The Railway Newfoundland soon realized that railroads were the key to rapid growth They were also UNIFIERS & NATION BUILDERS

North American Railroads First transcontinental USA (1869) First in Canada (1855) NL decided in 1878 to build a 550 KM railway from St. John’s to Halls Bay April of 1881 the contract was awarded to the Newfoundland Railway Company

Issues Cost (could bankrupt us) Land reclamation issues Lack of focus on the fishery

Robert Reid The NL railway company went broke (got so far as Whitbourne!) Robert Reid jumped in to save the day Many people felt that he was given a lot more “perks” than he deserved BUT more on that later.

Building the Railway 2200 workers employed at peak construction 1897 the line reached Port-Aux-Basques First passenger train to complete the trip left St. John’s @ 7:20 PM on June 29th and arrived in Port-Aux-Basques the next day @ 10:45 PM

Changes along the way In 1892, the Newfoundland Government decided to re-route the line away from Hall’s Bay to take a more direct westerly direction over the GAFF TOPSAILS (area of high open land). Port-Aux-Basque was selected as the final destination because it was not on the French Treaty Shore.

How much did it finally cost? By 1898, the government had spent $10.7 million on the construction of the railway. This amount accounted for 60% of the public debt at the time. Can you imagine how much money that would be by today’s standards?

Completed Lines

Positive Results Despite the expense, building the Railway in NL had some very positive results. Essential for economic diversification strategy Construction and operation created employment Workers were paid in CASH Created a transportation link for seasonal workers New communities were created with jobs there (Whitbourne, Grand Falls, Bishop’s Falls)

Economic Diversification With the completion of the Railway in Newfoundland, our economy was not totally dependent on the fishery! New Industries could be developed: Forestry Mining agriculture

Dimensions of Thinking Judgement Time  Read Pages 304-305 in your text book and answer the questions on your notes sheet.