Quebec Central Railway

Derek Booth's story of the Quebec Central Railway, serving the upper St. Francis and Chaudière River valley regions of southern Quebec for over 130 years. The Quebec Central included links with Quebec City and Sherbrooke, providing through passenger service between those locations and points in USA, including Boston. Much specialised passenger equipment for QCR's service was manufactured at the company's shops. Quebec Central continued to provide passenger service between Sherbrooke and Quebec City until 1965. This book tells the story of the railway from its earliest beginnings in the 1860s, when local business people in Quebec and Sherbrooke sought to implement rail service in their region. The largest of Quebec's regional rail carriers, the QCR was also, for some period of time, one of Canada's most profitable systems. After the Depression, the QCR entered a long decline culminating in its abandonment in 1994. Its subsequent rebirth under new management in 2000 added yet another chapter to the history of the railway, this one as a "short line". This most recent business incarnation of regional railways in Canada survived until 2006.