The Canadian Northern Railway ( CNoR ) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway . At its 1923 merger into the Canadian National Railway ( reporting mark CN ), the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa , Winnipeg , and Edmonton .
91-466: The network had its start in the independent branchlines that were being constructed in Manitoba in the 1880s and 1890s as a response to the monopoly exercised by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Many such lines were built with the sponsorship of the provincial government, which sought to subsidize local competition to the federally subsidized CPR; however, significant competition was also provided by
182-553: A certain industrial site such as a power station either because of a location away from the main line or to reduce congestion. They were typically built to lower standards, using lighter rail and shallow roadbeds when compared to main lines. Much of Canada's branch line history relates to large rail transport conglomerates (such as the Grand Trunk , Canadian National , or Canadian Pacific ) which would acquire formerly independent short line railways for use as branch lines, with
273-563: A change of -3.2% from its 2016 population of 899. With a land area of 50.83 km (19.63 sq mi), it had a population density of 17.1/km in 2021. As of the 2021 Canada Census, just over 56 percent of the population is Indigenous , and the rest (43 percent) are non-native. Of the Indigenous population, there were 345 First Nations (69 percent), 80 Métis (16 percent), 25 Inuit (5 percent) and 35 people (7 percent) had multiple Indigenous ancestry. The non-native population
364-764: A charter to build westward to the mouth of the Skeena River was alarmed, but in no hurry, because it believed the GTPR would choose one of the more northerly passes to cross the Canadian Rockies , leaving the Yellowhead Pass for the CNoR. Despite promptings, the GTP was unwilling to collaborate with the CNoR in any joint construction. In 1905, CNoR reached Edmonton , just as part of the old NWT had changed into
455-586: A coastal location at a latitude of 58 degrees north should warrant. The shallow Hudson Bay freezes over in the winter, eliminating maritime transit. Prevailing northerly winds from the North Pole jet across the frozen bay, leading to a January average temperature of −26.0 °C (−14.8 °F), comparable to the frigid cold in the Siberian Arctic city of Norilsk , which is at a much higher latitude of 69 degrees north. Juneau, Alaska , by contrast,
546-441: A condition for further funding, the government became the majority shareholder. On September 6, 1918, the directors, Mackenzie and Mann, resigned, replaced by a government-appointed board. Subsequently, CNoR executive David Blyth Hanna and his team managed not only CNoR operations but also the federally owned Canadian Government Railways (CGR). On December 20, 1918, a Privy Council order directed CNoR and CGR to be managed under
637-411: A larger yard, where these railcars are sorted and dispatched in larger trains with other cars destined to similar locations. Because industrial spurs generally have less capacity and traffic than a mainline, they tend to have lower maintenance and signaling (train control) standards. Before the rise of the long-distance trucking in the early 1930s, railroads were the primary means of transportation around
728-495: A relatively tight 100-degree turn. Maritime transportation companies, Nunavut Sealink and Supply (NSSI) as Groupe Desgagnés , and Nunavut Eastern Arctic Sealink (NEAS) both have bases in Churchill and provide sealift to Nunavik and all Nunavut communities. The port was used for the export of Canadian grain to European markets, with rail-sea connections made at Churchill. There are no roads from Churchill that connect to
819-823: A section of the West Rail line . Discontinued services include the Sha Tau Kok Railway and the Wo Hop Shek Branch . A spur line to Siu Sai Wan has been proposed. Delhi On the Delhi Metro , the Blue Line has a Branch Line with 8 Stations, linking Yamuna Bank to Ghaziabad via Anand Vihar ISBT and terminating at Vaishali. The first section of the Branch opened on 8 January 2010 with Anand Vihar as its terminal with six stations. It
910-567: A set of trails created by the Canadian and US military, responsible tour operators are granted permits to access these trails for wildlife viewing. Staying on these established trails ensures that the tundra ecosystem is maintained. October and early November are the most feasible times to see polar bears, thousands of which wait on the vast peninsula until the water freezes on Hudson Bay so they can return to hunt their primary food source, ringed seals. There are also opportunities to see polar bears in
1001-491: A single track, the journey is 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometres) long and the train takes around two and a half minutes to complete its journey. In North America, little-used branch lines are often sold by large railroads to become new common carrier short-line railroads of their own. Throughout the United States and Canada, branch lines link smaller towns too distant from the main line to be served efficiently, or to serve
