RAIL TRANSPORT

Today on P.E.I., the railroad seems to be a dying institution. The railroad has had over 100 years of service in the Freetown area and is still used for shipment of produce and supplies.

On 17 April, 1871, the Railway Bill was passed in the P.E.I. House of Assembly by a Government headed by Premier James C. Pope. On 5 October 1871, Mrs. Robinson, wife of Lt Gov. William Francis Cleaver Robinson, turned the first sod and the P.E.1. Railroad was born. The crews worked all winter and into the next spring. The Freetown portion of the railroad was built sometime after 18 April 1872, when lands were purchased from Freetown land owners by Frederick W. Hyndman, Secretary of Railway Commissioners.

The original description of the course of the RBI. Railroad through Freetown is given in the RBI. Legislature Council Minutes for 9 October 1871. “It was to cross Dunk River between Elliott’s and Biggar’s Mills, thence following the valley ofthe Dunk River to Haslam’s Mills thence to Brick Hill on the Freetown Road, thence to Kensington . . Z’. The existing layout of the railroad does not concur exactly with this description as changes were made to suit local politicians and conditions.

A list of the property owners at Freetown from whom land was purchased for the railroad is given:

Name Property No. Acreage William Deighan 89 1.169 Edward Mulligan 89A 0.974 Bernard McCourt 90 0.881 Matthew White 91 0.900 John Power 92 0.883 James Murtagh 92 — Patrick McCourt 93 — Patrick Cairns 94 0.825 John Campbell 79 1.354 Francis McCarville 78 1.508 James McCarville 77 1.523 Thomas Reeves 76 1.561 David Reeves 75 1.635 Mrs. Janet Cairns 74 2.540 John M. Coles 73 0.380 Peter Taylor 40 2.437 Joseph Warren 38 1.127 Robert Schurman 37 0.964 Mrs. Janet Cairns 20 5.206 John Cairns 21 0.618

The first train to travel from Charlottetown to Summerside through Freetown was on 4 J an., 1875. It was an event worth noting. For instance, workmen building a new home for David Reeves in South Freetown, dropped their tools and went to the nearest place on the railway to watch the train pass. The first regular service began on 25 Apr., 1875, with an inauguration date of 12 May, 1875. A train schedule for 6 Dec., of the same year shows the arrival times at Freetown:

Trains going West: Express 11:00 A.M.; Mixed 5:16 PM. Trains going East: Express 2:53 P.M.; Mixed 8:17 PM.

Four train stops in one day provided ample service, especially when compared to the present day. The fares to travel from Charlottetown to Freetown in 1883 were: single (one—way); $1.05, return; $1.60, 2nd class; $0.70.

The first trains were driven by small steam locomotives with the passenger coaches of wooden construction. The first rails were made of iron rather than the steel of this age. The first steam engines were probably fired by wood; later replaced by coal. Prior to the arrival of the first automobiles in the period before World War 1, many people travelling long distances would journey by train. These would include doctors, government inspectors, salesmen and many others. Many continued to use the train even after the first automobiles, especially during winter and spring, as road conditions were generally poor.

The P.E.I. Railroad was constructed as a narrow gauge line with a rail separation of 42 in. (inside measurement). In 1917, this posed a problem when rail connections with the mainland were made possible with the car ferry “Prince Edward Island” commencing operations between Borden and Cape Tormentine.

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