About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a quick stop for the traveler to see a piece of the history and heritage of this place. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
About the Newfoundland Railway
The first line of the Newfoundland Railway, that was constructed ran from Cavendish Square, St. John’s to Harbour Grace. That line reached Harbour Grace by October 4, 1884. Construction continued on the railway lines, spanning an astonishing 1456 kilometers in its peak years. The main line ran from St. John’s to Port aux Basques, which covered 880 kilometers. The first passenger train ran across the island in June of 1898.
About Harbour Grace Station
Early Branch Line Construction
From 1880 it was recognized that a trunk line across the unpopulated interior of Newfoundland required branch lines, particularly to connect populous Conception Bay with St. John's. The original Blackman construction contract of 1881 provided for a branch line to Harbour Grace (in operation 13 years before the main line was complete) and another to Brigus.
The Harbour Grace branch was constructed for the bondholders of the bankrupt Newfoundland Railway Company beginning in 1883, when the company defaulted before reaching Harbour Grace Junction (now Whitbourne). The branch was completed in November 1884 and turned a modest operating profit before being bought by the government in 1896. The Harbour Grace line originally went from Whitbourne to Broad Cove Junction at the bottom of Trinity Bay and then across the barrens to Tilton and Conception Bay. The 13 miles of track between Broad Cove Junction and Tilton, known as the Tilton branch, were taken up in 1915-16.
Harbour Grace Station
The Harbour Grace Railway Station was built circa 1884, to accompany Harbour Grace’s branch line. The building resembles the form and style common in Newfoundland stations. Originally, the station was painted ochre red.
In 1898 Robert G. Reid took ownership of the station, along with the island’s railway interests. The colour of the station soon changed to yellow and green—standard among Reid Newfoundland Company stations. The station contained three rooms—the waiting room, express room, and main office—and two ticket windows. The buildings were built from a standard plan—frame, single-clad structures with clapboard exteriors. All standard-plan stations in Newfoundland were frame structures, clapboard and single-clad. Rather than displaying a prominent, distinctive design which proclaimed their function and the presence of the railway, they were planned to be inconspicuous, to blend with the local architecture. Smaller stations employed the characteristic hipped roofs and projecting eves. These specifications were standard across the island, except for St. John’s. Local builders likely erected the station using readily available material.
The Harbour Grace Railway Station closed on March 31, 1984, the last train running later in September.
When placed cache contained tuppence, a Gander enamel and a log roll. BYOP.
F 44.