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#17328007981611092-531: A subsidy for grain transport, and instead allowed railways to absorb branch line subsidies freely without making effort to improve the profitability of the lines. The term "grain-dependent branch lines" began being used as early as 1978 to refer to the special case of these branch lines in agricultural areas whose viability depended on the economics of grain transport. The Western Grain Transportation Act of 1983 addressed this case specifically, but
1183-453: A trans-Pacific service were mothballed. In 1914, to develop a resort on Grand Beach , CNoR bought a 150-acre (0.61 km) homestead north of Winnipeg on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, By 1914, with the company's financial predicament threatening the solvency of its major financier, the Bank of Commerce , the CNoR appealed for government help. The last spike of the CNoR transcontinental railway
1274-756: Is a non-profit research and education facility 23 km (14 mi) east of the town of Churchill. It provides accommodations, meals, equipment rentals, and logistical support to scientific researchers who work on a diverse range of topics of interest to northern science. The Churchill Marine Observatory (CMO), operated by the University of Manitoba , was constructed with federal funds beginning in 2015. The observatory became operational in December 2021. It facilitates studies to address technological, scientific and economic issues pertaining to Arctic oil spills , gas exploration, and other contaminants. The facility
1365-556: Is a type of secondary track used by railroads to allow customers at a location to load and unload railcars without interfering with other railroad operations. Industrial spurs can vary greatly in length and railcar capacity depending on the requirements of the customer the spur is serving. In heavily industrialized areas, it is not uncommon for one industrial spur to have multiple sidings to several different customers. Typically, spurs are serviced by local trains responsible for collecting small numbers of railcars and delivering them to
1456-480: Is also a destination for birdwatching from late May until August; normally, 175 species are found there. Birders have recorded more than 270 species within a 40 km (25 mi) radius of Churchill, including snowy owl , tundra swan , American golden plover and gyrfalcon . More than 100 birds, including parasitic jaeger , Smith's longspur , stilt sandpiper , and Harris's sparrow nest there. Other birds that are seen around Churchill, but less often, include
1547-429: Is also at a latitude of 58 degrees north but is moderated by the warmer and much deeper Pacific Ocean . Juneau's −3.5 °C (25.7 °F) January average temperature is a full 22.5 °C (40.5 °F) warmer than Churchill's. Tourism and ecotourism are significant contributors to the local economy, with the polar bear season (October and November) being the largest. Tourists also visit to watch beluga whales in
1638-507: Is estimated to cost about $ 32 million. Churchill Airport , formerly a United States and Canadian military base, is serviced by Calm Air operating scheduled flights connecting Churchill to Winnipeg . The privately owned Port of Churchill is Canada's principal seaport on the Arctic Ocean . The port was originally constructed by the government in the 1930s, although the idea of building such an Arctic deep-water port originated in
1729-605: Is influenced by shallow soils caused by a combination of subsurface permafrost and Canadian Shield rock formation. The black spruce dominant tree cover is sparse and stunted by these environmental constraints. There is also a noticeable ice pruning effect on the trees. The area also offers sport fishing. Several tour operators offer expeditions on land, sea and air, using all-terrain vehicles, tundra buggies, boats, canoes, helicopters, and ultralight aircraft . Like all northern communities in Canada, Churchill can sometimes see
1820-467: Is located in the Churchill River estuary, and consists of two saltwater sub-pools designed to simultaneously accommodate contaminated and control experiments on various scenarios of the behaviour of oil spills in sea ice. The concrete pools are equipped with a movable fabric roof to control snow cover and ice growth, and various sensors and instruments to allow real-time monitoring. The project
1911-514: Is mainly of European descent, although a small number of Black Canadians (2.3%) and Latin Americans (1%) also reside in Churchill. English is the most commonly spoken language, followed by Cree , Inuktitut , French and Dene . The town has a modern multiplex centre housing a cinema, cafeteria, public library, hospital, health centre, daycare, swimming pool, ice hockey rink, indoor playground, gym, curling rinks and basketball courts. Nearby
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#17328007981612002-539: Is the Itsanitaq Museum , operated by the Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'Hudson , with over 850 high quality Inuit carvings on permanent display. The exhibits include historical and contemporary sculptures of stone, bone, and ivory, as well as archaeological and wildlife specimens. The Parks Canada visitor centre also has artifacts on display and makes use of audiovisual presentations of various topics involving
