CGTR du Canada
| Reporting mark | CGTC |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Fate | Mostly abandoned or sold |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
CGTR du Canada (Reporting mark CGTC is a Canadian shortline currently owned by Maury Wilson. The railroad has changed owners many times in the current century, and has few operations as of today. The railroad saw its decline begin in 1985, and many locomotives would begin to be moved to GTRail or CGTR by the Gateway Turtle Company in 1990, the original owners of the railroad. Eventually, in 1995, most of the trackage would be sold, and the railroad itself would be sold in 1999 to Richard Murphy.
Early Years
Established in 1960 as the Canadian extension of the Central Gateway Turtle Railroad, CGTC began on a modest scale. The railroad strategically expanded its reach and capabilities, reflecting a steady growth trajectory that was both deliberate and impactful. Throughout the 1960s, the railroad began more expansion and improvement, marked by the acquisition of smaller rail lines and the construction of new tracks. This period was instrumental in laying down the framework for the rail network, as it would mark most of the railroad's expansion.
Main Years
By 1971, the railroad had achieved a significant milestone by obtaining Class I status. This classification showed the railroad's emergence as a pivotal player in the Canadian economy, and during this time that the railroad diversified its service offerings, catering to both freight and passenger needs, and ventured into innovative territories such as intermodal transport. The immediate adoption of diesel locomotives from the start and the early implementation of computerized rail traffic control systems enhanced its service quality and would propel the railroad to one of the highest-earning Canadian railroads of the 1970s.
Beginning of The Decline
As competitors such as Canadian National and Canadian Pacific continued to provide good service, CGTC would begin to lose popularity after a lack of work done to maintain up-to-date technology due to the decision to focus on the newly emerging Mexican branch of the railroad, CGTM. In 1985, the railroad began to show significant signs of declining, and began to lose its good reputation of excellent service quality and well maintained trackage and locomotives. Beginning in 1990, the Gateway Turtle Company would make the decision to began transferring CGTC locomotives to other subsidiaries such as GTRail for leasing purposes, or TRTM where they would be rebuilt by GTLW into hybrids and used on the railway, or scrapped for parts.
Final GTCO Years
As the railroad's decline continued, many of the railroad's locomotives would be transferred off of the line, and trackage would begin to be sold to other rail networks.