The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
regional railway In the United States, a regional railroad is a railroad company that is not Class I, but still has a substantial amount of traffic or trackage (and is thus not a short line). The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has defined the lower bound ...
that stretches through the wilderness of northeastern
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
and western
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
. It connects
Labrador City
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Go ...
, Labrador, with the port of
Sept-Îles, Quebec
Sept-Îles (Quebec French pronunciation : , French for "Seven Islands") is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec. It is among the northernmost locales with a paved connection to the rest of Quebec's road network. The population was ...
, on the north shore of the
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
. QNS&L is owned by
Iron Ore Company of Canada
Iron Ore Company of Canada (often abbreviated to IOC) (french: Compagnie Minière IOC) 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. It is now owned by ...
(IOC), and is a common carrier.
History
When it was built between 1951 and 1954, the QNS&L connected the port of Sept-Îles on the north shore of the
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
with the northern terminus at IOC's mining community of
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 (1¼ miles) from the border with Labrador on the north shore of Knob Lake. I ...
, a distance of . In 1958, the Wabush ore body near Labrador City was opened by IOC and the
Wabush Mining Company. QNS&L built a line to serve these mines, running west from the Sept-Îles-Schefferville main line at
Emeril Junction, Labrador, to
Carol Lake, Labrador, near
Wabush
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Economy
Wabush is the twin community of Labrador City. At its peak population in the late 1970s, the region had a population ...
. Service on this branch began in 1960.
At the same time, Wabush Mining Company built the relatively short
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway (formerly WABL and NLCL) is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The railway was built in 1960 from the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to Wabush, initially called t ...
from its mines at Labrador City to the QNS&L connection at Wabush. QNS&L hauls its own traffic from Carol Lake to IOC port facilities at Sept-Îles. QNSX 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
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec (formerly ARND and CFA) (in English, the Arnaud Railway) is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the pr ...
, which then completes the journey around Sept-Îles Harbour to Wabush Mining Co. port facilities at
Pointe Noire, Quebec.
In the 1980s, the Schefferville mining operations were closed in favour of iron ore deposits located further to the south near Wabush, and most residents relocated to Labrador City. QNS&L maintained subsidized passenger and freight service for local
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
communities along this portion of its system, known as the Menihek Subdivision, until December 1, 2005, when it sold the Emeril Junction-Schefferville rail line to
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a rail company that owns and operates a Canadian regional railway In the United States, a regional railroad is a railroad company that is not Class I, but still has a substantial amount of traffic or track ...
(TSH) for the sum of $1 CAD. QNS&L still provides freight services, transporting employee automobiles, various bulk mine materials, large equipment, and everyday supplies for Labrador City and the various maintenance of way camps.
This railway, along with the TSH line,
Chemin de fer Arnaud
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec (formerly ARND and CFA) (in English, the Arnaud Railway) is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the pr ...
(ARND),
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway (formerly WABL and NLCL) is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The railway was built in 1960 from the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to Wabush, initially called t ...
(WABL), and
Bloom Lake Railway (BLRC), form an isolated railway network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network.
Incidents
Some time after 1997, the QNS&L was permitted by
Transport Canada
Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...
to employ only one engineer on its routes. In 2013 after the
Lac-Mégantic rail disaster
The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster occurred in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, on July 6, 2013, at approximately 01:15 EDT, when an unattended 73-car Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA) freight train carrying Bakken Formation c ...
, Transport Canada issued 12 guideline regulations.
Since August 20, 2013 the QNS&L has been the only remaining freight railway in Canada to use Single Person Train Operation (SPTO).
[The one other Single Person Train Operation freight carrier, ]Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was a Class II freight railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec between 2002 and 2014. It was headquartered in Hermon, Maine.
Its Canadian subsid ...
, was shut down by Canadian authorities in 2013.
On Thursday, November 6, 2014, a freight train consisting of three locomotives and 240 railcars derailed 20 km north of Sept-Îles, because of a landslide over the rail tracks. The locomotives and several railcars ended up in the
Moisie River
The Moisie River is a river in eastern Quebec. Known as the Nahanni of the East, it is a wild river of North America.
It has been proposed to protect the river with the Moisie River Aquatic Reserve.
Course
The Moisie River basin lies betwee ...
. The engineer of the locomotive died and was found by divers two days later.
More traffic
In 2010,
Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., formerly Cliffs Natural Resources, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that specializes in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. It is the large ...
opened the
Bloom Lake Mine, just west of Labrador City, Newfoundland. As part of this new operation,
Genesee & Wyoming
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...
was contracted to operate the Bloom Lake Railway to transport iron ore from the mine to a connection with the
Wabush Lake Railway
The Wabush Lake Railway (formerly WABL and NLCL) is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The railway was built in 1960 from the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to Wabush, initially called t ...
. The Wabush Lake Railway began acting as a middle man, taking the Bloom Lake Railway trains, and transporting them to Wabush Junction for the QNS&L to transport to the
Chemin de fer Arnaud
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec (formerly ARND and CFA) (in English, the Arnaud Railway) is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the pr ...
just as they would Wabush trains. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at
Pointe-Noire, Quebec
Pointe-Noire is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is within the city
of Sept-Îles in the Sept-Rivières regional county municipality and the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec.
It is a shipping port and a ter ...
.
In popular culture
The construction of the QNSX forms the backdrop for English author
Hammond Innes
Ralph Hammond Innes (15 July 1913 – 10 June 1998) was a British novelist who wrote over 30 novels, as well as works for children and travel books.
Biography
Innes was born in Horsham, Sussex, and educated at Feltonfleet School, Cobham, Surrey ...
' 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.
In the early 1970s, a country-Western band from Newfoundland called the Newfoundland Showband recorded a song about the railway, sung to the tune of "
Wabash Cannonball
"The Great Rock Island Route", popularized as "Wabash Cannonball" and various other titles, is a 19th century American folk song that describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of a fictional train, the ''Wabash Cannonball Express'', as it tra ...
".
Locomotive roster
![QNS&L](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/QNS%26L.jpg)
QNSL rosters seven types of locomotives. Most of these engines have been rebuilt at some point in their lives.
QNS&L uses the SD40-3s mainly on mixed freight and work trains. The newer C44-9Ws, AC4400CWs, and SD70ACes handle the unit iron ore trains.
See also
*
COGEMA
Orano Cycle, formerly COGEMA (''Compagnie générale des matières nucléaires'') and Areva NC, is a French nuclear company. It is the main subsidiary of Orano S.A. It is an industrial group active in all stages of the uranium fuel cycle, inclu ...
[Trains (Magazine) February 2009 p9]
*
GMD SW1200MG
The GMD SW1200MG is a 4-axle electric locomotive built by General Motors Diesel between 1963 and 1971. The locomotive is the electric version of the diesel powered SW1200, with the prime mover replaced by a motor-generator set, hence the MG su ...
Notes
References
External links
QNS&L official website Map of the QNS&L and Tshiuetin Rail Transportation linesPDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
file
Fact Sheet detailing the transactionPDF file
Rail Lines of Northern QuébecRail Lines of Labrador"The Iron Road To Labrador."''Popular Mechanics'', February 1954, pp. 118–124.
*http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/modelListRR.aspx?id=QNSL
{{Canadianmetros
Newfoundland and Labrador railways
Quebec railways
Transport in Sept-Îles, Quebec
Companies based in Quebec