Quebec Central

Company History: The QCR was established in 1869 under the name Sherbrooke Eastern Townships & Kennebec Railway but adopted the Quebec Central name six years later. The line connected the Eastern Townships region of Quebec (a region between the St. Lawrence River and the U.S. border) to a connection with Canadian Pacific’s International of Maine subsidiary. The 300 mile line was headquartered in Sherbrooke. In 1912, QCR was leased by Canadian Pacific for 99 years but continued to operate under their own name. In 1926, QCR leased the Massawippi Valley Railway from Lennoxville to Newport. This made QCR part of a desirable route for passengers from Quebec City to ice free Atlantic ports via CP’s International of Maine.

Passenger service ended in 1967. By 1994, freight traffic had fallen below what was sustainable and Canadian Pacific shut down operations on the line. Since CP was just the lessor (they only owned a 10% stake in the company) they couldn’t actually abandon it and pull up the track. So it sat unused for five years before a local entrepreneur bought the Quebec Central and re-opened it in the summer of 2000. The new owners made a go of freight service and introduced tourist trains as well. However, it soon became clear that they were not going to cover their costs and the Quebec Central closed for good in 2006.

Brief History: Canada is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada's vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It's also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls.