# Canadian Subdivision

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Canadian_Subdivision
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Canadian_Subdivision.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Subdivision
> Source revision: 1338682839
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

The **Canadian Subdivision** is a railway line in the state of [New York](/source/New_York_(state)). It runs north–south along the west side of [Lake Champlain](/source/Lake_Champlain) from the vicinity of [Schenectady, New York](/source/Schenectady,_New_York), to [Rouses Point, New York](/source/Rouses_Point,_New_York), on the border with [Quebec](/source/Quebec). While the oldest part of the line was built in 1832–1833, the majority was constructed between 1869 and 1876. Once part of the [Delaware and Hudson Railway](/source/Delaware_and_Hudson_Railway) main line, today [Canadian Pacific Kansas City](/source/Canadian_Pacific_Kansas_City) owns the line. [Amtrak](/source/Amtrak)'s *[Adirondack](/source/Adirondack_(train))* operates over the full length, providing daily service between [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and [Montreal](/source/Montreal).

## History

### Schenectady–Saratoga Springs

Main article: [Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad](/source/Saratoga_and_Schenectady_Railroad)

The oldest part of the Canadian Subdivision is the line south from [Saratoga Springs, New York](/source/Saratoga_Springs,_New_York), towards [Schenectady, New York](/source/Schenectady,_New_York). The [Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad](/source/Saratoga_and_Schenectady_Railroad) was incorporated in 1831, making it one of the [oldest railroads in North America](/source/Oldest_railroads_in_North_America). The 21-mile (34-kilometre) line between Schenectady and Saratoga Springs via [Ballston Spa, New York](/source/Ballston_Spa,_New_York), was completed in 1833.[1][a] The [Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad](/source/Rensselaer_and_Saratoga_Railroad) leased the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad on January 1, 1851; the [Delaware and Hudson Railway](/source/Delaware_and_Hudson_Railway) leased both companies on May 1, 1871.[2]

### Saratoga Springs–Whitehall

Main article: [Saratoga and Washington Railroad](/source/Saratoga_and_Washington_Railroad)

The [Saratoga and Washington Railroad](/source/Saratoga_and_Washington_Railroad) was chartered in 1834 to build north from Saratoga Springs to [Whitehall, New York](/source/Whitehall,_New_York). The [Panic of 1837](/source/Panic_of_1837) interrupted the development of the property, and original line was not completed until August 15, 1848.[3] The company was reorganized as the [Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad](/source/Saratoga_and_Whitehall_Railroad) on June 8, 1855, which was in turn leased by the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad on March 14, 1865.[4]

### Whitehall–Plattsburgh

Main articles: [Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad](/source/Whitehall_and_Plattsburgh_Railroad) and [New York and Canada Railroad](/source/New_York_and_Canada_Railroad)

The first serious attempt to build a railroad along the west coast of [Lake Champlain](/source/Lake_Champlain) was made by the [Whitehall and Plattsburgh Railroad](/source/Whitehall_and_Plattsburgh_Railroad), incorporated in 1868. That company planned a route via the [Ausable River](/source/Ausable_River_(New_York)), most of which was never built.[5] The D&H-backed [New York and Canada Railroad](/source/New_York_and_Canada_Railroad), incorporated in 1873, completed the line between Whitehall and Plattsburgh on November 29, 1875.[6]

### Plattsburgh–Canada Junction

Main article: [Plattsburgh and Montreal Railroad](/source/Plattsburgh_and_Montreal_Railroad)

The [Plattsburgh and Montreal Railroad](/source/Plattsburgh_and_Montreal_Railroad) was incorporated in 1850 to construct, with two Canadian companies, a new route between [Plattsburgh, New York](/source/Plattsburgh,_New_York), and [Montreal](/source/Montreal). The company opened a line between Plattsburgh and [Mooers](/source/Mooers_(CDP),_New_York) on July 26, 1852.[5] The line passed to the [New York and Canada Railroad](/source/New_York_and_Canada_Railroad) in 1873 and the D&H in 1908.[7] The southern part of the line, between Plattsburgh and Canada Junction, is now part of the Canadian Subdivision. The D&H abandoned the northern part of the line in 1925.[8]

