G'day (again) Captain Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!
A supplement to Tom's Blast from the Past!
"Drumhead" logos such as this often adorned the ends of the observation cars on the Overland Limited.
The Overland Flyer was a passenger train originally operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. The name harkens back to a stagecoach line operated by the Overland Mail Company between Salt Lake City, Utah and Virginia City, Nevada from 1861 to 1866 when Wells Fargo & Company took over the stagecoach's operation. Wells Fargo ended this stagecoach service three years later.
The train (which gave rise to the UP's nickname as "The Overland Route") was inaugurated in 1887. The railroad's nickname was eventually dropped from the company logo in 1942. In time, the line (which took on the name Overland Limited) fell under the joint operation of the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific.
Until the next time!
Lars
Thanksgiving in Canada The first and original Thanksgiving comes from Canada. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest. The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Canada. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in North America. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay. At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Native-Canadian neighbours. After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763 handing over Canada to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving. During the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal (United Empire Loyalists) to Great Britain were exiled from the United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are a few similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie. But, unlike the US holiday, Thanksgiving in Canada is a much more muted event. In the USA the holiday is almost as important as Christmas for families getting together for the holiday. In Canada, this is not the case. Eventually in 1879, the Canadian Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday in Canada. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day. Finally, on January 31st, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed... "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation was observed on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. Before then, thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year but the date was proclaimed annually and changed year to year. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed year to year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In the early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary. After the first world war it was for Armistice Day and more recently and including today its been a day of general thanksgiving.
The first and original Thanksgiving comes from Canada. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Unlike the American tradition of remembering Pilgrims and settling in the New World, Canadians give thanks for a successful harvest.
The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an English explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Orient. He did not succeed but he did establish a settlement in Canada. In the year 1578, he held a formal ceremony, in what is now the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, to give thanks for surviving the long journey. This is considered the first Canadian Thanksgiving, and the first Thanksgiving to have taken place in North America. Other settlers arrived and continued these ceremonies. He was later knighted and had an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean in northern Canada named after him - Frobisher Bay.
At the same time, French settlers, having crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain, also held huge feasts of thanks. They even formed 'The Order of Good Cheer' and gladly shared their food with their Native-Canadian neighbours.
After the Seven Year's War ended in 1763 handing over Canada to the British, the citizens of Halifax held a special day of Thanksgiving.
During the American Revolution, American refugees who remained loyal (United Empire Loyalists) to Great Britain were exiled from the United States and came to Canada. They brought the customs and practices of the American Thanksgiving to Canada. There are a few similarities between the two Thanksgivings such as the cornucopia and the pumpkin pie. But, unlike the US holiday, Thanksgiving in Canada is a much more muted event. In the USA the holiday is almost as important as Christmas for families getting together for the holiday. In Canada, this is not the case.
Eventually in 1879, the Canadian Parliament declared November 6th a day of Thanksgiving and a national holiday in Canada. Over the years many dates were used for Thanksgiving, the most popular was the 3rd Monday in October. After World War I, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were celebrated on the Monday of the week in which November 11th occurred. Ten years later, in 1931, the two days became separate holidays and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day.
Finally, on January 31st, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed...
"A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed ... to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October."
The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation was observed on April 5, 1872 to celebrate the recovery of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness. Before then, thanksgiving days were observed beginning in 1799 but did not occur every year. Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day was observed every year but the date was proclaimed annually and changed year to year. The theme of the Thanksgiving holiday also changed year to year to reflect an important event to be thankful for. In the early years it was for an abundant harvest and occasionally for a special anniversary. After the first world war it was for Armistice Day and more recently and including today its been a day of general thanksgiving.
from Wikipedia.com
Ruth, if you will, please provide a round for the house and a steaming mug of coffee for me with just a splash to make it interesting. Hold the food - I am still rather backed up from all that was consumed this weekend <burp> pardon ME! <grin>
Certainly appears as if there has been a smattering of interest and activity since my last visit. Does appear to be rather Spartan in comparison with the weeks immediately following the resumption of business. However, I should think the quality over quantity preference remains valid for the type of activity we thrive on in the Saloon by the Siding - Bar by the Ballast and Tavern by the Tracks!
An all encompassing WELL DONE to those who made the effort to provide some fine photographs on Sunday! Nicely done, gentlemen. Also, Sir Tom, appears as if you were the only Encore! provider on Saturday - but what a selection it was. A three-part educational visit to the French TGV. Outstanding choice and submission!
Good to see the week begin with CM3s submission, followed by my "bookend" Lars and his addendum to Tom's Blast from the Past! We have enjoyed it all. Noted that my "bookend" began page 400 on this thread! Next "milestone" is getting to 8,000 replies.
Time to settle back and watch for a bit - then we are off to the valley below for shopping and to regain our 'touch' with civilization.
Certainly hope to participate in the "Theme for the Day!" tomorrow - Canadian Passenger railways.
G'day Gents!
Ruth, take a break - I'll watch things . . .
Good to see CM3 - Lars 'n BK stop by on this first day of the work week.
Understand the frustration with the NFL (and other sports) CM3 - feel pretty much the same - even though our Lambs (Rams) squeeked one out - or better said: fumbled themselves into a win. <groan> Awful display and the only saving Grace is I'm not paying those exhoribant salaries! <grimmace>
In our family, dogs occupy the top run on the ladder. Can't imagine not having one in the house and there are times when we think about more than one. HOWEVER, since I'm the retiree - I'll stick to one Husky at a time. They are a handful and then some! I imagine you and your familly have viewed "Eight Below" - a fantastic story and one that touches the heart in many ways. It's a most welcomed addition to our DVD library. If you haven't seen it - highly recommended for viewing.
I think somewhere on these pages there is a reference to a Husky friend of ours named Jessie. He was a reddish colored Siberian with blue eyes who we knew from "puppyhood." Jessie loved to wander from his home over to ours (their street runs parallel to ours with a wooded common ground area separating the lots). Anyway, Jessie used to come over, push his nose through one of our screen doors on our patio and make himself at home until "found." He was a gentle animal and only desired a bit of attention - and a treat! Our former Husky, Fred - long haired Siberian with blue eyes - never seemed to mind, whereas Juneau the Wonder Husky did.
One day I had left a good sized Black Angus sirloin out on the patio table for thawing. Unknown to me, Jessie had come over for his weekly visit - discovered the steak - removed it from the wrapping, and devoured it all. The thing that got me was when I discovered the wrapping, it appeared as if it had been surgically opened, rather than torn asunder as one would expect from a dog. To this day we laugh about that. Jessie's "Mom 'n Pop" made good on the steak - Jessie was content - and all was right with the world that day!
