Chronology
Every dated history fact across the site, in date order. Precision varies — some dates are just a year — so ordering within a year is approximate. Showing all entity types.
| Date | Subject | Statement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882-05-10 | Eastern Subdivision | Ald. O'Leary had begun the work of grading on the Canada Atlantic Railway, with a number of men employed and intending to push on his contract as fast as possible. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-05-10(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-05-25 | Rideau Canal Bridge | Work on the railway bridge over the canal was progressing well; the piers were now almost completed, and preparations for the rest of the work, with material almost entirely on the ground, were going on rapidly. The contractors would easily complete the structure in accordance with their agreement. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-05-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-05-25(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-05-31 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | At the annual general meeting, President E. McGillivray read the directors' report: since the last annual meeting, satisfactory progress had been made constructing the railway from Coteau to Ottawa; the line to High Falls on the Nation River was completed in December last, with two trains each way per day running from January; receipts from passengers and freight exceeded expectations. The road was now open to South Indian, 56 miles from Coteau and 24 from Ottawa, delayed somewhat by right-of-way negotiations. The two principal bridges, over the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal, were making fair progress. A labourer shortage had been relieved by the arrival of immigrants. The line had been located through the city to its final terminus at the Chaudiere, with every effort made to open the road to Ottawa on the first of August. Preparations were being made to commence active work on the eastern portion, from Coteau to the province line, including the St. Lawrence crossing at Coteau. The directors were negotiating with the Postmaster General for a mail contract from South Indian to Coteau. A by-law was passed limiting the number of directors to seven, to be annually elected by shareholders. The directors for the following year were named as E. McGillivray, McLeod Stewart, G.B. Pattee and Geo. H. Perley, of Ottawa; E.C. Smith of St. Albans; Duncan A. McDonald of Lochiel; Alex A. Stewart of Kenyon; Job Rinkin of Montreal; and Guy C. Noble of St. Albans. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-05-31(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-06-01 | Eastern Subdivision | At Archville, work on the Canada Atlantic Railway was progressing steadily. The stone piers of the bridge across the canal were finished, pronounced excellent masonry. Messrs. Starrs and Fitzgerald were pushing forward the cutting rapidly; work on the culvert in the hollow had commenced; the masonry of the Rideau bridge was fairly under way, with large quantities of stone and materials on the ground. The activity and large number of men employed had transformed the once-quiet suburb. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-06-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-06-13 | Eastern Subdivision | Daniel Dyer, injured earlier on the Canada Atlantic Railway's construction cars, had so far recovered as to be able to return to work. Residents of the village wondered whether the railway authorities would provide a footbridge alongside the railway bridge over the canal, which would shorten the distance to the city. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-06-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-06-15 | Eastern Subdivision | A boy named Harris, employed driving a horse on the Canada Atlantic Railway, was drawn under one of the construction cars while in motion, which passed over his foot, crushing and bruising it badly. He was taken home and a doctor pronounced the injury painful but not serious. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-06-15(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-06-29 | Chaudiere Branch | The Canada Atlantic Railway called for tenders for the clearing, grubbing, grading and masonry of the Chaudiere division, almost three miles, with no more than one mile to be let in any one contract. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-06-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-01 | Eastern Subdivision | Construction was proceeding satisfactorily; a train had come within half a mile of Eastman's Springs station. Track was being laid at the rate of half a mile per day. The iron for the bridge over the Rideau River was arriving by the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-06-28(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-04 | Eastern Subdivision | Heavy rain over the weekend stopped work on the sections of the Canada Atlantic Railway near Ottawa contracted to Messrs. Mansfield, O'Leary & Starr, and work in the vicinity of the city was suspended for a few days owing to the resulting mud. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-03(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-04(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-07 | Eastern Subdivision | A temporary trestle being filled in on Mr. Starr's contract collapsed. Mr. Starr had about fifty men employed on his section of the Canada Atlantic Railway, near the head of Deep Cut, and was expected to finish his section in about a month. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-07(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-10 | Eastern Subdivision | At Archville, grading and cutting between the Rideau River and Rideau Canal bridges was nearly complete, and trestle work on both bridges was being rapidly pushed forward, beginning to assume the appearance of finished structures. