Nov 28, 1995: @CNRailway ceases to be a federal Crown corporation with the conclusion of its initial public offering. The company had been incorporated 76 years earlier and absorbed two of the three railways serving Toronto: the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk. 1/3

For over seven decades CN employed many thousands of Torontonians and its facilities occupied a huge area of land in downtown Toronto. In 1976, the railway opened the @TourCNTower, which remains Toronto's most conspicuous landmark and an international symbol of the city. 2/3

As a Crown corporation, CN's business decisions were often dictated by government policy rather than commercial considerations. The railway often lost money until it divested itself of its unprofitable branch lines and non-rail assets during the 1980s and 90s. 3/3