Ottawa – East Alburgh railway line
The Ottawa – East Alburgh railway is a railway line in Ontario and Québec ( Canada ) and Vermont ( United States ). It is 217.6 kilometers long and connects, among other places, Ottawa , Casselman , Alexandria (all in Ontario), Coteau-du-Lac , Salaberry-de-Valleyfield , Lacolle (in Québec) and Alburgh (Vermont) . The line has been closed between the old terminus in Ottawa and the Hawthorne junction in Ontario and between Cécile and Cantic in Québec.
The western part between Hawthorne and De Beaujeu belongs to the VIA Rail Canada , the section from De Beaujeu to Cécile of the Canadian National Railway and the eastern part between Cantic and East Alburgh of the New England Central Railroad . Rights of use exist between Hawthorne and De Beaujeu for the Canadian National and between De Beaujeu and Coteau for the VIA Rail. Canadian National and New England Central operate freight traffic on their respective sections of the route, VIA Rail operates the corridor passenger traffic on the trains from Montreal to Ottawa that use the route from Hawthorne to Coteau.
history
construction
First, on April 14, 1871 , John Rudolphus Booth founded the Montreal and City of Ottawa Railway and later the Coteau and Province Line Railway and Bridge Company . M & COR wanted to create a new, faster connection between Montreal and Ottawa, while C&PL wanted to build a route from Coteau over the St. Lawrence River towards Rouses Point. On May 15, 1879, the Canada Atlantic Railway (CAR) was formed from the merger of these two companies . The goal now was to connect Ottawa to the US railroad network without having to take the detour via Montreal, but at the same time to have a fast connection to Montreal. The line was opened in sections from Coteau on the Grand Trunk main line. Trains from Coteau to Casselman started running as early as January 1, 1882, although this section was not officially opened until February 1. Limoges was reached in May and Carlsbad Springs shortly before Ottawa on July 15. On September 13, 1882, the last section of the line to Ottawa went into operation. The terminus in Ottawa was on Elgin Street. The CAR agreed with the Grand Trunk Railway to share the route from Coteau to Montreal, so that from November 1, 1882, through express trains could be offered. After the approval for the construction of the bridge over the St. Lawrence River was granted shortly afterwards, in 1890 the line could be extended beyond Coteau to Lacolle Junction (later Cantic), from where a grand trunk line to Rouses for a few kilometers Point in New York could also be used.
Railway stations in Ottawa
From January 1, 1885, trains in Ottawa ran beyond the previous terminus to Chaudière Falls , a terminus near the junction of Richmond Road (now Albert Street) / Preston Street, next to Broad Street Station . As early as June 1888, passenger traffic to this station ended again, as an extension to Bridge Street (now Booth Street) was being built. At the end of 1888 this extension went into operation and the Bridge Street station with some timber loading points was opened. The new station was still referred to as Chaudière Falls in timetables . On April 26, the station burned down along with large parts of the city and the neighboring city of Hull . It was replaced by a new building that stood until the line was closed in the 1960s. On December 23, 1895, a branch line was opened along the Rideau Canal, initially to a provisional terminus on Maria Street (now Laurier Avenue). The passenger traffic to Bridge Street could be stopped. The Ottawa Central Station was opened on September 28, 1896 at the end of the new branch line directly behind the makeshift station Maria Street. This was necessary because the Ottawa – Depot Harbor line of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway was partially opened in 1893 , and the trains initially ended in a provisional terminus in Chaudière Junction. The Central Station now served as the terminus for both lines, although some trains from the Coteau direction continued to use Elgin Street station. From 1898, the Montreal and Ottawa Railway also used Maria Street station for their newly built main line.