Jessie is no longer in the world as he departed several months ago to the happy place all good dogs go to. Two days prior to his leaving, he hobbled over to our house - visited with me for awhile until his "Mom" came to fetch him - and pretty much said his "goodbye." It was his time, and although he was no longer the agile animal of earlier times, he somehow got his arthritic hips to permit him to make the trek from his house to ours. A touching end and one that we think about often.
Lars, there are times when I feel as if you're the "big brother" I never had - although, you're younger than I. <grin> Always looking out for Da Boss - much appreciated, but not always necessary. Things 'round this place have pretty much settled into what they're going to be. Just a few "regulars" - occasional visits from some new and not-so-new personalities - and that's about it. "We takes what we gets!"
BK, that's a nice detailed rundown on the Canadian Thanksgiving observance and history. I had planned on providing something similar as we got closer to the date - but what you've come up with is perfect! I haven't seen any diminishing of the day amongst those we socialize with in Canada are concerned - as the article alluded to. My bride's family celebrates it pretty much the way we do down here - turkey and all the trimmings. And they are not from the "loyalist" stock that settled north of the 49th during our revolution. Family heritage is from GB and western Canada via GB.
So, we're going to lose you too during October. Hmmmmm, that's going to reduce the 'dependability' factor even moreso. However, sticking to what I said upon my return - I'll do my part, if you guys do yours. No point in Posting just for the sake of Posting and no point in logging on to wait 'n see if others will do the same. Those days are long gone . . .
Okay - Boris, ring the bell and let's see if anyone is ready for a "freebie."
Tom
Hi Tom and all.
A pint of Bathams please RUTH and a round for a quite busy Monday..
Thanks for the kind words on the photos.
NICK I hope you got through that bad thunderstorm last night, do you think they are getting more frequent over there. Looking forward to your pics.
CM3 Thanks for the info on the movies.Great words about our four footed friends.
It must have been quite a sight and sound with those 6900s. Am I right in thinking the Sherman Hill is where the Big Boys done a lot of their stirling work? Do they have helper locos on the Hill today do you know.
TOM Good VIA pics to finish Sunday photo day Great Blast from the Past on the UP.. I was in the yard yesterday when their was a particularly loud diesel loco horn from the railway, I was wondering if it could have been a preserved loco as it was nowhwere near the time the Amtrak train was due.
Glad you enjoyed the German Pacific, it is a fine looking loco. I have still got a fair few of als German pics and I think he his planning a railtour to some of the Belgian steam lines.
LARS Great suppliment on Tom,s Blast..Very good words on the Coal miners and the mining industry. It is often forgotten what a dangerous job these guys do so we are provided with electricity etc.
Yes we are off to the old land for just over two weeks( all being well). Hopefully I shall be able to keep in touch with Our Place while away.
BK Thanks for the informative post on Canada's Thanksgiving Day, I am ashamed to say I knew little about it.
As well as having a Bay named after him, Sir Martin Frobisher had two British steam locomotives named after him.
One was a Southern Railway 4-6-0 of the Lord Nelson class #864 Sir Martin Frobisher. In BR days the loco was shedded at Bournemouth in Dorset where it would work express passenger trains to London Waterloo.
The other loco was a LMS Jubilee class 4-6-0 # 5640 Frobisher This loco was at Nottingham at the start of the 50s where it would work trains on the Midland main line going to places like London St Pancreas and Leeds. By the end of the 50s the loco had moved to the northern border city of Carlisle where it work over the Settle and Carlisle line as well as other LMS lines in the area. She is a classmate of the preserved Jubilee #5690.
Well Ruth to celebrate the 400th page let me get a round in.
Seeing as most of your teams didn't do so good this weekend I WONT even mention the Golf.. NO LEON is just English humor OUCH OUCH.
Pete.
TOM Have just caught your post. I very well remember the first time you told us about JESSIE, but I am very glad you have posted that story that makes one feel both happy and sad. Many thanks for sharing it with us again. Pete.
G-day Tom and those at the bar.
Instead of you guys getting the drinks let me buy the second round. It is the 400th page... even though I have only been here for about 15 of the pages.
Anyway..Life is good and bad at the same time.
I just found out that the Box Cabs at the North Shore Scenic railroad/ Lake Superior Museum of transportation in Duluth will probably be donating them out to a place in Montana. I'm a bit sad about this... but, Life must go on!
Good part is my B-day is this Friday and I am quite estatic! I just got a Milwaukee Road Steeple Cab off ebay, and I am awaiting its arrival. Its a Nickel Plate model. There's a lot of detail on it and by what the guy says, it's the best running Nickel plate model he's had in a while. So hopefully everything goes fine there.
In the Classical train world.... I saw some pictures of that Triple header steam in conjuction with the 261. Thats a wow. Those chinese steam locos are quite a sight to behold. They definately have the most annoying steam whistle ever.
Weekly Schedule of EventsSunday - Bar is CLOSED - Food service is available for breakfast, brunch 'n lunch.Pix Posting Day. Monday thru Saturday: Breakfast - brunch - lunch.Tuesday - Classic Trains "theme day" - next up - Canadian Passenger Railways!!Wednesday - Toy 'n Model trains day (optional)Thursday - Fish 'n Chips nite - begins at 5 PMFriday - Pizza 'n Beer nite AND Steak 'n Fries nite - begins at 5 PMSaturday - Steak nite - begins at 5 PMEncore Saturday (optional)"Our" Place StaffBossman, Proprietor and Mentor: Siberianmo TomBar Manager - LoveDomes Lars
Bar Chandler - Trolleyboy RobChief Chef - nickinwestwales Nick
Chief Cyclops - BorisChief Bartender (nites - begins at 5 PM) - LeonChief Bartender (days - begins at 9 AM) - Ruth
Substitute Bartender - Cindy (Tom's Gal!)
Gals of "Our" Place - Ruth (redhead) - Ann (blonde) - Lucy (brunette) - Jemima (raven)Mascots of "Our" Place - Juneau the Siberian Husky - Awk the Parrott - Tex the Armadillo and Frostbite the PenguinSecurity Force - Inspector Cluess of the Local Constabulary and Mr. Doyle, Private Eye Birthday Watch List and special celebrationsMaintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.ProtocolGreet the barkeep upon visiting the bar - each time.Order a drink or food. (Coffee and soft drinks are free with food orders, otherwise 5 bucks per cup)Acknowledge the other guys and be inclusive with comments.Order of the Stools (reserved and permanent)Maintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.Most Valuable Patron - MVPMaintained by Tom and continuance to be determined.Daily Summary and Mentor Village GazetteSuspended and resumption to be determined by Tom.=====================================================
Well good evening gentlemen all.
