CN, CV & GT

Were CN, CV and GT owned by a parent company or the same stock holders? I notice some of the engines and font of the lettering looks quite the same for the three railroads.

Yes, the short answer is that the CN owned the CV and GT and they had a common paint scheme and logo concept going back to the steam era. CN also owned the Grand Trunk Western and the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific, which again had the same colors and logo style.

Until recent years Canadian National was a government-owned crown corporation that had been assembled by the Canadian government in the early 20th century from several financially-troubled railroads. One of them was the ancestral Grand Trunk Railway, a rather large Canadian-owned railroad which ran from Portland, Maine, to Chicago via Montreal, Toronto, and Detroit. Following its nationalization as part of CN, the US portions of the Grand Trunk's lines became US-incorporated subsidiaries. The Maine portion of the GT became the Grand Trunk that is now the StL&A, and the Michigan portion became the Grand Trunk Western. Meanwhile, the CV was already been owned by the GT at the time CN was created, so it came into the CN family with its parent.

Short answer: CN owned GT, GT owned CV.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Railway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Trun ... n_Railroad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Vermont

Actually, I have a feeling that the Grand Trunk Corporation remains the legal entity under which Canadian National operates in the United States, and as such is the paper owner of the Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, EJ&E, GTW, etc.

Ridgefielder wrote:Actually, I have a feeling that the Grand Trunk Corporation remains the legal entity under which Canadian National operates in the United States...

I am under the same impression.

Ridgefielder wrote:Actually, I have a feeling that the Grand Trunk Corporation remains the legal entity under which Canadian National operates in the United States, and as such is the paper owner of the Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, EJ&E, GTW, etc.

I believe the US operations are the IC.

atsf sp wrote:I believe the US operations are the IC.

Not quite correct. CN purchased IC in 1998/1999, but the IC is controlled by Grand Trunk.

Otto Vondrak wrote:

Ridgefielder wrote:Actually, I have a feeling that the Grand Trunk Corporation remains the legal entity under which Canadian National operates in the United States...

I am under the same impression.

Under the GTC banner,the Grand Trunk Western became operationally independent. GTW locos were painted blue instead of CN black in the new scheme. GTW ran under the "Good Track Road" banner. Atlas produced some N boxcars with this banner.
Compare the track of GTW compared to bankrupt NYC/PC/Conrail over Michigan lines. IIRC for a time the GTW operated Milwaukee Road trains until the Soo purchase. The GTW did buy the 1/2 of DT&SL from NW & the DTI.

Ridgefielder wrote:Actually, I have a feeling that the Grand Trunk Corporation remains the legal entity under which Canadian National operates in the United States, and as such is the paper owner of the Illinois Central, Wisconsin Central, EJ&E, GTW, etc.

Yes. If you work for the CN in the US, from what I understand, your paychecks say Grand Trunk Western on them.

Well, if we're going to get really technical, until 1995 the Canadian Government owned CN who own Grand Trunk Western, Central Vermont and DW&P.

ENR3870 wrote:Well, if we're going to get really technical, until 1995 the Canadian Government owned CN who own Grand Trunk Western, Central Vermont and DW&P.

If you want to go back a century, the Grand Trunk Railway owned them from the outset. (GTR)

Not sure if the GTR may still be a legal entity in Canada?
It appears Canadian Government money may have guaranteed the bonds of GTR/GTP/Cnor, etc.