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Northern Alberta Railways

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Northern Alberta Railways ( reporting mark NAR ) was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia . Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway , NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981.

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60-830: Railway construction in northern Alberta during the early 20th century was dominated by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway , both of which were building westward from Edmonton , Alberta, to the Yellowhead Pass of the Rocky Mountains . Following the Dominion Land Survey grants to settlers, the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta was one of the few places left on

120-596: A Pacific coast port. East of Winnipeg the line continued as the National Transcontinental Railway (NTR), running across northern Ontario and Quebec , crossing the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City and ending at Moncton, New Brunswick . The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) managed and operated the entire line. Largely constructed 1907–1914, the GTPR operated 1914–1919, prior to nationalization as

180-916: A GTPR steamship service operated from Prince Rupert. The first ship, the SS Prince Albert (formerly the Bruno built in 1892 at Hull, England), was an 84-ton, steel-hulled vessel and travelled as far as Vancouver and Victoria . Next, the SS Prince John (formerly the Amethyst built in England in 1910), travelled to the Queen Charlotte Islands . Built in 1910, the much larger SS  Prince George and SS  Prince Rupert , both 3,380-ton, 18-knot vessels, could carry 1,500 passengers with staterooms for 220. The ships operated

240-409: A different political party or faction is in power. A re-nationalization process may also be called "reverse privatization". Nationalization has been used to refer to either direct state-ownership and management of an enterprise or to a government acquiring a large controlling share of a publicly listed corporation . According to research by Paasha Mahdavi, leaders who consider nationalization face

300-482: A dilemma: "nationalize and reap immediate gains while risking future prosperity, or maintain private operations, thereby passing on revenue windfalls but securing long-term fiscal streams." He argues that leaders "nationalize extractive resources to extend the duration of their power" by using "this increased capital to secure political support." Nationalization can have positive and negative effects. In 2019 research based on studies from Greenwich University found that

360-426: A government to take property in certain situations. Due to political risks that are involved when countries engage in international business, it is important to understand the expropriation risks and laws within each of the countries in which business is conducted in order to understand the risks as an investor in that country. Studies have found that nationalization follows a cyclical trend. Nationalization rose in

420-585: A head-on collision of a steam engine and a diesel engine. [1] In 1913 a charter was granted to the Central Canada Railway (CCR) under the ownership of J.D. McArthur to build a junction with the ED&;BC near Aggie, Alberta , extending to Peace River Crossing, Alberta , in order to access barge traffic on the Peace River . Construction of the CCR began in 1914 and was completed in 1916. The CCR

480-628: A later connection to Tête Jaune Cache, merge north of Valemount , before continuing south to Vancouver. The former GTPR line through Tête Jaune Cache to Prince Rupert forms an important CN secondary main line. The GTPR's high construction standards, and the fact Yellowhead Pass has the best gradients of any railway crossing of the Continental Divide in North America gives the CN a competitive advantage in terms of fuel efficiency and

540-545: A strategy to build socialism, more commonly nationalization was also undertaken and used to protect and develop industries perceived as being vital to a nation's competitiveness (such as aerospace and shipbuilding), or to protect jobs in certain industries. Nationalization has had varying levels of support throughout history. After the Second World War , nationalization was supported by social democratic and democratic socialist parties throughout Western Europe, such as

600-524: A weekly service from Seattle to Victoria, Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Anyox . The vision was for coastal shipping to mature into a trans-Pacific line. However, Prime Minister Robert Borden was uninterested in promoting Prince Rupert as a port of call for any shipping lines. Vancouver flourished, but Prince Rupert languished. From 1919, the Canadian Government Merchant Marine (CGMM), in partnership with CNR, promoted

660-614: Is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state . Nationalization contrasts with privatization and with demutualization . When previously nationalized assets are privatized and subsequently returned to public ownership at a later stage, they are said to have undergone renationalization . Industries often subject to nationalization include telecommunications , electric power , fossil fuels , railways , airlines , iron ore , media , postal services , banks , and water (sometimes called

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720-401: Is the seizure of private property by a public agency for a purpose deemed to be in the public interest. It may also be used as a penalty for criminal proceedings. Expropriation differs from eminent domain in that the property owner is not compensated for the seized property. Unlike eminent domain, expropriation may also refer to the taking of private property by a private entity authorized by

780-483: The Alaska boundary decision favouring US interests, US President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to send an occupation force to nearby territory. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier preferred a more southerly location for the terminal, which became the more easily-defendable Kaien Island ( Prince Rupert ). During the official ceremony on September 11, 1905 at Fort William, Ontario , Laurier turned

