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HISTORICAL ROOTS OF CANADA’S RAILWAY 49
manufacturing and commerce, but also with the building of additional rail lines and with the need for train crews to operate them.
he majority of rail lines were initially regarded either as chief throughways, with branch or feeder lines joining to them, or as “spur” lines — supply routes catering to a speciic business sector. In spite of the obvious advantages inherent in railways, the lure of those beneits merely hid the bleak
Old railway cars as bunk houses (settlers’ irst homes).
Personal train transport continued to get better, but passengers were frequently
iscal problems unavoidably stemming from the ierce rivalry between companies.
In the century and a half between 1836 and 1986, nearly 2,500 businesses acquired railway charters. he majority of them failed to lay suicient track to run a train. Of those that proved successful, most discovered that demand for their services was inadequate to cover the costs of building the line, much less yield a return on their investment. A great number of them found themselves owing large sums to one level of government or another and were destined for insolvency and possible absorption by more successful businesses.
his proved to be the fate of the Grand Trunk companies and Canadian Northern amidst the crisis of World War I. That turmoil compelled the Canadian government to take over those dying companies and to merge what remained into the new Canadian National Railways.
Transport
Railways gave ordinary people the opportunity to travel by land in much the same way steamships and sailing vessels did when they plied the waterways and oceans. he earliest passenger cars proved to be little more than boxcars or latcars with seats, moving at speeds of approximately 30 kph.
plagued with long waits and dangers, like becoming derailed or snowbound. In its favour, train travel proved to be the speediest, most consistent and comfortable method of overland, long-distance travel up to the era of cars and surfaced roads. During the 1940s, airlines took even more business from the beleaguered passenger train enterprise.
Though the railroad helped many to prosper, it permanently changed the culture and lives of the First Nations and Métis, most notably in the West. Their tribal lands became criss-crossed with tracks, intruded upon by trains and dotted with towns. Their displacement and dispersal were inevitable consequences.
New Cities
New railroads generated prosperity in numerous areas — manufacturing, business enterprises and personal jobs. Dozens of towns and municipalities would not have been born or survived without the existence of the rail lines. For instance, the 1883 arrival of the Canadian Paciic Railway (CPR) line at Pile O’Bones forever changed that remote community. hat same year, its name was changed to Regina; and its original church and post oice were created. In addition, the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) headquarters was established — today’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police.