The Quebec Central Railway served the Eastern Townships of southern Quebec for over 130 years, providing through passenger service included links with Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and points in USA, such as Portland and Boston. Always an innovator in both its freight and passenger operations, the QCR manufactured much of its rolling stock in its own shops, and was one the first railways in Canada to experiment with gas-electric passenger cars to stave off rising automobile competition in the 1920s. From its earliest beginnings in the 1860s, QCR became the largest of Quebec's regional rail carriers, and for many years was one of Canada's most profitable systems. It entered a long decline after the Depression of the 1930s, culminating in its 1994 abandonment by then-owner Canadian Pacific Railway. Over 200 photographs, maps, diagrams, reports, and timetables cover all aspects of the operation of the railway. There's information on the conversion, in several locations, of the right-of-way from 'Rails to Trails,' thus permitting hikers, cyclists, and snowmobilers to once again travel the Quebec Central.

A retired Professor of Geography at Bishop’s University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Derek Booth is a historical geographer with a special interest in the roles that railways played in the creation of human and economic landscapes in Canada. A graduate of McGill University, he is a Quebecer with deep family roots in the Eastern Townships and in the Ottawa Valley. In addition to Railways of Southern Quebec, Volumes I, II, & III he has written and lectured extensively on transport issues in the Eastern Townships. His current research interests focus on elements of the region’s cultural, military, and economic geography. Derek lives with his wife, Sandy, in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

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