A round for the house please Leon and shots of the special rum to celebrate page 400-yet another milestone.
Apologies for recent absense but we have had a weekend of Wagnerian thunderstorms and concomitant power outages so,as alluded to in my brief dispatch the other night,I have been reluctant to risk frying the `puter with a power surge-also my workshop (the lowest point on the property,in more senses than one)took some heavy flooding so I have been a touch pre-occupied of late ....
On the plus side,I think I may have finally cracked this photobucket thing ( big thanks to both TOM & MIKE the URL king of Canada for pointing me in the right direction...bigto you both.
In fact,I`m so full of it I am going to risk outraging the sensibilities of the house by diving straight into picture posting and leave the interactive bit until later ( its a new toy thing-come on,we`ve all been there) I know it`s not sunday but it`s page 400-lets party.
So-without further ado:-
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Here,in its (hopefully) full sized glory is the Dublin-Tralee service leaving the headshunt at Killarney after setting back out of the bay platform road (to the right of the camera)..The signal is the main platform starter with a `feather` route indicator to show access to the headshunt-when activated ,the main signal will only show a yellow aspect to indicate a terminal road ahead.
Looking in the other direction, here we have:-on the left,the recently arrived Tralee service,in the middle,Missisnick & small demon Hannah,on the right,the departing Dublin service,on the far right-the former goods yard
A poor shot (never shoot into the sun if you can help it )-this is the Rosslare-Waterford local at Waterford with what I assume are suger-beet wagons in the foreground (we were trespassing on railway property at the time so didn`t want to hang around and ask.....)
This is a shot of the platform starter signal at Rosslare Europort-no real merit per se but as they are tearing down the old semaphores rapidly I thought I should record one...
The Cork & Kerry mountains ,looking down onto Bantry Bay-our cottage is one of the wee white blobs in the middle foreground
Right-enough,I need my bed .
will catch up with all the good stuff going on ASAP-take care gents,
nick
Well , good evening Leon, just one frosty one for me tonight please. Well finally the midnights are behind me and I've got myself back into the normal day / night rythm ( at least for me )
Some good stuff the last couple of days ( daze ) that I have missed, which is nice to see
Tom & James and Lars wonderfull synopsis on the once mighty , but still pretty huge EMD, some great info from all three of you gentlemen.i've always been sad that Alco went the way of the Dodo, but at least EMD's still wtih us. I've never really liked GE's stuff either from their early days to today,none of them have those "classic lines"
Tom-I thouroughly enjoyed yourr erunning of the TGV series, oh to think that we on this side of the globe could have had that sort of travel system I'm looking forward to the "morrow's" Canadian Passenger Rail fest, hopefully with Al's brief appearance we may get the odd data dump for old times sake.
Doug-Great Canadian pix, yesterday, and your new home town and home look marvelous to quote Billy Crystal
Nick -Any transgressions on the scenery in my home province are forgiven. Actually that type of scenery is not all that far off from the Bradford Barrie area, as you are starting to get into some sheild type terraine. I'm glad to see that the photo posting tutorials Pete and Tom have provided have gotten us aniother picture posting happy member.
BK-Thanks for posting the history of the Canadian Thanksgiving, it does not quite launch the shopping frenzy that the US Thanksgiving does, but it does get one thinking of turning on the Furnace and getting ready for the impeneding festive season and winter ahead.Contrastingly it ends Canada'a second "season " construction. As everytone knows we only have two season's up here Winter & Construction
Well, I'm away to prepare my material for tomorrow.I will launch it in the evening when I return from work. Gawd it's niece to be back in the daylight at work
Rob
Oops. I'd almost forgotten. Leon a round for the happy first 400 of the saloon along the siding. Oh and one more round for the next 400. We may have our slow times and our busy times. But at least all the stuff is relevant and beyonfd excellant. Thanks for the first 400 their Captain Tom and the crew. Boris ring the fog horn .
Some fine Posts last evening into the wee hours as Pete provided one of his typical inclusive Posts - James (CMSTPP) made a visit (and by the by - you should have received an Email from me via your Forums address) - Manager Lars provided us with an updated "the way things are" - Chief Chef Nick demonstrated his mastery of the Pix Posting technique with 5 fine photos, with narratives, from his Ireland trip - and Bar Chandler Rob made yet another return from the Legion of the Lost.
Some back slapping regarding our reaching the 400th page - a long climb since our humble beginnings. Many have come 'n gone, but we're still here - keeping to the premise that ours is an inclusive Thread where the guys interact by acknowledging one another's contributions while engaging in dialogue about "Classic Trains" - real 'n model.
Today is our "Theme for the Day!" - Canadian Passenger Railways, which should generate some interesting material from those who regularly participate.
Boris - ring the bell and serve 'em all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
Later . . .
THEME for the DAY! - THEME for the DAY!
Canadian Passenger Railways
from page 172
PASSENGER TRAIN NOSTALGIA #30 Here’s something to ponder with regard to our appreciation and fascination with Classic Trains. Check out this advertisement regarding the Canadian Pacific from 1950: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Let yourself go! . . . . . . . . . . See big beautiful CANADA in armchair ease Salty vacation? It’s at The Algonquin, St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick . . . . 2 seaside golf courses, swimming, sailing. Or across Bay of Fundy waits The Digby Pines, at Digby, Nova Scotia – heaps of family fun! Either place, you’re in the good carte of Canadian Pacific. Like “another world” city? See friendly Old Québec. Ride in a Calèche. Shop winding streets. Visit Ste. Anne de Beaupré or isle d'Orléans! Relax gaily in luxury at Canadian Pacific’s great Château Frontenac! All the talk’s about Canada – land of vacations unlimited! See it from the Atlantic to the Pacific – by Canadian Pacific train with picture-window views. Enjoy real hospitality at fine Canadian Pacific hotels. See the skyscraper Canadian Rockies – by Canadian Pacific, Diesel train. Stop over at Banff and Lake Louise, the area for breeze-swept Victoria, British Columbia – stay at the famous Empress Hotel. Revel in the roses. Go sightseeing, shopping. Sporty golf courses . . . swim in Crystal Garden, world’s largest enclosed sea pool. Enjoy climate like springtime all year ‘round. Ask your own agent about fast Empress airliners to the Far East, New Zealand and Australia . . . cruise by “Princess” to Alaska . . . sail to Europe in White Empress style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canadian Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canada is news! See it by Canadian Pacific . . . . . . . . . . Enjoy! Tom
Good Morning Barkeep and all Present; coffee, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox. This is just a quick stop as we are off to the great outside again today> I'll try and stop by later on, but here is my submission for today's theme. It deals with Us-Canadian service on the Delware and Hudson as it was "in the day." Have a good one.
work safe
The Delaware and Hudson is remembered as an anthracite railroad and as a carrier of bridge line freight traffic, and a home for rare and exotic locomotives. In 1930, however, the D&H had extensive main line and branch line passenger traffic. This piece concerns passenger operations on the Champlain and Saratoga Divisions of the D&H.
