Quebec Central Railway

by R.L.Kennedy

QCR Number 1 with G2 class engine lettered for Quebec Central doing headend work at Valley Junction.
July 1, 1954 J. Marjoriebanks/Bruce Chapman Collection

While the C.P.R. held one of its infamous 999 year leases (effective January 1, 1913), of this Provincially-chartered railway, it only owned about 10% of it! Much of the investment came from England, as did most very early railway investment in the Colony.

The QCR was headquartered in Sherbrooke, Quebec, CPR officials in Montreal were also officials of the QCR. Its steam locomotives were lettered for the Quebec Central, as were those of another CPR subsidiary, the Dominion Atlantic. It served the area of Quebec known as the Eastern Townships, a largely agricultural and lumbering region heavily populated by English-speaking New Englanders. What industrial development existed was mostly in places like Sherbrooke, which was also on the CPR main line. It was in the Eastern Townships during construction that asbestos was discovered in 1876 at Thetford Mines. Most of the world's supply of this controversial mineral was mined in the Eastern Townships, providing traffic for the QCR. It was not until many years later that the deadly nature of asbestos became known.

Originally incorporated 1869 in Quebec as the Sherbrooke, Eastern Townships and Kennebec Ry. it was re-named in 1875 Quebec Central Ry.. Portions of it opened in 1876 and 1879, and throughout by June 1881, by which time it had purchased the Levis & Kennebec Ry. at a sheriff's sale on March 22, 1881. September 1895 a 59.2 mile branch was completed between Tring Jct. and Megantic. A branch from Valley Junction to Lake Frontier was built in 1918 but, a planned extension to Cabano, and a connection with the Temiscouata Ry. was never built.

In order to better handle New England traffic to and from its friendly connection with the Boston & Maine RR the CPR leased, effective June 1,1926, the B&M-owned Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers RR, between Wells River Jct. and Newport, Vermont (63.90 miles) and the Boundary Line, another 5.36 miles. At the same time the QCR sub-leased from the CPR the line between Newport and Sherbrooke, Quebec 40.82 miles, which included the Boston & Maine owned Canadian portion of the Massawippi Valley Ry. from the Border to Lennoxville 31.96 miles and Beebe Jct. to Stanstead 3.52 miles. A total of 35.48 miles. It also owned shares of the Quebec Bridge & Railway Co. whose bridge over the St.Lawrence River gave it entrance into Quebec City, via CPR trackage rights.

Eventually, the QCR owned and operated some 360 miles of track and owned (12/31/1927) 50 locomotives, 59 passenger cars, 1,004 freight, plus 90 work and other for a total of 1,153 cars.

Sherbrooke to Diamond Jct... 129.63 miles
Scotts to Harlaka Jct.......…… 27.49
Valley Jct. to Lake Frontier … 79.14
Tring Jct. to .. Megantic …….. 59.2
……………………. 295.46 miles owned
Trackage rights CNR Sherbrooke to Lennoxville …. 2.67 miles
CNR Harlaka Jct. to Levis ……….. 5.00
CNR Diamond Jct. to Cadorna Jct. 14.40
CPR Cadorna Jct. to Quebec City .. 2.17
……..……..............…………… 24.24 miles
Leased lines Lennoxville to Newport, Vermont … 37.43 miles
Beebe Jct. to Stanstead …………............... ...…. 3.51
……………………......................…………… 40.94 miles

Quebec Central M-286 a 1929 Packard at the Vallee Jonction enginehouse, April 1953
R.S.Ritchie CPR Ret'd.

3076 wooden box car. James L. O'Donnell Collection

40721 service Vallee Jct. Quebec, November 1945 Dick George

SHERBROOKE Dick George

Changes over the years.

Early 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 steam locomotives were gradually replaced by bigger, standard CPR locomotives, including M4 class 2-8-0's, G2 class 4-6-2's and, of course the ever present D-10 class 4-6-0. Engines were lettered (and sometimes renumbered) for Quebec Central.

QC 42 first of a four engine order (last pre-CPR) the majority of which were built by CLC.
Cyl. 21" x 26" Drv. 63" Press. 190 lbs. 30% t.e. CLC 1193 6/1913
CPR/Steve Morris Collection

QC 1072 D10k (Schenectady #52109 10/1912)
Easter weekend and the end of steam is near. 4/16/1960 Farnham, Quebec Edward J. Ozog

QC 2556 (ex QC 66) G2s MLW 46049 5/1909 Valley Junction 1959

RDC's reduced travel time by an hour and a half to
3 hours 45 minutes between Sherbrooke and Quebec City.

There were many changes in latter years, diesels replaced steam, conventional passenger trains were replaced by RDC's and the highway buses were sold off. In common with many other secondary lines, the traffic declined, first with passenger trains, and later with freight. The last passenger train (a single RDC-1 9058) made its final run at the end of April 1967.

Finally, the entire remaining 236 miles of the Quebec Central were abandoned effective December 23, 1994. The last train had operated on November 10th.

Since the CPR's lease of 999 years still had a long way to go, the CPR set out to buy up the 90% of stock it didn't own. This would allow them to tear up the track and sell off the right of way as would normally happen in the case of an abandonment of a rail line. But, a funny thing happened, it didn't happen! At least not the tear-it-up part. Instead, a new player came into the picture in the form of a local resident who was also a truck operator (Express Marco Inc.) of all things! He saw the potential of restoring rail service to handle what he was trucking, wood for paper mills. He knew that rail had the potential to cut costs as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

After laying dormant for years, the impossible happened, in June 2000, trains began to run again on the Quebec Central! Tourist trains were added to the picture to add revenue and raise awareness. More of the line was opened on the 236 miles acquired and operations expanded. Against all odds it has happened and, hopefully it will succeed, only time will tell. Good Luck!

Quebec Central Timetable 1942

Quebec Central Employee Timetable 1966

Quebec Central Transportation Co.

Great Eastern Gerry Burridge's website includes history and photos of Quebec Central.