The Legendary Launch of Canada’s First Railway

Railways help to create opportunities for businesses and connect regions together while increasing the demand for resources and technology. For a growing country, the first railway was an important change in the history of transportation in Canada. 

Canada, being separated into Upper and Lower Canada at the time, was a very large area to cross. The roads were poor and difficult to travel on, and the waterways were frozen for almost 5 months every year. For these reasons, travelling across Canada was difficult so there was definitely a need for better transportation. The rise of the train era, otherwise known as The Railway Age, was happening in England by the 19th century and would make its way to Canada very soon.

Before the official first railway was opened, seventeenth century Canada relied upon simple mining railways powered by horses that were used to move quarried stone at the Fortress of Louisbourg. By the 1820s, an incline railway of cable cars was used, powered by a winch driven by a steam engine to lift stone while building the Quebec Citadel. Similarly, another was used in the building of the Rideau Canal, carrying stone from Hog’s Back in Ottawa.

Fast forward to July 21, 1836, the first railway was opened officially in Canada with help from John Molson and other Montreal merchants. The Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad from La Prairie on the St. Lawrence River to St. Johns on the Richelieu River was built to navigate between Montreal and Lake Champlain in a more efficient way than in the past. With this new railroad, travellers were able to avoid the bumpy stagecoach rides that were previously used to avoid the rough waters of the Richelieu River.

The train consisted of a locomotive from England called the Dorchester and four passenger cars from the United States. The freight cars used were made in Montreal.

On the day the railroad was officially launched, there were around 300 people present, all very excited to be the first to experience the train ride. The passenger cars could not hold that many people and so only two of the passenger cars were filled to be pulled by the locomotive, and then the rest of the people filled the other two passenger cars along with the freight cars which all had to be pulled by horses. Those pulled by horses took longer to arrive, but nevertheless they all made it to the final destination where the celebrations continued.

The wood-burning Dorchester hauling Canada's first train (from a drawing by John Loye, 1836/courtesy Canadian National)

In fact, passenger travel boomed because of the interest in the new railway and was used to transport people more than freight at the beginning. People were travelling not just for business but for pleasure. Freight shipping eventually kicked off too, and the railroad was an ultimate success.  

With the success of the first railway, expansions across the nation occurred resulting in a significant period of growth in Canada. On November 7, 1885, the driving of the last spike at Craigellachie, B.C. marked the completion of a coast to coast transportation line which united the entire country.

By 1864, the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad (C & SL) was absorbed into the Grand Trunk Railway system. Following this, in 1923 it officially became part of the Canadian National Railways.

The Rise, Decline, Rebirth, and Influence of Trains in Canada - History Video

Here is a video with more information on the revolutionary expansion of Canada’s railway system. You’ll learn more about the building of the infamous Canadian Pacific Railway and the influences the railway had overall on the Canadian population. You’ll start from the very beginning with the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad  and go right through to the Canadian National Railway that is still running today.