Tracking Rail, Will Whiehead

By will150

  • The New Vancouver Coal Mining Company opens the first railway in Western Canada. Moving ballast and coal through the Nanaimo area, the "Pioneer", was its first locomotive, and it was imported by the Canada Works of Brassey & Co, England

    1863 - the first railway is opened in Western Canada. The New Vancouver Coal Mining Company opens a line to move ballast and coal in the Nanaimo area of Vancouver Island. The first locomotive, named "Pioneer", was an 0-4-0T imported from the Canada Works of Brassey & Co, England.

  • On July 1st, the Dominion of Canada is formed by Confederation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. One of the conditions of Confederation was the building of a railway by the newly constituted Dominion Government to connect Halifax with the

    1867, July 1st - Dominion of Canada is formed by Confederation of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. One of the conditions of Confederation was the building of a railway by the newly constituted Dominion Government to connect Halifax with the St. Lawrence at or near Quebec. Sir Sandford Fleming directed the surveying and construction of the trackage to fill in the gap in the railway system between Rivière du Loup and Truro, the Grand Trunk having previously constructed eastwards as

  • On July 20th British Columbia joins the Dominion of Canada. One of the conditions of entry is the promise within two years the construction of a railway from the Pacific towards the Rocky Mountains to connect with Eastern Canada.

    1871, July 20 - British Columbia is admitted to the Dominion of Canada. One of the conditions of entry is that the Dominion Government should, within two years from the date of union, commence the construction of a railway from the Pacific towards the Rocky Mountains and from a point east of the Rocky Mountains towards the Pacific to connect the seaboard of British Columbia with the railway system of Canada.

  • Sir Sandford Fleming appointed Engineer-in-Chief of Canadian trans-continental railway, with the promise to be completed by 1881.

    1881, February 15 - Canadian Pacific Railway Act receives the Royal Assent. A Royal Charter pursuant to the Act was granted on February 16th - this incorporated the company. The principal terms provided for the payment to the railway of a subsidy of $25,000,000 and 25,000,000 acres of land, plus the railways (Port Arthur-Selkirk-Winnipeg-Emerson and Port Moody-Savona) already contracted for by the government, upon their completion.

  • On February 15th an Act of Parliament brings Canadian Pacific Railways into being.

    1881, February 15 - Canadian Pacific Railway Act receives the Royal Assent. A Royal Charter pursuant to the Act was granted on February 16th - this incorporated the company. The principal terms provided for the payment to the railway of a subsidy of $25,000,000 and 25,000,000 acres of land, plus the railways (Port Arthur-Selkirk-Winnipeg-Emerson and Port Moody-Savona) already contracted for by the government, upon their completion.

  • Railways adopt Sir Fleming’s proposed standardized system of keeping time, using hour-wide time zones.

    1883, November 18 - railways adopt a standardized system of keeping time that uses hour-wide time zones.

  • On November 7th the “last spike” is driven in the first Canadian transcontinental main line at Craigellachie B.C. in the Eagle Pass. Canadian Pacific Railway vice president Van Horne makes his famous fifteen-word speech "All I can say is that the work has

    1885, November 7 - The last spike is driven in the first Canadian transcontinental main line at Craigellachie B.C. in the Eagle Pass. Van Horne makes his famous fifteen-word speech "All I can say is that the work has been well done in every way".

  • On November 8th, the CP special train arrives in Port Moody, the first railway train ever to cross Canada from sea to sea.

    1885, November 8 - The CP special train arrives in Port Moody at Pacific Tidewater, the first railway train ever to travel across Canada from sea to sea.

  • On August 13th Sir John A Macdonald drives the symbolic last spike at mile 25, at Cliffside on the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway, located on Vancouver Island.

    1886, August 13 - Sir John A MacDonald drives the last spike at mile 25, Cliffside, on the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway on Vancouver Island. The line became part of Canadian Pacific in 1905.

  • The CP main line is extended 12.2 miles along Burrard Inlet to Vancouver. The first train is pulled by locomotive No. 374, now preserved at the Vancouver Drake Street roundhouse.

    1887, May 23 - The CP main line is extended 12.2 miles along Burrard Inlet to Vancouver. The first train is pulled by Port Moody based locomotive No. 374, now preserved at the Vancouver Drake Street roundhouse.

  • On August 15th regular service is commenced over the White Pass and Yukon Railway between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.

    1900, August 15 - Regular service is commenced over the 3'0" gauge White Pass and Yukon Railway between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.

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