The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad (C&SL) was a historic

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 ...

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

, the first Canadian public railway and one of the first railways built in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

Origin

The C&SL was financed by Montreal entrepreneur and brewery owner,

John Molson John Molson (28 December 1763 – 11 January 1836) was an English people, English-born brewer and entrepreneur in colonial Province of Quebec (1763–91), Quebec, which during his lifetime became Lower Canada. In addition to founding Molson Brewe ...

. It was intended as a portage road to connect the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

valley with

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

, cutting time from the trip between

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Construction began in January, 1835 when surveyors determined the line would run from St. John on the

Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kno ...

to the nearest point on the St. Lawrence at La Prairie, across the river from Montreal. Throughout 1835 the grading, fencing, masonry and bridge work were completed, as well as stations and wharves at Laprairie and St. John. Orders were also placed for a

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

, which was to be built in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, as well as four passenger cars, which were to be built in the United States. Several freight cars were also built in Montreal. The line was built as a railway, with rails consisting of pine logs (squared off) which were joined by iron splice plates and bolts laid across wood cross-ties. The pine rails were protected by iron straps spiked to the upper surface. These rails remained the same until being replaced by completely iron rails in the 1850s. British North America's first locomotive arrived at Molson's wharf in Montreal in June 1836. It was named ''Dorchester'' and had been constructed by Robert Stephenson, son of

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and Mechanical engineering, mechanical engineer during the Industrial Revolution. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victoria ...

who was the manufacturer of '' The Rocket''. A wood-burning 0-4-0 design, it was the 127th locomotive built by Stephenson and was nicknamed "Kitten" by those who observed its uneven "skittish" ride – a result of the short wheelbase. Trial runs took place at night to avoid frightening the public; maximum speed was approximately . The C&SL opened to great fanfare on July 21, 1836, with several distinguished guests in attendance besides Molson, including Lord Gosford, the

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

of Lower Canada, as well as

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (; October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reform ...

, the rebel politician. Over 300 guests crowded the passenger cars in Laprairie station for the first run. The ''Dorchester'' was unable to handle such a load, therefore the two first-class coaches carrying 32 of the distinguished guests were uncoupled and hauled by the locomotive while the remaining cars were hauled by teams of horses. Two hours later, everyone was at the station in St. John where the ceremonies continued. in 1999, the /narhf.org/?p=5476 Dorchesterwas inducted into the

North America Railway Hall of Fame North America Railway Hall of Fame (NARHF) is a not-for-profit organization housed in the recently restored Canada Southern Railway Station in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. It was founded to maintain, preserve and honor railway history with the ...

. Due to its unique status as the first locomotive used in Canada, it was recognized for its contribution to the railway industry as "Rolling Stock" in the "National" category.

Growth and eventual merging

Regular operations commenced on July 25 and while freight traffic was stagnant on the line for many years, passenger traffic and excursions proved extremely popular early on, with many extra passenger trains being hauled by horses until additional locomotives arrived in 1837.

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

even rode the line. The line was extended south along the Richelieu River valley in 1851 to

Rouses Point Rouses Point is a village in Clinton County, New York, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Jacques Rouse, a French Canadian soldier who fought alongside the Americans du ...

, New York and the following year saw a more direct routing built from the St. John-Laprairie line to St. Lambert, directly opposite Montreal to avoid the indirect journey up and down the St. Lawrence River from Laprairie. This latter line effectively reduced the line into Laprairie to branch line status and it would be later abandoned. The C&SL merged with the Montreal and New York Railroad in 1857, formerly known as the

Montreal and Lachine Railroad The Montreal and Lachine Railroad was Montreal's first railroad. The railroad was opened on November 19, 1847, with service between Bonaventure Station in Montreal and the St. Lawrence River in Lachine. Built to bypass the Lachine Rapids, it was ...

, with the new company being named the Montreal and Champlain Railroad. The

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

leased the M&C in 1864 and purchased it outright in 1872. In 1923 the GTR was nationalized and the ex-M&C, née-C&SL trackage was incorporated into 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). CN (post-1960) continues to operate the majority of this historic route, running from an interchange connection with the

Delaware and Hudson Railway The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP, which would it ...

(now owned by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

) at

, New York, through Saint-Jean and on to Saint-Lambert. The line from Rouses Point to

Brossard Brossard ( , , ) is a municipality in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada and is part of the Greater Montreal, Greater Montreal area. According to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, Brossard's population was 91,525. It shares powers with ...

is now CN's Rouses Point Subdivision.

New York company

The approximately between Rouses Point and the New York/Quebec border were owned by a separate company, also called the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad, incorporated in New York on February 26, 1851. It was merged into the Canadian National Railway at the end of 1960.

Culture

C&SL Railroad was immortalized by

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Orval Prophet Orval William Prophet (31 August 1922 – 4 January 1984) was among the first Canadian country music performers to achieve a career of international scope. Early life Prophet was born in Edwards, Ontario, now part of Ottawa. During his teens, he ...

on his "Judgement Day Express" album (1973) with the song "Champlain and St. Lawrence Line" In 1986, for the World's Fair Exhibition in Vancouver called

Expo 86 The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo 86, was a world's fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from May 2 until October 13, 1986. The fair, the theme of which was "Transportation and Communicatio ...

, the Molsons donated a functional replica of the steam engine used to ferry travellers and goods on the C&SL Railway.

Gallery

File:John Molson (32714105576).jpg, In the Steam Expo Parade of Canadian and U.S. steam locomotives at the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication (Expo 86), a World's Fair held in Vancouver, BC, Canada File:Molson steam exporail in move.jpg, Exporail Museum, John Molson Steam Locomotive reproduction, in action in front of the depot File:Dampflokomotive John Molson.jpg, The John Molson replica on

in Vancouver File:Molson steam exporail front view.jpg, Exporail Museum, John Molson Steam Locomotive reproduction File:Molson steam exporail Interior view.jpg, Exporail Museum, John Molson Steam Locomotive reproduction, interior view File:Locomotive à vapeur, détail des roues.jpg, The Wheels of the engine.

References

External links

The North America Railway Hall of Fame

Orval Prophet- Champlain and St. Lawrence Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champlain Saint Lawrence Railroad Defunct Quebec railways Portages in Canada Predecessors of the Grand Trunk Railway Railway companies established in 1832 Railway companies disestablished in 1857 Horse-drawn railways 1832 establishments in Lower Canada Portage railways La Prairie, Quebec Rail transport in Roussillon Regional County Municipality