This part of the railroad ran north from Albany to Canada through Mechanicville, Saratoga Springs, Fort Edward, and Whitehall. The next stations were familiar to students of American history; Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Port Henry, and Westport. The scenic highlight of the trip was the run along Lake Champlain, near Willsboro. Next came Port Kent and Plattsburg. Approximately 20 miles north of Plattsburg was Rouses Point and the Canadian border. It took about 90 minutes for trains to run between Rouses Point and Montreal via the tracks of the Napierville Junction Railway.
So much for geography. Where did the trains come from? The New York Central was the originating carrier. They handed trains off to the D&H at Albany and the D&H carried them between Albany and Montreal’s Windsor Station. The Canadian Pacific provided connecting service to Ottawa and Quebec and Montreal.
Trains 35, 9, and 7 handled traffic northward to Canada on the D&H.
Train 35, the “Laurentian,” departed New York’s Grand Central Terminal at 9:45 a.m. and left Troy at 1:00 p.m. The train stopped at Saratoga Springs and hour later and departed Fort Edward at 2:31 p.m. Leaving Whitehall at 3:05 p.m., and Plattsburg at 5:35 p.m. A seven-minute stop, and the “Laurentian” was on its way at 6:18 p.m. for a 7:45 p.m. arrival in Montreal. Train 35 carries a club car and parlor cars from New York to Montreal. Diners ran between New York and Saratoga Springs and Whitehall and Montreal. Through coaches operated from New York to Montreal.
Train 9, the “Montreal Limited,” was an all-Pullman overnight train from New York to Montreal. It left New York at 9:45 p.m. and arrived in Montreal at 7:50 a.m. A New York-Montreal club car served breakfast into Montreal. New York-Montreal sleepers included five 12 section/drawing room cars, and a 10-compartment sleeper. Additional Pullmans included 10 section/2 drawing room/compartment cars from New York to Ottawa and New York to Quebec City.
Train 7 was an all stops overnight local leaving New York at 8:00 p.m.. It picked up a 12 section/drawing room car for Montreal at Albany, and set out a 12 section/drawing room car from New York at Whitehall en route. Train 7 arrived in Montreal at 8:35 a.m.
Southbound, traffic from Canada traveled on D&H trains 34, 8, and 10.
Train 34, the “Laurentian,” departed Montreal at 10:00 a.m. with an 8:05 p.m. arrival in New York. Its consist included a club car, parlor cars and coaches from Montreal to New York. Diners ran from Montreal to Whitehall and Saratoga Springs to New York.
Train 8 left Montreal at 7:30 p.m. with a 7:25 a.m. arrival in New York. This train handled a variety of Pullmans including 12 section/drawing room cars from Montreal to New York, Plattsburg to New York, and Fort Edward to New York.
Train 10, the “Montreal Limited,” left Montreal at 8:00 p.m. and pulled into Grand Central Terminal (New York) at 7:25 a.m. It carried a club car from Montreal to New York, 10 section/ 2 drawing room/compartment cars from Quebec and Ottawa to New York, and five 10 section/2 drawing room sleepers from Montreal to New York.
THEME for the Day! - THEME for the Day!
Some heralds to appreciate . . .
Canadian National
Canadian Pacific
Grand Trunk (includes freight)
VIA Rail
Dominion Atlantic
Windsor & Handsport
Halifax & South-Western
Newfoundland
Canadian Northern
Northern Alberta
Pacific Great Eastern
British Columbia
Enjoy!
G'day Captain Tom and fellow travelers at the bar!
Ruth my deAH, you are a wonder to behold and . . . . lemme have a frosty mug of Keiths, a hero sandwich - ham, Swiss, mustAHd 'n buttAH with two pickles from the barrel and a saucer of brine for Tex the Armadillo!
A bit of activity late yesterday spurred by the reappearance of our "drifter" - trolleyboy Rob, occasional Bar Chandler and Ontario representative!
Also sent an e-mail to James (using the forum's system) . . . .
Nick, it appears you have gotten 'round the bases and are now "in" for Sunday Pix Day! Nice looking stuff from your Ireland venture and we look forward to more . . .
Good to see the "Theme for the Day!" get such a fine kickoff with Tom's contribution of an "oldie" followed up by CM3 I'm Not Shane! with his D&H "connection" then back to Tom and those fine looking heralds. Good job, guys!
Ruth, set 'em up on me while they check out some "videos" appropriate for this "Theme Day!"
VIA Fs in the Rockies video
F-Units Winter in Canada video
I'll be back with more later one . . . .
Good morning Ruth, and did you miss me? I used to have a permanent stool around here somewhere. I'll take a creosoted draft, and pick-up and round for whatever the house is drinking. Why am I here at this hour? 'Cause I took the day off from job#1 to attend the pre-drywall inspection of the new abode. Got that done, and now it's time to post, cut some grass and then get ready for job#2.
Nice "blast from the past from Tom, supported by Lars, along with the weekly schedule and theme videos. Tom also got today's theme rolling with his nostalgia and herald posts. Well done sirs! Nice to see BK and his Canadian Thanksgiving post. Loved the pix and info on the LMS Jubilee from Pete. Welcome to James, and hope to see more of you! Nick posted pix! Good job to you too sir! Nice to see Rob pop in, and CM3 made a nice theme related post with his Delaware & Hudson submission. Here's a little something from me:
Srtreamlined No. 6400 is a Northern or 4-8-4 type built for Canadian National at Montreal Locomotive Works in 1936 (6400-6403 in June and 6404 in July). These five U-4-a locomotives, and six similar Lima-built U-4-b’s for Grand Trunk Western in 1938, were intended to be high-speed passenger locomotives (77” drivers versus all of CN/GTW’s many other 4-8-4’s which had 73” drivers). All were assigned to mainline service in southern Ontario (CN’s five) or in Michigan (GTW’s six); all survived in service until the close of CN and GTW’s steam operations in early 1960. The fleet of 203 4-8-4’s owned by CN and GTW was easily the largest in North America; no other road owned even 100.
