Wreckhouse, Newfoundland and Labrador

Wreckhouse is an area in Newfoundland, Canada near the southern end of the Long Range Mountains which is well known for its extremely high winds. The name originated because high winds - often well in excess of hurricane force - would occasionally blow the train off the track in this area [ [http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2005/alm05dec.htm Weather Doctor Almanac 2005] ] . The word "Wreckhouse" was actually added to the Canadian Oxford Dictonary in 2004. The winds are still a hazard to transport trucks that drive through the area. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/05/22/wreckhouse-trucks.html Transport trucks no match for Wreckhouse gusts] ]

Lochie MacDougal, a farmer and trapper, was born in 1896 and lived at Wreckhouse. He had a natural sixth sense to the changes in the weather and this ability allowed him to be employed by the Reid Company, which had built the railway, to inform them if it was safe for trains to pass. He performed this task for thirty years until his death in 1965. His wife continued on with the task until she moved away from the area in 1972. Their house stills stands, empty now but with an Environment Canada anemometer now providing remote wind data. Even still, some truckers still try their luck along this section of the Trans Canada Highway and have to be put back on their wheels after being blown over on their sides.

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