Extension to Vermont
After the traffic on the route developed well, they looked for a more direct connection towards Swanton . Although it was possible to hand over cars to the Central Vermont Railway at Rouses Point , a separate route around this junction was sought. In 1897 the Vermont and Province Line Railway was founded in Vermont and in the same year the extension to East Alburgh went into operation on December 13th. With Central Vermont they agreed to use the new route to Swanton, and in return, Central Vermont was allowed to use the new route to Cantic. Grand Trunk took over CAR on August 15, 1904 and from October 1, 1905 also took over the management of the railway line. She now wanted to build a new representative train station for the city of Ottawa, which would replace the old Central Station. On June 1, 1912, the new Central Station building was opened. From 1921, after the Canadian Pacific also started its trains there, the station was officially called Ottawa Union Station , a name that Broad Street Station had unofficially until then. Most trains to and from Ottawa stopped here until July 31, 1966. On that day, the city routes through Ottawa were shut down and the new main train station east of the center on the route of the former Montreal & Ottawa (now Canadian Pacific Railway ) opened. Several connecting lines were built to this station at the same time.
Further development
Passenger traffic between Cantic (then Lacolle Junction) and East Alburgh had already been suspended in the summer of 1917, and was resumed in 1946 when Central Vermont diverted its express trains to Montreal over the route. In 1931, passenger traffic ended between Aubrey and Cantic. Around 1940 he was also hired between Valleyfield and Aubrey. In the mid-1950s, the last passenger trains ran between Coteau and Valleyfield. Passenger traffic between Cantic and East Alburgh was finally suspended again in September 1966, only to be resumed by Amtrak with its Montreal Express train in 1972 and not finally suspended until April 1995. VIA Rail Canada has operated passenger services on the section from Ottawa to Coteau since 1978. The line between Cécile Junction and Cantic was closed in the 1990s. Also in the 1990s, VIA Rail acquired the line between the Hawthorne branch and De Beaujeu (now known as the Alexandria Subdivision ) from the Canadian National Railway . In 1995, the New England Central Railroad took over the former Central Vermont Railway from Canadian National and also bought the section from Cantic to East Alburgh, which it has been operating in freight traffic ever since.
Route description
In downtown Ottawa
The line began in Union Station from Ottawa from 1896 to 1966. The building is still standing and has been used as a conference center by the Canadian government since the line was closed. The railway ran from here along the Rideau Canal in a south-easterly direction. Where Nicholas Street joins Ontario Highway 417 today , there was a complicated track crossing until 1966. The railway lines coming from Union Station were distributed here. North of the railway line on Mann Avenue was the terminus of the New York Central Railroad , which it used again for passenger services from 1941 to save the cost of sharing the route to Union Station. The Canadian Northern Railway branched off to the northeast in the direction of Montreal. To the southwest, the CAR line connected to Bridge Street Station. The main line in the direction of Vermont as well as the main lines of the Montreal and Ottawa Railway and the New York Central led from here further southeast.
The route to Bridge Street Station crosses the Rideau Canal shortly after the track crossing. The Ontario Highway 417 runs along its route here today. Immediately behind the bridge, on Catherine Street, was Elgin Street, which was the terminus for trains from the Coteau direction until the end of 1884. Even after that, the station was a stop for passenger trains until 1895. The station was connected to the Bank Street freight yard, where a makeshift platform was built and individual trains still ended in the 1940s. The New York Central also used this station until 1941. The route continues to Chaudière Junction on Preston Street. Here the route branched off to Depot Harbor , once one of the most important grain ports in the country. The line turned northwest and now ran parallel to the Chaudière Junction – Hull railway line of the former Bytown and Prescott Railway , which still exists today and is part of the Trillium Line . The former railway line turns northeast after crossing under Somerset Street. The provisional terminus of the line was here from 1885 to 1888, right next to Broad Street station of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was used as the second main station by this railway company until 1921. The route continued for a few hundred meters from 1888 and ended at the timber loading station on Bridge Street, now called Booth Street and named after the founder of the Canada Atlantic Railway, John Rudolphus Booth . From 1888 to 1895 passenger trains also ended here.
From Ottawa to Coteau
The line, which is united by the two terminal stations, crosses the Rideau River shortly after the track cross. To the east of the bridge is another extensive former track crossing. This is where the main line of the former Canadian Northern Railway to Capreol crosses, which was part of the transcontinental route of this railway company and which today belongs to VIA Rail Canada. There was a connecting curve to this stretch. Right next to it was the Bytown & Preston line, Ottawa's oldest railway line, which also crossed here at the same level. The route in the direction of Coteau, which is now partially built over, now runs through an industrial area. Some connections are still served by the Canadian National. Shortly thereafter, the next track junction is reached, the Hawthorne junction, where the track that is still used today from the connecting railway to the new Ottawa station branches off. The Ottawa – Tupper Lake line of the New York Central Railroad once crossed here .