### Canada Junction–Rouses Point

Main article: [New York and Canada Railroad](/source/New_York_and_Canada_Railroad)

On the completion of the line to Plattsburgh in 1875, D&H trains used the original Plattsburgh and Montreal Railroad line to Mooers, and then the [Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad](/source/Ogdensburg_and_Lake_Champlain_Railroad) to [Rouses Point, New York](/source/Rouses_Point,_New_York). The New York and Canada constructed a 13-mile (21-kilometre) cutoff from [Chazy, New York](/source/Chazy,_New_York), to Rouses Point, which opened on September 18, 1876.[9][b]

### Rouses Point–Canadian border

Main article: [Napierville Junction Railway](/source/Napierville_Junction_Railway)

From Rouses Point, trains reached Canada over the tracks of the [Grand Trunk Railway](/source/Grand_Trunk_Railway).[10] In 1906 the D&H established a Canadian subsidiary, the [Napierville Junction Railway](/source/Napierville_Junction_Railway), to construct a new, shorter route that would connect with the [Canadian Pacific Railway](/source/Canadian_Pacific_Railway) at [Delson](/source/Delson). The Napierville Junction Railway built up to the Canadian border, while the New York and Canada built a connecting track up from Rouses Point. This new line opened on May 20, 1907.[11]

## Operations

The D&H's New York–Montreal passenger trains (such as the *[Laurentian](/source/Laurentian_(train))*) operated via [Albany, New York](/source/Albany,_New_York), and [Mechanicville, New York](/source/Mechanicville,_New_York), joining the Lake Champlain line at Ballston Spa. In 1964, the D&H built a connection between its [freight bypass](/source/Freight_Subdivision) and the Lake Champlain line further south, enabling the abandonment of the original Rensselaer and Saratoga line.[12]

[Amtrak](/source/Amtrak)'s *[Adirondack](/source/Adirondack_(train))* operates over the full length, providing daily service between [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and [Montreal](/source/Montreal). The *[Ethan Allen Express](/source/Ethan_Allen_Express)*, which serves [Burlington, Vermont](/source/Burlington,_Vermont), leaves the line just short of Whitehall.[8] When introduced in 1974, the *Adirondack* used the same route as the *Laurentian*, with flag stops in [Watervliet](/source/Watervliet,_New_York) and Mechanicville. With the January 29, 1979 timetable change, the *Adirondack* was re-routed to serve [Schenectady](/source/Schenectady,_New_York) instead.[13]

## Notes

1. [Canadian Pacific Kansas City](/source/Canadian_Pacific_Kansas_City) assigns the southern part of this line to its [Freight Subdivision](/source/Freight_Subdivision).[8]

1. Shaughnessy gives the date as "by the end of November"; the ICC valuation report says "about July 1, 1876."[14][15]

## Footnotes

1. Shaughnessy (1997), pp. 90–91.

1. ICC (1927), p. 649.

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 105.

1. ICC (1927), pp. 749–750.

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 137.

1. Shaughnessy (1997), pp. 149; 151.

1. ICC (1927), p. 719.

1. Roberts & Stremes (2023), pp. 14–119.

1. ["Untitled"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-rutland-daily-globe-untitled/125078536/). *[Rutland Daily Globe](/source/Rutland_Daily_Globe)*. September 20, 1876. p. 3. Retrieved May 23, 2023. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 151.

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 226.

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 364.

1. ["'Adirondack' Train Now Serves City"](https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings//xzoeqwbxmxdcbtzqdpjnazsnkfmusmtg_wma-gateway019_1684886818652). *[Schenectady Gazette](/source/Schenectady_Gazette)*. January 29, 1979. p. 11. Retrieved May 23, 2023. – via [GenealogyBank](/source/GenealogyBank)

1. Shaughnessy (1997), p. 169.

1. ICC (1927), p. 712.

## References

- Interstate Commerce Commission (1927). [*Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports.*](https://books.google.com/books?id=3MxDAAAAIAAJ). Vol. 116. United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
- Roberts, Earl & Stremes, David (eds.) (2023). *Canadian Trackside Guide*. Ottawa, Ontario: Bytown Railroad Society. [ISSN 0829-3023](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0829-3023)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Canadian Subdivision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Subdivision) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Subdivision?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.