Canada’s Grand Trunk Railway: Unifying People and Building Economies

by | Sep 30, 2022 | Benefits & Use, History, North American Expansion

graphic image of Canadian flag, map, and train for article titled: "Canada's Grand Trunk Railway: Unifying People and Building Economies"

The construction of railway systems that could withstand the severe northern climate came at a pivotal point in Canada’s history and played an important role in fostering Canadian unification and independence from Britain. Entrepreneurial drive, technological developments, and wood preservation techniques were crucial to these developments.

The Emergence of Modern Canada: From the Atlantic to the Midwest

In response to political uprisings in the 1830s, leaders of British North America took steps to unite its British and French populations. This Act of Union joined “Upper Canada” to the west (Ontario) and “Lower Canada” to the east (Quebec) into the Province of Canada. The Grand Trunk Railway was commissioned in 1852, when the region was still governed by the British; however, the Canadian provinces were experiencing an increasing sense of unity.

A 1909 photograph of a Grand Trunk Western locomotive and crew at the Durand, Michigan roundhouse. Public Domain. Sourced from Wikipedia.

Shortly after the united Province of Canada was established, the Reform Party politician Sir Francis Hincks commissioned the Grand Trunk railroad to connect Montreal and Toronto. One of his first decisions was to acquire a shortline railroad into the United States that had just been completed: the Atlantic-St. Lawrence Railroad. This railroad ensured access to an Atlantic port (Portland, ME), was the first international railroad in the world, and used wood crossties that had been creosote-treated by the Bethell process to withstand the extremely cold temperatures of the region. In bypassing the St. Lawrence River, which froze every winter, this shortline connected Montreal year-round to an international port.

Map of the Grand Trunk and Great Western of Canada and Their Connections, 1885. Public Domain. Sourced from Wikipedia.

Hincks’ commitment to fostering communication and exchange between the Province’s two halves helped position it for independence from Britain. As Premier of the Province of Canada from 1851 to 1854, Hincks completed the Grand Trunk’s main line connecting Montreal and Toronto. With its opening in 1855, Canadians and Americans alike could travel between the major cities with ease. In 1867, a mere 12 years after the main line was completed, Canada achieved “Confederation” through a series of negotiations with the British that dissolved British North America and established the independent Dominion of Canada. This hallmark moment is celebrated annually on July 1as Canada Day. In addition to achieving independence from Britain, Confederation also added New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to the new country.

The strength and reliability of wood infrastructure powered the development of the North American continent throughout the 1800s.

At the time of Confederation, the Grand Trunk Railway was the largest railroad in the world with over 2,000 kilometers of track. The 1880s saw additional growth, including a series of American subsidiary railroads which supported development of the border region and established population centers throughout southern Canada and the upper Midwest of the United States. By the turn of the 20th century, the Grand Trunk stretched from French Canada in the east all the way to Chicago in the American Midwest, crisscrossing the peninsulas of the Great Lakes. It reached into the hinterlands of Ontario and even bisected the US states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.

The Grand Trunk station at Portland, Maine in about 1906. Public Domain. Sourced from Wikipedia.

New Routes and New Economies Fuel the Industrial Age

Through its numerous acquisitions, the Grand Trunk added several Atlantic ports to its network, including Boston and New York City. In 1900, the Grand Trunk unveiled its most impressive achievement, the International Limited train, which could carry passengers from Montreal to Toronto in just 7 hours and 25 minutes—not much longer than today’s trains. Passengers could also reach Chicago in under a day, an incredible accomplishment in the era before airplanes.

By the turn of the 20th century, the Grand Trunk stretched from French Canada in the east all the way to Chicago in the American Midwest, crisscrossing the peninsulas of the Great Lakes.

The impact of a rail network that could carry passengers through the largest and most influential cities of both Canada and the United States cannot be overstated. The growth of southern Canada and the American Midwest was fueled by the ease of movement this system enabled for both people and industry. The city of Toronto grew more than six-fold in the latter half of the 19th century, from 30,000 people in 1851 to 208,000 in 1901; during the same period, Montreal grew more than five-fold, from 57,000 to 325,000. The Grand Trunk also grew the economic base and booming populations of Buffalo, Detroit, and Chicago, helping usher in the Industrial Age in North America.

The strength and reliability of wood infrastructure powered the development of the North American continent throughout the 1800s. The Grand Trunk Railway literally united people from Upper and Lower Canada and helped lead to the incorporation of the Dominion of Canada. The railroad then enabled the nascent country to establish stronger economic ties with its neighbor to the south and fuel the development of US Midwestern states. Together, the United States and Canada grew into a joint industrial powerhouse by the turn of the 20th century.

Note: This article was originally published in the Railway Tie Association’s Crossties Magazine

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