Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway

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Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway
Logo
Locale Labrador / Quebec
Dates of operation 1954–
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Sept-Îles, Quebec
QNSL
Wacouna and Northernland Subdivisions
BSicon .svg KDSTa
Ore loading
BSicon .svg HST
260.8 Carol Lake (Labrador City)
STRq ABZlg
260.1 Wabush Lake Jct (to WABL)
BSicon .svg HST
246.5 Opocopa
BSicon .svg 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
BSicon .svg HST
215.0 Ross Bay
BSicon .svg HST
204.7 Ashuanipi
BSicon .svg HST
193.7 Dry Lake
BSicon .svg HST
186.6 Oreway
BSicon .svg HST
177.8 Pitaga
BSicon .svg HST
166.4 Dolliver
BSicon .svg HST
155.2 Seahorse
BSicon .svg HST
148.3 Little
BSicon .svg HST
138.0 Eric
BSicon .svg HST
128.1 Mai
BSicon .svg HST
120.5 Dufresne Lake
BSicon .svg HST
110.8 Chico
BSicon .svg HST
101.1 Waco
BSicon .svg HST
90.3 Canatiche
BSicon .svg HST
79.6 Premio
BSicon .svg HST
73.0 Bybee
BSicon .svg HST
68.4 Tonkas
BSicon .svg HST
62.1 Dorée
BSicon .svg HST
56.6 Tika
BSicon .svg HST
45.3 Nipisso
BSicon .svg HST
35.1 Nicman
BSicon .svg HST
27.4 Saumon
BSicon .svg HST
17.1 Tellier
STRrg ABZrf
8.3 Arnaud Jct (to ARND)
ABZ3rf ABZlg
6.8 Kemat Jct (to ARND)
BSicon .svg HST
6.4 Kemat
BSicon .svg BHF
3.5 Sept-Iles
BSicon .svg KDSTe
0.0 Ore unloader

The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway 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 359 miles (573 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, PQ-Schefferville, PQ 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 Carol Lake to IOC port facilities at Sept-Îles, PQ. QNSL also hauls Wabush Lake Railway traffic from the interchange at Wabush, NL to Arnaud Jct., PQ, 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, PQ.

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, PQ rail line to Tshiuetin Rail Transportation for the sum of 1$ CAD.

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


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