Howley -
Just a few more loads of crushed stone is all Ron Kelly needs to disperse along his railway tracks before he calls the constant additions and improvements to his real-life railway completed.
"It's like putting the finishing touches on. It's mostly for the looks. It's got nothing to do with the operation of it," said Kelly.
Kelly worked with CN Railway throughout Newfoundland for 42 years, getting hired at the young age of 17. He worked right up until the day the railway shutdown throughout the province in 1988.
"I would chase the trains with snowplows in the winter and during the year, maintaining the tracks … Then, I helped take the rail up," said Kelly.
He said some of the track from the original railway made its way to his cabin property in Howley over the past five years while he worked away at creating his preserved railway.
"This is my hobby. I come up here every day for three or four hours. Rain or shine, I come up here. There's something about it. It's really relaxing … A lot of things go through your mind since 1953. When I went with the railway I was 17, now I'm 75," said Kelly.
Over five summers, he has collected more than 335 metres of track, some of which dates back to 1882, he said. Kelly maintains the quality of the tracks, which are the path an original speeder moves around the property with its whistle blowing.
Kelly has also received a plethora of gifts and memorabilia such as tools, train sets, conductors' hats and rule books. Kelly even has the original mileage sign reading "357" which was Howley's distance from St. John's by rail.
"I've been collecting stuff ever since the railway closed down. I've got a museum in the shed filled with artifacts and railway stuff," said Kelly.
He said it's important to keep the memories ready available for anyone who wants to delve into the history of the provincial transportation system.
"There's youngsters now that are 20 years old who have never seen a train in Newfoundland. It's been closed 22 years, and railroaders are getting scarce now," he said.
The transformed train world Kelly has built is as much for visitors as it is for himself. He has a trailer that hooks up to the speeder and allows a free ride on the rails for children who visit his property at Grand Lake during the summer.
"It gets a lot of other people interested too … It's great how everything has fit together," said Kelly.