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-10(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-12 | Eastern Subdivision | Construction of the Canada Atlantic Railway from Coteau Landing, to connect with the Grand Trunk at Coteau and thence to Ottawa, had commenced in early April 1881 under contractor D.C. Linsley of Burlington, Vermont, and today the work was well nigh completed, track finished to within about four miles of Hawthorne (about 10 miles from the city). Linsley introduced a new track-laying system for the country -- ties permanently packed outside the rails, so thoroughly lined that construction trains ran at up to thirty miles an hour before ballasting. Grades were easy (steepest under 35 feet per mile) and curves gentle (sharpest about 2 degrees). The road was open for passenger and freight traffic as far as South Indian with two mixed trains daily; this week traffic would extend to Eastman's Springs, though the depot site there was undecided. Section 70 (end of track to the Rideau River), under Mr. John O'Leary, was to be completed the following Saturday; O'Leary also had the masonry contract for the Rideau River (completed) and Rideau Canal (about eight days) bridges, their ironwork by the Toronto Bridge Company -- an iron truss bridge over the river and an iron swing bridge over the canal. Section 80 (Rideau River to Rideau Canal), under Fitzgerald and Starrs, would be complete in about ten days. The first locomotive was expected to steam into the city about the first of August. Steel rails were used throughout. Whether the Ottawa station would be inside or outside the city boundary remained undecided by the board, a consequence of the Corporation's refusal to grant the proposed bonus; the Chaudiere Branch route was also disputed, with residents objecting to the surveyed route, the outcome still uncertain between a station near Elgin Street and the Chaudiere lumber depot. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-15 | Rideau Canal Bridge | Some fifteen cars loaded with iron work for the Atlantic Railway bridge across the canal had already arrived by the St. L. & O. R.; about three more cars were expected to complete the contract. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-15(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-20 | Rideau Canal Bridge | Mr. W. Palen completed the trestle approaches to the Canada Atlantic Railway's bridge over the canal. Separately, the work of taking the track of the Canada Atlantic Railway over that of the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway was completed under the superintendence of Mr. S.S. Churchill. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-20(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-26 | Eastern Subdivision | Ald. O'Leary had finished work on his contract on the Canada Atlantic Railway. It was more than probable that the first train run into the city would pass over the road that day. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-27 | Eastern Subdivision | A large number of men were erecting barbed wire fencing with cedar posts along the line of the railway. The first train over the new Canada Atlantic Railway bridge over the Rideau River, near Cassidy's hotel, shunted over the bridge on Tuesday; the structure stood the test well. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-07-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-07-28 | Eastern Subdivision | Mr. Pierce Mansfield's contract on the Canada Atlantic Railway was finished on Wednesday last, work having commenced on the 8th of May. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-07-28(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-01 | Eastern Subdivision | Grading commenced on the first mile of the Canada Atlantic Railway on the Ottawa side of the Rideau Canal, by contractors Messrs. Macdonald and Brown; this part of the road terminated at the property of Mr. McLeod Stewart. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-08-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-03 | Eastern Subdivision | A reporter touring the Canada Atlantic Railway Company's bridge over the canal with contractor Mr. Linsley found the engine 'Georgia', driven by Joe West (who claimed to be first over the bridge), uncoupled from a construction train and run east. The road was finely ballasted to within about a mile and a half of the city. The rails were the best class of steel from the Ebbw Vale Works in Wales, using Atwood's Patent Lock Nut, manufactured by Taylor of Montreal. The swing bridge across the canal was finished, and the road graded to Elgin Street, so that Ottawa residents would soon be able to reach Montreal in three and a half hours or less. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-08-03(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-04 | Rideau Canal Bridge | The swing bridge over the Canada Atlantic Railway was completed and the first train had passed over it. Passenger trains were to be passing over it within a few days. | Quebec Daily Telegraph 1882-08-04(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-04 | Eastern Subdivision | In a report to the Board of Directors: the road was constructed and ballasted to within a half mile of the Rideau River, and the bridges over the Rideau River and Rideau Canal would be fully completed within three or four days. The road was graded to the line of Elgin Street, with ties to be laid at once, and ballasting of the whole line to Ottawa to be completed the following week. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-08-04(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-16 | Eastern Subdivision | Mr. McMac, foreman of a section of the Canada Atlantic Railway then building outside the city, had a dispute with Mr. Lambton, resident engineer; as a result, some thirty-four men constituting McMac's gang immediately quit working. The dispute was said to be over wages. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-08-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-24 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Applications had been sent in to secure an excursion on the Canada Atlantic Railway, expected to be completed about the 15th of September. The Princess Louise Dragoon Guards were the applicants; Mr. MacCuaig would manage the excursion once arrangements were settled, accompanied by the Guards' Band. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-08-24(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-08-26 | Eastmans | At the Eastman's Springs station of the Canada Atlantic Railway, a man whose name could not be ascertained met with a fatal accident; Dr. Corbett, coroner, left at 4 o'clock the following morning to hold an inquest. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-08-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-09 | Elgin Street | The first train of cars carrying about 180 cords of firewood reached the city by the Canada Atlantic, eighteen cars loaded in the township of Cambridge, loaded from 8am and unloaded at Elgin Street by 3pm the same day -- about seven hours. Near Elgin Street, the company was laying sidings, erecting water tanks, laying down a turntable, and putting up other works; the framework of the engine house, to accommodate several engines, was under construction. