Grand Trunk Railways from Vancouver - Sherbrooke - Bury - Scotstown - Milan - Nantes - Lac-Mégantic and Portland and Halifax

Grand Trunk Railways Central Vancouver - Toronto - Montréal Sherbrooke - Bury - Scotstown - Milan - Nantes - Lac-Mégantic - Portland - Halifax

Laprise regions of our ancestors - Mercier - Trépanier

paths-of-war

 

The first path-of-war in Canada opened in1836,and follows a frenetic period of railway construction which does not spare the Eastern Townships in 1851 which was connected via Richmond. In 1853 this same line, the St. Lawrence & Atlantic was extended to Portland, Maine, United States. In 1854, Richmond was connected to Charny (south of Quebec) and in 1861 it was the turn of Waterloo to be connected by the Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad (These two companies were then absorbed by the Grand Trunk, which eventually became the Canadian-National).

 

Eventually, the Eastern Townships was left with the most dense railway network in Quebec "Grand Trunk".

        

"The development of the railway through the" Great Tronk
"CPRin Milan

In the space of a generation, or about a quarter of a century, from 1852 to 1877 the untouched area of Lake Mégantic opened for settlement, to settlement, and logging.

The Malcolm Matheson, the IsleLewis, Stornoway Télesphore Legendre, Alexander Ross and Jerry Ham will be the first entrepreneurs to build buildings that will underpin the future village of Megantic.

The arrival of the railroad in 1878, important events in the development of the region, coupled with the efforts of the early settlers allowed the development of a pathway of "Ness Hill" to the site of the "Boiler". Now this path corresponds to Laval and Frontenac streets, main axis of communication  theof ofCityLac-Mégantic.

 

In history, Lac-Mégantic was a railroad town (Grand Tronk) and a city in the timber industry, both of which have played a fundamental role in the urban and economic development of Lac-Mégantic at the end of the nineteenth century, for Lac-Mégantic was designated as the meeting point of the route of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR) and the Quebec Central. It was part of a long journey that connected the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Halifax to Vancouver.

Scotstown, Quebec

Today, the name of the station is not advice on the building are. The planks platform has disappeared. All doors were padlocked, and most of the windows were covered with plywood. Windows and unprotected frames were broken with stones. Much of the wooden structure is in poor condition with a desperate need of a lick of paint. The building appears to have been deliberately ignored for at least the last twenty-five years. How long will this railway station can survive? Will it fall apart from neglect before CPR, or its successor, has the option to demolish?

Construction of the railway to Scotstown

Scotstown the distinction of being the only train station that I never spent night waiting for a train ... and that's by choice. In the early 1970s, a way for me to connect two favorite pastimes, drive train and hiking, was to get on CPR

"Atlantic Limited 'forScotstown,and hiking in the MacKenzie Mountain Brook camp after descending Train For those of you who know the places or read ancient times CPR. yes, we did our hike in the middle of the night, until Big Hill through the doors Riverview Cemetery overlooking the city. All was quiet.

Near the end of a particular weekend we did, the sky darkened in the late afternoon. Rather than risk the prospect of making the ride in the rain at night, Ted and I decided to pack up early.

CPR in Lac-Mégantic

We headed in Scotstown in the evening to await the arrival of the West "Atlantic Limited" Dawn ( 4:37) in the station. The station was no longer inhabited, but the waiting room was open for passengers.

The benches inside were too short for use as bunks so we spread our sleeping bags on the floor of the waiting room. Hard as the floor was, sleep came afterwards. After what seemed a short time, I was awakened by the blast of the horn of a train. Management is "Atlantic Limited" does not stop and stainless steel four-car consist flashed through the windows. I stood for a minute, unrolled the green and white flag and hung outside to signal a stop for the train westbound passengers of tomorrow.

Sleep had just returned when I was awakened again, the floor vibrated . It was. A cargo westwards, probably 981, approaching. Horsepower growled, rattling the windows and shaking the entire structure. Each car in the estate was at its distinctive bang-bang the wheels turning on the nearest rail joint. Only then the thought occurs to me that we were as close as possible to sleep on the ground without actually being on the track. The pounding stopped and vanishes quickly. Even more amazing is that my brother seemed to be asleep and oblivious to the fact that a long freight train had just passed.

