By Michael Alexander, Coin Update; March 1, 2019
The Royal Canadian Mint has released new gold coins in time for the centenary anniversary of the country’s primary rail and freight service, The Canadian National Railways (or CN, as they usually referred to). Its locomotives were the driving engines of development, while its tracks are the ribbons of steel that are woven into the fabric of the nation. Since its incorporation on the 6th June 1919, CN has left its imprint on modern Canada. The freight trains of today are the continuation of a storied railway tradition which began in the Age of Steam, when CN’s network connected Canadians from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and supported the communities in between. From transportation to telecommunications, CN’s 100-year history is synonymous with a century of progress in Canada. The history of Canadian National Railways resulted from the nationalisation and amalgamation of four railway networks: The Grand Trunk Pacific, the Intercolonial, the Canadian Northern Railway, and the National Transcontinental Railway. Until the 1970s, its operations extended well beyond passenger and freight service. From telegraphs to steamships, radio and resorts, the former Crown Corporation kept Canadians connected over land, sea, and even air with the launch of the first national airline in 1937. CN gradually shifted its focus to freight services when the Company was wholly privatised in 1995. The largest rail network in Canada, today CN’s trains transport more than $280 billion worth of goods annually across tracks that span a continent, from east to west and south to the Gulf of Mexico. CN employs over 24,000 people, and, as of September 2018, had a market value of approximately $84 billion Canadian dollars.