Rail operations in Newfoundland remained economically unfeasible because of slow service times, a side effect of the narrow-gauge format. CN invested heavily in track improvements during the 1950s-1960s, but the narrow-gauge operation could not compete with the flexibility of trucks. Significant time was lost at Port aux Basques, where standard-gauge railway cars from mainland North America were lifted off their bogies and onto narrow-gauge bogies for use on Newfoundland. In some cases this was not possible, and the rail car contents were unloaded and reloaded onto narrow-gauge cars. CN's operation of dedicated railway car ferries was an additional expense.
