JeffPo's Grand Trunk Railway Lantern Page
Last update: 06/09/08
This is an Adams & Westlake lantern from the Grand
Trunk Railway. It's the Adlake Reliable model and has a bell
bottom. The lid is marked with G.T.R.
It has a clear globe (tall, as used in Reliable model
lanterns) used for general signaling. The globe is strongly etched with
G.T.Ry.
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway (
GTR
) was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of
Quebec
and
Ontario
, as well as the American states of
Connecticut
,
Maine
,
Massachusetts
,
New Hampshire
, and
Vermont
. While the railway operated from
headquarters in Montreal
, the corporate headquarters were in
London
,
England
.
The
GTR
had three important subsidiaries during its lifetime:
Central Vermont Railway which operated in
Quebec
,
Vermont
,
Massachusetts
and
Connecticut
;
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway which operated in
Manitoba
,
Saskatchewan
,
Alberta
, and
British Columbia
;
Grand Trunk Western Railroad which operated in
Michigan
,
Indiana
, and
Illinois
.
The Grand Trunk Railway Company of
Canada
was incorporated in November, 1852. The
railway line was run from
Montreal
to
Toronto
. A couple of impressive construction feats were associated with the
GTR
was the first successful bridging of the St. Lawrence River in August,
1860, bridging of the Niagara River, and the construction of a tunnel beneath
the St. Clair River. Over the years the GTR expanded and prospered.
Grand Trunk's Bonaventure Station, Montreal, 1900s
Canada
's worst railway accident based on loss of life happened on the
GTR
in June, 1864. A a passenger
train missed a signal for an open drawbridge and plunged onto a passing barge,
killing 99 German immigrants
The
GTR
was absorbed into the Canadian National Railway (CNR) after
defaulting on loan payments and a few years of financial difficulties.
The corporate name "Grand Trunk" remains in use by CNR
(CN after 1960) to this day. CN operated the
GTW
as its primary
U.S.
subsidiary until privatization of CN in 1995. The
GTW
has been transformed into the modern-day holding company "Grand
Trunk Corporation" under which CN has placed the assets of major
U.S.
post-privatization purchases, namely Illinois Central, Wisconsin
Central, and Great Lakes Transportation.
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