Construction of the Railway just before the Aqueduct
Monday, 14th December 2009
An experimental station was established at Reynolds by the Manitoba department of agriculture “with a view in helping the settlers already located and to demonstrate the possibilities of the district.”
The provincial government also established a prison farm, known as the- Provincial Gaol Farm, four kilometres west of East Braintree.
Building the railway was not an easy task as the route passed over pre-Cambrian rock, gravel, stone ridges, rivers as well as muskegs and swamps (The Building of the Winnipeg Aqueduct, by C.S. Prodan Manitoba Pageant, Winter 1979). In the vicinity of Mile 84-90, the railway crossed about 10 kilometres of muskeg, which. necessitated construction of a system of corduroy logs that acted like floats, which were then filled with gravel, muck and sand in order to sink them until a road bed was firm enough to withstand engines and freight cars to carry gravel to the site, wrote Prodan.
“The line is standard gauge and is well ballasted and laid with 90-pound steel rails,” reported the Free Press on July 3, 1915. “The equipment, in addition to modern freight cars, both box and gondolas, also boasts of four loco motives, a dinky (small locomotive) and a crane. The district own(s) a combination passenger and baggage coach, but this has already proved inadequate to meet the demands of pass traffic and another passenger car has been purchased.”
During the construction of the aqueduct, round-trip excursions to Shoal Lake originating at the Union Depot were advertised in Winnipeg newspapers for $1 each. “G to Shoal Lake frequent stops will be made along the line to excursionists to inspect the work of aqueduct construction at several points,” according to one advertisement. “Train will stop at St. Boniface CNR Depot both going and returning”.
The board the GWWD, the city board of control, prominent Winnipeg businessmen and Mayor Deacon took an excursion as guests of the Northern Construction Company to inspect the work on the railway in November 1914.
“The greatest s was ex pressed by the entire party at the excellent condition of the well-balanced track, which, although it was only laid this summer, allowed a heavy loco motive pulling a baggage car and two standard sleepers to travel over the road at a good rate of speed,” reported the November 9, 1914, Free Press.
The newspaper said the work had progressed to the Birch River, which was over 100 kilometres from Winnipeg and a short distance from Shoal Lake.
The construction had proceeded so rapidly due to the use of new machinery such as a “huge track-laying” machine. “This machine has an attachment on one side by which ties are carried on an endless belt and de posited on the right of way while on the other side of the machine another endless chain conveys lengths of steel rails. Spikes and bolts are dropped as well and the machine moves continuously forward, all the accompanying gang having to do being to feed it with ties and rails and spike the rails to the ties.”
At Gravel Pit No. 2, a huge steam shovel “was tearing great scopes of gravel and filling gravel trains for ballasting the track.”
The shovel was capable of scooping up four loads of gravel every 65 seconds, “or nearly eight cubic yards a minute.”
At the time of the excursion, a rail bridge was being built over the Birch River, one of four rivers and streams that were eventually crossed by the railway tracks.
The article said the railway cost over $1.2 million to complete.
Even before the railway was ful1y completed, construction of the aqueduct was slated to begin.
“The aqueduct will be constructed in the north of the railway parallelling it 110 feet from the centre of the tracks and the clearing of the entire distance is already an accomplished fact.. The trees which were cut down have been cut into cordwood lengths and are stacked along the right of way. Much of this wood will be sold at cost to Winnipeg and used by the Associated Charities.”
An experimental station was established at Reynolds by the Manitoba department of agriculture “with a view in helping the settlers already located and to demonstrate the possibilities of the district.”
The provincial government also established a prison farm, known as the- Provincial Gaol Farm, four kilometres west of East Braintree.
Building the railway was not an easy task as the route passed over pre-Cambrian rock, gravel, stone ridges, rivers as well as muskegs and swamps (The Building of the Winnipeg Aqueduct, by C.S. Prodan Manitoba Pageant, Winter 1979). In the vicinity of Mile 84-90, the railway crossed about 10 kilometres of muskeg, which. necessitated construction of a system of corduroy logs that acted like floats, which were then filled with gravel, muck and sand in order to sink them until a road bed was firm enough to withstand engines and freight cars to carry gravel to the site, wrote Prodan.
“The line is standard gauge and is well ballasted and laid with 90-pound steel rails,” reported the Free Press on July 3, 1915. “The equipment, in addition to modern freight cars, both box and gondolas, also boasts of four loco motives, a dinky (small locomotive) and a crane. The district own(s) a combination passenger and baggage coach, but this has already proved inadequate to meet the demands of pass traffic and another passenger car has been purchased.”
During the construction of the aqueduct, round-trip excursions to Shoal Lake originating at the Union Depot were advertised in Winnipeg newspapers for $1 each. “G to Shoal Lake frequent stops will be made along the line to excursionists to inspect the work of aqueduct construction at several points,” according to one advertisement. “Train will stop at St. Boniface CNR Depot both going and returning”.
The board the GWWD, the city board of control, prominent Winnipeg businessmen and Mayor Deacon took an excursion as guests of the Northern Construction Company to inspect the work on the railway in November 1914.
“The greatest s was ex pressed by the entire party at the excellent condition of the well-balanced track, which, although it was only laid this summer, allowed a heavy loco motive pulling a baggage car and two standard sleepers to travel over the road at a good rate of speed,” reported the November 9, 1914, Free Press.
The newspaper said the work had progressed to the Birch River, which was over 100 kilometres from Winnipeg and a short distance from Shoal Lake.
The construction had proceeded so rapidly due to the use of new machinery such as a “huge track-laying” machine. “This machine has an attachment on one side by which ties are carried on an endless belt and de posited on the right of way while on the other side of the machine another endless chain conveys lengths of steel rails. Spikes and bolts are dropped as well and the machine moves continuously forward, all the accompanying gang having to do being to feed it with ties and rails and spike the rails to the ties.”
At Gravel Pit No. 2, a huge steam shovel “was tearing great scopes of gravel and filling gravel trains for ballasting the track.”
The shovel was capable of scooping up four loads of gravel every 65 seconds, “or nearly eight cubic yards a minute.”
At the time of the excursion, a rail bridge was being built over the Birch River, one of four rivers and streams that were eventually crossed by the railway tracks.
The article said the railway cost over $1.2 million to complete.
Even before the railway was ful1y completed, construction of the aqueduct was slated to begin.
“The aqueduct will be constructed in the north of the railway parallelling it 110 feet from the centre of the tracks and the clearing of the entire distance is already an accomplished fact.. The trees which were cut down have been cut into cordwood lengths and are stacked along the right of way. Much of this wood will be sold at cost to Winnipeg and used by the Associated Charities.”
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Tags: Alexandria Hotel, Aqueduct, Cambrian Rock, Department Of Agriculture, East Braintree, Experimental Station, Freight Cars, Gaol, Gondolas, Loco Motives, Manitoba Department Of Agriculture, Muskeg, Passenger Car, Pound Steel, Pre Cambrian, Prison Farm, Prodan, Royal Alexandria, Shoal Lake, St Boniface, Standard Gauge, Steel Rails, Winnipeg Manitoba