2093-528: The Financial Post reported that due to delays in the approval of several new pipelines from Alberta 's oil fields, oil industry planners were considering shipping oil by rail to Churchill, for loading on panamax oil tankers . Under this plan icebreakers would extend the shipping season. In July 2016, OmniTRAX announced the closure of the Port of Churchill and the end of daily rail freight service to
2184-532: The Bay of Plenty Region , lines were built inland to provide rail access to large logging operations. Today, many of the branch lines have been closed, including almost all of the general-purpose country lines. Those that remain serve ports or industries far from main lines such as coal mines, logging operations, large dairying factories, and steelworks . In Auckland and Wellington , two branch lines in each city exist solely for commuter passenger trains. For more, see
2275-657: The Churchill River . The trading post and river were named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough , who was governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in the late 17th century. The fort, Prince of Wales Fort , was rebuilt at the mouth of the river. The fort was primarily built to capitalize on the North American fur trade , out of the reach of York Factory . It dealt mainly with the Chipewyan living north of
2366-529: The Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway , forms part of a key CN connection between Chicago and Winnipeg . Branchline A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line . A very short branch line may be called a spur line . Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located on a main line. Branch lines may also connect two or more main lines. An industrial spur
2457-753: The Gladstone Branch in New Jersey; as well as the New Canaan Branch , Danbury Branch , and Waterbury Branch in Connecticut . The Long Island Rail Road also refers to its services as "branches". In Chile, there are a lot of branch lines on its main line, of only a few remain operational. Most only operating in turistic services (like the Antilhue-Valdivia branch line), others have been taken over by other railways (like
2548-587: The Hudson Plains at the juncture of three ecoregions : the boreal forest to the south, the Arctic tundra to the northwest, and the Hudson Bay to the north. Wapusk National Park , located at 57°46′26″N 93°22′17″W / 57.77389°N 93.37139°W / 57.77389; -93.37139 ( Wapusk National Park ) , is to the southeast of the town. The landscape around Churchill
2639-478: The Mount Royal Tunnel project. CNoR was heavily indebted to banks and governments, and its profitable branchlines in the prairie provinces — "Canada's breadbasket" — would not generate enough revenue to cover construction costs in other areas. Unable to meet its debts, the company became desperate for financial aid. In 1917, the federal government effectively took control of the company. As
2730-788: The North South Line between Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang stations was operated as a separate line, known as the Branch line . It was merged into the North–South Line with the opening of the Woodlands Extension in 1996. The future Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line will also have branch lines. New Zealand once had a very extensive network of branch lines, especially in the South Island regions of Canterbury , Otago , and Southland . Many were built in
2821-612: The Pisa-Rome railway mainline at Roma San Pietro railway station , to Vatican City station . Many British railway branch lines were closed as a result of the " Beeching cuts " in the 1960s, although some have been re-opened as heritage railways . The smallest branch line that is still in operation in the UK is the Stourbridge Town Branch Line from Stourbridge Junction going to Stourbridge Town . Operating on
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2912-704: The South Tseung Kwan O Spur Line to LOHAS Park station , opened in 2009. Earlier, a spur line was built in 1985 on the East Rail line to serve Racecourse station , bypassing Fo Tan station . Also, the Tsim Sha Tsui Extension [ yue ] was built in 2004 on the East Rail line to serve East Tsim Sha Tsui station . However, after the Kowloon Southern Link was completed in 2009, this spur line turns into
3003-582: The aurora borealis (Northern Lights) when there is a high amount of solar activity and the skies are clear, usually in February and March. Visibility also depends on the sky being dark enough to see them, which usually precludes their visibility in the summer due to nautical twilight all night long . Churchill has a very harsh subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfc ) with long, frigid winters (from early October to May) and short, cool to mild summers. Churchill's winters are much colder than
