Rails to the Atlantic: Exploring the Railway Heritage of Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces

by Ron Brown

Follow Rails to the Atlantic through eastern Canada’s railway heritage. Visit preserved railway stations in various states of use, or take in the architecture of the grand era of station building in Quebec City, Halifax, and St. John’s. Board scenic railway excursions on the Orford Express or Le Train du Massif de Charlevoix, or travel to VIA Rail's destinations in remote northern Quebec.

Rail trails lead through the Laurentian mountains and Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Museums exhibit Newfoundland’s colourful railway heritage, while Canada’s largest railway equipment display lies near Montreal. Magnificent railway hotels include the Fairmont Le Château Montebello and the Algonquin Resort, as well as the stunning Chateau-style station hotel at McAdam, New Brunswick. Often forgotten are the railway bridges and trestles, stunning feats of engineering that stretch across wide valleys and churning rivers, the construction of which sometimes led to deadly consequences. Lesser-known attractions, such as roundhouses and employee housing, are profiled to help bring the railway era back to life.

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 2015

About the author

Ron Brown is a geographer and travel author of more than twenty books, including Rails to the Atlantic, The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, and Back Roads of Ontario. He is past chair of the Writers' Union of Canada and leads tours of Ontario's unusual sights. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris]

I have traveled from Toronto to Montreal to Halifax by train and enjoyed learning more about eastern Canada's surviving railway heritage in Rails to the Atlantic. I agree with the author that "the loss of Canada's rail lines and passenger service is lamentable, and occasionally unnecessary (101)." The book discusses the surviving rail lines, railway museums, railway hotels and rail trails in Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, noting surviving examples of railway architecture and route structures. Former stations have been converted into a wide range of new purposes including hotels, cafes, museums, tourists information centres and even the occasional funeral home. While the book is richly illustrated, the inclusion of maps would have been helpful, especially in the sections about more obscure rural rail lines and rail trails. An interesting and informative read.

[Jessica Gallant]

I skimmed this book for research and nostalgia sake. I was not disappointed. I really do appreciate when they include photographs.
I was a little surprised that the author did not include more stations past Coaticook.