Pieroway sounds the horn on his final railway history

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Around 100 people packed into the Conception Bay South Library March 12 to commemorate the launch of a local author’s fifth book about the Newfoundland rail system.

Kenneth G. Pieroway said Branchlines of Newfoundland will be his final work on the storied rail history, a topic that has captured his imagination as a lifelong passion.

“Trains have given me a lifetime of passion stemming from my earliest childhood memories when my dad, himself a lover of trains, introduced me in the 1960s,” said Pieroway, adding that it’s fitting the book launch should take place within sight of where the old local tracks were. “Since that time my fascination has continued to grow and to this very day is part of who I am. As brilliant as it may be to watch a dedicated freight train rumble past me, it’s the passenger train that still intrigues me, perhaps as an homage to my dad.”

Pieroway was born in Corner Brook, and grew up in Colinet and Harricott. He authored the national award–winning Rails Across the Rock in 2013, which was quickly followed up by its sequel, Rails Around the Rock, a year later. He released Streetcars of St. John’s in 2019 as an homage to his mom, followed by Trains of Newfoundland.

He said Branchlines focuses on the five branch lines operated by CN and the two industrial lines in post-Confederation Newfoundland. He recalled the first time he ever laid eyes on his first branchline mixed train with both freight and passengers during a visit to see family friends in 1976.

“Their youngest son, Kevin, suggested that he and I take a bike ride to nearby Argentia and while going down the highway toward the CN dock, I heard a whistle blow. I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he recalled of the train being pulled by two diesels.

“One had the original green and gold paint that I remembered from my childhood. I recall the engines being very boxy and smaller than the mainline engines I was used to. I later would learn that they were called a G8 and were built especially for branch lines.”

Pieroway told the standing-room-only audience, which included other notable local writers, as well as members of CBS council and the House of Assembly, that he is grateful for the generosity and skill of the photographers whose work are featured in all five of his books. He also sang the praises of his publisher, Ida Linehan Young of Seaweed Publishing, for her work in helping bring the book’s vision to life.

“She’s got 11 books written and now she has started her own publishing company,” he said. “She’s a remarkable resident here in CBS. She’s a go-getter, she’s a trend setter, she’s amazing.”

Pieroway is retired after a career with Veteran’s Affairs. He has two children and resides in CBS with his wife and international rail travelling companion of 33 years, Michelle.

Local author Kenneth G. Pieroway autographed copies of his book, Branchlines of Newfoundland, during a book launch March 12 at the CBS Library. Branchlines is his fifth, and he says final, publication on Newfoundland’s rail history.