Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway

The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257 mi) 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).

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 359 miles (578 km). In 1958, the Wabush ore body near Labrador City was opened by both IOC and the Wabush Mining Company. QNSL built a 36-mile (58 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. Service on this branch began in 1960.

At the same time, Wabush Mining Company built the relatively short Wabush Lake Railway 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.

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 Junction, Labrador-Schefferville, Quebec, rail line to Tshiuetin Rail Transportation 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 line, Arnaud Railway, Wabush Lake Railway, and Bloom Lake Railway, forms an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American 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 iron ore from the mine to a connection with the Wabush Lake Railway. The Wabush Lake Railway 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 just as they would Wabush trains. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at Pointe-Noire, Quebec.

In popular culture

The construction of the QNSL forms the backdrop for English author Hammond Innes, 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.

See also

• COGEMA ^[1]

References

1. ^ Trains (Magazine) February 2009 p9

External links

• Map of the QNSL line
• Map of the QNS&L and Tshiuetin Rail Transportation lines PDF file
• Fact Sheet detailing the transaction PDF file
• Rail Lines of Northern Québec
• Rail Lines of Labrador