Summary of "Dorchester: Canada's First"

Summary of Dorchester: Canada’s First

This video explores the history and significance of the Dorchester, the first locomotive used on Canada’s first modern railway, the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad.

The Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad was Canada’s first modern railway, chartered in 1832.
It connected La Prairie on the Saint Lawrence River to Saint-Jean on the Richelieu River.
Starting in 1835, a steamboat service operated alongside the railway between Montreal and La Prairie, with the first vessel named Princess Victoria.

Construction began in 1835.
The railway was built to standard gauge.
Rails consisted of six-inch square Pitch Pine timber topped with wrought iron strap rails.
Sleepers (railroad ties) were made from cedar.

Ordered from Robert Stevenson and Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, on October 26, 1835 (order number 127).
Design specifications included:
- Three curves on the railway, each with a radius of 1890 feet.
- Engine speed of 14.5 miles per hour.
- Ability to draw 30 tons at 15 mph.
- Maximum engine weight of 6 tons (actual weight was 11,200 pounds, approx. 5.6 tons).
- Boiler: wrought iron barrel 6‘6” long, 2‘3” diameter, with 64 or 65 brass tubes (1 5/8” diameter).
- Firebox and smoke box each added 2 feet to boiler length.
- Cylinders measured 9” by 14”.
- Four wooden driving wheels, 4 feet in diameter, spaced 4‘3” apart.
- Tender capacity: 370 gallons of water.
- Chimney height was kept minimal due to numerous railway bridges.

Dorchester arrived in Canada in May 1836 after being shipped from Liverpool in March.
The railway officially opened on July 21, 1836, in the presence of Lord Gosford, the Governor General.
Notable early traveler: novelist Charles Dickens in 1842.
In 1849, Dorchester was sold to the Saint Lawrence and Industry Railroad, where it worked for 15 more years.
In 1864, Dorchester derailed near Saint Thomas and was badly damaged.
The locomotive was recovered and repurposed as a stationary engine for a sawmill until about 1890.

Only a single brass nameplate of Dorchester survives, found near Saint Thomas.
A full-size wooden replica was built in 1936 to mark the centenary of Canadian railways.
The replica lacks outside coupling rods for unknown reasons.
The replica is displayed at Expo Rail, Canada’s National Railway Museum.

Use standard gauge track.
Rails: 6-inch square Pitch Pine timber topped with wrought iron strap rails (2.5” wide, 0.5” thick).
Secure rails with iron screws.
Use cedar sleepers.

Narrator / Video Creator: Unnamed narrator providing the historical account and technical details.
Historical Figures Mentioned:
- Robert Stevenson and Company (locomotive manufacturer).
- Lord Gosford (Governor General present at railway opening).
- Charles Dickens (early traveler on the railway).

This summary captures the historical, technical, and operational aspects of the Dorchester locomotive and the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad as presented in the video.