Northern Alberta Railways
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| Reporting mark | NAR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Alberta, British Columbia |
| Dates of operation | 1929–1981 |
| Successor | Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway (jointly) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta |
Northern Alberta Railways (reporting mark NAR) was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981.
Railway construction in northern Alberta during the early 20th century was dominated by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, both of which were building westward from Edmonton, Alberta, to the Yellowhead Pass of the Rocky Mountains.
Following the Dominion Land Survey grants to settlers, the Peace River region of northwestern Alberta was one of the few places left on the prairies with available agricultural land; however, there was no railway connection.
Several lines were chartered to serve both the Peace River and Waterways regions of the province, beginning with the Athabaska Railway in 1907. It was to build northeast from Edmonton to Dunvegan, Alberta, then to Fort George, British Columbia.
The company was rechartered in 1911 under the ownership of J.D. McArthur as the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway (ED&BC). Construction of the ED&BC started in 1912 heading toward Westlock, Alberta, reaching High Prairie in 1914, and Spirit River in 1915. The railway decided not to proceed to Dunvegan, and instead built a branch south from Rycroft to Grande Prairie in 1916 (400 miles or 640 kilometres northwest from Edmonton).
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