Construction of the railroad

“At that time, the costs of building a railroad were astronomical. At first, workers attempted to construct the railroad using wooden tracks covered with thin metal. This, however, was a failure. Two years later, in the fall of 1885, the railroad was completed all the way to the village of Lac-Édouard. For H. J. Beemers, the builder in charge of the whole operation, completing the railroad on such rugged terrain came with many financial and technical difficulties. For this section, the cost was estimated at $8,200 per mile (1.6 km), but ended up costing three times that at $25,000 per mile.”

(Source : Vaillancourt, J.B. Les chemins de fer au Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean)