Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Wabush, NL |
Reporting mark | WLRS |
Locale | Labrador, Canada |
Dates of operation | 1963– |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Wabush Lake Railway( reporting mark WLRS) (formerly WABL and NLCL) is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The railway was built in 1960 from the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to Wabush, [1] initially called the Northern Lands Company Railway (reporting mark: NLC). [2]
Opened in 1963, the railway operates a line running between Labrador City, Labrador, and Wabush, where it interchanges with the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway.
The Wabush Lake Railway is owned by the Wabush Mining Company, which mines iron ore near Labrador City. The ore is transported from the mine to the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway connection at Wabush. The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway transports the ore between Wabush and Arnaud Jct., Quebec using Wabush locomotives, currently a mix of power leased from CEFX and QNS&L. At Arnaud Junction, the ore is transferred to Wabush Lake Railway's sister company, Chemin de fer Arnaud (Arnaud Railway), for the final journey to ship loading facilities at nearby Pointe-Noire, Quebec.
In 2010, Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines opened the Bloom Lake Mine, just west of Labrador City, Newfoundland, and the Bloom Lake Railway to transport iron ore from the mine to a connection with the Wabush Lake Railway. The Wabush Lake Railway began acting as a middle man, taking the Bloom Lake Railway trains, and transporting them to Wabush Junction for the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&L) to transport to the Chemin de fer Arnaud just as they would Wabush trains. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at Pointe-Noire, Quebec. Consolidated Thompson has since been purchased by Cliffs Natural Resources.
In 2011, Genesee & Wyoming began control of operations on behalf of the owners under the name WLRS. The new operation encompasses the Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway.
This railway (along with the Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, QNSX, and Tshiuetin Rail Transportation line) forms an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network.
Sept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec. It is among the northernmost locales with a paved connection to the rest of Quebec's road network. The population was 25,686 as of the 2011 Canadian census. The town is called Uashat, meaning "bay" in Innu-aimun.
The Newfoundland Railway operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of 906 miles (1,458 km), it was the longest 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge railway system in North America.
The Cartier Railway is a privately owned railway that operates 260 miles (418 km) of track in the Canadian province of Québec.
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the province of Quebec.
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador, near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,964 as of 2021. Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.
Labrador West refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush. The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the Quebec border and has been described as "a dichotomy of pristine wilderness and industrial development."
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay. On its way it skirts the eastern shore of Manicouagan Reservoir.
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company. It is now owned by a new consortium, including the Mitsubishi and Rio Tinto corporations. Rio Tinto is the majority shareholder in the venture, with 58.7% of the joint stock as of October 2013. Mitsubishi controlled 26.2% of the investment as of March 2013.
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
The Congo–Ocean Railway links the Atlantic port of Pointe-Noire with Brazzaville, a distance of 502 kilometres (312 mi). It bypasses the rapids on the lower Congo River; from Brazzaville, river boats are able to ascend the Congo River and its major tributaries, including the Oubangui River to Bangui.
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a rail company that owns and operates a 217-kilometre (135 mi) Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril, Labrador with Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary. The company also operates a 356-kilometre (221 mi) railway that connects Sept-Îles, Quebec to Emeril. The company is the first railway in North America owned and operated by Indigenous peoples, specifically by the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, and the Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam.
Railway stations in the Republic of the Congo (Congo) include:
Pointe-Noire is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is within the city of Sept-Îles in the Sept-Rivières regional county municipality and the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec.
QIT-Fer et Titane is a Canadian mining company located in Quebec. The company operates an ilmenite mine at Lake Tio in northern Quebec, and in southern Quebec operates refining facilities that produce titanium dioxide, pig iron, steel, and other metal products. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of mining giant Rio Tinto Group.
The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257 mi) 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. QNS&L is owned by Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), and is a common carrier.
The Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station is a conventional hydroelectric generating station at Menihek Lake in Labrador. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, 40 km (25 mi) south of the isolated town of Schefferville, Quebec and two First Nations communities: Matimekosh-Lac-John and Kawawachikamach. The generating station, two 69 kV power lines and the distribution networks in each community form an independent electricity network, off the main North American grid.
The Bloom Lake Railway is a privately owned Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
Western Labrador Rail Services, Inc. is a rail operation of Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Inc. created in 2010 by the combination of three short line railways: Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway. The operation provides rail transportation services to mining companies operating in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Québec, Canada.
Canadian Forces Station Moisie, also known as CFS Moisie, is a former Canadian Forces Station located in the community of Moisie, Quebec.