Which railway opened in 1836 as Canada’s first steam-operated railway?

The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad opened in 1836 as Canada’s first steam-operated railway.

The line connected La Prairie on the St. Lawrence River with Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu on the Richelieu River in what was then Lower Canada. Its main purpose was to shorten transport between the two waterways by providing a land link.

The railway opened on 21 July 1836, using a steam locomotive imported from England. The route was about 16 miles, or 26 kilometres, long and initially carried passengers and freight.

It is sometimes confused with the Canadian Pacific Railway, which was completed much later in 1885 and connected eastern and western Canada. The Champlain and St. Lawrence was a short pioneering line rather than a transcontinental system.