Graphic material, mostly photographs, transferred from Canadian National Railways over an extended period of time (from the 1960s to the 1990s), showing various activities, events, equipment and personnel associated with Canadian National and its predecessors (including Great Western Railway, Canadian Northern Railway, Grand Trunk, and Grand Trunk Pacific).
This is a very large collection of photographs documenting Canadian railway activities from the late 19th to the middle of the 20th century. While some photographs have been processed, are available at the permanent level, and digitized, many are still at the accession level and have yet to be described. For some further details, please see lower-level sub-series descriptions and accession level records, as well as various finding aids.
The sub-series are as follows:
Canadian National Railways subdivision bridges photographs;
Canadian National Land Settlement Association photographs;
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway photographs;
Hudson Bay Railway photographs;
Hudson Bay Railway Construction photographs;
London and Port Stanley Railway photographs;
Miscellaneous photographs compiled or created by CN (MIKAN 5183836).
Researchers will find that the largest recent accession, 1989-455, consists of ca. 15000 glass plate negatives and nitrate negatives. Many nitrate negatives were destroyed due to their deteriorated state. LAC made a list of all numbers destroyed and copies since acquiring the collection. Two different accessions (1990-562 and 1993-164) were integrated under the main accession 1989-455. Photographic prints and cards (some are copies of the nitrate and glass negatives) were in a number of accession boxes (02709-02711) and are now in Vols. 15857-15859.
Within this integrated accession, there are photographs dating from ca. 1860-1940s, although primarily dating from the 1920s to the 1940s. These photographs document construction of the Canadian National Railways and the maintenance of its lines across Canada; railway stations, locomotives and railcars, railways accidents, construction of bridges, hotels, views of localities, parks and natural sites across Canada; Canadian National Steamships services; rail equipment; personnel portraits; indigenous people; and immigrants. There are index books to these photographs, and FA-263 provides original numerical listings by subject. In due course, the index will be digitized and linked. Additionally, photographs may be linked to various sub-series.
The accession 1967-131 (relating to the Canadian National Land Settlement association) has original file cards that serve as a finding aid to the photos. These file cards can be found in volumes 16075-16078.
Please also see lower level sub-series and file descriptions for Canadian National Land Settlement Association photographs. The CNLSA was an ancillary organization of the Canadian National Railways colonization department.
Further details about some photographs are as follows:
Vol. 15812: Consists of ca. 213 photographs relating to the construction of the Hudson Bay Railway. Please see lower level sub-series description for more details, MIKAN 4967633.
Vol. 15841: Consists of 3 albums with a date range of ca. 1922-1947 contain black and white photographs of bridges on various subdivisions. See lower level sub-series description for more details.
Vol. 15842: Miscellaneous photographs of various railway scenes from 1859-1915, including from along the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, including views from surveys of the route from Edmonton westward 1903-1904 by R.W. Jones, 3 photo albums of panoramic views of coastline and mountain scenery near Metlakatla and Prince Rupert, British Columbia on the central northern British Columbia coast. Also photo album of Canadian Northern Railway Parliamentary Press Party tour, October 1915; also one photo album containing 39 black and white photos showing various exterior and interior scenes of a number of different CNR steamships used for Alaska Service, ca. 1930, and Consists of 15 postcards showing different parts of Prince Rupert and 4 black and white photographs of Prince Rupert dating from August 1910.
Vol. 15843: Miscellaneous Photographs of various railway scenes, 1876-1915, of Bridges near Fort Francis, Ontario, CNR Offices, Winnipeg, of Senior Railway Officials and Management, and of Grand Trunk Pacific Locomotives , and of Mr. Broughten, manager of Great Western Railroad. Also, one photograph album containing 80 black and white photographs, mostly unidentified, but most likely showing the area near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. There are some scenes of the Prince Rupert townsite itself, showing the docks and buildings under construction. (1914-1915). Also, an album of various inlets, channels, rivers, and towns on the coast of Central Northern British Columbia, ca. 1910, including : 1. Portland Inlet 2. Nasaga Gulf; 3. Port Simpson; 4. Douglas Channel; 5. Kitamaat Arm; 6. Kitimaat Valley; 7. Minette Bay; 8. Gardiner Inlet; 9. Brin River; 10. Valley of Kemano River; 11. Dean Channel; 12. Kemsquit; 13. Salmon Valley; 14. Burke Channel; 15. Bella Coola Bay and Valley; 16. Hazelton; 17. Ketselas Canyon; 18. Fish cannery near Rivers Inlet; 19. waterfall near Works Channel.
Vol. 15844: Miscellaneous sets of photographs of various railway scenes from before and after the establishment of Canadian National Railways, including: Miscellaneous Photographs compiled by Mr. William Burns, Engineer of Railway Construction until about 1933 including Churchill Harbour, Port Nelson, Sulphur River; northwestern Ontario including Kakabeka Falls near Port Arthur and Fort William; Alberta including Imperial Oil Company in Calgary; Miscellaneous Photographs of London And Port Stanley Railway (1930s-1950s); Photographs of Hudson Bay Railway before Rehabilitation of the Line; Photographs of Buildings and Facilities at Grand Beach, Manitoba (mid 20th century); Photographs from the R.G. Miller Collection, Prince George B.C. and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Scenes, including G.T.P. Hospital, Prince George; The GTP grade entering Indian Reserve, Fort George; Bird's Eye vew of South Fort George; Tete Jaune River scene; Corner of Hamilton and Third St, South Fort George; Central Avenue, Fort George; Miscellaneous Photographs of scenes along Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in Western Canada (early 20th century).
An album in Vol. 15842 contains photographs of one of the first Canadian Northern Railway trains to cross Canada (1915). See MIKAN 4824423. The album has been digitized.
Vol. 16127 contains an album of 100 photographs showing the Victoria Jubilee Bridge Reconstruction in 1897-1899, see MIKAN 1581057.
There is also an album dated 1912 contains 73 b&w photographs within the album's 100 pages. Content details rock composition as noted during the construction of the railway. Information contained within the photographs includes examples such as "District A Moncton Yard, June 1912" with the miles marked. Following locations identified : Salmon River; Newcastle River; Tobique River; Cap Rouge viaduct; Fitzhugh engine house; Reddit Stations; Canyon Lake; Little Flamand River; Lodger Noel; River des eaux mortes; Milieu River viaduct; Little Bostonnais River; Lake Makestsy; Chaudiere River Bridge; Riviere du Sud; Etchemin River crossing; Forchue du Pin River.
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