Rails Across the Rock: A Then and Now Celebration of the Newfoundland Railway

by Ken Pieroway

Rails Across The Rock is an all colour 'then & now 'celebration of the former Newfoundland Railway on the 25th Anniversary of its closing. The reader is taken on a 547 mile photographic journey from Port aux Basques to St. John's with virtually all stops in between. Captured from 1952 to 1988, you can see the last days of steam, ride the Caribou, and watch lengthy freights and little mixed trains, as well as the final run. Those scenes, contributed by some of North America's top railway photographers, capture not only the colour and uniqueness of our narrow gauge line but also the breathtaking beauty of this wonderful island. The images of James A. Brown, Bill Linley, Phil Mason, Robert J. Sandusky, Mike Shufelt, Rich Taylor and others are spread all along the trans island journey. When compared to the same scene as it exists today, the changes are remarkable as both nature and progress reclaim the right of way.

150 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2013

Reviews

[Georgette Clairmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the beautiful images of Newfoundland and the contrast of then and now. This is a true testament to the historical signifiance of the railway in Newfoundland.

[Ida Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful pictorial of Newfoundland History.

[Steve Boyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just returned from Newfoundland, I was keen to read this book to place the railway sights I saw in context.

The book shows older photographs of trains in Newfoundland paired with current photos of the same location, minus the train and tracks. It was very interesting to see how each location had changed in the >20 years since the railway went away.

Unfortunately I did not get a lot of context because we stayed in areas that would have been served by the branch lines, not the main line as depicted by this book. This isn't the book's fault and is addressed in the sequel, which I am reading next.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in Canadian railways and especially in Newfoundland.

[Wisewebwoman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful then and now pictorial of the lost, lamented Newfoundland Railway.

I would have added some personal stories, some recollections of the journeys by passengers to bring more of an intimate air to it. Also pictures, if available, of the interior of these trains.