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Elmira Railway Museum - End of the Line
Elmira Railway Museum
Souris , Prince Edward Island

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   Prince Edward Island came
into Canada via the railroad.
Determined to forge an
independent path, the Island
chose not to join the new
country when it was created
in 1867. However by 1871,
Islanders decided their road
to continued prosperity had
to include a railway, and so

they began to build one.
Unfortunately, the railroad
took longer and cost much
more than planned. In 1873,
running out of money, with
the railroad only three-
quarters complete, Islanders
faced two choices – collapse
or Confederation. They chose
Confederation. Canada agreed

to complete and run the
railway, while Prince Edward
Island agreed to become
Canada’s seventh province.
   Elmira wasn’t part of the
route laid down in 1871. It
was added as part of an
expansion in the early 20th
century. When the station
opened in 1912 Elmira became

"the end of the line" – the
eastern terminus of a railway
that ran from tip to tip of
the Island.
   Now that the railway is
gone, it’s easy to forget the
impact the railroad had on
Prince Edward Island. The
route meandered through the
countryside and the slowness

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