3094-527: The boreal forest . Much of the fur came from as far away as Lake Athabasca and the Rocky Mountains . A defensive battery, Cape Merry Battery, was built on the opposite side of the fort to provide protection. As part of the Anglo-French dispute for North America, in 1731–1741, the original fort was replaced with Prince of Wales Fort, a large stone fort on the western peninsula at the mouth of
3185-508: The fur trade and the emergence of Western agricultural success, Churchill phased into and then back out of obsolescence. After decades of frustration over the monopoly and domination of the Canadian Pacific Railway , western Canadian governments banded together. They aggressively negotiated for the creation of a significant new northern shipping harbour on Hudson Bay, linked by rail from Winnipeg . Initially, Port Nelson
3276-521: The list of New Zealand railway lines . Churchill, Manitoba Churchill is an Arctic port town in northern Manitoba , Canada, on the west shore of Hudson Bay , roughly 140 km (87 mi) from the Manitoba– Nunavut border. It is most famous for the many polar bears that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" and to
3367-561: The northern hawk-owl , three-toed woodpecker and the Ross's gull . The town has a modern health centre, operated by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority , which employs about 129 people, including six doctors and eighteen nurses. It provides 21 acute care beds, dental care and diagnostic laboratories to service the residents of Churchill and the regions of Nunavut . The Churchill Northern Studies Centre
3458-479: The 1890s and 1900s had been relatively frugal, largely by acquiring bankrupt companies or finishing failed construction projects. By the 1910s, significant expenses were accumulating. The CNoR started construction west of Edmonton in 1910, fully two years later than GTPR. The construction through the Rockies, which was expensive, largely paralleled the GTPR line of 1911, creating about 100 miles of duplication. However,
3549-574: The 1890s, they reached Swan River , and continued building north between the Porcupine Hills to the west and Lake Winnipegosis to the east. In 1900, Mackenzie and Mann directed this northern line west into the Northwest Territories (later Saskatchewan ), where it eventually terminated at E.R. Wood (later Erwood ). This northwestern line mainly carried lumber and was extended to Melfort between 1903 and 1905. In 1907,
3640-402: The 19th century. It is the only Arctic Ocean seaport connected to the North American railway grid . The port is capable of servicing Panamax vessels. The presence of ice on Hudson Bay restricts navigation from mid-autumn to mid-summer. Churchill experiences the highest tides in Hudson Bay. The Churchill estuary has a narrow entrance, and ships planning to moor at the port have to execute
3731-581: The Canadian Parliament pressured Mackenzie and Mann to continue building more rail towards Hudson Bay. In that year, they created a junction on the Erwood to Melfort line near the mouth of the Etoimami river, where Fort Red Deer River existed, and a line was extended north to The Pas . By 1910, the settlement at this junction was renamed Hudson Bay Junction , and the line was completed between
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3822-579: The Canadian SUPRAD (signals intelligence) network and remained in that role until it closed its doors in 1968. The Operations and Accommodations building remains today but is abandoned. This area was also the site of the Churchill Rocket Research Range , part of Canadian-American atmospheric research. Its first rocket was launched in 1956, and it continued to host launches for research until closing in 1984. The site of
3913-891: The Canadian highway network. The only overland route connecting Churchill to the rest of Canada is the Hudson Bay Railway , formerly part of the Canadian National Railway (CN) network, which connects the Port of Churchill and the town's railway station to CN's rail line at The Pas . The Winnipeg–Churchill train , operated by Via Rail , provides passenger service between Churchill station in downtown Churchill and Union Station in downtown Winnipeg twice per week and from The Pas once per week. The 1,700 km (1,100 mi) journey from Winnipeg takes approximately 40 hours, and services many smaller communities in northern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan. In 1997,
4004-522: The Churchill River in June and July. The area is also popular for birdwatchers and to view the aurora borealis . The Port of Churchill is the terminus for the Hudson Bay Railway operated by the Arctic Gateway Group . The port facilities handle shipments of grain and other commodities around the world. The Churchill Northern Studies Centre also attracts visitors and academics from around
4095-426: The Churchill region, however, many alliances between bears are made in the fall. These friendships last only until the ice forms. Then, it is every bear for itself to hunt ringed seals . Starting in the 1980s, the town developed a sizable tourism industry focused on the migration habits of the polar bear. Tourists can safely view polar bears from specially modified vehicles built to navigate the tundra terrain. Utilizing
