Old Time Trains

Clarke City and the Gulf Pulp and Paper Company
It all began with the construction of a pulp mill in 1903 in a remote area of Quebec on the north shore of the St.Lawrence River. Here a company town (population about 250) was built along with a hydro plant in 1908, the houses having electricity, water and sewer, a first for the area. The dam over the Ste Marguerite River, 15 mi or so west of Sept Iles, provided the water power, which drove the mill mechanically. A nine-mile long railway was built to connect the pulp mill with a dock at Pointe Noire where two small steamships owned by the Clarkes carried the pulp to market including to the UK supplying the famous Encyclopaedia Britannica. The railway was isolated from the railway network of Canada and was a non-common carrier serving only the Clarke interests. All of this was carried out by the Clarke brothers, George, James, John and William of Toronto and New York city. Later, in 1921 one of their sons, Desmond would found Clarke Steamship Company.
Early motive power is unknown however, two used steam locomotives were acquired in 1938 from Dominion Construction Corporation which owned three identical 0-6-0's built in 1931 by Davenport Locomotive Works in Iowa.
The locomotives spent the nights in the 2-track loco shop-cum-machine shop, where a boy tended the fires all night, and snoozed in the cab of one engine. The shop equipment was all still lineshaft run, although run by an electric motor, not shafting from the water wheels. There were still (c.1961) WW1 posters on the walls, featuring Lord Kitchener pointing at YOU!
Rolling stock consisted of a number of old flat cars and two incredibly old wooden third class combination passenger cars from the Intercolonial Railway dating to the 1870's!
Discovery in 1949 of iron ore far to the north brought about changes to the area when a modern railway was built in the early 1950's into nearby Sept Iles (Seven Islands), a small (pop. 600?) fishing village. Quebec North Shore and Labrador was built 360 miles to the Iron Ore Company of Canada mines at Schefferville near Ungava Bay and completed in 1954. The dam near Sept Iles was modified to supply electricity to Sept Iles and at the same time the pulp mill was converted to run on hydro electricity as well.
Later, construction of the Arnaud Railway directly affected the GP&P's private railway when part of their right-of-way was appropriated by the new iron ore railway resulting in a new straighter line for the GP&P.
Steam remained in use until 1963 when steam coal could no longer be had. QNS&L traded one of their two GE 70-tonners acquired new in 1952 for construction of their railway for number 48 which they put on display at the Sept Iles passenger station next to their own steam locomotive 702 (ex ONR) a 4-6-2 which was used on construction trains along with a 4-6-0, ex CNR 1112 which was preserved at the Canadian Railway Museum near Montreal. Later, it went to the Smiths Falls Railway Museum where it remains on display. 70-tonner number 92 (#31276 2/52) was acquired 10/63 and renumbered 64. A second 70-tonner (ex PGE 554 #30177 6/49) was acquired in 1965 and renumbered 65.
It all came to an end in 1968 following acquisition of Gulf Pulp and Paper by Anglo-Canadian Paper, Quebec City and the subsequent unionization of the mill, a strike and the closure of the mill. The railway was abandoned and equipment was scattered about or scrapped. Luckily, both steam locomotives were preserved and remain in existence to this day. Unfortunately, the ancient passenger cars were not so lucky and both were destroyed.
The people of Clarke City living in the company houses refused to move out and won a court battle to remain. Clarke City was bought for $1 by Sept Iles and annexed in 1970.

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Old Time Trains © 2009

Clarke City and the Gulf Pulp and Paper Company

It all began with the construction of a pulp mill in 1903 in a remote area of Quebec on the north shore of the St.Lawrence River. Here a company town (population about 250) was built along with a hydro plant in 1908, the houses having electricity, water and sewer, a first for the area. The dam over the Ste Marguerite River, 15 mi or so west of Sept Iles, provided the water power, which drove the mill mechanically. A nine-mile long railway was built to connect the pulp mill with a dock at Pointe Noire where two small steamships owned by the Clarkes carried the pulp to market including to the UK supplying the famous Encyclopaedia Britannica. The railway was isolated from the railway network of Canada and was a non-common carrier serving only the Clarke interests. All of this was carried out by the Clarke brothers, George, James, John and William of Toronto and New York city. Later, in 1921 one of their sons, Desmond would found Clarke Steamship Company.

Early motive power is unknown however, two used steam locomotives were acquired in 1938 from Dominion Construction Corporation which owned three identical 0-6-0's built in 1931 by Davenport Locomotive Works in Iowa.

The locomotives spent the nights in the 2-track loco shop-cum-machine shop, where a boy tended the fires all night, and snoozed in the cab of one engine. The shop equipment was all still lineshaft run, although run by an electric motor, not shafting from the water wheels. There were still (c.1961) WW1 posters on the walls, featuring Lord Kitchener pointing at YOU!

Rolling stock consisted of a number of old flat cars and two incredibly old wooden third class combination passenger cars from the Intercolonial Railway dating to the 1870's!

Discovery in 1949 of iron ore far to the north brought about changes to the area when a modern railway was built in the early 1950's into nearby Sept Iles (Seven Islands), a small (pop. 600?) fishing village. Quebec North Shore and Labrador was built 360 miles to the Iron Ore Company of Canada mines at Schefferville near Ungava Bay and completed in 1954. The dam near Sept Iles was modified to supply electricity to Sept Iles and at the same time the pulp mill was converted to run on hydro electricity as well.

Later, construction of the Arnaud Railway directly affected the GP&P's private railway when part of their right-of-way was appropriated by the new iron ore railway resulting in a new straighter line for the GP&P.

Steam remained in use until 1963 when steam coal could no longer be had. QNS&L traded one of their two GE 70-tonners acquired new in 1952 for construction of their railway for number 48 which they put on display at the Sept Iles passenger station next to their own steam locomotive 702 (ex ONR) a 4-6-2 which was used on construction trains along with a 4-6-0, ex CNR 1112 which was preserved at the Canadian Railway Museum near Montreal. Later, it went to the Smiths Falls Railway Museum where it remains on display. 70-tonner number 92 (#31276 2/52) was acquired 10/63 and renumbered 64. A second 70-tonner (ex PGE 554 #30177 6/49) was acquired in 1965 and renumbered 65.

It all came to an end in 1968 following acquisition of Gulf Pulp and Paper by Anglo-Canadian Paper, Quebec City and the subsequent unionization of the mill, a strike and the closure of the mill. The railway was abandoned and equipment was scattered about or scrapped. Luckily, both steam locomotives were preserved and remain in existence to this day. Unfortunately, the ancient passenger cars were not so lucky and both were destroyed.

The people of Clarke City living in the company houses refused to move out and won a court battle to remain. Clarke City was bought for $1 by Sept Iles and annexed in 1970.