Montreal and Lachine Railroad facts for kids
Imagine a time before cars and airplanes! In Montreal, the very first train line was called the Montreal and Lachine Railroad. It opened on November 19, 1847. This railway connected Bonaventure Station in Montreal to the St. Lawrence River in Lachine.
The main reason for building this train line was to help people get around the tricky Lachine Rapids. These rapids made it hard for boats to travel on the St. Lawrence River. The railway was about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) long. Over time, this railroad joined with other lines. First, it merged with the Lake St. Louis and Province Railroad in 1850. It was then called the Montreal and New York Railroad. Later, in 1857, it joined the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. This new company was named the Montreal and Champlain Railroad. Eventually, a much larger company called the Grand Trunk Railway took it over.
Special Train Tokens
Did you know that this railway used special metal tokens instead of paper tickets? This happened because paper tickets were not easy for everyone to use. Many passengers were Indigenous people and workers from the Lachine Canal. They often traveled in the third class section of the train.
These unique tokens were made in Birmingham, England. They came from famous companies like Boulton & Watt or Ralph Heaton & Sons. Train conductors would collect these tokens and string them onto a wire. The tokens first appeared in 1847. They were used until the early 1860s. One side of the token showed a train locomotive. The other side featured a beaver, an animal well-known in Canada.
