Cod, Oil, and Airbases: A Newfoundland TL

Been pretty busy lately. Had to get ready to go back to university. I'm hoping to get out an update which will focus on the election out sometime soon though.
 
1940- With Britain at war, the governments of the UK and the US signed the destroyers for bases deal. It allowed the United States to build military bases in several British territories, including Newfoundland. American bases were built in St.John's, Argentia, and Stephenville. They also jointly operated bases with the Canadian government at Goose Bay and Gander. This created a massive economic boom for Newfoundland. Bases needed to be built, communication infrastructure improved, the highway between Holyrood and Argentia. This pulled thousands of people out of poverty and increased living conditions on the island dramatically.
I was thinking of starting a thread about preserving and expanding the narrow gauge railway in Newfoundland, with passenger and freight service being added St. Anthony in the north east and to the otherwise isolated sourthern coastal towns. Extra points if we can keep passenger rail in service in Newfoundland past its OTL closure in 1969.

lg27.jpg


Some interesting links...
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/railway.php

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Railway/en/p.php?id=6
 
Relative to this thread, we'd need an independent Newfoundland to embrace rail over automobile travel and freight.

Narrow gauge is easier to construct, ideal for the southern coastline. Today, narrow gauge operates in many snowy climes, so weather shouldn't be an issue.
 
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Have you considered territorial expansion of Newfoundland?

Say for example Quebec secedes, but the Cree/Inuit in the north don't want to go along, and Newfoundland somehow wins them over instead of them staying in Canada or joining Quebec. Possible reasons being Newfoundland is small enough that their small population would allow for better representation, or a land connection with the rest of Canada would be severed by an independent Quebec.

From there the Inuit self rule movement could end with the Arctic archipelago acceding to Newfoundland rather than the creation of Nunavut. After that, Greenland would join.

The US would certainly be in favour of this, considering the Newfoundland you have thus far is even more in America's influence that Canada was OTL, and having the Arctic in Newfoundlander hands would be a boon for the US. They might even build a deep water port like Canada has always wanted to do but never had the funds for.

So Großnewfoundland would look this:
pnZLJsU.png


I painted the Maritimes red but in that timeline what happens to them is anyone's guess.
 
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