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Most transportation historians date the history of Canada’s railways as beginning on February 25, 1832 with the incorporation of British North America's first steam-powered railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. This line opened for traffic on July 21, 1836, although there are cases of animal-drawn mining tramways in Nova Scotia from the 18th century onward.
Thousands of railways followed the C&SL and were given a charter by the federal or provincial governments, although in most cases these charters never resulted in an actual line being constructed. Many of these charters were so-called "paper railways" and were absorbed into other railways, that is they existed on paper with the actual trains bearing the name of another railway or system of railways. For example, Canadian National Railways alone consisted of over some 400 railways (see Canadian National Railways-List of Companies).
The reason for these "paper" railways was the ease of getting a charter, this was often done by a major railway such as Canadian Pacific Railway or Grand Trunk Railway but, the true interests were kept hidden to keep attention away from the efforts of competing major railways to gain access to another’s territory. In other instances local interests wanted a railway to connect their community with the main line of a major railway that did not enter their town, or to connect to another major railway for competitive reasons, to get lower freight rates, something that remains to this day. In many cases these local efforts were quickly taken over by a major railway to both expand its own network and to deny its competition access to traffic.
Streetcar and interurban railways were chartered provincially, in the case of Ontario under the Street Railway Act.
Non-common carrier railways did not require a charter under the Railway Act since they were used primarily for the owners own purposes, mainly logging and mining.
American railroads always operated in Canada under charters of subsidiary railways even though most had equipment lettered only for the parent company. Most U.S. railroads also operated in Canada through subsidiary railways with one exception: Wabash Railway which had not a mile of track in Canada as it crossed southern Ontario using trackage rights granted by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. These rights still exist with present day Canadian National and Norfolk Southern.
This list of defunct railways includes only those railways that actually came into existence. Many were taken over by other railways or had a name change and thus continued to operate trains over the same tracks. A few ceased to exist because they went out of business and were abandoned and dismantled.
For simplicity on this list, Canadian National Railways (CNR) (pre-1960), Canadian National Railway (CN) (post-1960), Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Grand Trunk Railway (GTR), and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) will be abbreviated for notations. Others will be abbreviated as required.
Also consult the list of active Canadian railways.
Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Alberta Railway and Navigation Company |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Alberta and Great Waterways Railway |
|
|
Acquired by NAR. |
Albion Railway |
central Nova Scotia |
|
Second railway in British North America. Abandoned. |
Algoma Central Railway |
northwestern Ontario |
1899-1995 |
Acquired by WC. |
Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway |
|
|
Renamed AC. |
Algoma Eastern Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR in 1930 by 999-year lease |
Alma and Jonquieres Railway |
|
|
Merged into RS. |
Atlantic and North-West Railway |
southeastern Quebec, central Maine |
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Atlantic, Quebec and Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Bay of Quinte Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNoR. |
Botwood Railway |
central Newfoundland |
?-1956 |
Subsidiary of AND. Sold to become GFC. |
Brantford, Hamilton and Western Railway |
|
|
|
British Columbia Electric Railway |
|
|
Owned by BCH. Sold to become SRY. |
British Columbia Railway |
British Columbia |
1972-2004 |
Acquired by CN. |
Brockville and Ottawa Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Brockville, Westport and North-Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNoR. |
Bruce Mines and Algoma Railway |
|
|
|
Buchans Railway |
central Newfoundland |
|
Owned by ASARCO. Abandoned. |
Buctouche and Moncton Railway |
southeastern New Brunswick |
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited |
central Manitoba |
1971-1999 |
Subsidiary of BN. Renamed to BNSFM. |
Bytown and Prescott Railway |1854-1884| |Leased by CPR for 999 years| |Abandoned in 1995| |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Canada and Gulf Terminal Railway |
eastern Quebec |
?-1975 |
Acquired by CN. |
Calgary and Edmonton Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Campbellford, Lake Ontario and Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Canada Air Line Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of GWR. |
Canada Atlantic Railway |
|
|
Acquired by GTR. |
Canada Central Railway |
|
|
Aquried by CPR. |
Canada Coal and Railroad Company |
northwestern Nova Scotia |
1905-1906 |
Sold to become MCR&PC. |
Canada Coals and Railway Company |
northwestern Nova Scotia |
1892-1905 |
Sold to become CC&RC. |
Canada Southern Railway |
|
|
Acquired by MCRR, later NYC. Sold to CPR and CN. Abandoned. |
Canadian Atlantic Railway |
eastern Quebec, Maine, western New Brunswick, western Nova Scotia |
1988-1994 |
CPR subsidiary created to operate lines east of Montreal including DAR. Portions abandoned or sold by 1994 to NBSR, EMR, CDAC, and WHRC. |
Canadian Government Railways |
Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba |
1915-1918 |
Entrusted to CNR. Corporate entity sold to CN in 1993 for $1. |
Canadian National Electric Railways |
|
|
Division of CNR. |
Canadian Pacific Electric Lines |
|
|
Division of CPR. |
Canadian Northern Railway |
Nova Scotia, Quebec to British Columbia |
1899-1918 |
Nationalized into CNR. |