4186-625: The Northern Ocean . In return, the British promised the same number of French prisoners would be released, and a British seaman familiar with the waters safely navigated the French away from the Hudson's Bay coastline at a time of year when the French risked becoming trapped in winter ice. The French made an unsuccessful attempt to demolish the fort. The worst effect was on the local indigenous peoples, who had become dependent on trade goods from
4277-695: The San Rosendo-Talcahuano branch line, which has been taken over by Biotrén and the Laja-Talcahuano train service) however, there is one branch line that still remains as fully operative. The Talca-Constitución branch line, which uses trains with bus motors. Two extensions to the MTR rapid transit network were built as branches of existing lines: the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line to Lok Ma Chau station , which opened in 2007; and
4368-676: The Skeena, the CNoR accepted BC government subsidies to switch to the Vancouver area. When the GTPR selected the Yellowhead route, CNoR protests created some delay but could not overturn he decision. In 1911, CNoR workers started on a townsite named Port Mann on the Fraser River. This townsite would accommodate new car shops, and from there, rail-lines would extend to Vancouver and the Fraser River delta. CNoR's initial expansion in
4459-581: The Stony Plain line meant frequent crossings over the Grand Trunk Pacific line which had been laid in the meantime. Instead CNoR decided to leave Edmonton through St. Albert. (A bump on 124th Street near Stony Plain Road is remnant of the constructed but abandoned road-bed.) CNoR's terminus on the coast changed over time. Rather than competing with the GTPR in having a terminal at the mouth of
4550-477: The Toronto – Parry Sound line to Ottawa and on to Montreal . In 1910 a direct Toronto–Montreal line was built. In 1911, federal funding enabled construction of the line Montreal – Ottawa – Capreol – Port Arthur. In 1912, with GTR and CPR holding the ideal southern routes around Mount Royal to downtown Montreal, CNoR started building a double-tracked mainline north by excavating the Mount Royal Tunnel . In 1910
4641-556: The U.S. border at Pembina, North Dakota , and east to Ontario . The Canadian Northern Railway was established, on January 13, 1899 and all railway companies owned by Mackenzie and Mann (primarily in Manitoba) were consolidated into the new entity. CNoR's first step toward competing directly with CPR came at the start of the 20th century with the decision to build a line linking the Prairie Provinces with Lake Superior at
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#17328007981614732-560: The U.S. state of New Jersey . The line is a short branch of the Northeast Corridor Line , running from Princeton Junction northwest to Princeton with no intermediate stops. Also known as the "Dinky Line", at 2.9 mi (4.7 km) it is the shortest scheduled commuter rail line in the United States. The run takes 4 minutes, 47 seconds. Other than the Princeton Line, other surviving branch lines include
4823-578: The abandoned ship, the frigate Unicorn , in the tidal flats some kilometres from the mouth of the river. The discoveries were all taken to Denmark; some are on display at the National Museum in Copenhagen. After an abortive attempt in 1688–89, in 1717, the Hudson's Bay Company built the first permanent settlement, Churchill River Post, a log fort a few kilometres upstream from the mouth of
4914-436: The acquisition of branchlines in southwestern Nova Scotia (the Halifax and Southwestern Railway ) and western Cape Breton Island (the Inverness and Richmond Railway ). Other acquisitions were in southern Ontario and a connecting line was built from Toronto to Parry Sound . In 1908, a line, which under later CN ownership was known as the Alderdale Subdivision , was built east from a connection at Capreol, Ontario , on
5005-481: The benefit of its burgeoning tourism industry. Churchill is located on Hudson Bay , at the mouth of the Churchill River on the 58th parallel north , far above most Canadian populated areas. Churchill is far from any other towns or cities, with Thompson , approximately 400 km (250 mi) to the south, being the closest larger settlement. Manitoba's provincial capital, Winnipeg , is approximately 1,000 km (620 mi) south of Churchill. While not part of
5096-402: The city, Eskimo Point and Eskimo Island is located across the river at the former site of the Prince of Wales Fort . Various nomadic Arctic peoples lived and hunted in this region. The Thule people arrived around the year 1000 from the west, the ancestors of the present-day Inuit . The Dene people arrived around the year 500 from farther north. Since before the time of European contact,
5187-481: The company entered the trans-Atlantic liner business with the founding of the Canadian Northern Steamship Company. The subsidiary acquired two liners from the Egyptian Mail Steamship Company and operated them under its Royal Line brand. The pair of ships were renamed upon purchase— Cairo became Royal Edward and Heliopolis became Royal George —and refitted for travel on the North Atlantic. In Royal Line service, Royal Edward sailed from Avonmouth to Montreal in