The next morning, while we were waiting for a fine being 41, I asked Ted how he had managed to sleep through the noise and vibrations caused by the freight train passing. His response was: "Is that what it was? I thought someone was snoring.

"Inthe mid to late 19th century, the British-owned Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) dominated provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The GTR happened in the 1850s with circles opening a much needed line between Montreal and Toronto. In 1859, it extended west to Sarnia, and east to Portland, Maine in the United States.

Station Scotstown

GTR was owned by a group of private British investors and operated out of London. To raise capital, the railway issued bonds that are entered tied with annual interest payments. Initially income was poor and the railroad was often short of money. In 1861, the situation was so serious that the government lent the GTR $ 15 million to cover serious deficits.

After the bailout government bonds were converted preferred shares and GTR bounced back. In 1869, according to some sources, it was the largest railroad in the world.

It seems a lot more planning GTR was driven by shareholder concerns. Administrators chose to play it safe by sticking with established routes that ran next to major waterways. Growth was driven sources of immediate income, rather than the construction of the future.

The federal government had other obligations. As a condition of entry into Confederation in British Columbia, the government has committed to build a railway line between Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec) and British Columbia. The GTR was approached and declined the offer immediately.

The company has preferred to lay tracks where traffic was already Flowing. To fulfill its obligations to British Columbia, the government was forced to adopt legislation that led to the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).

CPR Scotstown west

In the late 1880, CPR has made ​​significant inroads in Ontario, long considered by the RWG for their own private property. GTR complained several times and bitterly, citing unfair treatment to its shareholders because of CPR grants. The complaints have fallen on deaf ears. The government had a much greater interest in protecting the CPR in smoothing the ruffled feathers of the GTR.

Under CEO Joseph Hickson, the RWG has continued to grow with new acquisitions and mergers. Hickson scored his greatest triumph in 1880 by Vanderbilt and thwart access to Chicago. From 1881 to 1890 GTR solidified its hold in Ontario by adding 15 other railroads to its network, including its main rival, the Great Western Railway. Hickson was considered a skilled negotiator but its main purpose was not about Canada, but the United States, where he wanted more control over the Great Lakes.

In the 1890s the stature of the GTR significantly expanded . On the downside however, its infrastructure was aging and it was not profitable. In 1896, the company decided to use a little know-how in the form of American Charles Melville Hays, a US-born leader of the Wabash Railroad. Hays accepted the challenge.

Twentieth Century

CPR Scotstown from Bury

Sub Hays, GTR has finally had its first taste of profitability. Hays spent money well spent, but. It started with major infrastructure improvements that included double track between Montreal and Toronto. In a few years, his efforts had resulted in reduced costs and increased revenue, to the delight of shareholders. He followed in 1902 by building a stylish new headquarters in Montreal. Determined to beat the CPR at his own game, he began to make plans for the construction of five new luxurious hotels. The final piece called for expansion in the West believed that the only path to continued growth1909-1912.

Charles Melville Hays
Manager GTR,1896-1909,
GTR President
Source: National Archives, Ref. R231-2273-1-E

Financially, the GTR was not able to embark on such an adventure. Although the railroad has always managed to cover its operating costs, it had not been profitable to Hays resumed. After an attempted takeover of the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) failed, the GTR turned to the federal government and found a sympathetic ear.

The GTR, which for years had focused its attention on Ontario and northern United States, was now pressed on all sides with no room to grow. Meanwhile the government wanted to expand rail service in northern Ontario and Quebec in order to drive more expedition to Quebec and the Maritimes, home to their primary political base.

In 1903, the two parties reached an agreement where the government was going to build the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) and the GTR build the Grand Trunk Pacific (GTP). NTR would operate from the Maritimes to Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, it would contact the GTP that would go to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In the end, NTR was to be leased to the GTR which would operate the two railways as one. Rental fees were to be based on a percentage of construction costs.