840-867: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan were established. In 1958 the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), owned by the province of British Columbia , built east to Dawson Creek and then north to Fort St. John . Traffic from Dawson Creek which used to run on NAR now mostly ran on PGE. NAR's locomotive fleet was completely dieselized by October 1960 with EMD GP9 's 201–210 (208 was wrecked, rebuilt and renumbered 211 in 1972.), and GMD GMD1 's 301–305. NAR also purchased two Canadian National GMD1's, numbers 1072 and 1077, in January 1962, and renumbered them 311 and 312 respectively. A final locomotive purchase

900-629: The Bulkley Valley in 1912 and Burns Lake in 1913. The line completed across the prairies, through the Rockies, and to the newly-constructed seaport at Prince Rupert. The last spike ceremony occurred one mile east of Fort Fraser, British Columbia at Stuart (Finmoore) on April 7, 1914. A 1910 prediction had correctly claimed if a line were built from Tête Jaune Cache to Vancouver, it would effectively kill Prince Rupert and relegate its route to branch line status. Claiming labour shortages,

960-692: The Canadian National Railway (CNR). Despite poor decision-making by the various levels of government and the railway management, the GTPR established local employment opportunities, a telegraph service, and freight, passenger and mail transportation. After the ouster of Edward Watkin , the GTR declined in 1870 and 1880 to build Canada's first transcontinental railway . Subsequently, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) transcontinental and its feeder routes operated closer to

1020-487: The Canadian National Railways . Following the federal example, and in an attempt to preserve rail service to northern and northwestern Alberta, the provincial government leased the ED&BC and CCR in 1920 for five years. In 1921 the government entered into a five-year agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to operate the ED&BC and CCR. In 1920, the provincial government purchased

1080-455: The Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC). Construction of the ED&BC started in 1912 heading toward Westlock, Alberta , reaching High Prairie in 1914, and Spirit River in 1915. The railway decided not to proceed to Dunvegan, and instead built a branch south from Rycroft to Grande Prairie in 1916 (400 miles or 640 kilometres northwest from Edmonton). In 1924

1140-637: The First World War . Coinciding with the problems faced by the McArthur lines (ED&BC, A&GW, and CCR), both the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) had fallen victim to similar circumstances brought about by the financial strain of the conflict and falling traffic levels. The Dominion government had nationalized the GTPR and CNoR, along with other previously federally owned lines into

1200-695: The Fraser River . Detailed articles cover the sternwheelers Skeena , Operator , and Conveyor and their roles on the Skeena River , and on the Fraser River . During the construction phase from Tête Jaune to Fort George thousands of tons of freight for railway construction and merchants travelled downstream from the railhead by scow . In 1913, when scowing on that part of the river peaked, about 1,500 men were employed as scowmen, or "River Hogs," as they were generally called. In high water,

1260-692: The Mackenzie River . In 1966, the passenger train to Waterways was replaced by Budd Rail Diesel Cars , but the experiment was unsuccessful, and it was replaced in 1967 by a mixed train . On June 1, 1974, the passenger train to Dawson Creek was discontinued. During the 1970s, significant investments also began in the Fort McMurray region as the Athabasca Oil Sands deposits began to be exploited. On January 1, 1981, CN (name/initialism change after 1960) bought out CPR's share in

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1320-451: The commanding heights of the economy ), and in many jurisdictions such entities have no history of private ownership. Nationalization may occur with or without financial compensation to the former owners . Nationalization is distinguished from property redistribution in that the government retains control of nationalized property . Some nationalizations take place when a government seizes property acquired illegally. For example, in 1945

1380-409: The 1921 arbitration on worth also ranked its significance within the naïve railway schemes of that era by this observation: "It would be difficult to imagine a more misconceived project." The GTP itself was nationalized in 1922. Today, the majority of the GTPR is still in use as CN's (name change to Canadian National or acronym "CN" in 1960) main line from Winnipeg to Jasper. The former CNoR line, and

1440-649: The 1960s and 1970s, followed by an increase in privatization in the 80s and 90s, followed again by an increase in nationalization in the 2000s and 2010s. The term appears as "expropriation of expropriators ( ruling classes )" in Marxist theory , and also as the slogan "Loot the looters!" ("грабь награбленное"), which was very popular during the Russian October Revolution . The term is also used to describe nationalization campaigns by communist states , such as dekulakization and collectivization in

