight structures will remain closed as a result. Middle Brook, Barry Brook, Fischells Brook, Robinsons River West and East, Flat Bay Bridge, Morris Brook Bridge and Codroy North Branch Bridge are off limits until safety issues are addressed.

It's great news to hear the T'Railway bridges have been reopened. Several announced as still closed on the West Coast section have never really been opened and some such as the one at Morris Brook don't exist. Those bridges washed out years ago causing hikers,Snowmobiles and ATV'S to cross the river beds or detour around. The one at North Branch forces people to travel along the shoulders of the TCH for a kilometer or more. It's no easy task maintaining this trailbed and one of the factors involved when the railway closed it.I worked on those sections of trails when employed by the railway and know conditions of the trail can change daily.

From CBC News, NL, Feb. 14/2008

T'Railway bridges, trestles ordered closed

Last Updated: Thursday, February 14, 2008 | 5:50 PM NT

In an unusual move, the Newfoundland and Labrador government ordered the closure of dozens of trestles and bridges on an island-wide trail.

The T'Railway Provincial Park was built along the former railbed of the Newfoundland Railway after it was decommissioned in the late 1980s.

In a statement Thursday, the government said federal inspectors found significant safety risks with trestles and bridges that are often used by hikers and riders on all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles.

"Transport Canada indicates that 18 structures pose an unreasonable life safety risk to the public," the government said in a statement.

"The report also indicates that many other structures should be examined for life safety issues."

The remaining trestles and bridges will remain closed until engineering studies prove they are safe.

The government said it will erect warning signs and barricades to keep the public away.

here are a few shots of some bridges in my area. All structures seem safe and well maintained to me. Hopefully the list will become available to those of us who use the trail frequently.

Looks like Climate change has taken its toll on Cape Ray Beach. With the increase in Atlantic Storms and maybe the lack of ice in the Gulf the past several years,our Beach is loosing sand.A Retaining Wall built sometime in the past by the Railroad is now exposed to the elements. No one seems to know what year it was put in place but it was placed there to protect the Rails that ran just yards from it. After the demise of the Railway it was converted into a T'Railway and maybe the next major storm when it comes (and it will) we'll see the collapse of the T'Railway and maybe the Ocean carve deep into the Lagoon behind it.

Bedrock is now showing on the Beach. This was never seen before.

The Beach once covered the entire wall and the sand went quite a distance out to the Ocean.

No one seems to know when the Retaining Wall was built.

The Beach,known as Cape Ray Beach has lost much of its sand.

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Once Tourists and Locals sunbathed on sand here much higher then the height of the wall.

An Aerial View from above shows that the Section affected is also the narrow part. The next Storm may cause a break into this section and the ocean may spill into the area known as the Parking lot.

I had 16 years with the railway in Newfoundland.I started at age 16 while still in high school and at that time over 800 people in my community alone had employment there.I gradually watched it fade away and now ATV's,snowmobiles and hikers travel across an abandoned railbed.Just a scatter railway spike can be found laying on the gravel today as proof that once we had a band of steel connecting Port Aux Basques to St. Johns.
During my last years with the railway then know as Terra Transport i spent time travelling and living in different communities. Howley,Badger,Gander,Arnolds cove,Deer Lake and Clarenville became my home for months at a time. During that time i worked with men from many Newfoundland communities. Some have since passed away and a few i still keep in contact with.
I'll list a few here just in case someone might see and tell them.I remember four from the community of Embree,Ivan Potter,Bert Hoddinott,Jim Snow and Earl Purchase.Two brothers from Gambo,Calvin and Edgar Payne.From Howley,Dany Saunders,Bruce Blundon.Gerald Canning,passadena.A father and son from Corner Brook,Ed and Les Hann.Bill Benett from Bellview .Several from the Bonavista peninsula,Stan Button,Cyril Keough,and Lyold Woodman.George Chatman,Winston Greening from Charlottetown.Roy Moore from the Whitbourne area.Hopefully some will see this blog and get in touch.

Flawed Logic?

Will this story made the big times! The Globe & Mail picked it up today.

Trail's trestles, bridges closed over safety worry

The Canadian Press

February 15, 2008

St. John's -- The Newfoundland government has closed all trestles, bridges and other structures on a provincewide trail because of concerns over their safety.

T'Railway Provincial Park follows the former track route of the Canadian National Railway, from St. John's to Port aux Basques. Transport Canada inspected 109 structures and found that 18 of them pose an unreasonable safety risk.

18 structures are deemed to be unsafe and the government closes down 109 across the island. Yesterday the same government said it would shut down 22 personal care homes in the province because they have no sprinkler systems. Using the same logic i wonder why they didn't want to shut down all personal care homes? Today i went out to check the bailey bridge close to where i live to see if a barricade had been put in place. Nothing was erected by 3 pm today so i drove across it. That bailey bridge (in the top photo) was only recently placed there and cost many thousands of dollars after an environmental assessment. I always heard the phrase if it's not broke don't fix it. So if it's not broke don't touch it!

