Buchans - Transportation Links

Transportation Links

Initial years

AND co purchased the Millertown Railway in 1910, which had been constructed in 1900 and linked to the Newfoundland Railway at Millertown Junction. Almost all travel to the Buchans River site prior to the fall of 1927 was by rail to Millertown on the Millertown railway then by boat to Buchans Landing on the north shore of Red Indian Lake, then by foot or mechanized vehicle over a rough corduroy road to Buchans. Prospectors and other early visitors probably walked/portaged along Buchans River from its mouth.

Railway and highway

In the fall of 1927, the Buchans Railway connected the town to the outside world. This railway joined the Milltertown Railway at Four Mile Siding, near Mary March Brook, which would become the community of Buchans Junction. All concentrate was shipped by train to the port of Botwood until the railway closed in 1977. A route for a highway to Buchans was surveyed in 1948. The highway itself was completed and opened in 1956. In the final years of the Asarco operation (1977–1984), Buchans concentrate was trucked to Botwood. From the port of Botwood the ore would be sent to smelters all over the world. The Buchans railway bed remains a popular trail for ATVs and snowmobiles.

Air

An Airstrip was constructed east of Buchans Lake in 1942. It was constructed initially by the Canadian Department of Transport with the permission of the government of the Dominion of Newfoundland for use by the Canadian department of National Defense. Its two gravel runways were maintained by a small resident staff until 1965. At that time, most of the buildings and equipment at the site were removed; the three houses for airstrip staff were relocated to Buchans. Eastern Provincial Airways also briefly included Buchans as a stop/destination on one of its routes -- this occurred in the summer of 1956. While the northwest runway was rarely used even between 1942 and 1965 (drainage issues with the site), and fell into complete disrepair at the end of that period, the southwest-northeast runway has been repaired from time to time for use in more recent decades.

Asarco also made use of Buchans Lake as a base for various float-planes over the years. These planes were used for transportation and to supply mineral exploration camps in the region. In later years, road access and helicopters were preferred for such work. A Hangar was constructed near the Buchans dam. Among the bush planes based there between the 1950s and 1970s were the de Havilland Otter and later the de Havilland Beaver. The Hangar was demolished in the early 1990s.

Major secondary access roads

In the 1960s, a road was extended from the Buchans Highway (at a point near Buchans River) to provide access to resources located near the north shores of Red Indian Lake. Known locally as the "New Road", this road initially extended as far as Star River. Its extension, improvement and the addition of new bridges led to its connection to the Burgeo Highway (Route 480). Several studies have explored and recommended the upgrade of this route to have a provincial class highway connecting routes 480 and 370. These studies include reports of the Government of Newfoundland's Buchans Task Force in 1976 and the Buchans Action Committee in the early 1980s. The "New Road" as it stands has provided access for pulpwood cutting, tourism, fishing, hunting, aquaculture, silviculture, mineral exploration, as well as access to the Star Lake Hydroelectric Development. When passable, it still provides access for local residents and visitors to the Lloyd's Valley and Southwest Brook areas.

The Construction of the Hinds Lake hydroelectric project in 1980 led to the extension of a gravel road north from the Buchans Airstrip to Hinds Dike at the southernmost end of Hinds Lake. Forest access roads extending from near the community of Howley are now only a few miles from this road. This general route has been considered for a possible upgrade to allow for a provincial class highway connection between routes 401 and 370. While the Buchans to Hinds Lake road is less passable, these access roads are used by hunters, outfitters, snowmobilers, ATV users and other outdoors enthusiasts.