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-09-08(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-09-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-12 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The directorate and several prominent gentlemen connected with the Canada Atlantic Railway took a trip over their line by special train, the engine and car specially decorated for the occasion. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-09-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-13 | Elgin Street | Work on the Canada Atlantic Railway Company's station grounds at Ottawa was going on rapidly: the roundhouse, to accommodate five locomotives, was nearing completion; work on the new depot was being pushed ahead; sidings, water tanks and a turntable were being laid; and the frame of the car shed was going up quickly. A large number of visitors on the grounds were pleasurably surprised at the progress made over the past two weeks. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-09-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-14 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The first regular express train on the Canada Atlantic Railway arrived in the city about five o'clock Tuesday evening from Coteau, met at the Stewarton station by hotel buses and hacks. Mr. John Brown, formerly of the Vermont Central, was conductor on the passenger train, with Ed. Chase, also of the Vermont Central, as driver; Dan Brown was conductor on the accommodation train, with Herby Pangburn (formerly of the North Shore) as driver. William Graham of Ottawa brought the first train over the road. Separately, an accident marred the new railway's construction: the boiler of a steam shovel near Roxborough exploded, injuring three men; two escaped without serious injury, but the cranesman, named McKenly, was so badly scalded that little hope was held for his recovery. The first train into the city also ran over and killed a bull near High Falls. Mr. Starr's contract on the railway was completed, and hotel buses were now running regularly to the station. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-09-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-09-15(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-16 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Stewart & Fleck, proprietors of the Vulcan Iron Works, repaired the engines and machinery of the Canada Atlantic Railroad. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-09-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-29 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The Canada Atlantic Railway issued preliminary invitations to an opening excursion over their line from Ottawa to Coteau, to be held the following Saturday, inviting members of the Dominion Government, the mayor and aldermen, and leading citizens and businessmen. The intention was to take them to Clarke's Island on the St. Lawrence, recently purchased by the company (comprising 120 acres), and from there to Valleyfield. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-09-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-09-30 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The preliminary opening of the Canada Atlantic Railway took place. Fully five hundred public men and merchants of Ottawa, with the officers of the road, assembled at the Elgin Street depot at eight o'clock; a train of eight coaches and a baggage car, drawn by the engine 'Montreal', left Ottawa at 8:15. The party reached Eastman's Springs, then Coteau Junction at 11:15 for a fifteen-minute stop, before continuing to Coteau Landing. Among the party were E. McGillivray, President; R.H. Bronson, Director; W.G. Perley, Vice-President; R.B. Robbins, American Consul; Ald. Bobier; Robert Surtees, City Engineer; the Bishop of Ontario; W.A. Ross, County Judge; Ald. Wm. Cherry; Senator J. Skead; Dr. Grant; Hon. D.A. Macdonald; Mayor St. Jean; Collingwood Schreiber, Chief Engineer of the C.P.R.; A. Percy Sherwood, Chief of Police; and many others. From Coteau the party embarked on the steamer 'St. Francis' for Turk's Island, the proposed site of the St. Lawrence bridge crossing, where a luncheon for four hundred was laid under canvas. President McGillivray proposed toasts to the Queen and to the President of the United States (coupled with the name of Colonel Robbins), followed by further toasts including one to the prosperity of the Canada Atlantic Railway. The party then went on to Valleyfield before returning; the roughly 80-mile trip from Coteau to Ottawa took slightly less than eight and a half hours, reaching Stewarton at 8:20pm. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-09-30(Special dispatch from the paper's own corresponden...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-02 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | About 300 invited guests accompanied the directors of the Canada Atlantic Railway on the preliminary-opening trip, leaving the city at eight in the morning and arriving at Coteau at eleven, a distance of 87 miles. The road was well laid with slight gradients and few curves, resembling the Canada Southern in these respects. The line presently ended at Coteau, joining the Grand Trunk, but a bridge across the St. Lawrence to Valleyfield was contemplated, extending the railway 45 miles to the United States frontier to connect with the Vermont Central and provide direct communication with Boston and New York; when the road under construction to connect the Midland system with Ottawa was complete, there would be a through line from Buffalo to the seaboard of which this road would be an important link. At Coteau the party boarded the steamer St. Francis for Clark Island, the largest of a chain of islands across which the line was to be extended, where a luncheon was served under a large tent; speakers included Senators Skead of Ottawa and Sutherland of Manitoba, several Members of Parliament, Mayor St. Jean, Sheriff Sweetland, Col. Robbins (American vice-consul), Dr. Grant, and Mr. Lindsay (Linsley), the contractor; Mr. C. McGillivray of the Canada Atlantic Railway Company presided. Speakers anticipated great results for the Ottawa valley and urged the Ottawa corporation to pay its promised bonus. The party then visited Valleyfield before returning to Coteau and on to Ottawa in two and a half hours. | Toronto Daily Mail 1882-10-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-06 