Afternoon on the Newfoundland Trailway

Spent a few hours with my granddaughter on the Newfoundland Trailway this afternoon. We have made quite a few little rides this pass summer and seldom meet anyone else out doing the same thing. However today i saw a tour group who probably came by way of Argentia and they usually drive on without stopping. I had 16 years on that trailway but back then we called it a railway and rode over it by train or rail speeder. I'll post a link here of a past blog so i won't have to get all teary eyed today describing those years. So back to the trailway........... it passes through my community and the scenery here with the miles of sandy beaches is fantastic. I sometimes wonder why very few take advantage of it here and no local has started a tour company for tourists who might like to see something different. I'm sure in the summer time a tour of just a few hours per day could fetch a few dollars to some young entrepreneur.........So back to this afternoon. Our little trip lasted less than two hours and my granddaughter got to enjoy a great August afternoon before she starts her first year of school in a week or so. We shot a few hundred shots (thank God for Digital) and i will pick out a few to have developed for her albums and the rest will be stored on DVD's. So for anyone who might like to view the Newfoundland Trailway in our area click on a few thumbnails below to see a few of our shots today.

Winter Ride-Newfoundland Trailway

Recently made a 112 km return trip on the T'Railway and enjoyed the little excursion. This little run gave my next door neighbor an opportunity to try his new ATV on a run for the very first time. I was surprised that we didn't meet more people along the way. We did meet three couples traveling by snowmobile in the South Branch area and ran across them again later in the day. A few photos of our day.

Groundhog Day

We hardly take notice of Groundhog Day in our area.We watch the news and see some TV station doing a little segment or so about the day and the meaning. With no Groundhogs in NL some of us observe it differently. I don't know how accurate my predictions will be but i suspect we'll have a bit more winter.I can only surmise this by saying that since we saw no shadows of our MHA's in the legislature yesterday that'll have to do for us. They showed a repeat of the 1993 Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray on several stations yesterday. In that movie the character finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.The movie reminds me of the top photo (The Wreckhouse) i posted. This Groundhog Day accident looks so similar to others i have seen on this stretch over the years it just reminds me of the movie. The scene will repeat itself many more times in 2008. This is the third time since January 2nd that i have went to the area to shoot a few photos of a tractor trailer accident. It happens on the same stretch and each time a southeast wind blows here i actually think that it's mandatory for one to blow over. The accidents happen in an area where a small weather station to gauge the winds is sat up. Decades ago the McDougall family lived here and became famous for predicting the winds and alerting the railway not to send the trains through the area. With todays technology it would be so simple to have a digital sign on both ends warning Tractor Trailer drivers of the wind in real time. Most drivers are lucky and only receive a few minor injuries but someday surely someone unaware of what can happen will die on that stretch of road in the top photo.

Few pics i shot of the Groundhog Day accident.

Erosion a growing concern at Cheeseman beach

 

The beach at J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park isn’t what it used to be.

© Brodie Thomas photo

Wayne Osmond stands by an old railway retaining wall recently exposed in an eroding bank. Osmond is alarmed at how quickly sand dunes have been washing away at Cheeseman Beach.

Just ask Wayne Osmond. The resident of nearby Cape Ray has lived in the area his whole life and he walks the beach at least three times a week.
Lately the amount of erosion has begun to concern him.More,CLICK HERE.....

June 6/1986

The photo above was taken June 6/1986 when we still had a railway running across our island. I was stationed in Howley at the time and each morning our work crew would leave at 6 am to travel to the Gaff Topsails area to repair the railbed. The days prior to June 6th had been terrible weather wise and each day we returned sore and cold.The trips by speeder to the Gaff usually took a hour and we got blasted by the winds on the open trolley. On the morning of June 6th we awoke to see the community covered in snow and one of the senior guys said we could expect much more on the way up to the Summit. The trip that usually took one hour turned into several before we got stuck in the snow at Kittys Brook far below the Gaff. Our Speeder had its ice wheels removed weeks before and it simply could not tow our Trolleys. Nine of us stayed at Kittys Brook while the speeder made the attempt to go ahead.We spent the remaing hours of that morning viewing the Moose and Caribou that wandered around near by or simply chatted.After that day the weather changed and each morning seemed to be better than the last. 21 years have gone by,but i seem to remember that day in June very clear.Strange how some days always remain fresh in our minds.

Photo: (front roll.) Ed Saunders,Jim Snow,Wayne Osmond,Fred Boone,Charlie Riles.
(back roll) Gary Gilliam,Jim Bragg,Larry AuCoin....photo taken by Elias Osmond.

A few more shots of Autumn. Hopefully the rain will stop by the weekend so i can get out for a few more photos. This one is of the Newfoundland T'railway near Cape Ray.

The rest are taken in the Codroy Valley area.