The railway has been not just a witness to Canada’s history but an active participant in it. A leading actor in the country’s construction, for more than 150 years the railway has changed the lives of thousands of workers and travellers.
Canadian National was created by the federal government in 1919 when it united several railway companies. It gained its final form four years later when it absorbed the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. During this golden age of railway transportation, CN devised many innovations, such as school cars, Red Cross units that could reach remote regions, and an excellent radio broadcasting network.
CN has spanned centuries, constantly striving to modernize. Among other advances, by the 1960s CN started using diesel locomotives and adapted with the times by focusing its efforts on the transport of goods.
Today, CN is one of the largest railway companies in the world. Its transcontinental network, more than 30,000 km of railways, traverses the entire North American continent.
Thank you to the archives department of EXPORAIL The Canadian Railway Museum for its invaluable collaboration on this project. http://www.exporail.org/