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | "Direct communication with Montreal by another line than the C.P.R. has been obtained by the Ottawa people by the opening of the Canada Atlantic Railway, which runs to Coteau Landing, where it meets the Grand Trunk." The line was formally opened the preceding Saturday, when 500 invited guests made a trip over it and expressed themselves delighted. The opening was expected to reduce freight rates between Ottawa and Montreal; when finished the line would cross the St. Lawrence by bridge and continue into Vermont, providing direct communication with New York and Boston and shortening the time for goods arriving from England via the almost-daily steamship service. | Almonte Gazette 1882-10-06(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-06 | Ottawa | Property owned by Mr. P.A. Eagleson, at the corner of Rideau and Sussex streets, was sold for railway purposes, the consideration being $25,000; the purchasers were said to be the Canada Atlantic Railway Company. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-10-06(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-07 | Elgin Street | The new depots of the Canada Atlantic Railway at Stewarton, on Elgin Street about ten minutes from City Hall, were under rapid construction. The passenger depot, by Messrs. MacLaren and Parkham (who built all stations on the line from Coteau to Ottawa), was 72 by 24 feet, with a 300-foot covered platform, a ticket office, a telegraph room with a bay window giving the operator sight of approaching trains, and would be finished in about four weeks. The freight shed, built by Mr. Black, was 112 by 26 feet with platforms at each end, to be steam heated, and finished in about two weeks. The car sheds, by Mr. White, were 250 by 39 feet, a balloon-framework structure on the east side of Elgin Street covering two lines of rail. The roundhouse, by Mr. Palen, was a wooden structure 107 by 72 feet with stalls for five engines (all wood burners) and a turntable, to be finished by the end of the following week. The company had experienced considerable difficulty locating the Chaudiere branch, running from this point to the flats for the benefit of city lumbermen: the Government objected to the most recently determined route, at Richmond Road, as it would create two close railway crossings (the St. Lawrence and Ottawa's and this one); the Dominion Government suggested running the line alongside the St. Lawrence and Ottawa branch to make one crossing, a scheme under study by the Chief Engineer, though it would require a heavy grade and rock cutting. Two trains were running each way between Stewarton and Coteau, with travel already far exceeding expectations for a road open only a few days. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-07(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-14 | Eastmans | The foundation of the new station at Eastman's Springs had been laid, with Messrs. MacLaren and Parkham sending carpenters from their Stewarton work to proceed there; both stations were expected finished shortly. Mr. R. Watts of Sparks Street was awarded the contract for painting the engine house and freight shed at the Stewarton depot. Running of trains between Montreal and Ottawa on the Canada Atlantic Railway would commence on 1 November. Mr. Switzer, formerly a constable at the St. L. & O. Railway depot in Lower Town, was now acting constable at the Canada Atlantic station at the foot of Elgin street. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-10-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-16 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Asked about competition from the Grand Trunk's new three-hour-twenty-minute trains to Ottawa over the (Canadian Pacific-controlled) route, an employee of the Canada Atlantic Railway said the Grand Trunk could run quicker over the Canada Atlantic's line than the Syndicate could over its own, since the Canada Atlantic's grades were easier and it had few bridges of consequence, and that time could be made half an hour shorter if necessary; he predicted further time savings once the Quebec and Ontario road was completed through to Toronto. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-18 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | A special train left the Stewarton depot to test the bridges recently built by the Toronto Bridge Company, carrying Messrs. W. Shanly, T.C. Keefer and E. Ridout (civil engineers of the Department of Railways and Canals), D.C. Linsley (contractor), G.W. Lampman (resident engineer), A. Duffy (civil engineer), G.M. Spragge (auditor), E.C. Winnie (general freight and passenger agent), F.M. Barstow (civil engineer) and D. Donaldson (mechanical engineer). The train, three engines and a passenger car totalling 200 tons, tested the Rideau Canal bridge first, finding a deflection of one quarter of an inch; the other bridges showed no greater deflection, considered highly satisfactory. A meal was served between Moose Creek and Casselman. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-18(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-19 | Chaudiere Branch | A corps of surveyors was engaged in locating the branch line of the Canada Atlantic Railway to run from Elgin Street to the Chaudiere. They were at work in the vicinity of Dr. Malloch's residence, at which point it was thought the line would cross Richmond Road. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-19 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Great activity was being displayed at the Elgin Street station: trains of ballasting material were being brought in at night and the work of levelling the yard rapidly proceeded; ten carloads of freight arrived in the city the previous day. It was thought probable the next Manitoba emigrant special, carrying settlers and their effects to the Prairie Province, would leave by the Canada Atlantic Railway to join the Grand Trunk at Coteau, instead of proceeding via the Canadian Pacific through Brockville as previously; the next such party was to leave on 8 November. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-26 | Ottawa | Mr. H.B. Wood of 39 Mosgrove Street had a narrow escape on the line of the Canada Atlantic Railway near Hurdman's Bridge: having fallen asleep in his buggy, his horse wandered onto the track, and though the engineer of an oncoming locomotive did all he could, the train could not be stopped in time and the buggy was hurled over the embankment into the river below. Wood, however, was pitched onto the engine's cross bar above the cowcatcher and carried safely to the railway station, still asleep. The horse was later found unharmed in a nearby field. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-27 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Reporting on the failed (by one vote) Canada Atlantic bonus by the City of Ottawa: work on the railway had commenced in August 1872 in Glengarry county, proceeding without interruption until January 1874, by which time over twenty-seven miles were fully graded and about ten more miles were under way, including bridges, masonry, culverts and fencing. The Canada Atlantic Railway was formed on 15 May 1879 by the amalgamation of the Coteau and Province Line Railway and Bridge Company and the Montreal and City of Ottawa Junction Railway. The construction contract was awarded to D.C. Linsley, who continued in good faith believing the city would grant the $100,000 bonus; a writ was to be served on the city. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-27 | Elgin Street | The new Canada Atlantic Railway station under construction at Stewarton would be completed within a few days; Mr. Howman had the contract for plastering the building and, with the painters, was busy at work. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-30 | Rideau Canal Bridge | The authorities of the Canada Atlantic Railway stopped pedestrian passage across their bridge over the canal, posting a notice that it was dangerous for foot passengers, with the keeper ordered not to allow them to pass. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-30(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-10-31 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | A press excursion train, with one Pullman, one first class, one second class and one baggage car newly purchased by the Canada Atlantic Railway, left Montreal at 9:00am and arrived at Ottawa at 12:29, one minute early. Messrs. Perley, Booth, Fleck, Spragge and Gormully waited for the press men at the station; the party left for Montreal again at 4:20pm. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-10-31(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-11-01 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Regular train service opened for passenger traffic on the Canada Atlantic Railway. The public now had at their disposal two first-class lines of railway by which to travel between Montreal and Ottawa. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-11-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-11-10 | Elgin Street | The Canada Atlantic Railway took possession of their new general offices on Elgin Street, near the Stewarton depot. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-11-10(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-11-14 | Elgin Street | Construction trains were running nightly on the Canada Atlantic Railway, engaged in dumping earth into the new car shop site to form an embankment on which to lay tracks. | Ottawa Free Press 1882-11-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882-12-19 | Chaudiere Branch | With the exception of the rock cutting at Mount Sherwood on the Chaudiere extension, work had stopped for the winter months. Messrs. Brown and Wilkins had the contract for the rock work, with a force of men busily engaged; the building of the bridges and culverts had been sublet to Mr. J. Black. No delay was expected until the work was completed. | Ottawa Citizen 1882-12-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1882≤ | Elgin Street | After the Canada Atlantic Railway was built in 1882 the Stewarton public school on Bank Street "became impossible. The school was too near the tracks for the peace of mind of both parents and teachers"; children played hide-and-seek in culverts near the school and let trains pass over them. The board moved the school to Kent Street at the corner of Archibald. | Ottawa Citizen 1930-03-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883 | Canada Atlantic 4-4-0 #3 Coteau | Acquired by CA as 3-Coteau | Railroad History #147 |
| 1883 | Canada Atlantic 0-6-6T #724 | Acquired as CA 8 | Railroad History #147 |
| 1883-01-02 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | There was a boom in the freight trade of the Canada Atlantic Railway; no less than thirty-eight car loads of freight came in the previous Saturday. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-01-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-01-16 | Vars | A Canada Atlantic train did not arrive until near midnight, three cars having left the track near Bearbrook -- the rear truck of the tender was derailed. The cause was not definitely ascertained but was supposed to be a broken rail; no one was seriously injured. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-01-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1883-01-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-02-08 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | An accident on the Canada Atlantic road at Kenyon, arising from want of due attention to instructions, resulted in loss of life: the night mixed trains, which were supposed to cross at that point, collided in dark and stormy conditions. The westbound train had discharged its passengers and was backing into the siding when the eastbound train, under one of the line's oldest and ablest engineers, failed to see it in time. The engines were not derailed but were considerably damaged; passengers were unhurt beyond fright. The fireman of the eastbound train, Mr. Clarke, a young man residing with his parents at Coteau, was killed; the engineer, Mr. Miles, had two ribs broken among other injuries; three other train hands were injured, not seriously. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-02-08(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Almonte Gazette 1883-02-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1883-02-07(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-03-22 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Mr. Hiram Loomis, for many years locomotive engineer on the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway and more recently on the C.P.R., accepted a similar position on the Canada Atlantic Railway. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-03-22(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-04-09 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | On and after Tuesday, 4 March [sic], the Canada Atlantic Railway and Grand Trunk Railway would run a Pullman sleeping car to Montreal, leaving Ottawa at 10pm and arriving in Montreal at 7am. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-04-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-05-16 | Elgin Street | A sad accident occurred near the Canada Atlantic Railway station: a couple of men sawing wood for the locomotives were at work when the back of the hand of one of them, Nathaniel Gammon, came into contact with the saw. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-05-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-05-18 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | With the road much improved since the first through train to Montreal ran on 30 September last, the managers made up a special heavy freight train to test the road's capacity for the Ottawa lumber trade, attaching a passenger car for reporters; Messrs. D.C. Linsley (contractor and manager), W.R. Hibbard (general agent) and E.O. Winnie (general superintendent) also rode. The engine, 'Mansfield', built by Mason of Taunton, Mass. -- a modification of the English Fairlie type with six coupled driving wheels and 16x24 cylinders, the only one of its kind in Canada -- hauled some forty cars, mostly empty, from Ottawa, exchanging empty for full cars at Eastman's Springs (where the party visited Borbridge's mineral springs, seven distinct varieties within a few yards) and South Indian, then ran a straight 22.5-mile stretch to Casselmans, where a luncheon was served and Linsley gave an account of the road's construction. At the Roxboro gravel pit -- the source of all gravel used in the line's construction, 32 feet deep and apparently inexhaustible -- more cars were exchanged; at Maxville, heavily loaded timber trucks were added, bringing the train to 45 cars (about 10 tons each, one measured car holding 9,000 feet of green pine lumber, roughly 18 tons). The train crossed the line's highest point between Maxville and Kenyon, reached Alexandria (waiting on the Ottawa express), and continued through the line's most difficult grades between Alexandria and Glen Robertson before reaching St. Polycarpe, where the party transferred to the express for a quick run to Coteau and supper. The trial was judged an unprecedented success; the contractor claimed the road's alignment, grades, curves and ballasting were second to none in the country. Of the roughly 53 total miles beyond Coteau still to be built, about a third was finished and in working order. The highest grade was 39 feet to the mile westward, 29 feet eastward. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-05-18(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1883-05-17(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-05-30 | Chaudiere Branch | The construction of the branch line of the Canada Atlantic Railway between Elgin Street and the Chaudiere piling grounds was being shoved rapidly ahead, with a large force of men engaged on the work, to be completed and opened for traffic at the earliest moment possible. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-05-28(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1883-05-30(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-05-30 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | At the annual meeting of shareholders, President E. McGillivray's report, adopted by the meeting: last year's report described the completed railway from Coteau Landing to Casselman (50 miles, 30 from Ottawa), operating from 1 January 1882. The directors now reported the road opened for traffic between Coteau Landing and Ottawa on 1 November last, completing the distance in nineteen months, with much credit due to contractor D.C. Linsley. Satisfactory arrangements had been made with the Grand Trunk Railway for through passenger and freight traffic between Ottawa and Montreal -- two express trains each way daily, plus a local freight and passenger train each way, with a temporary night train added during the sitting of Parliament -- and with the Postmaster-General for through and local mail. Several villages had sprung up along the line, six steam sawmills were now in operation, and the population along the line was increasing rapidly. A full-year earnings comparison was not possible since only part of the road operated before 1 November, but traffic had exceeded the directors' expectations despite winter storms interfering briefly with running. The directors, having lately travelled the road, found it in first-class order, well ballasted with superior gravel and laid with superior steel rails, running Ottawa-Montreal in three hours and three-quarters; the Government's and the company's chief engineers had both certified the bridges and culverts as thoroughly tested and satisfactory. The eastern end south of the St. Lawrence to the province line was making fair progress, with about twenty miles to be ready for rails shortly; the portion between Elgin street station and the Chaudiere lumber district was expected complete about the middle of August. The directors were sanguine about the railway's future once the St. Lawrence connection and docks and elevators at Valleyfield were built, given the roughly 350 million feet of lumber cut annually at Ottawa and vicinity, for which the road would offer the shortest rail route to American markets, and cars loaded at Valleyfield could reach New York or Boston within twenty-four hours. Signed E. McGillivray, President, and A.W. Fleck, Secretary-Treasurer, Ottawa, 29 May 1883. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-05-30(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-06-02 | Elgin Street | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company was making extensive additions to its station buildings on Elgin Street: one hundred and fifty feet were being added to the main freight shed, and a building for the storage of eggs for transportation and an office for the customs officer were under construction. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-06-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-06-15 | Chaudiere Branch | While working on the Canada Atlantic Railway cut through Mount Sherwood, a horse suddenly sank into quicksand in the bed of the road, floundering and getting lower with every effort; a dozen men with planks and a span of horses had all they could do to save him. Several quicksands existed in the cutting between solid rock. | Mercury 1883-06-15(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-07-12 | Chaudiere Branch | Rapid progress was being made with the extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway to Richmond Road, with a large number of men employed grading the road near Martin's Mill. