United States Passenger Crews into Canada

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In the east, D&H passenger crews worked Albany to Montreal with their train(s). As far as I know, this practice was in place for many years. Prior to 1971, (May 1, 1971 when the Laurentian and Montreal Ltd were not included in the initial Amtrak system), D&H crews ran the two trains into Montreal's Windsor Station via the D&H to Rouses Point, NY, then over the Napier Jct (a joint CPR-D&H property I believe) and then near Delson, Que onto the CPR Main thru Westmont to Montreal.

I worked the Albany Depot switcher (Rensselaer) for years after NYS-Amtrak put the Adirondack service back to Montreal, (in Aug 1974), and I know the crews (T&E) went thru to Montreal (to Windsor Station).

When Amtrak took over T&E crews in April 1986, we ran over the border from Rouses Point over the CNR (Rouses Point Sub, RSP to Cannon Jct/St Hyacinthe Sub/Montreal Sub) to CN's Central Station ...Canadian Customs/Border agents boarded at Cantic, Que during our stop for orders to operate to Montreal. US CUS did thier inspection at RSP on the return trip.

I qualified as Conductor to Montreal in May 1987 and worked this job off and on for years. I worked the last 6 years as the CDR Albany-Montreal-Albany on #69/#68. I retired off this run on 12/31/10.

I also worked #63/#64 Albany-NFS, Ont-Albany where turned/recieved the trains from the Canadian VIA Rail crews.

I believe, we were the only US crews (D&H and Amtrak) that operated pax trains in/out of Canada (prior to Amtrak, TH&B crews got on Buffalo Exchange St and took the Toronto trains across the border), now I believe Amtrak crews also take the Seatle-Vancouver, BC trains across the border also.

As a note, CNR crews worked MTR to St Albans, Vt and turned/received thier train from CV crews there.      

[Deggesty]

Yes, the Seattle-Vancouver trains are Amtrak operated all the way--and I expect that the Great Northern crews operated the GN trains all the way, since the GN tracks went into Vancouver, and the GN had its own yard there. I do not remember if the CN or the BNSF owns the bridge across the Fraser.

The Maple Leaf crews change in Niagara Falls, Ontario, since the NYC track went into Canada; the train is a VIA operation between the Ontario city and Toronto.

The CP trains into Detroit had CP passenger crews all the way, but had NYC engine crews between Windsor and Detroit because the original operation through the tunnel was with electric locomotives, which ran between Detroit and Windsor.

I do not know the operation of the GN, NP, and Soo trains into WInnipeg, though I do know that they used CN or CP tracks in Canada. Nor, do I know the crewing of the CP's trains to/from St/ John, which crossed Maine.

[rcdrye]

GN and NP trains to Wiinpeg appear to have been crewed by MRM (Midland Railway of Manitoba) crews north of Emerson/Noyes Minn.  The Soo's Winnipeger became a CP train at Noyes and got a CP crew there.

CPs International of Maine division had its own crews, with the crew districts and handoffs changing over the years.  For most of the classic era, IofM crews took over at Megantic QC (or PQ as it was in those days...) and ran to Brownville Jct ME, where another IofM crew would continue to McAdam NB.  On the Boston-Maritimes Gull and other trains, MEC crews would operate to McAdam to turn the train over to CP.  CP operated on MEC trackage rights to McAdam.

The CPs joint (with B&M) Boston-Montreal trains had a run-through arrangement with B&M between White River Jct (and earlier Concord NH) and Newport VT, with US-based CP crews.  Canadian CP crews would take over at Newport VT, crossing into Quebec and then dropping back into Vermont at Richford for a few miles before finally getting to Montreal.  The Montreal Maine and Atlantic still operates the Newport - Richford - Farnham route.

[cjn282]

Yes the GN crews on the International worked right into Vancouver. I used to, as a teenager in the mid to late '60s, catch a cab ride from Vancouver to New Westminster quite often. Most of the GN passenger crews were very accomodating! The Fraser River Bridge was at that time owned by the Federal Dept. of Transport, but at some time I think in the late 80's, title passed to CN

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Thanks for the information on Amtrak crewing the trains into and out of Vancouver, BC, I thought they did when the service was restored a few years ago. 

[aricat]

On the Winnipeg Limited a CN conductor did work the train from Emerson Manitoba to Winnipeg. The GN conductor left the train at Noyes Minnesota. I believe the engine crew were MRM employees. GN power was used on the Winnipeg Limited and on all freights that worked between Winnipeg and the US border. I rode this train in 1966.

[Deggesty]

Who was in charge of the train between Noyes and Emerson?

[aricat]

Noyes Minnesota and Emerson Manitoba are literally the border between Canada and the United States. The GN track ends at the border and the CN track begins at the border. Part of the train is already in Canada when the GN Conductor left the train.