This Weekend in CNR History
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October 25, 1854 The broad gauge (5'6") Carillon & Greenville Railway opens near Hawkesbury ON as a portage railway around Hawkesbury Rapids. On this date in 1910 it will close, having become the last broad gauge railroad in North America. From 1914 to 1988 the route will be used by Canadian National.
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October 25, 1926 The Detroit, Toledo & Ironton begins using Pullman-built gas-electric cars between Delray and Bainbrdge OH. The new equipment cuts travel time from 11 to 9 ? hours.
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October 25, 1969 The last loads of livestock are unloaded at Durand MI.
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October 26, 1874 The Grand Trunk Railway is converted from 5’ 6” (1676 mm) gauge to Standard Gauge east of Montreal.
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October 26, 1951 Quebec Light & Power Company sells its 26 mile (42 km) Montmorency Division, running between Quebec City and Joachim to the Canadian National Railway.
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October 26, 1995 The Montreal / Deux-Montagnes Commuter Train Line is modernized and reopened after being closed for three consecutive summers.
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October 27, 1854 Near present day Jeanette’s creek in Chatham-Kent ON on the Great Western Railway (later GT, CN), a gravel train that had falsely been given clearance collides head-on with a passenger train running at least 4 hours late.? The wreck kills 52 people and leaves as many as 60 injured. It is Canada’s first major train wreck and the worst train wreck in North America at that time.
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October 27, 1856 First train between Montreal and Toronto over what will become the Canadian National "Kingston" subdivision.
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Mark Tomlonson
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