These engines were built with shrouding specially designed to eliminate wind resistance and to mitigate smoke problems for the engine crews, all based upon a wind tunnel testing program using wooden models, jointly conducted by the National Research Council of Canada and Canadian National.
The standard colors for CN and GTW’s 6400’s called for an olive green on the cab, running board skirts, nose stripes, and tender set off by imitation Gold striping and lettering. The numerals on the skirts, and the front number plate were polished brass. Vermillion red was also used as the background on the number plate and tender monogram. The balance of the locomotive was painted black.
No. 6400 pulled the Royal Tour Train of August 1939 over the CN portion of the tour east of Redditt, Ontario where CN 6409, a U-1-e 4-8-2 took over. This photo shows the engine made ready for this service with Royal Blue supplanting the standard olive green, and royal crowns affixed to the running boards and the royal coat of arms to the nose. Just before the tour, No. 6400 was taken to the New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadow, where this photo was taken on July 5, 1939.
This special service contributed to the 6400 being chosen for preservation at Canada’s National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, while the balance of the U-4-a’s and all the GTW’s U-4-b’s were scrapped in the 1960s.
And now ... for the "Our Place" lingerie show ... I give you Miss Idaho
Good Morning Captain Tom and all assembled!
A fine outpouring this morning as the "Theme" information is on track!
Ruth, you are indeed looking - "healthy" - a mug of hot coffee with just a "splash" to make it interesting, if you please! Nothing from the Menu Board, as I am in the mood for pastries from the Mentor Village Bakery case.
No point in continuing the redundancy insofar as the mention of all the postings, however, good to see the return of Rob - the success of Nick with the photos - the visit by James, who is still learning how we interact around here - the short lived day off from Doug - the continued support from Lars - the anticipated morning visit from CM3 and of course the contributions from our 'steamed Proprietor, Tom! Fine efforts, gentlemen!
In reviewing those heralds put forth by Sir Tom, it would seem that they represent only a smidgeon of the number of railroads that carried passengers in Canada. Wondering aloud, it would be interesting to know just how many there have been AND how what was the greatest number in any particular decade
Pleased to note that my "Thanksgiving" history lesson went over well! Having had the benefit of U.S. and Canadian heritage, I suppose one could say ours was the best of both worlds. There is much, much more to the story of how Canada settled upon the 2nd Monday in October for the "date." Here is an excerpt Lydia found . . .
Much like the United States, Canada seemed to have a difficult time deciding when a day of Thanksgiving should occur. From 1879 to 1898 it was celebrated on a Thursday in November; from 1899 to 1907 on a Thursday in October (except in 1901 and 1904 when it was celebrated on a Thursday in November); from 1908 to 1921 on a Monday in October; and between 1922 and 1930 the Armistice Day Act declared that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on Armistice Day, the Monday of November 11. In 1931 the Act was amended and the old practice of Parliament declaring a day of Thanksgiving each year was resumed.On January 31, 1957 Parliament issued a proclamation to fix permanently the second Monday in October as "a day of general Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."
Something for our "Theme" . . .
BC Rail RDC-1 (copied from a copy; origin unknown)
Budd manufactured five basic variants of the RDC: The RDC-1 — an 85 ft (26 m) all-passenger coach seating 88 passengers. The RDC-2 — an 85 ft (26 m) Railway Post Office and passenger coach configuration seating 71 passengers. The RDC-3 — an 85 ft (26 m) variant with a Railway Post Office, a baggage compartment and 44 passenger seats. The RDC-4 — a 65 ft (20 m) variant with only the Railway Post Office and baggage area. The RDC-5 (also known as the RDC-9) — an 85 ft (26 m) passenger coach seating 82, with no independent control cab. The RDC-1 was powered by two 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel engines, each of 275 hp (205 kW).
The RDC-1 was powered by two 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel engines, each of 275 hp (205 kW).
The last operator of a large original self-powered fleet was BC Rail (British Columbia Railway) who's daily Cariboo Prospector service operated until the end of October 2002. At times the BC Rail fleet included nearly a dozen RDCs, and no less than five RDCs remained in daily use until the end. This was an impressive run for the RDC, since they had been bought from new by the Pacific Great Eastern (BCRail's direct predecessor) in 1953 for use on same route as they operated until October 2002. Since the discountinuation of this service, the five remaining fully operational BCRail Budd cars were sold on to two other operators, the Oregon Department of Transport and The Wilton Scenic Railroad. Three non-serviceable but repairable Budd RDCs from BCRail's fleet are now located at the West Coast Railway Hertitage Park in Squamish BC, and BC-33 is back in service and offering rides within the West Coast Railway Associations' Heritage Park in Squamish BC.
I leave you with this profound thought:
You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed withthe won-lost record of the referee.
BK in Alberta, Canada's beautiful high mountain country!
Hi again Ruth! I'm afraid I have to upload and leave ...sorry about that. I see BK is doing his part to keep things active! Here's my humble submission:
The Canadian
Toronto to Vancouver, Canada
Though rerouted from its original Canadian Pacific (CP) rails, the Canadian from Toronto to Vancouver remains one of the world’s greatest trainrides.
Both a time machine and a magic carpet, it whisks its passengers across the vast variety of Canadian topography. This is a leisurely journey, however, taking some 74 hours to travel 2,760 miles (4,444 km) over the Canadian national (CN) line. VIA Rail Canada, the national rail passenger corporation, which operates the Canadian, essentially owns no track but runs on the CP and CN rails.
The Canadian’sjourney embraces the wild terrain of the Canadian Shield, a rugged expanse of Precambrian rock, muskeg swamps, countless lakes, rushing rivers, and endless forests; the fertile wheatfields of Saskatchewan; and the mountains of Western Canada – the Rockies, the Selkirks, later the Coastal Range – some crowned in snow year-round. This country, among the most beautiful in North America includes such highlights as Pyramid Falls, the Albreda Glacier, Moose Lake, and Mount Robson.
And the [Canadian itself is beautiful to look at – a sinuous silver train of perfectly matched stainless steel cars that occasionally number as many as 35 in peak season. (In winter and the shoulder seasons, the train often a third that size or smaller, providing a travel experience in many ways preferable). These cars comprise day coaches, a mid-train dome lounge, a smartly appointed diner, dome-observation car with rounded “bullet lounge” at the train’s end, and sleeping cars.
The sleeping cars offer roomettes, bedrooms, and drawing rooms (now called single, double, and triple bedrooms), all with showers. There are also “open sections”, upper and lower berths that are made down at night and hung with heavy curtains, a sight more familiar in old movies than contemporary train travel.