5278-422: The connection to Port Arthur. From a series of disconnected railways and charters, the network became 1,200 miles of profitable and continuous track that covered most of the prairies by 1902. After receiving grants from the Province of Manitoba and the Dominion of Canada in the 1890s, Mackenzie and Mann began building lines further north in Manitoba, with the intention of eventually reaching Hudson Bay . Throughout
5369-446: The encroaching Northern Pacific Railway (NPR) from the south. Two branchline contractors, Sir William Mackenzie and Sir Donald Mann , took control of the bankrupt Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company in January, 1896. The partners expanded their enterprise, in 1897, by building further north into Manitoba's Interlake district as well as east and west of Winnipeg . They also began building and buying lines south to connect with
5460-432: The first president of the Canadian National Railway , said that although most branch lines cannot pay for themselves, they are even essential to make main lines pay. In the United States, abandonment of unproductive branch lines was a byproduct of deregulation of the rail industry through the Staggers Act . The Princeton Branch is a commuter rail line and service owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) in
5551-414: The flood damage. On 1 November 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Churchill residents to celebrate the resumption of rail freight service to the town. Regular freight shipments resumed in late November and passenger service in early December 2018. In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada , Churchill had a population of 870 living in 389 of its 540 total private dwellings,
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#17328007981615642-414: The former rocket range now hosts the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a facility for multidisciplinary Arctic research. In the 1950s, the British government considered establishing a site near Churchill for testing their early nuclear weapons before choosing Australia instead. Churchill is situated at the estuary of the Churchill River at Hudson Bay. The small community stands at an ecotone , on
5733-412: The fort, and many of them starved. Extensive reconstruction and stabilization of the fort's remains have occurred since the 1950s. In 1783, Hearne returned to build a new fort a short distance upriver. Due to its distance from areas of heavy competition between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, it remained a stable, if not profitable, source of furs. Between the years of decline in
5824-416: The greater flexibility and economic savings of trucking. Today, railroads remain the most economical way to ship large quantities of material, a fact that is reflected in industrial spurs. Most modern day spurs serve very large industries that require hundreds, if not thousands, of carloads a year. There is an international branch line between Italy and Vatican: the 300-metre Vatican Railway , connecting from
5915-491: The harbour in Port Arthur - Fort William (modern Thunder Bay , Ontario), which would permit the shipping of western grain to European markets as well as the transport of eastern Canadian goods to the West. This line incorporated an existing CNoR line to Lake of the Woods and two local Ontario railways, the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway and the Ontario and Rainy River Railway , whose charters Mackenzie and Mann had acquired in 1897. To reach Port Arthur, which became
6006-423: The junction and The Pas. The long section of rail between The Pas and Churchill was never completed by CNoR. However, after CNoR was acquired by CN , the line was completed in 1929. (see Hudson Bay Railway ) Once elected in 1896, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier was eager for a second transcontinental. However, an expansion of the non- CPR railways west of Alberta would be a mammoth questionable gamble for
6097-479: The lake terminus of the CNoR, the line extended south of Lake of the Woods into northern Minnesota before heading northeast through Rainy River District to the head of navigation on the Great Lakes . The Winnipeg-Port Arthur line was completed on December 30, 1901, with the last spike being driven just east of Atikokan station by Ontario's Commissioner of Crown Lands , Elihu Davis . Meanwhile, Mackenzie and Mann expanded their prairie branch line operations to feed
6188-463: The largest costs were from building on "the wrong side" of the Thompson and Fraser rivers in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. CPR already had trackage on the desirable banks, forcing the CNoR to blast tunnels and ledges out of these canyons. The most infamous construction folly on the CNoR in British Columbia happened in 1913, when blasting for a passage for the railway at Hells Gate triggered an enormous landslide which partially blocked
