Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway
The Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway Company (PPJR) was a Canadian railway that operated in the upper Ottawa River valley in western Quebec and northeastern Ontario, Canada. The railway ran from Aylmer through Quyon, Shawville, Fort Coulonge, and Waltham to Pembroke, Ontario. As an important supplier of wood to the railroad industry, the Montreal Northern Colonization Railroad Company's decision to install a part of the Trans-Canada Railroad in Pontiac made sense. To guarantee the laying of the rails, Pontiac had to purchase $150 000 worth of shares, which was an enormous amount of money in that era. Council adopted the motion and when bad luck struck the firm and it collapsed under suspicious circumstances, Pontiac was released from its obligation. The provincial government took possession of the railway, and promised Pontiac a railroad. The PPJR was incorporated in 1880 and merged with the Ottawa Northern and Western Railway in 1903. It was the first Canadian railway to light cars using acetylene. Pontiac Council was once again asked for a contribution of $100,000 for the construction of the line. Since the railroads of that era depended exclusively on public funds, the question had to be voted on and validated by the majority