Canadian Pacific Railway placed this equipment into service in 1955 as the Canadian, running between Vancouver and both Montreal and Toronto. In the early 1990s it was thoroughly rebuilt mechanically (changing to a “head-end-powered” electrical system for heating, air-conditioning, and lighting) and refurbished cosmetically. Modern art now adorns the walls, and the color scheme throughout runs to blues and grays, with rose accents in the dining car.
With the upgrading VIA introduced the Silver & Blue for Bleu d’Argent) class: riding in sleepers, with meals included in the ticket price. Ironically, the upgrading followed massive cuts in VIA service. This included canceling the original Canadian service on the CP line. This route hugged the shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, served Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta, then corkscrewed through the famous Spiral Tunnels. But VIA moved the “Canadian” name and equipment to the CN route to the north.
While the loss of service on the historic CP route in the west is lamentable (thought the Rocky Mountainer, a privately owned tout train, does serve it in summer), the Canadian’s current run via Jasper and Yellowhead Pass has plenty of scenic charm, especially when seen from the dome windows of a classic 1950s streamliner.
Ruth, a round if you please and I'll have another frosty cold Keiths . . . .
Continuing with the "Theme for the Day!" here are some books featuring Canadian Passenger Railways:
Since I have the honor of posting the 8,000th reply on this Thread - let's have a round of whatever the guys want. Set 'em up, Ruth and ring the gong, Boris!
An interesting day, thus far with the "Theme" bringing out some fine information. I'm sure Captain Tom will thoroughly enjoy that last one from Doug on "The Canadian" - one of Tom's most favorite trains. I know I did. Also some great info on that "Northern" steam locomotive along with a "cute" funny pix! Really great of you to spend some of your very few free hours with us - not at all unnoticed and most appreciated by many!
BK - some fine input on the RDCs of BC Rail - another of Capt Tom's favorites - nice choice! I get a kick out of your 'profundities' and if nothing else, they excite the grey matter!
This is probably "it" for me today - so I bid adieu to those of you who "took the time and made the effort" to provide some fun stuff for the "theme"!
Leon, If you could kindly get me my afternoon coffee, it would be much appreciated.
Thanks for the comments on my EMD (somewhat) knowledge Rob. and what do you mean frosty?!.......snow.....uhoh... Umm.. anyway, yes winter is coming and life is about to get a little harder here in the North but, we live with it. ( not to mention those that also get snow)
Tom- Thanks for the heads up on that info... I know now what to do, but if I do make a mistake please tell me. I don't want to get into trouble.
Lars- I did not recieve your e-mail. I don't know whats going on, but hopefully you can send it again without problem.
I know.. I am still learning Budkar (sorry don't know your name) but hopefully I will get better at this as it goes. Thats the other thing have to work on.. Your names. I am a bit of a slow learner but I should know your names by the end of this week.
But here are a few Canadian Passenger trains to end with.
Photo from: http://www.underwesternskies.net/via.html
Nice shot of the VIA train. You've got to like the F-units. There pretty.
Picture from: www.snowcrest.net/photobob/cnp26.html
Another cool shot of the VIA rail passenger train. Can't tell what locomotives are on the front. (pretty sure there Fs)
I am hoping this is the way you guys want me to write my posts. I believe I have done everything asked..if not.. just tell me. I don't have a problem with it.
Happy railroading!
James
A fine day here at the Saloon by the Siding as the "Theme for the Day!" has generated all kinds of interesting information!
CM3 - good stuff on the D&H connection - all that is needed are Pix! Great livery, wasn't it As always, your narrative "puts one" right into the scene you create. Well done! Round 'n quarters appreciated . . .
Lars - to answer a question from some days back, the answer is, "No." The subway system has not been started yet and I make no promises that it will be complete by the time of our 2nd Annual Rendezvous. However, once the winter sets in, my guess is I'll "get the urge" and go for it!
Nice selection of videos to fit in with the "Theme"!
Doug - don't know which I liked better - the Northern 4-8-4 or the "funny"! Both well done!
BK - many THANX for the BC Rail RDC! Love 'em, love 'em. Makes it very special for me in that once you've traveled aboard the route that is being discussed, the meaing is so much more - meaningful! Also, a good addendum to your "Canadian Thanksgiving class"!
Doug (again) - The Canadian! Now that's a great selection and as with the D&H, all that is needed are some Pix! Appreciate your giving us some of your very limited personal time - means a lot!
Lars (again) Great bookcovers and fits well with the parameters for our "Theme"! Congrats on being the guy who provided the 8,000th Post! You turned the page to 400 and now have an additional 'distinction.'
James (CMSTPP) Nice selection of most appropriate Pix for our "Theme"! Well done . . . Just be yourself while at the bar and all will work out just fine. We really appreciate your interest - your enthusiam and your willingness to fit in. There isn't any "format" to follow or "procedure" as such when making a Post. Believe me, the guys are all happy you are here and want to make you feel at home - so let's hear some more about YOUR favorite "classics"!
Before I forget - the "Theme" for next Tuesday is:
AT&SF Railway (Santa Fe passenger ops)!
I'm going to check out for the night - so Leon, give 'em what they'd like and I'll catch y'all in the AM.
Boris, ring the bell!
Good evening Leon, I think a large helping of guiness would be a go for me this evening sir. Oh and I'll leave a bit extra to help out with the odd round tomorrow as well.I'm glad I made it back in,worked the entire day open to close at the stiore today 12 hours of wonderment and merriment fer sure fer sure Seems everyone was "sick" today ah the joys of retail
Anywho , one heck of a good selection of Passenger tidbits from my neck of the woods from everyone today 5x for everyone's efforts to be sure.
Tom-Great start offs with the CPR reprise and the fine selection of good old Heralds, most from days ( daze) gone by.I know what you mean about those fine liveries of the halcion days of CPR and D&H passenger service,and with stainless steel beauties to boot as well. here's one to support CM3's fine efforts on the D&H service through to Montreal.
Doug- I'm glad that you were able to take the time out to pop by. Wonderfull posts n pix.I have to say that I'm not the biggest fan of streamlining but those CN and GTR 6400's weren't too hard on the eyes. The museum of stream and technology in Ottawa has CNR 6400 I believe. Great story and write up on the Canadian as well sir . Oh it was nice to meet Miss Idaho as well. Better keep her from Boris though he may find her "appealing" I know Tom I'm sure that bad puns are a definate tweetable offence around here !