Canadian Northern Alberta Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Branchlines Company |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Consolidated Railways |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Manitoba Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Montreal Tunnel and Terminal Company |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Ontario Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Pacific Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Quebec Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Saskatchewan Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Canadian Northern Western Railway |
|
|
Constituent company of CNoR. |
Cape Breton Development Corporation Railway |
|
|
Sold to SCR. |
Cape Breton Railway |
|
|
|
Cape Breton Eastern Extension Railway |
|
|
|
Caraquet Railway |
northeastern New Brunswick |
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Central Canada Railway |
|
|
|
Central Ontario Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNoR. |
Central Railway of New Brunswick |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Central Vermont Railway |
|
|
Also a defunct U.S. railroad. Subsidiary of GTR, later CNR. Became NECR. |
Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad |
southwestern Quebec |
1836-1857 |
First railway in British North America. Acquired by M&CR. |
Chatham, Wallaceburg and Lake Erie Railway |
|
|
Interurban railway. |
Columbia and Kootenay Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Columbia and Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Cornwallis Valley Railway |
|
|
Acquired by DAR. |
Credit Valley Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Cumberland Railway and Coal Company |
|
|
Abandoned. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Fredericton and Grand Lake Railway |
central and western New Brunswick |
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Halifax and South Western Railway |
southwestern Nova Scotia |
1901-1918 |
Merged into CNoR, nationalized by CNR. |
Hamilton and North Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by GTR. |
Hamilton Radial Electric Railway |
|
|
|
Harpoon Logging Railway |
central Newfoundland |
|
|
Hudson Bay Railway |
|
|
Charter acquired by CNoR, subsequently built by CNR. |
Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway |
|
|
Portage railway. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Joggins Railway |
northwestern Nova Scotia |
1883-1892 |
Sold to become CC&RC. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Lake Erie and Detroit Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of PM, later CO. Abandoned. |
Lake Erie and Northern Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR, merged into CPEL. |
Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company |
|
|
Acquired by CNoR. |
Laurentian Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Lindsay Bobcaygeon and Pontypool Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
London and Port Stanley Railway |
southwestern Ontario |
1853-1965 |
Acquired by CN. |
Lotbinière and Megantic Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CGR. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Maine Central Railroad |
southwestern New Brunswick |
|
Sold and renamed GRS/ST. |
Manitoba Great Northern Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of GN. |
Manitoba and North Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Maritime Coal Railway and Power Company |
northwestern Nova Scotia |
1906-1961 |
Abandoned. |
Metropolitan Electric Railway |
|
|
|
Michigan Central Railroad |
|
|
Operated in Canada as CASO. |
Midland Railway of Canada |
|
|
Acquired by GTR. |
Midland Railway of Manitoba |
|
|
Subsidiary of GN. |
Millertown Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of AND. Abandoned. |
Montreal and Champlain Railroad |
|
1857-1872 |
Acquired by GTR. |
Montreal and Ottawa Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Montreal Tramways Company |
|
|
|
Morrissey Fernie and Michel Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of CPCC. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Quebec and Lake St. John Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNoR. |
Quebec and Saguenay Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Quebec Central Railway |
Eastern Townships and Beauce |
|
Acq. by CPR 1911. Dormant from ___ ]] |
Quebec, Montreal and Southern Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of DH, acquired by CN. |
Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Quebec Oriental Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Quebec Railway Light and Power Company |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
Quebec Southern Railway |
|
|
|
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Rutland and Noyan Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of RUT. Abandoned. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
St.Eustache Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
St.John and Quebec Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CNR. |
St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway |
southwestern Quebec |
1853-1853 |
Acquired by GTR. |
St.Lawrence and Hudson Railway |
Ontario, Quebec, New England |
1996-2001 |
Subsidiary of CPR created to operate lines in eastern North America. Merged back into parent company. |
St.Lawrence and Ottawa Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
St.Mary's and Western Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
St.Maurice Valley Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Schomberg and Aurora Railway |
|
|
|
Shawinigan Falls Terminal Railway |
|
|
|
Smoky Falls Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of SFPPC. |
South Ontario Pacific Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Sydney and Louisburg Railway |
Cape Breton Island |
1895-1966 |
Acquired by DEVCO. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Vancouver and Lulu Island Railway |
|
|
Acquired by BCER. |
Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway |
|
|
Acquired by GN. |
Victoria and Sidney Railway |
|
|
Subsidiary of GN. |
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Wabash Railroad |
|
|
Operated over running rights on CAL, later CN. WAB merged into NW, later NS. |
Walkerton and Lucknow Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
West Ontario Pacific Railway |
|
|
Acquired by CPR. |
Western Counties Railway |
|
|
Merged with W&A into DAR. |
Windsor and Annapolis Railway |
Nova Scotia |
opened August 18, 1869 |
Merged with WCR into DAR. |
Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore Rapid Railway |
|
|
|
Railway name |
Locale |
Operating years |
Comments |
Yarmouth and Annapolis Railway |
|
|
Renamed WCR. |
[edit] References