6279-427: The late 19th century to open up inland regions for farming and other economic activities. The branches in the South Island regions were often general-purpose lines that carried predominantly agricultural traffic, but lines elsewhere were often built to serve a specific resource: on the West Coast , an extensive network of branch lines was built in rugged terrain to serve coal mines, while in the central North Island and
6370-530: The name Canadian National Railway (CNR) as a means to simplify funding and operations, but CNoR and CGR would not formally merge and cease corporate existence until January 20, 1923, the date Parliament passed the final act to incorporate CNR. Significant portions of the old CNoR system survive under CN (as the CNR has been known since 1960); for example: The majority of CN's former CNoR branchline network across Canada has either been abandoned or sold to shortline operators. An important U.S. subsidiary of CNoR,
6461-402: The narrow swift-flowing Fraser River. The resulting damage to Pacific salmon runs took decades to reverse by the governmental construction of fishways . Mackenzie and Mann began their first significant expansion outside of the prairies with the purchase of Great Lakes steamships, the Quebec and Lake St-John Railway [ fr ] (1906) into northern Quebec 's Saguenay region and
6552-446: The non-winter months, with tours via boat visiting the coastal areas where polar bears can be found on land and swimming in the sea. Many locals leave their cars unlocked in case someone needs to quickly escape the polar bears in the area. Local authorities maintain a so-called " polar bear jail " where bears (primarily adolescents) who persistently loiter in or close to town, are held after being tranquillised, pending release back into
6643-525: The operators. Adding an equally costly route to supplement the existing uneconomical CP track through Ontario seemed more ludicrous. At the time, the CNoR planned to advance no further west than Edmonton. In 1902, the GTR held talks with Laurier and agreed to build a transcontinental under the auspices of the GTPR for the western portion, with the eastern portion built by the government-owned NTR . The CNoR, which had
6734-643: The port. Weekly freight service to the town remained until May 2017, when floods washed out the track. In 2018, the Port of Churchill, the Hudson Bay Railway, and the Churchill Marine Tank Farm were purchased by Arctic Gateway Group , a public-private partnership that includes Missinippi Rail LP (a consortium of First Nations and local governments), Fairfax Financial and AGT Food and Ingredients . The group engaged Cando Rail Services and Paradox Access Solutions to repair
6825-489: The province of Alberta . The rail-line crossed the North Saskatchewan River at Fort Saskatchewan, coming into Edmonton from the northeast, following the present-day LRT track. After a pause, the CNoR began construction west from Edmonton, and by summer 1907 had gone as far as Stony Plain. A stock market crash that year ceased construction. When construction was resumed in 1910, it was found that extending
6916-551: The railway line and port were sold by the Canadian government to the American railway-holding company OmniTRAX . The government of Manitoba proposed in 2010 that the Port of Churchill could serve as an "Arctic gateway," accepting container ships from Asia whose containers would then be transported south by rail to major destinations in North America. Churchill has been used to transship grain since 1929. In October 2012,
7007-572: The railways had owned. However, by the mid-20th century, railways began neglecting lines in western agricultural regions. This was historically driven by factors such as the Crow Rate , which regulated the price railways could charge for shipping grain. Railways had little incentive to invest in rural Prairie branch lines, but were legally unable to abandon them under the National Transportation Act , which also did not provide
7098-485: The region around Churchill has been predominantly inhabited by the Chipewyan and Cree peoples. Europeans first arrived in the area in 1619 when a Danish expedition led by Jens Munk wintered near where Churchill would later stand. Only 3 of 64 expedition members survived the winter and sailed one of the expedition's two ships, the sloop Lamprey , back to Denmark. Danish archaeologists in 1964 discovered remains of
7189-430: The region's natural and archaeological history. By the late 1980s, both the local government and Parks Canada had successfully educated its population on polar bear safety, significantly reducing lethal confrontations and fuelling ecotourism such that both the community and the polar bears benefited. Churchill has a newspaper called The Hudson Bay Post . It is a monthly newspaper "published occasionally," according to
7280-497: The river. In 1782, the French Hudson Bay expedition , led by La Pérouse , captured it. Since the British, under Samuel Hearne , were greatly outnumbered and, in any event, were not soldiers, they surrendered without firing a shot. The leaders agreed Hearne would be released and given safe passage to England, along with 31 British civilians, in the sloop Severn , on condition he immediately publish his story A Journey to