Lars-Loved both stes of shots from you today as well. I have the two F unit ones though on DVD now both on the same disk, they have some truly wonderfull scenes on them as well. The books were as always right on and appropriate to the day
BK-Nice RDC rundown sir ! 5x for you and your research dept.I know the good captain appreciated it.
James-great post sir, your catching on perfectly, and two wonderfull shots to support our efforts today as well We should have a running dialogue this year to see who between you,myself and BK get the most fluffy whitestuff this year. Actually Tom and Lars& CM3 usually get quite the blankett as well. I know Tom the more the merrier eh
So I shall apolpgise for the late for the late grouping of posts,but I couldn't let it ride without some input from me.
Hi Tom and everyone, a round for the house.
Good to see all the posts from all the people. Congrats on 400 and 8000.
My favorite railroad of Canada is where my grandfather was born and raised on a farm.
The first residents of Prince Edward Island arrived about 10,000 years ago, when the area was still connected to the mainland. These Paleo-Indians led a migratory existence foraging and hunting, travelling throughout the region as the seasons and food supplies dictated. About 5,000 years ago, the sea level rose, removing the land bridge and creating an Island once again.
A thousand years before Columbus PEI was covered by a dense blanket of broadleaf, deciduous trees, and the Micmac called this beautiful Island Epekwitk, meaning resting on the waves.
First sighted in the Gulf of St. Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534, the ealiest French settlements were at Port La Joie, now called Charlottetown, and up the Hillsborough River to St. Peters. North shore sand dunes barred entrance to many of the region's coves and estuaries. Even today fishermen still have trouble getting in and out of harbors safely. Early settlement didn't extend more than one farm deep from the shoreline.
In 1755 the Acadians were expelled from the Bay of Fundy. Many came to PEI and the population approached 5,000. The Island was as much a refugee camp as a colony. In 1758, the British rounded up most of the French settlers on PEI and deported them.
In 1767, the British Board of Commissioners conducted a lottery in which townships were awarded to petitioners. Each new proprietor agreed to pay quitrents to the Crown and to settle his lot with 100 Protestant, non-British persons within 10 years.
Only a few proprietors tried to settle their lots, but before 1800 some communities grew up along the north shore which were stimulated by proprietary interests. Most notable was the settlement of the Tracadie Bay area in 1770 to 1775 by Captain John MacDonald of Glenalladale, who brought over several hundred Scottish Highlanders. Contrary to the conditions of proprietorship, these settlers were Roman Catholic.
Though Canada was officially federated at Charlottetown, PEI itself didn't become Canada's 7th Province until the unfinished Prince Edward Island Railway had run out of money, joining in 1873 for a constitutional guarantee of rail service on the Island.
The railway was developed from Tignish in the west end to Souris in the east end, with branches into Georgetown and Charlottetown.
Originally narrow guage, then dual guage after 1917, when a new 12-car, ice-breaking rail ferry, the Prince Edward Island, insured year-round access to the mainland. Standard guaged by the 1930s, and totally dieselized by 1948 to save the cost of shipping coal to the Island. The railway remained vital to PEI's mainstay potato crop into the1970s. Probably no one on Prince Edward Island was happy about it when the then recently deregulated CN succeeded in its effort to end service in 1989. Today about 75% of the right of way is hiking trails.
1st Locomotive
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004555.jpg
Morning Train
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN003329.jpg
PEI Wheat field
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN002589.jpg
Charlottetown, PEI
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004564.jpg
Charlottetown Roundhouse in the lower right corner near the water
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004568.jpg
Charlottetown Station
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN000726.jpg
Some Color
http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/15712.jpg
http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/15709.jpg
Standard and narrow guage track
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004558.jpg
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004554.jpg
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN002711.jpg
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN002708.jpg
Ferry from Borden across Northumberland Strait to New Brunswick
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bb.jpg
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00ba.jpg
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN003318.jpg
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN001622.jpg
Winter
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN000456.jpg
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a0008.jpg
Last Coach to Souris 1967
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00aq.jpg
Interior of coach
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00ar.jpg
Freight area of coach
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00as.jpg
Coach in 2003, too long left to the elements
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00at.jpg
"Million Dollar Train" at Charlottetown 1919
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00a5.jpg
Freight train 1940s
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00az.jpg
Mixed train, freight and coach 1960s
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bu.jpg
Inspection car 1930
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00a2.jpg
Wharf at Georgetown about 1917
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bc.jpg
Conductor's tarriff book
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00be.jpg
Notification of package, Canada penny postcard. Victoria's right profile on postage?
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bg.jpg
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bf.jpg
Emerald Junction 1982 color
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00c0.jpg
Railway Crossing, Glencorradale 1980 color
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00cb.jpg
CN closed 17 stations in 1967
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bx.jpg
St. Peter's Bay station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00bz.jpg
Morell station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00b1.jpg
Vernon River station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00b4.jpg
Montague station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00b3.jpg
Royalty Junction station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00b5.jpg
Kinkora station
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00b6.jpg
Caboose at St. Margaret's. CN serves all Canada
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/CommunityMemories/AARU/000a/image/original/AARU000a00cc.jpg
Maple Leaf boxcar
http://216.94.16.48/_images/common/photos/original/CN004256.jpg
THEME FOR THE DAY THEME FOR THE DAY THEME FOR THE DAY
Okay , now to the first of my humble effiorts tonight. a couple Classic Ads from another bridge route that once served both Countries. The Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo RY. It of coarse was jointly owned by the Michigan Central, New York Central and the Canadian Pacific so therefore it served it's parents needs and conected the NYC through tthe Niagara Peninsula Giving them a short route throught to Toronto, and the CPR a route back through to New York City. it of coarse hosetd a section of te NYC's Empire State Express.So here are two Ads from around 1941,well one ad and one schedule for the TH&B's train service to the Lake Erie location of Port maitland Ontario at the time the TH&B maintained an amusement park and several dance and recreational beaches which were heavily patronized by users of the NYC / MC / and CPR passengers... Enjoy
CLASSIC ADS # 8 PORT MAITLAND RESORT AD
This is the one page ad for the Train service through to Port Maitland provided by the TH&B
CLASSIC ADS # 9 SCHEDULE FOR THE PORT MAITLAND TRAINS
if you click on both pictures will expand so they can be read clearer
Hey Mike I see that you snuck one in between mine. Good little story on our littlest province. I haven't peeked at all the pictures yet, but beyond the beautifull scenery ( I could move there in a heart beat )PEI bosted some of the more unique light locomotives that CN rostered in both the daays of steam and in diesel days. From moguls to light weigth GE 70tonners and Alco RSC13's and 24's they wree a unique lot.