1500-569: The A&;GW outright and chose to operate it separately. CPR immediately raised freight rates on the ED&BC and CCR lines, charging "mountain prices", claiming that the cost of operating on grades into the Peace and Smoky River valleys of the northwestern prairie was as much as it cost to operate in the Rocky Mountains. Consequently, Peace River farmers paid the highest freight charges on

1560-860: The BC communities within the Category:Grand Trunk Pacific Railway stations , outline construction through those specific localities. FW&S operated five steamboats to supply their camps advancing east from Prince Rupert on the Skeena River . Launched in 1908, the Distributor and Skeena remained until 1914, as did the Omineca, which was purchased in 1908. Launched in 1909, the Operator and Conveyor were disassembled in 1911, transported to Tête Jaune and relaunched in 1912 on

1620-544: The British Labour Party . In the United States, potentially nationalizing healthcare is often a topic of political disagreement and makes frequent appearances in debates between political candidates. A 2020 poll shows that a majority (63%) of Americans support a nationalized healthcare system. A re-nationalization occurs when state-owned assets are privatized and later nationalized again, often when

1680-708: The Canada–US border. Seeking a transcontinental to open up the central latitudes, the Canadian government made overtures to the GTR and to the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR). The regional operators in Eastern and Central Canada initially declined because projected traffic volumes suggested an unlikely profitability. Realizing that expansion was essential, the GTR attempted to acquire the CNoR, rather than to collaborate on construction. The GTR finally negotiated to construct only

1740-519: The Canadian prairies to reach the lakehead at Port Arthur and Fort William . The provincial government purchased the ED&BC and CCR from McArthur in 1925, following the expiration of the five-year lease. Dissatisfied with the CPR's operation of the ED&BC and CCR, the provincial government allowed the operating contract for these railways to expire in 1926, with operations subsequently taken over by

1800-457: The French government seized the car-maker Renault because its owners had collaborated with the 1940–1944 Nazi occupiers of France . In September 2021, Berliners voted to expropriate over 240,000 housing units , many of which were being held unoccupied as investment property. Economists distinguish between nationalization and socialization , which refers to the process of restructuring

1860-607: The GTP asked the federal government to take over the GTPR. The CNoR was in worse financial shape. The royal commission that considered the issue in 1916 released its findings in 1917. In March 1919, after the GTPR has defaulted on construction loans to the federal government, the federal Department of Railways and Canals effectively took control of the GTPR before it was merged into the CNR in July 1920. Noting numerous construction blunders,

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1920-534: The GTP attempted to obtain government approval to bring in unskilled immigrants from Asia. By late 1912, 6,000 men had become employed east of Edmonton. Although contractors prohibited liquor in camps, bootlegging was rampant. FW&S provided hospitals and medical services by charging employees one dollar per month. The articles for the Grand Canyon of the Fraser , Dome Creek , McGregor , Upper Fraser , and

1980-627: The GTPR rail bed largely became redundant. The more northerly Pine Pass option , as specified in its charter, may have been a better choice in terms of developing traffic and in improving the current CNR network (especially if the later Pacific Great Eastern Railway route had opted for the Monkman Pass crossing). To secure concessions from the BC government, eastward construction from the Pacific Coast began in 1907. The track east of Prince Rupert reached 50 miles, then 102 miles by 1910,

2040-721: The NAR began to show a profit for the first time. In summer 1942, following the entry of the United States into the Second World War , the Alaska Highway civil defence project resulted in tremendous growth for the NAR, as the system was the only railway to service Alaska Highway mile 0 at Dawson Creek, British Columbia . NAR also saw increased traffic from defence spending in both the Peace River and Fort McMurray regions as Royal Canadian Air Force training bases for

2100-466: The NAR system and incorporated these lines into the CN network, allowing CN to operate unhindered north from Edmonton to Hay River, Northwest Territories, and west to Dawson Creek, British Columbia . NAR disappeared as a corporate entity with the departure of CPR from the joint ownership. NAR shops and Dunvegan Yards in Edmonton were demolished and the new Dunvegan Woods housing development was built on

2160-514: The USSR . However, nationalization is not a specifically socialist strategy, and Marxism's founders were skeptical of its value. As Engels put it: Therein precisely lies the rub; for, so long as the propertied classes remain at the helm, nationalisation never abolishes exploitation but merely changes its form — in the French, American or Swiss republics no less than in monarchist Central, and despotic Eastern, Europe. Nikolai Bukharin also criticised

2220-732: The ability to haul tonnage. After a century languishing far behind Vancouver, the Port of Prince Rupert has grown in importance since the early 2000s. Ongoing redevelopment of terminal infrastructure, less municipal congestion than other West Coast ports, proximity to the great circle route from East Asia to North America, and a fast connection to the Midwestern United States along the former GTPR route, have reduced transportation times. Nationalization Nationalization ( nationalisation in British English )

