The Republican journal., 1870-05-12
From the Montreal Witness.
THE POSITION AND PROSPECTS OF THE
GRAND TRUNK.

From the Montreal Witness.
THE POSITION AND PROSPECTS OF THE
GRAND TRUNK.
I During the two years 1868 and 1869. 45G miles o
the line have been reraied with new rails of much
iheaver weight than those originally laid. This is
an average of l52 miles a year, the rails having
| been partly imported from England, and partly
rolled at Toronto, Portland, and Detroit for the
different sections Of the line.
| During 1870 il is intended to lay abont 40 miles
of new rails of which 30 miles will he of the very
best Bessemere steel.
| These steel rails are to be laid between Kingston
and Sherbrooke where the climate is most severe
and the difficulties of working railway in winter
| the greatest
| No more iron rails will be imported from Eng
land the quality of those sent out of late years haV
ing proved unequal to bear the strain of a Lower
Canadian winter. Fifty miles of steel rails will be
imported in future every year from England, untll
the whole distance from Kingston to Sherbrooke Is
laid with steel rails 1t is also intended then to eX-
tend the steel rails as far West as Bellvllle, and
East TO the boundary with the United States.
The balance of the 40 miles to be reald this year
will be of iron manufactured at Portland, Toronto
and Detroit.
| The seepcrs throughout the Whole lines are in Il
very satisfactory condition. requires about forty
| thousand new sleepers every! year to keep that
branch of the work in good order.
The ballastng of the line is also receiving atten-
ton. About 60 miles were bailasted last year, and
| it is intended to ballast about one hundred miles
yearly curing tnlS ana Inc uWO lOOWlnS years.
These several Improvements will rapidly make
Grand Trunk equal to any railway on this conti-
nent.
During the last two years the Company have re-
ceiyed - large and powerful freight engines from
| Glasgow, besides Il considerable number built ut
Portland and by the company itself in Montreal,
to replace old or small engines. which, from length
of service are no longer Of much use. During the
last SIN years. about 81 powerful engines (rreSpec-
tive of the % from Glasgow have been thus bought
or built to improve the stock. Very extensive i'm
provements have also been made to the stock
generally, which now amounts in all to 323 en-
gincs.
| During the last two years 900 cars with wheels
and aNels constructed that they can run through
between Boston and Chicago and st. Louis over
the different guages, have been placed upon the
route. They have worked very satisfactorily
that 800 more have been ordered, and are now
! der construction. They are being delivered as
rapidly possible, and the whole 500 will be at
work by the end of the year.
Within the last few months number of the lead
| ing merchants of Montreal formed a Company. to
purchase and lend rolling stock to the Grand Trunk
or other Railway Companies. That Company has
contracted to supply the Grand Trunk Company
with 800 box freight ears of the very best kind.
| Fny have already been delivered. and are now at
work. The whole five hundred will be completed
by the end of this year.
Corresponding improvements are also to be made
in the extent and character of the passenger trains
of the Railway. The Co. at present owns 147 first
class and sleeping earS-131 being ordinary passen-
4 =
l contract has been made with the wcll-known
Pullman Car Co." to place their palace sleeping
ears upon the Grand Trunk Railway. 1t will
probably take upwards of 81 of these cars to propcr-
| ly stock the line. Eight of them are now under
constructon in the workshops at Point St Charles,
under the direct supervision of the Pullman Co.
They will be proceeded with as rapidly as possible
and some of them will, it is hoped, be running in
| few months.
Within the last few days contract has also been
made with the 'Wasson Manufacturing CO.. OF
Springfield Mass, to build u Of the very best OF
1st class passenger ears. They are to be equal to
any ears running upon any lines i'll the United
States and are all to be delivered by the middle OF
| August at the latest.
thoroughly overhauled and improved. and by the
end of the present year the passenger cars of the
Grand Trunk Railway are intended to be equal in
every respect to those on the best line in the United
| States.
| 1t is intended also to run the passenger trains
quicker than has hitherto been done. TO assist in
this ID passenger engines have been contracted fol
within the last few days, especially adapted to this
work. Six of them have been ordered from the
1 well known establishments the Baldwin LocOmO-
tive Works. in Philadelphia and to be used Oh
the Portland and Detroit divisions, and are to be
delivered by June next The other six, sor use in
Canada, have been ordered at Kingston, and are to
the very similar 10 those to be built at the Baldwin
Works.
As as some of the new stock is received it is
INTENDED to improve the train service. Through
itrains, with Pullmans sleeping ears, will be run
between Portland and Sarnia in about "a hours
i'he time between Montreal and Toronto will proba
bly be about Is hours and passengers leaving either
}ey at night will arrive at Montreal or Toronto a
Tor before ten O'Clock the next morning. These
through trains will be in direct connection at Mon
treal with the through cXpr trains to and from
Boston, and also with the Michigan Central from
Detroit.
Both regards passenger and freight business
therefore, the railway is being rapidly placed in
frst-claSs condition, and will be enabled to afor1
increased facilities and despatch to the rapidly
growing trade of the country through which il
passes.
| The gross earnings of the Company have increas
led from about five million six hundred thousand
i'll 1884, to upwards of seven million one hundred
Thousand in 1869, and we glad to learn that the
receipts for the present year far show Il con.
isiderabe increase over those for 1869.
II is satisfactory also that the credit of an under
taking of such vast Importance to Canada ;,s til,
Grand Trunk Railway is rapidly improving il
England. and that it will'thus be enabled to make
very considerable Improvements and additions tC
hts rolling stock, both regards quantity and
quality, and to continue and extend the improve
ments which have been gong on for several year,
with respect to its permanent way.