Northern Alberta Railways

Northern Alberta Railways

Company type	Joint subsidiary
Industry	Railway
Predecessor	Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway, Alberta and Great Waterways Railway, Central Canada Railway, Pembina Valley Railway
Founded	1929
Defunct	1981
Fate	Purchased by Canadian National Railway
Successor	Canadian National Railway
Headquarters	Edmonton , Canada
Area served	Northern Alberta, Northeastern British Columbia
Products	Rail transport services
Owner	Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway (joint ownership)
Parent	Jointly owned by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway

Northern Alberta Railways was a Canadian rail system serving the northern regions of Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Owned jointly by Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR functioned as an independent entity from 1929 until 1981.

Precursor Rail Lines

In the early 1900s, railway development in northern Alberta was primarily driven by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both extending westward from Edmonton toward the Yellowhead Pass.

The Peace River area, known for its agricultural potential, initially lacked railway infrastructure. Multiple rail lines were chartered to serve this region, beginning with the Athabaska Railway in 1907, which aimed to link Edmonton northwest to Dunvegan, Alberta and Fort George, British Columbia.

Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway

In 1911, under J.D. McArthur’s leadership, the line was rechartered as the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC). Construction commenced in 1912 heading toward Westlock, Alberta, reaching High Prairie by 1914 and arriving at Spirit River in 1915. The ED&BC altered its plans by abandoning the route to Dunvegan and instead constructing a southern branch from Rycroft to Grande Prairie in 1916, approximately northwest of Edmonton.

The line extended further with Wembley reached in 1924 and Hythe in 1928. By 1930, it crossed into British Columbia, terminating at Dawson Creek, British Columbia.

Alberta and Great Waterways Railway

Chartered in 1909, the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway (A&GW) was tasked with building a line from Edmonton to Waterways, Alberta, located on the Athabasca River. After delays and political controversy, it was rechartered in 1913 under John Duncan McArthur. Construction began in 1914 from Carbondale, Alberta, reaching Lac La Biche, Alberta by 1916, then Draper in 1922, and finally Waterways in 1925. The Government of Alberta took ownership on July 28, 1920.

Central Canada Railway

In 1913, J.D. McArthur’s Central Canada Railway (CCR) obtained a charter to connect with the ED&BC near Aggie, Alberta, extending to Peace River Crossing, Alberta to access barge transportation on the Peace River. Construction started in 1914 and concluded in 1916.

The CCR continued expanding to reach Berwyn, Alberta in 1921, followed by Whitelaw, Alberta in 1924, then Fairview, Alberta in 1928, and finally Hines Creek, Alberta by 1930.

Pembina Valley Railway

Authorized by the provincial legislature in 1926, the Pembina Valley Railway was constructed from Busby, Alberta, linking with the ED&BC line en route to Barrhead, Alberta.

Provincial Ownership

Following World War I, financial challenges impacted J.D. McArthur’s railroads (ED&BC, A&GW, CCR), as well as the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR), which were nationalized into Canadian National Railways by the federal government.

To preserve rail service in northern Alberta, the provincial government leased ED&BC and CCR for five years starting in 1920 and contracted operations to Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) beginning in 1921. Meanwhile, the government acquired A&GW outright in 1920 and managed it independently.

CPR implemented increased freight rates on ED&BC and CCR lines—referred to as "mountain prices"—because operating costs were similar to those on Rocky Mountain routes. This resulted in Peace River farmers paying some of the highest freight fees across the Canadian prairies for shipments destined for lakehead ports at Port Arthur and Fort William.

In 1925, the province purchased ED&BC and CCR from McArthur. Unhappy with CPR’s management approach, it allowed their contract to lapse in 1926 and transferred operational control to the provincial Department of Railways and Telecommunications. This department also oversaw A&GW as well as the newly constructed PVR.

By 1928, both CPR and CNR were invited to submit purchase offers for these provincial railways. Notably, CNR president Sir Henry Thornton visited ED&BC facilities in 1924; CPR president Edward Beatty made a similar visit four years later.

Northern Alberta Railways

In 1928, the provincial authorities consolidated the ED&BC, CCR, AG&W, and PVR under the unified title Northern Alberta Railways (NAR), which obtained a federal charter the following year in 1929. During Premier Brownlee's administration under the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA), ownership of NAR was equally divided between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), who operated it as a jointly held subsidiary. At that period, NAR ranked as the third-largest railway in Canada and achieved profitability for the first time in 1937.

The Second World War brought considerable expansion to NAR, largely driven by the Alaska Highway civil defence initiative, as it was the exclusive rail service connecting to mile 0 at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Military expenditures also increased rail traffic in areas such as Peace River and Fort McMurray, where Royal Canadian Air Force training bases were established.

In 1958, British Columbia’s Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) extended its lines to Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, resulting in a substantial diversion of traffic away from NAR. By October 1960, NAR completed the transition to diesel locomotives with the introduction of EMD GP9s and GMD GMD1 units, later adding Canadian National GMD1s in 1962 and domestically manufactured GMD SD38-2 locomotives in 1975.

The growth of Alberta’s oil and gas sector during the 1960s led to increased rail traffic along NAR’s branches serving Dawson Creek and Fort McMurray. In 1964, the federal government constructed the Great Slave Lake Railway from Grimshaw to Hay River to facilitate cargo transfers via barges along the Mackenzie River.

Passenger services underwent several changes: in 1966, Budd Rail Diesel Cars replaced the Waterways train but proved unsuccessful; mixed trains resumed operation in 1967; and passenger service to Dawson Creek was discontinued by 1974. The 1970s marked significant capital investment near Fort McMurray as development of the Athabasca Oil Sands accelerated.

Canadian National Railway

On January 1, 1981, CN purchased CPR’s stake in NAR, fully absorbing its routes into CN’s system. This acquisition granted CN unrestricted operational rights from Edmonton northward to Hay River and westward to Dawson Creek. Consequently, NAR ceased functioning as an independent corporation; its Edmonton-based maintenance facilities and yards were demolished to make way for residential development.

By 1996, CN identified segments of former NAR track for potential divestiture through sale or abandonment, resulting in multiple shortline transactions:

• The section from Swan Landing through Grande Prairie extending west to Hythe was operated by Alberta Railnet (which later became Savage Alberta Railway). CN reacquired Savage Alberta Railway for $25 million in 2006 and promptly resumed operations. CN retained ownership of the Hythe-Dawson Creek segment, reopening it as part of conditions tied to acquiring BC Rail.
• The Edmonton to Boyle line was sold in 1997 to Lakeland and Waterways Railway (LWR), a subsidiary of RailLink that was subsequently acquired by RailAmerica.
• Operations between Boyle and Fort McMurray were managed by Athabasca Northern Railway under contract with Cando Contracting before CN repurchased this segment in 2007.
• CN continues to operate tracks between Edmonton and Smith.
• The routes north and west from Smith to Peace River and Grimshaw, along with the Great Slave Railway extending northward to Hay River, were sold in 1998 to Mackenzie Northern Railway (MKNR), another RailLink subsidiary later acquired by RailAmerica.
• In 2006, CN acquired Mackenzie Northern Railway, Lakeland & Waterways Railway, and Central Western Railway from RailAmerica.

References

7. https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/carbondale-resident-uncovers-historic-tragedy-in-backyard-1852026

External links

• Northern Alberta Railways Digital Preservation Initiative Wiki Project