Hudson Bay Railway Essay

420 Words1 Page

The creation and use of trains can be detrimental for the environment. In Canada, cutting down forests, blowing up rocks, and filling in muskegs (swamps) are the repercussions of having a railway built. Trains need a wide, flat area to travel over and disturbing the habitat is the only way to create such an environment. When building the Hudson's Bay Railway in 1929, many muskegs had to be filled in to create a stable platform for the train. Caribous and beavers are among the many animals that rely on the water and resources nearby. In the 1940’s, the majority of trains were still being powered by steam engines. To power a steam locomotive, a fuel such as coal is burned and large amounts of water are used. As the fuel is burned, dangerous air …show more content…

The toxins pollute the rivers, streams, and air which can harm many plant species and animals. The pollutants from burning fuels like coal are also associated with adverse lung development in children, increased risk of lung disease, and increased risk of lung cancer. Additionally, the typical steam engine had a thermal efficiency of 6%. Meaning that when 100 units of coal is burned, only 6 percent of the energy produced was actually used. In the early 1940’s a process called “dieselization” started where many companies began to use diesel as a fuel. Diesel became a more prevalent fuel as it was more fuel efficient. By the end of the 1960’s, all of the CPR and CNR trains ran on diesel. Though diesel may be more fuel efficient, dangerous air pollutants are still produced. Diesel engines produce large amounts of nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and nitrous oxide which are extremely harmful and hard to eliminate. Diesel engines also produce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, which along with the nitrous oxides contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, and acid

More about Hudson Bay Railway Essay

Open Document