2280-492: The brother of GTP President Charles Melville Hays , was the sole company agent. In what would become Prince George , the company purchased the First Nations reserve for a railway yard and a new town site. The GTPR also caused the displacement and the socio-economic destruction of native communities along the route, many of which had social and economic values in conflict with those of the railway. Beginning in 1910,

2340-640: The development of import/export trade with Pacific rim countries. Although the expansion benefitted Vancouver, Prince Rupert remained a backwater. The GTPR built the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg and the Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton. Halibird and Roche of Chicago designed the hotel for Prince George, but it never left the drawing-board stage. Construction of the $ 2m Chateau Prince Rupert, designed by Francis Rattenbury , did not proceed beyond

2400-408: The economic framework, organizational structure, and institutions of an economy on a socialist basis. By contrast, nationalization does not necessarily imply social ownership and the restructuring of the economic system . Historically, states have carried out nationalizations for various different purposes under a wide variety of different political systems and economic systems . Nationalization

2460-451: The first sod for the construction of the GTPR, but the actual first sod had occurred the previous month about 12 miles (19.3 km) south of Carberry, Manitoba . From Fort William, the GTPR built a 190-mile (310 km) section of track connecting with the NTR near Sioux Lookout . The route paralleled the CPR for 135 miles (217 km) west of Winnipeg before it veered northwest. That year,

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2520-722: The foundations, laid in 1910. Its forerunner, the temporary GTP Inn, was demolished in 1962. Sometimes in conjunction with the CNoR, the GTPR built some impressive city stations. When built in 1910, the Grand Trunk Pacific dock in Seattle was the largest on the West Coast. On July 30, 1914, fire destroyed the facility. The federal government provided a $ 2m subsidy for a dry dock at Prince Rupert to handle ships up to 20,000 tons. Completed in 1915, it catered for only much smaller local vessels prior to World War II . It

2580-708: The heavier-grade GTPR ones shipped to France for use during World War I . Through the 1910s, several branches were built by the GTP under the Grand Trunk Pacific Branch Lines Company and the Grand Trunk Pacific Saskatchewan Railway Company, subsidiaries of GTP. These included branches to Prince Albert , Battleford , Calgary , and to the international border via Regina . Further branches were projected, and many were completed under Canadian National. In 1915, unable to meet its debts,

2640-550: The line was extended to Wembley , and it reached Hythe in 1928. In 1930 the line was extended westward across the provincial boundary to its western terminus at Dawson Creek, British Columbia . In 1909 a charter was granted to the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (A&GW) to build from Edmonton to Waterways, Alberta , on the Athabasca River . Construction faltered and the A&GW political scandal ensued, and

2700-477: The line was rechartered in 1913 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur. Construction of the A&GW began in 1914 from Carbondale, Alberta , and reached Lac La Biche, Alberta , in 1916. It reached Draper, Alberta , in 1922 and its terminus at Waterways in 1925. The railway was transferred to ownership of the Government of Alberta on July 28, 1920. Carbondale Station was destroyed on November 10, 1959 following

2760-770: The motivations of the nationalizing party. Nationalization was employed towards the Panama Canal by the Panamanian Government, which came under the Panama Canal Authority in 1999, to internationally positive effect. Likewise, the Suez Canal was nationalized multiple times throughout history. In Germany, the Federal Press [ Bundesdruckerei ] was nationalized in 2008 with positive revenue and net income since. Expropriation

2820-498: The nationalization of key services such as water, bus, railways and broadband in the United Kingdom could save £13bn every year. Nationalization may produce other effects, such as reducing competition in the marketplace, which in turn reduces incentives to innovation and maintains high prices. In the short run, nationalization can provide a larger revenue stream for government but may cause that industry to falter depending on

2880-551: The new provincial Department of Railways and Telecommunications, which was also tasked to operate the AG&;W and the newly built PVR. In 1928, the provincial government began to solicit proposals from both the CPR and the Canadian National Railways (CNR) for purchasing the provincial railways. In 1924, CNR president Sir Henry Thornton visited the ED&BC line and in 1928, CPR president Edward Beatty did

2940-407: The original Sandford Fleming "Canadian Pacific Survey" route from Jasper, Alberta through the Yellowhead Pass , and the track-laying machine crossed the BC/Alberta border in November 1911. In the mountain region, costs escalated to $ 105,000 per mile, compared with the budgeted $ 60,000. Following the CNoR paralleling through the Rockies , which created 108.4 miles (174.5 km) of duplication,

