The Railway Man

I had expected a relatively short journey to Millertown Junction the following day Saturday May 4th, and it started out as a pleasant ride ...

 

I saw my first beaver swimming in a pool by the trail, and also my first glimpse of a caribou, or reindeer as we call them. Unlike moose which were introduced to Newfoundland in the 1920s, caribou are native to the island....

However the trail quickly deteriorated to a horrendous stony surface which seemed to go on for miles..

..and it was with relief that we hobbled into our destination and saw the lodge where we were staying ahead of us in a peaceful lakeside location.

 

The lodge is owned and run by Mont Lingard, a former railway employee and enthusiast (subsequently working in education) who is a fund of knowledge about the old railway.  Here is the man himself in a room in the lodge which he has devoted to photos and memorabilia of the railway...

 To my chagrin I discovered he has written a wonderful series of books about the Newfoundland railway which I knew nothing about. I will have some catching up to do now I have bought them all!