| description: | Canada'S First Railway, The Champlain And St. Lawrence Railway, Was Planned By The Honourable Peter Mcgill As A Portage Link In The Water Route From The St. Lawrence To New York. The Rails Were Of Wood With Flat Iron Bars Spiked On Top. The Rail Cars Were Horse Drawn. Later The Locomotive, "Dorchester" Built By Robert Stevenson And Company Was Imported From England. On July 21, 1836, On The Official Opening Run Only Two Cars Were Coupled To It As It Covered 16 Miles Of Track From La Prairie On The St. Lawrence To St. John'S On The Richelieu River. By July 25th Regular Steam Service Had Begun. Image From A Painting By J.D. Kelly |