--September 6, 2018.
The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw a huge railway boom across the Eastern Townships. It was driven by the need to access raw materials, a desire for quick transportation, the growth of industry, and a mania to build more and more branch lines. Literally dozens of railway companies competed for territory and markets.
1) This view of the Grand Trunk Railway "Express" was taken around 1910. Name the location!
a) Sherbrooke
b) Drummondville
c) Richmond
d) Coaticook
2) This c.1905 view of the Grand Trunk was taken along which river in the Townships?
a) The St. Francis
b) The Massawippi
c) The Yamaska
d) The Coaticook
3) Dudswell Junction, seen here around 1920, was on the line of which railway?
a) The Quebec Central
b) The Boston and Maine
c) The Lévis and Kennebec Railway
d) The Drummond County Railway
4) This photograph depicts the Potton Springs Hotel in Potton Township, and the hotel's little train station in the foreground. People once flocked here in droves to take "the cure." What railway line was this hotel on?
a) The Orford Mountain Railway
b) The Boston and Maine Railway
c) The Missisquoi Valley Railway
d) The South Eastern Railway
5) The Massawippi Valley Railway, which was leased by the Boston and Maine, once serviced the Butterfield Tool factory (seen in the background in this photo). What town was this?
a) Beebe
b) Stanstead
c) Rock Island
d) Highwater
6) Knowlton's first train station, seen here c.1900, was built by which company?
a) The South Eastern Railway
b) Canadian Pacific
c) Canadian National
d) The Waterloo and Magog Railway
7) The line through Stanbridge East was originally built by the South Eastern Railway. This company was eventually swallowed by the...?
a) The Grand Trunk
b) Canadian Pacific
c) Canadian National
d) The Montreal and Southern Counties Railway
8) Union Station in downtown Sherbrooke served how many different railways?
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Five
9) In 1885, a second station was built on the other side of Sherbrooke - this time by the Waterloo and Magog Railway. Just three years later, the station (and the railway) were purchased by which railway giant?
a) The Grand Trunk
b) CP
c) CN
d) The Quebec Central
10) The largest station in the Townships, seen here, was built in 1873 as the headquarters of the South Eastern Railway. What town was it in?
a) Cowansville
b) Bedford
c) Granby
d) Farnham
All photos courtesy of the Matthew Farfan Collection.
Click here for the answers....but NO peeking!!