Canadian Northern Railways on the Prairies : The prairie provinces formed the original traffic area of the Canadian Northern and remained to the end the most profitable portion of the system.
The two original components of the system were The Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company (RG30-III-C-1) which ran north from Gladstone, Manitoba to Lake Winnipegosis and The Winnipeg Great Northern Railway Company (RG30-III-C-2) originally designed to reach Hudsons Bay but actually constructed as an extension of the Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company. These two companies amalgamated to form The Canadian Northern Railway Company (RG30-III-A) which built much of the prairie system under its own name and charter.
Most of the prairie railway companies chartered under Canadian Northern sponsorship had existences ranging from the short to the ephemeral, often existing only long enough to construct their line or earn their subsidies before being amalgamated with the parent company. Others, particularly those acquired rather than incorporated, had a longer life as legal entities, though totally integrated into the system.
Instruments of the Canadian Northern's drive to the lakehead were the Manitoba and South Eastern Railway Company (RG30-III-C-3) and The Morden and North Western Railway Company (RG30-III-C-4) designed to link Winnipeg with the U.S. border near Lake of the Woods.
A transaction which resulted in a major expansion of the Manitoba network occurred in 1901 when the Manitoba Government acquired four railways, one of which was the Northern Pacific and Manitoba Railway Company (RG30-III-C-5) that were owned by the Northern Pacific Railway Company of the U.S. and leased them to the Canadian Northern. These were later amalgamated to form The Manitoba Railway Company (RG30-III-C-6). Three other companies were incorporated in Manitoba before the First World War; The Western Extension Railway Company (RG30-III-C-7), The Winnipeg and Northern Railway Company (RG30-III-C-8) and The Canadian Northern Manitoba Railway Company (RG30-III-C-9) all of which were formed to take advantage of provincial government assistance in expanding the system.
Similar companies formed in Saskatchewan to obtain provincial assistance were the Saskatchewan North Western Railway Company (RG30-III-C-10), The Saskatchewan Midland Railway Company (RG30-III-C-11) and The Canadian Northern Saskatchewan Railway Company (RG30-III-C-12). An important component of the Saskatchewan network was obtained in 1906 when the privately owned Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad and Steamboat Company (RG30-III-C-13) was acquired. The Long Lake Railway (RG30-III-C-14) may have had some connection with this company. The Canadian Northern Branch Lines Company (RG30-III-C-15) was Dominion chartered and built short lengths of line in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
In Albert, the main Canadian Northern line neared Edmonton in 1905 where it gained access to the city by the tracks of The Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway (RG30-III-C-16). Separately incorporated companies included The Edmonton and Slave Lake Railway Company (RG30-III-C-17) which ran north from Edmonton, The Alberta Midland Railway Company (RG30-III-C-18) which was a typical Canadian Northern provincially chartered company, The Canadian Northern Western Railway Company (RG30-III-C-19) which was not only designed to obtain provincial subsidies but to open up coal mining areas and The Canadian Northern Alberta Railway Company (RG30-III-C-20) which was the component of the Canadian Northern's transcontinental line from Edmonton to Yellowhead Pass.
