Carbonear speeding towards locomotive deadline

By Mark Squibb / August 11, 2023

The Town of Carbonear is fast approaching a self-imposed deadline for making a decision on the CN Locomotive 803 that sits outside the Town Hall.

Back in November, council voted to send the locomotive to the scrapyard, citing safety concerns and the high cost of restoration, which council estimated at somewhere around $100,000.

Following an outcry from train enthusiasts, council rescinded the decision and agreed to bring the matter back to the table in August, with plans to once again vote to scrap the train should no alternative solution be reached.

No firm decision has yet been reached, though in a public meeting earlier this summer councillor Danielle Doyle contested accusations she said were being made on social media platforms that the Town was not doing enough to protect the train.

Doyle said there was much going on behind the scenes that the public is not privy to.

Council has, several times, made it clear it will not pay for the restoration of the locomotive out of the Town purse.

Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday, August 15. At the time of publication, the agenda had not yet been made public, so it is not known if the item will be on the agenda or not.