 Alfred was deputy chair of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway for some years, He became a director of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1895, making his first trip to Canada the next year to view the railway's operations.In 1903, the board reluctantly approved Charles Melville Hays' westward expansion plans under the auspices of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR).Board chair and president, Charles Rivers Wilson, delegated Alfred as GTPR spokesperson, probably a vice president by this time.