The railway line now leaves the urban area of Ottawa and runs south-east in a straight line through Carlsbad Springs and Vars to Limoges. A branch line to Rockland once branched off here . 13 kilometers further on, Casselman is the first station served by VIA Rail today. In front of the station the train crosses the South Nation River . The station itself now consists of only one platform on the track and a small reception building. To the east of the station there is an approximately one kilometer long two-track encounter section that enables train crossings. The route continues in a southeast direction and turns northeast at the former Moose Creek stop. Shortly afterwards Maxville is reached, where there is another one and a half kilometer long encounter section.
The route continues eastwards and reaches the Rivière Delisle at Greenfield , which it will follow to Coteau. After a few kilometers, the Alexandria train station is reached, where train crossings are also possible and served by the VIA Rail trains. From here the line runs northeast in a straight line to Glen Robertson, where a branch line of the Ottawa Central Railway to Hawkesbury branches off in a triangular track. Shortly thereafter, the railway line turns to the southeast and crosses the provincial border to Québec. A few kilometers later, the train crosses one of the main routes between Montreal and Toronto, namely that of the former Ontario and Québec Railway via Smiths Falls. The crossing point was initially called St. Polycarpe Junction, but was later renamed De Beaujeu. The route continues through the village of Saint-Polycarpe and reaches the Coteau train station. Here it joins the other main route Montreal – Toronto, which was built by the Grand Trunk Railway. The Coteau station itself is a wedge station where the lines to Montreal and Vermont separate. The VIA Rail trains continue to Montreal and use the station section on this route. From here only freight trains continue to travel eastwards.
From Coteau to East Alburgh
The route leaves Coteau south-east and crosses the St. Lawrence River . The numerous islands in the river made it possible that only four relatively short bridges had to be built to cross the current. The route continues through Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to the Cécile Junction junction. This is where CSX Transportation's Montreal – Massena route crosses . The track ends shortly afterwards and the railway is shut down in the further course. On the bridge over the Canal de Beauharnois , the rails lay on the road that also ran over it until it was closed. The railway line now runs further south-east and is no longer available in some places due to the agricultural use of the area. The bridge over the Rivière Châteauguay has been dismantled. Only a bridge pillar in the water still testifies to its earlier existence. Shortly afterwards, the next hub station, Howick Junction, is reached, where a branch line of the Grand Trunk Railway crossed.
The bridge over the Rivière des Anglais has also been torn down. The line now reaches the former Aubrey station just before the bridge over the Ruisseau Norton , where passenger trains ended in the 1930s. The route continues via Holton to Barrington, where another Grand Trunk route crossed. From the Rang Saint-Michel road west of Holton, the railway line to Cantic is now used by a cycle and hiking trail. In between lies the city of Lacolle , where the still used railway line Delson – Rouses Point crosses. The Cantic intersection is only a few hundred meters away. The main route New York – Montreal crosses here and the route to East Alburgh, which has been operated by the New England Central Railroad since 1995, branches off from this route.
Shortly after Cantic, the route crosses the Rivière Richelieu over two bridges using the river island Île Ash. After the bridge, the next junction station is Noyan Junction . A route of the Rutland Railway crossed the railway line here. The railway then crosses the state border to Vermont and shortly thereafter joins the Essex Junction – Rouses Point railway in East Alburgh .
literature
- Robert C. Jones: Railroads of Vermont, Volume I. New England Press Inc., 1993. ISBN 1-881535-01-0 .
- Robert M. Lindsell: The Rail Lines of Northern New England. Branch Line Press, Pepperell, MA 2000, ISBN 0-942147-06-5 .
Web links
- The Railways of Ottawa (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. New England & Maritime Canada. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010.
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. Quebec & Labrador + Newfoundland. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2010.
- ↑ Mike Walker: Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America. Ontario. SPV-Verlag, Dunkirk (GB), 2008.