The Canada Eastern Railway, originally known as the Northern and Western Railway, was a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line operating in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada, running from Loggieville (now part of Miramichi), to

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

(opposite

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

). The line linked various communities along the Nashwaak and

Southwest Miramichi River The Southwest Miramichi River is a river in New Brunswick, Canada. The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands (a part of the Appalachian Mountains). Its two branches join near the hamlet of Junip ...

valleys. A joint venture of industrialists Alexander Gibson and

Jabez B. Snowball Jabez Bunting Snowball (24 September 1837 – 24 February 1907) was a businessman, the List of lieutenant governors of New Brunswick#Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick, 1867-present, 11th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, Canada, and ...

, construction started in 1884 and finished in 1887. The opening of the Fredericton Railway Bridge in 1889 gave it a direct connection to the provincial capital. In 1890 the Northern and Western was reorganized and became the Canada Eastern Railway Company, of which Gibson became the sole owner in 1893. The line was rerouted between Renous and

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

to the north bank of the Southwest Miramichi River through to

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

where it joined the

Intercolonial Railway The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canada, Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also compl ...

mainline at a junction between the bridges over the Southwest and

Northwest Miramichi River The Northwest Miramichi River or Elmunokun is a river in New Brunswick, Canada. The Mi'kmaq people, Mi'kmaq referred to the river as Elmunokun, possibly meaning "a beaver hole" in reference to a deep pool in the river, just below the mouth of the ...

s. In 1904 the Canada Eastern was purchased by the

, a federal

Crown corporation Crown corporation () is the term used in Canada for organizations that are structured like private companies, but are directly and wholly owned by the government. Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country, and have a sign ...

. The mainline of the

National Transcontinental Railway The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Moncton, New Brunswick, in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway. The Grand Trunk partnership The completion o ...

(NTR), another government concern, was built in 1912, creating a major junction at McGivney. The Intercolonial, NTR, and others were merged into the

Canadian Government Railways Canadian Government Railways was the legal name used between 1915–1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada. The principal component companies were the Intercolonial Railway of Canada (IRC), the National Transcontinental ...

in 1915 and the

Canadian National Railways The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...

(CNR) in 1919. Canada Eastern and later the Intercolonial and CNR passenger trains along the line were given the nickname " Dungarvon Whooper" in reference to a local ghost story. With declining rail usage through the latter part of the 20th century, the former Canada Eastern line became unprofitable for CNR. It was abandoned between McGivney and Derby in 1985 as well as east of Chatham to Loggieville. The section south of McGivney to Fredericton was officially abandoned in 1995, although the last train over this portion of the line (CN's Nashwaak Subdivision) operated in March 1996 with a coal shipment to a heating plant at

CFB Gagetown 5th Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over , located in southwestern New Brunswick. It is the biggest facility in East ...

. The only original trackage of the Canada Eastern that remains in service is operated by the New Brunswick East Coast Railway between Nelson and Chatham.

References

Sources

* ''Railways of New Brunswick'' by David Nason, New Ireland Press, 1991. {{DEFAULTSORT:Canada Eastern Railway Defunct New Brunswick railways Transport in York County, New Brunswick Transport in Northumberland County, New Brunswick Transport in Fredericton Predecessors of the Intercolonial Railway