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-07-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-07-17 | Chaudiere Branch | The Chaudiere Extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway was being pushed rapidly forward. Arrangements were made for taking two lots from Mr. Dalglish, next to his match factory on Richmond Road; the line would pass alongside the factory without touching it. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-07-17(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-08-02 | Canada Atlantic 4-4-0 #4 Casselman | Engine No. 4 of the Canada Atlantic Railway was having new leading and trailing driving wheels fitted, 5 feet 6 inches in diameter, replacing the former 5 feet 2 inch wheels. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-08-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-08-14 | Eastern Subdivision | A reporter who went over the Western extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway found the new line would be completed in two or three days, under contractors Messrs. Brown & Wilkes with a large number of men. After leaving Elgin street station the road struck due west through the property of McLeod Stewart (an earth cutting of about three hundred yards), then continued to Mount Sherwood, where an extensive rock cutting about sixteen feet deep was crossed by two overhead bridges (106 feet at Sherwood street, 64 feet at Bell street), both built by Mr. William Palen, who held the contract for all the extension's wood work; track laying was done by Mr. Logan under chief engineer Mr. G.W. Lampman. The road then crossed the main road to Rochesterville on strong iron bridges, passed a further filling of about three hundred yards (average depth sixteen feet), and proceeded to within three hundred feet of the Dam at Rochesterville, through well cultivated and inhabited land. Two more overhead bridges remained to be built, with lumber and material already on the ground. The road had been surveyed to the Chaudiere lumber yards, where the company was putting in side tracks for lumber dealers, plus a siding on the west side of Preston street for a shunting engine to bring loaded cars to the Elgin street yard. Mr. Winnie, General Passenger and Freight Agent, said a lumber train would be put on that week, with two more regular trains to follow on final completion. Surveyors were at work on Queen street, Chaudiere, and negotiations were under way to purchase Dr. Malloch's residence on Richmond road, near the St. L. & O. Railway crossing, where the extension was proposed to cross Richmond road. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-08-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-08-14 | Canada Atlantic 4-4-0 #2 Ottawa | Engine No. 2, which took a special passenger train over the Canada Atlantic Railway, made a very fast run, covering 78 miles in one hour and forty-eight minutes with two stops for water. The engineer, Mr. Panghar [sic], said he could have gone quicker but it was not necessary; the engine's cylinders were only 15x22 with driving wheels only 5 feet in diameter, speaking well for the road's grading and ballasting. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-08-14(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-08-23 | Eastern Subdivision | The Canada Atlantic's afternoon express ran from Montreal to Ottawa in the remarkably short time of two hours and twenty-eight minutes; General Manager Linsley was on board from Alexandria to Ottawa. The road was in first-class condition, and the new schedule's fast express times were the fastest on the continent except for the express between New York and Philadelphia on the Pennsylvania Railway. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-08-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-08-28 | Unidentified Passenger Cars | Two magnificent first class cars had been added to the Canada Atlantic Railway's rolling stock. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-08-28(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-09-20 | Casselman | The Canada Atlantic Railway moved into the new station at Casselman. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-09-20(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-09-29 | Chaudiere Branch | The large steam shovel that had been working at Roxborough, on the line of the Canada Atlantic Railway, was to be moved up to the Chaudiere, where it would be used for the next two weeks. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-09-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-09-29 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Invited by the manager of the Canada Atlantic Railway to ride from Montreal to Ottawa, said to be shorter than the C.P.R. route from Hochelaga, the paper noted the line was already favorably known to the Quebec press and recommended by members who had ridden it. Quoting the Montreal Witness: while Sir Henry Tyler had thought ten hours between Toronto and Montreal fast enough, D.C. Linsley, manager of the Canada Atlantic, had shown the popularity of fast trains -- in a recently published comparison of relative railway speeds, Canada took the lead on the continent. The Canada Atlantic covered the roughly 78.4 miles between Coteau and Ottawa in one hour thirty-four minutes with three stops, an average of fifty miles an hour, and eleven miles between Eastman's Springs and South Indian at a mile a minute by the fast express -- built, it appeared, especially for fast service, and expected to work a revolution in Ottawa-New York business once extended to its southern terminus near Rouses Point. Passenger traffic between Ottawa and Montreal had increased markedly since the Canada Atlantic began operating and its competitor the Canadian Pacific also increased speed. | Quebec Daily Telegraph 1883-09-29(Quotes the Montreal Witness at length. Transcribed...) |
| 1883-10-01 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Two trains of lumber per diem were now being run out from Ottawa by the Canada Atlantic Railway. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-10-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-10-09 | Chaudiere Branch | Progress on the bridges of the Chaudiere Extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway was highly creditable. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-10-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-10-15 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The Governor General and Princess Louise left Ottawa by the Canada Atlantic Railway at noon, escorted from Rideau Hall by the Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, with a guard of honor of the Governor General's Foot Guards drawn up at the station before a large crowd. The Marquis and Princess bade a kindly good-bye to many present, and a royal salute was fired by the Ottawa Field Battery as the train moved away. | New York Times 1883-10-16(Datelined Ottawa, 15 October. Transcribed by Colin...) |
