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Champlain and Saint Lawrence railway
The first railway in Canada was built in 1836. It began running between Saint Jean sur Richelieu and La Prairie near Montreal. It ran twenty six kilometres long. The locomotive named Dorchester had a wood burning design and was built by Robert Stephenson, that could travel up to fifty kilometres per hour. The first rails on the track were made from pine rails and iron straps. Later on in the 1850s, the pine rails were changed to iron rails. -
Suspension Bridge
The Niagra Suspension Bridge was first built in 1848 over the Niagara River, and it was reconstructed in 1855 when it was opened to rail traffic. The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company of Canada and the International Bridge Company of New York worked together. A fifty foot wooden tower was erected on each bank, and wire cables were attached. This first crossings were made in 1848 by a basket hanging from a cable. Soon after, a three foot bridge was added to allow people to walk across. -
The Nova Scotia Railway
On July 1st 1867, the ownership of the Nova Scotia Railway was passed from the Government of Nova Scotia to the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada dissolved the Nova Scotia Railway in 1872, when it became a part of the Intercolonial Railway. -
The Toronto Locomotive Works
It was the first Ontario-made steam locomotive and it was manufactured in Canada. Before then, the locomotives were imported from Great Britain and the United States. The steam locomotive weighed twenty nine tons, and was twenty six feet in length. It was completed on Saturday April 26th 1853. It was originally built in one part of the city. The engine was so large that it took five days to move the locomotive to the rail tracks across the city. -
The Scotia Locomotive
The Scotia was the first Canadian locomotive with a steel boiler, built by the Great Western Railway of Canada in Hamilton,Ontario. It was built with a steel boiler to reduce heat loss and generate more power. In 1861, it appeared on a Canadian stamp. -
The Steam Buggy
In 1867, the Steam Buggy was introduced. It was the first automobile designed and built in Canada. Henry Seth Taylor, a jeweller and clock maker, created all of the working parts including the steam engine, the frame and the body. It took him five years to design, and two years to build it. He was the first person to drive it at the Stanstead Fair. -
The Intercolonial Railway
The Intercolonial Railway opened, connecting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to Toronto and Quebec. It was created to help bond the colonies together and allow for goods to be transported all year round. It operated from 1872 to 1918. The Intercolonial Railway was controlled and owned by the Federal Government. In 1919, this railway became part of the Canadian National Railway. -
The Three Wheeled Car
Karl Benz developed the first internal combustion, three wheeled car. At the same time, Gottleib Daimler and Wilhem Maybach invented the first powered engine with a spark ignition. It had a one cylinder two stroke engine, and it was completed in 1855. It was also a two seater car. In the year of 1888, the Three Wheeled Car was advertised to the public for purchase.
