Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Railway

The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Railway is a km to mi|33 heritage railway in Quebec, Canada, running tourist trains through the scenic Gatineau Hills and beside the Gatineau River between Hull (part of the city of Gatineau) and the tourist town of Wakefield (part of La Pêche municipality) from May to October, using a 1907 Swedish steam locomotive and 1940s-built Swedish passenger cars. On average, the railway attracts about 50 000 tourists and generates revenues of about $8 million for the region.

In 2007, a disagreement erupted between the owner of the steam train line and the municipality of Chelsea and city of Gatineau over the railway safety and maintenance. In July, a rain storm caused damage to some parts of the railway. The owner mentioned that without funding from the cities, he would have ceased the operations of the line and sold the steam train. In November, an agreement was made when the province of Quebec and the municipalities involved provided fundings for studies for future improvements to the railway. There were also plans for refurbishing the wagons as well as adding a station at the Casino du Lac-Leamy about 2 kilometers south of its current southern terminus at Quebec Autoroute 5 and Boulevard Saint-Joseph [cite web |url=http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/290346283546737.php |title=Quebec steam train to keep chugging |publisher=Ottawa Business Journal |author=Roman Zakaluzny |date=2007-11-21]

However, following a landslide in Chelsea during the spring of 2008, the railway was halted after two weekends of activity. The owner decided to sell the train and ceased activities for good. The railway will not run for the summer of 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080523/CPDROIT/80523289/5046/CPDROIT |title=Le p'tit train est à vendre |publisher=Cyberpresse Inc. |author=Charles Thériault |date=2008-05-23 |language=French]

ee also

*List of heritage railways in Canada

References

External links

* [http://www.steamtrain.ca/ Official website]