Passenger Train Timetable to Scotstown and Lac-Mégantic

The deal went wrong almost from the beginning. Construction began in 1905. Hays insisted on the construction of the railway to the highest standards possible. In 1908, the chief engineer were serious cost overruns. In 1912, the GTP was short of money.

Hays had blundered badly. In March 1912, accompanied by his wife, daughter and son-he made ​​a trip to London to meet with the board of directors. This was to be his last. Eager to return in time for the opening of the Chateau Laurier, Hays booked passage home on the infamous Titanic. Tragically, both Hays and his son-were killed in the disaster1917.
Train passing on the Salmon River near Scotstown

A brochure Travel GTR in Algonquin Park,  Source: www.archive.org
Hays, which left no planning was followed for the presidency by another American, Edson Joseph Chamberlin, who had moved to Canada in 1886. Chamberlin lacked finesse Hays when it came to dealing with politicians. He also had the maddening ability to inflame an already tense situation by leveling accusations of bad management provocative to the government.

The GTP was completed in 1914 and NTR in 1915. By then, the GTR was in serious financial difficulties.

The GTR was never high on the popularity list of Prime Minister Robert Borden. He distrusted the railway and in opposition, had discussed against the agreement. His previous concerns were validated in 1915 when the railroad, citing cost as a factor, returned the agreement to run the NTR. The GTR was cooked. It was just a matter of time.

A royal commission in 1916 slammed absenteeism management in England, is holding largely responsible for the precarious financial situation of the railway. According to reports, the performance of Chamberlin before the committee did nothing to improve the badly damaged reputation of the GTR.

The survey revealed, among other things, that the GTR had paid an average of $ 3.6 million in dividends annually to its British shareholders ($ 30.6 million over 10 years) rather than making needed improvements to its infrastructure. At the same time the railway has paid its shareholders eager was borrowing heavily from the Canadian government to survive.

The opinion of the majority (two out of three) held that because of the large amount of aid received from the Canadian government, Canadians were the rightful owners and the railway to be delivered to them.

In 1919, the GTR said he could no longer make payments of interest on the GTP. The government swooped in and placed the GTP receivership. He was quickly nationalized.

The following year, the GTR was placed under government management. The GTR was still a concern, but went he could not generate enough revenue to maintain operations and cover its massive debts to the federal government, which then amounted to more than $ 216 million (over 4 billion today ' hui).

UK shareholders were furious and demanded compensation. The two sides agreed that the value of shares of the GTR is to be determined by an arbitration committee.

During the Arbitration and evaluation process, some inconvenient facts came to light. In particular, there were some notable differences between the financial reports to shareholders and those provided to the Ministry of Railways. It turned out that from 1912-1920 the GTR was using an "audit office account" to cook their books. Manipulations dependent if they intend to pay dividends or to go after government support.

GTR the Shares soared on the London Stock Exchange in anticipation of a favorable resolution. It did not happen. The shares of the railway were deemed worthless. Sir Thomas White, one of the arbitrators, summarized in writing; "It would be hard to imagine a more flawed project that to which the Grand Trunk financial commitment in this unfortunate business."

Train number 952 from Milan to Nantes and Lac-Mégantic

Furious shareholders and transported the government to court where the two sides clashed for several years. It was in vain. In January 1923, the GTR was absorbed into the newly formed railroad Canadian National (CN) and shareholders walked away empty handed. It has been said that shareholders have never forgiven the Canadian government to "steal our railway."

The disappearance of the GTR was painful, long and probably inevitable. Absenteeism management, neglect planning, limited corporate vision, supreme arrogance, and a rigid financial structure all played a role.
Today much of the mainline of origin of the GTR in Ontario Quebec remains in use by the CN and by VIA Rail. The Grand Trunk Corporation name is still under CN property and continues to be used as a holding company for CN to the US operations.

                                                                            

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http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/Memorials/scotsTownAll.asp

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http://www.canada-rail.com/ontario/railways/GTR.html#.VM45FI13u70