Millertown Railway

AND 23 stopped at Buchans Junction. August 30, 1955. J.D.Knowles/BRS Archives.

ENLARGE

Millertown Railway train at Millertown Jct. October 1953 Arthur Weber

Tiny 4-wheel locomotive 21 (make unknown) is almost dwarfed by the small passenger car
(lettered for The Newfoundland Development Co.Ltd.) whose roof style is from a time long before 1900.

The Millertown Railway in Newfoundland was built in 1901 for a lumberman by the name of Miller. It ran for 19.5 miles from Millertown Junction on the Newfoundland Railway to Millertown. Typical of British Colonies it was built to the narrow gauge of 42" (3 feet 6 inches) referred to as Colonial gauge.

In 1910 Miller sold his railway to the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company (AND Co.) which had the year before completed the Botwood Railway running 22 miles from a paper mill in Grand Falls to Botwood.

The Millertown Railway retained its own name and was extended by the AND Co. southward 19 miles to Lake Ambrose as the Harpoon Tramway, mainly for logging. These were all non-common carrier railways however passengers were carried.

Both of the Millertown and the Harpoon lines were dismantled in 1957 except for the portion of the Millertown between Millertown Jct. and Botwood Junction. Following closure, dinky engine 21 went to work shuttling across a power dam.

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