From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 12 of 36
The Early Railway
1836
In 1836, Canada’s first steam railway linked La Prairie and Saint-Jean. Its locomotive pulled the cars. The train followed the rails to carry passengers and goods.
Look together
What is the locomotive pulling?
An idea to try
Use two long, parallel paper strips to make a track between two drawings of towns. Your child moves a small object representing a train along the route.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Champlain and St. Lawrence Railway opened in 1836 between La Prairie and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Parks Canada identifies it as Canada’s first steam railway. The roughly 23-kilometre line made travel between Montréal and New York easier by linking the St. Lawrence and Richelieu rivers. Its first rails were wooden, topped with iron strips; iron rails replaced them in 1847.
For a young child, rails and coupled cars are concrete things. Compare the train’s path with a cart’s: the train follows its track instead of choosing each turn. The locomotive in the drawing is inspired by early engines without being an exact portrait of the Dorchester.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
A locomotive and carriages inspired by older trains; not an exact depiction of the first train on the line in 1836.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Parks Canada — First Railroad in Canada National Historic EventCanada’s first steam railway, opened in 1836; La Prairie–Saint-Jean, 23 km; wooden rails replaced by iron in 1847.
- Canadian Railroad Historical Association — Canadian Rail, no. 581, 2017, p. 269Building of the original track: wooden rails topped with iron strips; background on the first locomotives, including the Dorchester.
Page prepared on September 15, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
Tax calculated at checkout. Terms of sale