| 1883-10-16 | Alexandria | The Canada Atlantic Railway purchased 40 acres of land adjoining their station at Alexandria from the Hon. D.A. Macdonald, for $3,000. Finding the old water tank inadequate for the number of engines taking water there, the company planned a new, larger tank fed from a stream about half a mile away. Some along the line initially supposed the company intended to erect workshops on the property, in retaliation for the Ottawa Council's dispute over the $100,000 bonus. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-10-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-10-29 | Elgin Street | A new freight shed was going up at the Canada Atlantic Railway station on Elgin Street. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-10-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-10-30 | Alexandria | The water tank at Alexandria, for which the Canada Atlantic Railway had purchased 40 acres, was being built with great rapidity, though the company would have difficulty finishing it before the frost set in. A substantial brick engine house nearby was nearly complete. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-10-30(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-01 | Chaudiere Branch | The branch track of the Canada Atlantic Railway to the Chaudiere was now nearly completed. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-11-01(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-06 | Chaudiere Branch | The Canada Atlantic Railway extension had now reached Broad Street. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-11-06(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-16 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The wood trains on the Canada Atlantic were running very heavy. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-11-16(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-17 | Chaudiere Branch | A ballast train was working on the Canada Atlantic Railway's western division, in addition to the steam shovel still at work on the extension. The extension was said to be completed within the month. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-17(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-17 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | After that day, the Canada Atlantic Railway's mixed trains would be discontinued for the winter, to the inconvenience of many who used them to travel between intermediate stations. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-17(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-22 | Alexandria | The Canada Atlantic Railway was building a new baggage house at Alexandria station, a much-needed improvement. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-22(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-23 | Chaudiere Branch | The work of grading the new Chaudiere extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway was rapidly progressing. Separately, the company was raising the sidewalks and otherwise improving Richmond Road in the vicinity of their crossing of that thoroughfare. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1883-11-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-23 | Unidentified Locomotives 0 | The Canada Atlantic Railway added another engine to its list. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-23(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-26 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | The new wood shed at the Canada Atlantic Railway was completed. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-28 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Lumber trains were being run daily on the new Chaudiere extension of the Canada Atlantic Railway; lumber merchants in the vicinity of the Chaudiere considered it a great convenience. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-11-28(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-11-29 | Chaudiere Branch | The new bridge over the branch of the Canada Atlantic Railway at Bayswater was nearly completed. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-11-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-12-10 | Canada Atlantic 4-4-0 #3 Coteau | Possible trial run at 60 mph | Ottawa Citizen - thanks to Colin Churcher |
| 1883-12-10 | Unidentified Locomotives 0 | The Canada Atlantic put another new locomotive on its rails, which on its trial trip made over sixty miles an hour. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-12-10(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-12-11 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Owing to the increase in lumber shipments, the Canada Atlantic Railway decided to put on a special lumber train. | Ottawa Free Press 1883-12-11(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-12-13 | Chaudiere Branch | The Canada Atlantic Railway was putting up a dry wall on each side of the track where it crossed Richmond Road, a decided improvement. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-12-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1883-12-27 | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company | Rowdies were nightly infesting the Canada Atlantic station; this was no fault of the railway authorities, as the loafers kept out of the jurisdiction of the station officials. | Ottawa Citizen 1883-12-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |
| 1884 | Canada Atlantic 4-4-0 #4 Casselman | Sold to Montreal and Sorel 3 | Railroad History #147 |
| 1884 | Canada Atlantic 0-6-6T #724 | Renumbered CA 4 | Railroad History #147 |
| 1884 | Ottawa | Canada Atlantic Depot listed in Ottawa City Directory at south end of Broad Street. | Jeanes20020315 |
| 1884 | The Coteau and Province Line Railway and Bridge Company | Line opened Coteau to Coteau Landing - 2 miles | CNRHist |
| 1884-01-08 | Unidentified Passenger Cars | The Canada Atlantic Railway Company will shortly turn out a new composite car to be run on the train between the Chaudiere Falls station and Elgin street. It will be one of the finest cars in the country. | Ottawa Free Press 1884-01-08(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) |