Trinity Loop – Charleston, Newfoundland and Labrador - Atlas Obscura

Trinity Loop

Charleston, Newfoundland and Labrador

An abandoned amusement park hints at the twisted history of the Newfoundland Railway. 

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The ghosts of better days haunt Trinity Loop, Newfoundland and Labrador. It was once a vital transportation link, and later a beloved amusement park. Today, its famous train loop, Ferris wheel, and other attractions lie in ruins, damaged by vandals and a devastating hurricane.

Before it became an amusement park, the train loop near Trinity was part of the Newfoundland Railway. Trinity is surrounded by steep hills, and the railway looped around a pond to gain elevation to reach the town.

The Newfoundland Railway shut down in 1988, outpaced by improvements in the island’s highway and air networks. After some wrangling over ownership of the land, the site was converted into an amusement park. For many years, its miniature train was the only locomotive still operating on the island.

Locals fondly remember trips to Trinity Loop in the 1980s and ’90s, when visitors could ride trains, boats, and ponies, dine in a railcar restaurant, or see the entire pond from the top of the Ferris wheel. The park also featured live entertainment, miniature golf, a museum, and a petting zoo. When it ceased operations in 2004, the site was abandoned to the elements.

Today, Trinity Loop is a sprawling maze of dilapidated train tracks, graffiti-filled ruins, and ghostly murals. Vandals have wreaked havoc on the train cars and outbuildings, and flooding following Hurricane Igor washed out much of the railway. People still visit the site to swim, fish for trout, and film amateur horror movies.

Know Before You Go

From Route 230, turn onto Route 239, following signs for Trinity and Dunfield. After 3.5 kilometers, take the unmarked road to the right (the road is easy to miss, as Route 239 also turns right. If there are still houses, you’ve missed the turn). Follow the road until you see a train and park by the boulders. Visitors are advised to be careful—the abandoned park is full of broken glass, broken floorboards, and rusted metal.

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