Grand Trunk, Berlin Subdivision/SLR Website

Hi all - Since I lived in Portland, I've been fascinated by the A&StL/StL&A-GT-CN-StL&A/Q history. 150 years old and still going! I started to realize that it might be good to put all my stuff in one place, besides sitting in files and on my computer, so I created a website at http://www.sullboat.com/GT.htm to house what I have in electronic format. If anyone is interested in submitting anything, I'll give credit for anything posted. Obviously I'm more focused on the history of the road, but even yesterday is history, right?

Glad to have found this BB...didn't know it existed til tonite.

Thanks!
Tim Sullivan
Rockland, ME

Interesting site - thanks for posting!

While the line was always referred to as the "Grand Trunk", I was told by
someone in good authority that the line was officially "Canadian National,
Lines in New England".
Noel Weaver

I was always confused by the Grand Trunk moniker, too. When I hear "Grand Trunk" I think of Michigan. But those lines were called "Grand Trunk Western," which would indicate that the lines in Maine were "Grand Trunk Eastern." I have heard the GTE moniker thrown about, too... so were these lines really considered to be part of the Grand Trunk, or was it all just "Canadian National Railways" as far as running in the State of Maine was considered?

-otto-

After the Grand Trunk Ry was nationalized as the Canadian National in 1923, the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) ran from Island Pond, VT to Portland, Maine, and the Grand Trunk Western Railway (GTWR) was in Michigan. Technically, Island Pond to Portland under the CN was "Montreal District, St. Lawrence Division, Berlin Subdivision".

My understanding is that CN kept the GT and GTW names (and the Central Vermont) for the US lines, as they needed to be US Corporations.

I think the Grand Trunk Eastern existed before CN and that these were the lines in the Maritimes.
Tim

I don't know if the Berlin Sub was ever officially "Lines in New England", as the 1948 CN timetable states "Including Berlin, Lewiston and Norway Subdivisions (Lines in New England)". Sounds like it wasn't the official name - being paranthetical - just easier to say.

In case you're wondering, the Norway and Lewiston Subs were branches off the Berlin Sub, both in Maine. Norway has been ripped up, Lewiston is about half as long as built, ending at the Safe Handling facility in Auburn. Both were originally owned by the terminating towns when built.

An interesting footnote on this topic is that most of the Canadian National
owned lines in the United States such as Grand Trunk Western, Duluth,
Winnipeg and Pacific and the Central Vermont had their own timetables
but the line between Portland and Island Pond and points in Canada were
all included in a Canadian National timetable. This is at least back to the
1940's and maybe much further back as well.
Noel Weaver