# Historic Canals



## NS VIA Fan (Oct 31, 2015)

Here's a few photos along the Rideau Canal linking Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario. It was constructed in the early 1800's and the entire route is still used today by pleasure boats and cruises. Other than a couple of locks that had to be replaced....the original hand operated mechanisms for the locks and gates are still in use.


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## NS VIA Fan (Oct 31, 2015)

Following alongparallel to the canal is a portion of the abandoned Canadian Northern Railway from Smiths Falls to Chaffey's Lock. This was the route of an overnight sleeper train CN established between Ottawa and Toronto at the end of the Pool Agreement in 1965 (see my post about that in the VIA Forum) Heres the old Canadian Northern Station at Smiths Fallsnow a Museum and also the bridges over the Rideau Canal at Smiths Falls and Chaffey's Lock.


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## NS VIA Fan (Oct 31, 2015)

Another bridge over the Canal at Smiths Falls is on VIA's extensively rebuilt CPR route down to Brockville where the old Grand Trunk Station has been restored on the CN Toronto <> Montreal mainline.


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## Bob Dylan (Oct 31, 2015)

Thanks for sharing, as always most enjoyable and brings back fond memories for sure!


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## railiner (Oct 31, 2015)

Yes....love NS VIA Fan posts....always good stuff, and great photo's......


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## caravanman (Nov 1, 2015)

Interesting item... I understand it refers to Canada, but were/are purpose built small canals used in the USA in the early days, or did the railway construction get going early enough to outdate the canal stage of transport?

Here in the UK we have very narrow canals, and the boats are called narrow boats. Some folk live aboard all year round. Just a leisure activity these days.




I read an enjoyable book about some English folk of advanced age who freighted a UK narrow boat to USA and used it along the east coast... don't recall any inland options being mentioned.

"Narrow Dog to Indian River" was the title.

Cheers,

Ed


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## willem (Nov 1, 2015)

Railway construction was not early enough to preclude canal construction. Many have been abandoned; some have been replaced. See the Wikipedia article List of Canals in the US (I hope I got that linked correctly) for more information.

For some leisure boating, most if not all of which is on waterways with commercial activity, see Captain John's website about the Great Loop. Now that's a trip!


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## railiner (Nov 2, 2015)

willem said:


> Railway construction was not early enough to preclude canal construction. Many have been abandoned; some have been replaced. See the Wikipedia article List of Canals in the US (I hope I got that linked correctly) for more information.
> 
> For some leisure boating, most if not all of which is on waterways with commercial activity, see Captain John's website about the Great Loop. Now that's a trip!


Thanks so much for the latter link.....I just spent several hours going on a virtual cruise of the Great Loop. Now I have to reconsider buying a motorhome for my impending retirement, and think about buying a boat instead....


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## NorthShore (Nov 6, 2015)

In fact, Amtrak runs along some early canals on routes such as the Lake Shore Limited, Capitol Limited, and Southwest Chief.


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## Railroad Bill (Nov 7, 2015)

The Erie Canal in New York was a major construction project finished in the 1820s and helped transport goods and pioneers from NY to the Great Lakes until the New York Central RR was completed in the 1840s and 50s. My GG Grandmother came to America in the 1830s and lived in Albany before taking the Erie Canal to Buffalo and then a steamer across Lake Erie to Cleveland area where she then boarded the Ohio & Erie Canal system in Ohio and eventually settled with her family in Tuscarawas Co, Ohio. But it is true that the canals were quickly replaced by railroads and now are being restored in many parts of our state as historic landmarks.


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## SarahZ (Nov 7, 2015)

Now I have "The Erie Canal" stuck in my head. We sang that in music class all the time.


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## railiner (Nov 7, 2015)

Here's another of my 'dream' cruises.  .... http://www.blountsmallshipadventures.com/where-we-go/2016-gaw-gm/?view=itinerary-full


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## railiner (Nov 7, 2015)

Railroad Bill said:


> The Erie Canal in New York was a major construction project finished in the 1820s and helped transport goods and pioneers from NY to the Great Lakes until the New York Central RR was completed in the 1840s and 50s.


Indeed it was.....the Erie Canal was what took New York from being an 'also-ran', port amongst rivals Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, into the nation's pre-eminent gateway. Once the rivals had railways to the West....NY had an insurmountable lead....


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## NS VIA Fan (Nov 8, 2015)

Here’s a 5-day cruise on the Rideau.....

http://www.ontariowaterwaycruises.com/rideaucanal.html

.....on the interestingly proportioned "Kawartha Voyageur" with a collapsible wheelhouse that allows it to pass under bridges.

http://www.ontariowaterwaycruises.com/theship.html


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## BuffaloBoy (Nov 20, 2015)

I grew up in North Tonawanda, NY which is on the western end of the Erie Canal and have long dreamed of taking a boat along the entire route. I have been through the locks at Lockport, NY many times but no further.


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