Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad

Reporting marks
Locale	Quebec, Canada with a line into New York state
Dates of operation	1836 –
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge), converted from 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) in the 1870s
Headquarters

The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad (C&SL) was a historic railway in Lower Canada and one of the first railways built in British North America. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Reporting marks on two CP Rail covered hoppers passing Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, June 20, 2004. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 2nd 1,542,056 km² 11. ... Official language(s) English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... Lower Canada was a British colony in North America, at the downstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in the southern portion of the modern-day province of Quebec. ... Several railroads have been called the oldest in the United States. ... By 1763, British North America included 19 British colonies and territories on the continent of North America. ...

The C&SL was financed by Montreal entrepreneur and brewery owner, John Molson. It was intended as a portage road to connect the St. Lawrence River valley with Lake Champlain, cutting time from the trip between Montreal and New York. Construction began in January, 1835 when surveyors determined the line would run from St. John on the Richelieu River to the nearest point on the St. Lawrence at La Prairie, 14 miles (23 km) upriver from Montreal. John Molson John Molson (December 28, 1763 – January 11, 1836) was an was Anglo-Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company. ... A portage railway is a short and possibly isolated section of railway used to bypass a section of unnavigatable river. ... The Saint Lawrence River (French fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Landsat photo Lake Champlain, named for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it 1609, is a large lake in North America, mostly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in Quebec. ... This article needs cleanup. ... NYC and New York, New York redirect here. ... 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a city in Quebec, Canada about 50 km southeast of Montreal. ... The Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada flows about 130 km north to drain Lake Champlain into the St. ... La Prairie is a town in southwestern Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Rousillon. ...

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, which was to be built in Newcastle upon Tyne, as well as four passenger cars, which were to be built in the United States. Several freight cars were also built in Montreal. A locomotive (from lat. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ...

The 16 mile (25 km) line was built to a broad track gauge with rails consisting of 6-inch 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. Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution...

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 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 wheel base. Trial runs took place at night to avoid frightening the public; maximum speed was approximately 30 mi/h (48 km/h). June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... George Stephenson Statue of George Stephenson at the National Railway Museum, York George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British engineer who designed a famous and historically important steam-powered locomotive named Rocket, and is known as the Father of British Steam Railways. ... In the Science Museum, London A contemporary drawing of Rocket The Replica Rocket Stephensons Rocket was an early steam locomotive of 0-2-2 wheel arrangement, built by George and Robert Stephenson in 1829. ...

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 of Lower Canada, as well as Louis-Joseph Papineau, 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. July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford (August 1, 1776 – March 27, 1849) was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century. ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Portrait of Louis-Joseph Papineau. ...

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. The line was extended south along the Richelieu River valley in 1851 to Rouses Point, 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. July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Rouses Point is a village located in Clinton County, New York. ... Saint-Lambert, Quebec is a borough of the city of Longueuil, on the south shore of Montreal, and on the bank of the St. ...

The C&SL merged with the Montreal and New York Railroad in 1857, formerly known as the Montreal and Lachine Railroad, with the new company being named the Montreal and Champlain Railroad. The Grand Trunk Railway leased the M&C in 1864 and purchased it outright in 1872. Although it is unknown when the track gauge was converted from broad gauge to standard gauge, this likely took place in the early 1870s when GTR was doing a system-wide conversion. 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Grand Trunk Railway logo or herald The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a historic railway system headquartered in Montreal, Quebec which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ...

In 1923 the GTR was nationalized and the ex-M&C, nee-C&SL trackage was incorporated into the Canadian National Railways (CNR). CN (post-1960) continues to operate the majority of this historic route, running from an interchange connection with the Delaware and Hudson Railway (now owned by Canadian Pacific Railway) at Rouses Point, New York, through Saint-Jean and on to Saint-Lambert. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... CN redirects here, as its the most common usage of the abbreviation in Canada; for more uses, see CN (disambiguation). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1886 map The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) (AAR reporting mark DH) is a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway, giving it access to New York City and other parts of the northeastern United States. ... The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR; AAR reporting marks CP, CPAA, CPI), known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a Canadian Class I railway operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited. ... Rouses Point is a village located in Clinton County, New York. ...