Tales of the Rails, Volume 4
by Clayton D. Cook

The first train that went through to Port aux Basques left Whitbourne on St. George’s Day, April 23, 1898 and did not reach Port aux Basques until sometime late in June.

This work train consisted of a lone locomotive and four pieces of rolling stock. The train was made up as follows:

a) Engine No. 5: a small and lightweight-type which was in use at the time and was equipped with an ordinary iron snowplow attachment; commonly know as a “Pilot Plow.”

b) One flatcar containing piledriver and provisions.

c) One flatcar of coal.

d) One boxcar fitted with bunks for the officials in one end and a cook room in the other.

e) One car for the workmen and equipment.

Alexander Cobb was in charge with Danny Ferguson as second-in-command.

The train crews were engineer James McDonald, fireman Bart Dunphy, conductor John Day, and brakeman Alex Fraser.

Approximately eleven days were spent negotiating the Gaff Topsails, and during one heavy snowstorm, operations had stopped for the better part of three days. The trestle at Main Gut, near Stephenville Crossing, was completely gone and had to be rebuilt with minor repairs to other culverts and trestles along the route as well.

Grand Bay dump was washed out from end to end, and was rebuilt with stone brought in by a flotilla of boats.

The remaining two-mile section of track between Grand Bay and Port aux Basques was laid, and the Newfoundland Railway was complete from St. John’s to Port aux Basques, a distance of 547 miles. The last spike was driven in place by telegraph operator William Ford and the tie was held in place by Danny Ferguson.

The train which left Whitbourne on April 23, 1898 and did not arrive at Port aux Basques until late in June was, in essence, the last work train. Its crew made sure that the track, roadbed, culverts, and bridges were in first-class order for the inaugural and epoch-making journey at the end of June.

This train crew added the finishing touch when they completed the last link between Grand Bay and Port aux Basques. Operator Ford and Danny Ferguson drove the last spike in an unrecorded ceremony, every bit as significant, though on a smaller scale, as in Western Canada more than a decade earlier.

On June 29, 1898, the first passenger train—made up of two steam locomotives, Nos. 60 and 62, 2-6-0 tender-type, one combination baggage and mail car, two first-class passenger cars, one dining car, and two sleeping cars named Placentia and Trinity—departed St. John’s at 7:20 p.m. and arrived at Port aux Basques at 10:45 p.m., and the rail link with mainland Canada was completed.

The train crew for the inaugural trip were:

Engineers:    E. Pickering and John Byrne

Conductor:   Stephen Howlett

Brakemen:    P. Lee and G. Pushie

A regular schedule of three trains per week was then set up. The 547-mile run from St. John’s to Port aux Basques was twenty-eight hours.