Customer Reviews (1)

A great Canadian railway and canal reference
If you are interested in Canadian transportation history, then this atlas is a must for you! The author details, in writing, pictures and maps every significant railway and canal in Canada, including in-service dates, the route(s) and abandonments.

A great way to see how our country was shaped by rail and canal transportation from 1830's to 1950's. It is a must-have for every rail-fan, student of Canadian history, school and library in Canada.

Bernie Geiger, Ottawa, Ontario, July 1998 ... Read more

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Despite the "green" benefits of rail travel, Canada has lost much of its railway heritage.Across the country stations have been bulldozed and rails ripped up.Once the heart of communities large and small, stations and tracks have left little more than a gaping hole in Canada's landscapes.This book revisits the times when railways were the country's economic lifeline, and the station the social centre.Here was where we worked, played, listened to political speeches, or simply said goodbye to loved ones never knowing when they would return. The landscapes which grew around the station are also explored and include such forgotten features as station hotels, restaurants, gardens and the once common railway YMCA. Railway companies often hired the world's leading architects to design grand station buildings which ranged in style from chateau-esque to art deco. Even small town stations and wayside shelters displayed an artistic flare and elegance.Although most have vanished, the book celebrates the survival of that heritage in stations which have been saved or indeed remain in use.The book will appeal to anyone who has links with our rail era, or who simply appreciates the value of Canada's built heritage.

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Chapters: Defunct Railway Companies of Canada, Disused Railway Stations in Canada, List of Defunct Canadian Railways, Viafast, Summerhill-North Toronto Cpr Station, Original Union Station, Allandale Station, Casino Regina, Alberta Railway Museum, Cn Tower, Galt Historic Railway Park, Strathcona Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Canadian Pacific 374, Alberta Central Railway Museum, Saint-Martin, Red Deer Calgary and Edmonton Railway Station, Hanna Canadian Northern Railway Station. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 78. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Most transportation historians date the history of Canada's railways as beginning on February 25, 1832 with the incorporation of British North America's first steam-powered railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. This line opened for traffic on July 21, 1836, although there are cases of animal-drawn mining tramways in Nova Scotia from the 18th century onward. Thousands of railways followed the C ... Read more

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Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada is a "survey course" about one of the most interesting chapters in Canadian railway history. The late Omer Lavallee's original work was published by Railfare Books in 1972, and soon sold out. Long-sought by collectors, historians and railway enthusiasts, his excellent material has now been expanded (over 40%) by the author's long-time friend and collaborator, editor Ronald Ritchie.Omer Lavallee's survey indicates the Province of Ontario, Canada, was the birth place - in July 1871 - of the first narrow gauge steam-operated public railway in North America . . . and the Lingan Colliery Tramway in Cape Breton may have been - in 1866 - the first narrow gauge steam-operated railway in the Western Hemisphere.Two dozen different railway systems are covered within the book's twenty-five chapters. There are 192 rare photographs - including a section of 66 full-colour photos - interesting sketches, and informative maps of each line to show route details. These are keyed to an overall map, pinpointing the railway's exact location within Canada. Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada contains listings of railway mileage, chronological and geographical facts about each system, and locomotive information. Several other useful features include: time-mileage charts, 50 diagrams, charts and tables, equipment rosters for virtually all the railways, and gradient profiles of three steeply-graded mountain routes.The book includes a specially-commissioned painting by famed railway artist Wentworth Folkins, illustrating Newfoundland Railway's "Overland" approaching Port-aux-Basque on the last lap of its 547-mile journey from Newfoundland's capital city, St. John's. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Canadian Narrow Gauge
Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada

This is a well-written and nicely-illustrated book by one of Canada's foremost railroad historians.The 2005 edition has 32 pages of color photographs that were not in the original 1973 edition.The book is divided into 23 chapters, ranging fron one or two pages for the smallest lines to 38 pages for the White Pass & Youkon and 44 pages for the Newfoundland Railway.

Each chapter provides a summary of the railway covered, as opposed to an in-depth history, so it is informative yet easy to read; and the text is nicely-supplemented with maps and locomotive rosters.People with a general interest in railways, or a specific interest in Canadian railways or narrow gauge lines should find this book enjoyable and a worthwhile addition to their library.

Lovingly Done, Great Pictures
Railroad gauges in Canada have varied quite a bit. In 1851, the legislature passed a law that all rails laid in Canada would be 5'6". This was to keep Yankee domination of the railroads from happening. The fact that you then couldn't send a car from Toronto to New York wasn't important. This lasted until the 1870's.

Canada's narrow gauges came from two sources. One was the 'British Metric,' not really metric, but 3'6". The other, more common in the west was copied from the very successful D&RG of Colorado which used a 3' gauge.

There were some 17 narrow gauge railways in Canada. Generally speaking they were in areas where the narrow gauge meant significant savings in construction costs. The tighter turning radius meant that a lot less earth had to be moved in mountains.

This book is a loving collection of the pictures and stories of these railways. And lest you think of narrow gauge as something of the last century, there is a great picture on page 115 of a diesel engined train leaving a tunnel and crossing a bridge. What makes is to great is that everything in the picture, the tunnel, the bridge, the engines, the cars is of later than 1968 vintage.

Lovingly Done, Great Pictures, Good Book.

Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada
Twenty-three short histories of Canadian railways and tramways are presented in text and in numerous black & white photos.Timetables, engine erection drawings, and time-mileage charts are included for some ofthe lines.The strength of the book is the presentation of these railwayswhich may otherwise not be known.Those who love Canadian railway historyor obscure narrow gauge railroads will find this book a delight. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Before the railways, Canada was a vast, rugged country with a small, widely spread population.As train tracks were laid from the Atlantic to the Pacific, towns sprang up along the way.Train stations became centres of life and communication.Jobs were created, businesses sprang up, and for the first time, Canadians felt united.By 1867 the Dominion of Canada would form, due in no small part to the railways. ... Read more