3000-422: The prairies with available agricultural land; however, there was no railway connection. Several lines were chartered to serve both the Peace River and Waterways regions of the province, beginning with the Athabaska Railway in 1907. It was to build northwest from Edmonton to Dunvegan, Alberta , then to Fort George, British Columbia . The company was rechartered in 1911 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur as

3060-418: The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were established. The line proceeded west to Saskatoon in 1907, Edmonton in 1909, and Wolf Creek in 1910. For contractual purposes, Winnipeg to Wolf Creek ( Edson, Alberta ) was the Prairie Section, and Wolf Creek to the Pacific was the Mountain Section. Foley, Welch and Stewart (FW&S) was selected as the prime contractor for the latter. The GTPR followed

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3120-436: The sale of land acquired by the railway. The Grand Trunk Pacific Town & Development Co. was responsible for locating and promoting strategic town sites. However, the priority of maximizing profit undermined the economic prosperity of communities and other businesses by hampering the increase in traffic volumes essential for the GTP’s own survival. In 1910 at Prince Rupert, although 25 real estate agents operated, David Hayes,

3180-431: The same. In 1928 the provincial government grouped the ED&BC, CCR, AG&W, and PVR under the collective name Northern Alberta Railways (NAR), which received a federal charter in March 1929. Under UFA Premier Brownlee, the NAR was sold to both the CNR and CPR in equal portions with both companies agreeing to maintain the NAR as a joint subsidiary. At that time, the NAR was the third-largest railway in Canada. In 1937

3240-540: The site. In 1996, CN identified parts of its former NAR trackage for divestiture, either through sale or abandonment. Several lines were subsequently sold to shortline operators. 7. https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/carbondale-resident-uncovers-historic-tragedy-in-backyard-1852026 Grand Trunk Pacific Railway The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway ( reporting mark GTP ) was a historic Canadian transcontinental railway running from Fort William, Ontario (now Thunder Bay ) to Prince Rupert, British Columbia ,

3300-504: The trip from Tête Jaune took five days and in low water up to 12 days because of the shallow bars . Each vessel measured about 40 feet long and 12–16 feet wide and carried 20–30 tons. Two men crewed each end. The Goat River Rapids, Grand Canyon, and Giscome Rapids, were extremely dangerous, with wrecks and drownings common. Dismantlers purchased the scows that survived the journey, selling the used lumber primarily for house building. The funding for railway expansion depended upon returns from

3360-400: The western section, and the federal government would build the eastern sections as the NTR. The respective legislation passed in 1903. Nearer to Asia than Vancouver , Port Simpson was about 19 miles (30.6 km) southeast of the southern entrance to the Portland Canal , which forms part of the boundary between British Columbia and Alaska . In 1903, when friction arose in Canada over

3420-442: Was dismantled in 1954 to 1955. The CNoR tracklaying through the Canadian Rockies in 1913 roughly paralleled the GTPR line of 1911 and created about 100 miles of duplication. In 1917, a contingent from the Corps of Canadian Railway Troops added several crossovers to amalgamate the tracks into a single line along the preferred grade from Lobstick, Alberta , to Red Pass Junction , British Columbia. The surplus rails were lifted and

3480-529: Was made in December 1975 from General Motors Diesel Division of London for GMD SD38-2 's 401–404. The only Canadian built SD38-2's. Beginning in the 1960s, Alberta's nascent oil and gas industry began to affect the NAR as traffic began to increase on both the Dawson Creek and Fort McMurray branches. In 1964, the federal government built the Great Slave Lake Railway north from the NAR at Grimshaw, Alberta , to Hay River, Northwest Territories , to carry cargo which could then be transferred to barges and continue down

3540-436: Was one of the major mechanisms advocated by reformist socialists and social democrats for gradually transitioning to socialism. In this context, the goals of nationalization were to dispossess large capitalists, redirect the profits of industry to the public purse, and establish some form of workers' self-management as a precursor to the establishment of a socialist economic system. Although sometimes undertaken as part of

3600-458: Was subsequently extended to Berwyn, Alberta , in 1921, then to Whitelaw, Alberta , in 1924, Fairview, Alberta , in 1928 and Hines Creek, Alberta , in 1930. In 1926, the provincial legislature passed a statute authorizing the government to construct the Pembina Valley Railway from Busby, Alberta , where it connected to the ED&BC line, to Barrhead, Alberta . In 1920, the lines owned by J.D. McArthur entered financial difficulties following

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