7371-780: The short line often continuing to exist as a subsidiary. For example, when the Canadian Pacific acquired the Algoma Eastern Railway (a short line) in 1930, it soon after abandoned much of the Algoma Eastern mainline, but retained sections close to Algoma Eastern–Canadian Pacific junctions as short branch lines or spurs. The National Transportation Act of 1967 provided government subsidies for branch lines. Western railway development in Canada worked in concert with land settlement and cultivation, as pioneers were settled near railway lines, often on land
7462-626: The summer months and to Halifax in the winter months. At the outbreak of World War I , Royal Edward and Royal George were both requisitioned for use as troopships. On August 13, 1915, the German submarine UB-14 sank Royal Edward , which was transporting troops from Avonmouth to Gallipoli . Royal George was sold to Cunard in 1916, became an emigrant ship in Cherbourg by 1920 and scrapped in 1922 in Wilhelmshaven . Plans for
7553-641: The town. After World War II, the base served several other purposes, including being a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and a Strategic Air Command facility. Following the demolition of the base it was repurposed into the town's airport . Naval Radio Station Churchill, call sign CFL, was activated as an ionospheric study station by the Royal Canadian Navy in support of the U-boat high-frequency direction finding (HFDF) net and became operational on 1 August 1943. Around 1949, Churchill became part of
7644-409: The wild when the bay freezes over. It is the subject of a poem, Churchill Bear Jail , written by Salish Chief Victor A. Charlo. Thousands of beluga whales , which move into the warmer waters of the Churchill River estuary during July and August to calf, are a significant summer attraction. Polar bears are present as well and can sometimes be seen from boat tours at this time of year. Churchill
7735-597: The world who are interested in sub-Arctic and Arctic research. The town also has a health centre, several hotels, tour operators, and restaurants; it serves locals and visitors. Churchill is situated along Manitoba's 1,400 km (870 mi) coastline, on Hudson Bay at the meeting of three major biomes : marine, boreal forest and tundra, each supporting a variety of flora and fauna. Each year, 10,000–12,000 eco-tourists visit, about 400–500 of whom are birders. Polar bears were once considered solitary animals that would avoid contact with other bears except for mating. In
7826-467: The world. Industries of the era were commonly built along railroad lines specifically to allow for easy access to shipping. Short (under a mile, oftentimes only several hundred yards) industrial spurs with very small (under ten car) capacities were a common sight along railroads in industrial and rural cities alike. As automobile and roadway technology improved throughout the early and mid-20th century, most low volume industry spurs were abandoned in favor of
7917-572: Was completed, commercial shipping took many more years to pick up. In 1932, Grant MacEwan was the first person to cross through Churchill customs as a passenger. This was purely due to his determination to take the Hudson Bay route to Saskatchewan from Britain—most passengers returned via the St. Lawrence River . In 1942, the United States Army Air Forces established a base called Fort Churchill, 8 km (5.0 mi) east of
8008-498: Was driven January 23, 1915, at Basque, British Columbia , with Montreal-Vancouver freight and passenger services commencing six months later, and providing a rail network in Nova Scotia, Southern Ontario, Minnesota, and on Vancouver Island . Between 1915 and 1918, CNoR tried desperately to increase profits, but CPR garnered the majority of wartime traffic. The company was also saddled with ongoing construction costs associated with
8099-504: Was further extended to Vaishali in 2011. The line is planned to be extended from Vaishali to Mohan Nagar via Sahibabad Station to link with the main line. The East West Line of the MRT system in Singapore has a two-station branch to Changi Airport . The first station, Expo , opened in 2001. It was extended to Changi Airport station the next year. From 1990 to 1996, the section of
8190-502: Was repealed in 1994 in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement and budget-balancing initiatives in favour of a one-time payout by the federal government directly to farmers, to arrange transport of grain themselves. From the mid-1970s to the late 2010s, more than 9,300 kilometres (5,800 mi) of Prairie branch lines were abandoned or had a discontinuance of service. David Blyth Hanna ,
8281-485: Was selected for this purpose in 1912. After several years of effort and millions of dollars, this project was abandoned, and Churchill was chosen as the alternative after World War One . Surveys by the Canadian Hydrographic Service ship CSS Acadia opened the way for safe navigation. Construction was completed by 1929. Once this transportation rail link from farms to the Churchill port
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