Railways in Wilmington, DE, US (United States)

Winters can be just as severe and as much of a handicap fro rail operations in the Soviet Union as in Canada. Canadian rail experts travelled to the USSR in February to inspect the latest in Soviet rail equipment such as the snow removal equipment shown here. 

Lost in the glamour of the occasion is a very important local railway anniversary that should not go unnoticed. Yes, 20 years ago to the day, Canadian National Railways and Canadian Pacific Railway signed an operating agreement that reshaped the face of rail operations in the greater Ottawa area. 

This produced the sight of steam and early diesel locomotives of CPR design and numbered in the CPR number series but lettered GWR or with the GWR heraldic device. 

The Bytown and Prescott Railway was built to the standard gauge (4' 8½") whereas the Grand Trunk Railway, with which it connected at Prescott Junction, Ontario, was built to the provincial 5' 6" gauge. 

April 2005 marks the 125th anniversary of the change of gauge of the Canada Central Railway from 5 feet 6 inches (referred to here as “broad gauge”) to standard gauge (4 feet 8½ inches (at the time this was sometimes referred to as “narrow gauge”).