Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
Logo
Reporting marks QNSL
Locale Labrador / Quebec
Dates of operation 1954–present
Track gauge 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Sept-Îles, Quebec
QNSL
Wacouna and Northernland Subdivisions
KDSa
Ore loading
HST
260.8 Carol Lake (Labrador City)
HSTR ABZlg
260.1 Wabush Lake Jct (to WABL)
HST
246.5 Opocopa
HST
234.5 Menistouc
STRrg ABZrf
226.7 Ross Bay Jct West
STR ABZrg
225.3 Emeril Jct (to TRTS)
DST HST
225.0 Ross Bay Jct Yard
STRlf ABZlg
224.0 Ross Bay Jct South
HST
215.0 Ross Bay
HST
204.7 Ashuanipi
HST
193.7 Dry Lake
HST
186.6 Oreway
HST
177.8 Pitaga
HST
166.4 Dolliver
HST
155.2 Seahorse
HST
148.3 Little
HST
138.0 Eric
HST
128.1 Mai
HST
120.5 Dufresne Lake
HST
110.8 Chico
HST
101.1 Waco
HST
90.3 Canatiche
HST
79.6 Premio
HST
73.0 Bybee
HST
68.4 Tonkas
HST
62.1 Dorée
HST
56.6 Tika
HST
45.3 Nipisso
HST
35.1 Nicman
HST
27.4 Saumon
HST
17.1 Tellier
STRrg ABZrf
8.3 Arnaud Jct (to ARND)
ABZ3rf ABZlg
6.8 Kemat Jct (to ARND)
HST
6.4 Kemat
BHF
3.5 Sept-Iles
KDSe
0.0 Ore unloader

The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (AAR reporting mark: QNSL) is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (261 miles) through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. QNSL is owned by the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC).

[edit] History

Built between 1951 and 1954, the QNSL originally connected the port of Sept-Îles, Québec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River with the northern terminus at IOC's mining community of Schefferville, Quebec, a distance of 573 km (359 miles). In 1958, the Wabush ore body near Labrador City was opened by both IOC and the Wabush Mining Company. QNSL built a 58 km (36 mile) line to serve these mines, running west from the Sept-Îles, QC-Schefferville, QC main line at Emeril Junction, NL to Carole Lake, NL, near Wabush, NL. Service on this branch began in 1960.

At the same time, Wabush Mining Co. built the relatively short Wabush Lake Railway from its mines at Labrador City, NL to the QNSL connection at Wabush, NL. QNSL hauls its own traffic from Carole Lake to IOC port facilities at Sept-Îles, QC. QNSL also hauls Wabush Lake Railway traffic from the interchange at Wabush, NL to Arnaud Jct., QC, 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, QC.

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 communities along this portion of its system, known as the Menihek Subdivision, until December 1, 2005 when it sold the Emeril Jct, NL-Schefferville, QC rail line to Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.

Currently, this railway, along with the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation line, Arnaud Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway, forms an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network.

[edit] External links

Languages