Here's the next bit that I wanted to share wwit everyone today,this will be a bit long winded so I'll post some today and finish it later on. Don't want to cause any eyeball spasms over the morning oj and pasteries
CLASSIC DIESELS # 31 PASSENGER OPS OF THE CPR PT 1
Today the Canadian Pacific is a fright only railway, accept on the portions of the line that hosts VIA, GO Transit,Amtrak, and the odd private passenger run Rockey Mountaineer.The CPR has started running their own "cruise like" passenger service THE ROYAL CANADIAN PACIFIC ( on occation steam powered by Hudson 2816 ) but this is a rare milage extra ( with an extra high price )However during the CPR's first 80 yeasr of existance, passenger srevice was a vital piece of their corporate existance, in fact they did become the world's greatest transportation system with their operations of local,midrange,and transcontinenetal passenger trains married to Hotels,resorts, Steamships and an Airline ! At one point the CPR concidered their passenger service(s) an important cog in their corporate wheel.
It's most recognized passenger service was the transcontinentals and the hotels/ resorts that were built to be serviced by them,however beside giving the "gentry " Van Horne's amazing scenery and hotels these train also served as the colinization route for the influx of settklers to the Western provinces of the Dominion, and thus helped grow the powerfull industrial base that the CPR thrives on in the west today. So here's a few examples of CPR's passemger services.
The first cross-country trains provided by the CPR came on line in 1886. These were the ATLANTIC EXPRESS ( eastbound ) & THE PACIFIC EXPRESS (Westbound )For these trains new cars were built with exteriors of varnished mahogany,with interiors of satinwood,trimmed with inlaid brass and mother of pearl. These were typical Clerestery roofed cars of the time. This service took approx 139 hours to cross the country,giving an average speed of 21mph for the length of the 2,906 mile trip !
In 1899 The CPR launched a new trancontinental train,calling it THE IMPERIAL LIMITED,this train used new cars that the railway had said were "near perfection in their appointments".The name of this train was supposed to reflect the CPR as an all imperial British route to the Orient.This train was operated seasonally ( spring-summer ) on an improved schedule of 100 hours and an ave speed of 29mph.The June 1909 timetable shows train #1 The Imperial Limited departing Montreal at 10:10am arriving Fort William at 8:30pm after travelling the north shore of superior all day.Arrival at Winnipeg was at 9:45am the next morning,crossing the the prairies for most of the day arriving at Calgary at 5:20pm. the Great Divide between Alberta and BC was to be reached at 10:00pmThis schedule didn't allow westbound passsengers to see the Rockies or Selkirks in daylight.However a noon departure from Kamloops four days after leaving Montreal allowed the passengers to see the Thompson and Fraser river canyons with a night time arrival at Vancouver at 10pm.
In 1900 the Imperial Limited began operating a section via Moosejaw sask to the CPR / SOO interchange at Portal North Dakota,with cars running through between Chicago and Vancouver. This was done to further exploit the CPR Hotels and Resorts in BC by bringing them and even wider clientelle.
In 1919 The Imperial limited was replaced by the Trans-Canada Limited.This name had satrted to be used by the summer trains in 1907, it was formally changed in 1919 as this train had even higher service standards than it's predessessors.It was an all first class sleeper train using seven compartment one drawing room cars and a three compartment one drawing room observation car.Plus dinning car service between Montreal and Vancouver.A Toronto section connected at Sudbury.Thios train operated on an even faster timetable 93 hours 30 min from Montreal to Vancouver,92 hours 15 min,in the opposite direction.By june of 1925 four more hours had been cut from this service with the advent of neweer faster locomotives. The CPR hearalded this in their advertisments of the time pushing their convienient arival and departure hours to all te major cities and resorts.
Well that's enough for this insatllment I'll hit everyone with round 2 later.
Mid-week at the Tavern by the Tracks and what better way to start out than to sample the treats from the Mentor Village Bakery case - some freshly ground and brewed coffee and a selection from the Menu Board for a <light> or <traditional> breakfast! Boris is waiting to serve you, resplended in his white Chef's outfit, including hat.
Appears that the evening picked up a bit with some outstanding contributions from Rob 'n Mike. All excellent material and worth the read. The background info on PEI was of particular interest to me - novice anthropologist - and it brought back some memories of text books gone by. Too many URLs for my old eyes - all at once - but I did manage to get through most of 'em and have "saved" the rest 'til later.
Much history crammed into those Posts from Rob 'n Mike and whenever we are treated to such efforts, I always think of how many "out there" will never avail themselves of the opportunity to take advantage of the material freely exchanged at the Saloon by the Siding.
And, yes - Rob - that was an awful pun and should earn you a tweeeeet or three, however, I'm giving you dispensation this morning - feeling a bit merciful.
Oh - for those who don't know - the reference to "quitrents" in Mike's narrative may be taken to mean, "land tax."
Looking forward to the remainder of Rob's CP material - which of course extends our "Theme" into this day - which is fine! So, we have Toy 'n Model Trains Day! (optional) along with the remainder of Canadian Passenger Railways info any of you may wish to provide.
Cannot recall a team imploding moreso than this edition of the St. Louis Cardinals - lost again - 7 straight with the lead diminished to a game and a half. <geesh> They are playing well enough to win, but the pitching has been absolutely terrible. Last time one of "my" teams did the "choke" was when the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers blew a 13 1/2 game lead in August to the NY Giants and wound up losing game 3 of the playoffs to Bobby Thomson and the "shot heard 'round the world!" Giants win the pennant! Giants win the pennant!" shouted the excited Giants broadcaster, Russ Hodges. Ah, do I recall those days (daze). History repeating itself Nah . .
Time to get about the day . . . Boris, serve 'em up all of the "spiked" OJ they can handle!
Remember, Ruth takes the bar at 9 AM 'til 5 PM when Leon the Night Man assumes the awesome responsibilities 'til closing!
Good Morning Barkeep and All Present; coffee to go, please; round for the house and $ for the jukebox.
Sorry for the quick stop, but off we go again today - at least its sunny outside. I will try and check back later, but will be here for sure tomorrow. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading all of the Canadian information thatw as posted.
Significant events in Canadian RR History
during the month of September.
Caveat: Much of the information appearing was gathered from internet sources, with credit to “Colin Churcher’s Railway Pages” at http://www.railways.incanada.net/
* 1839 - September 19th - Official opening of the Albion Mines Railway between Albion Coal Mines and New Glasgow, N.S. using theTimothy Hackworth steam locomotives "Samson", "Hercules" and "John Buddle" imported from England.
* 1856, September 27th: Grand Trunk Railway opens from Guelph to Stratford.
* 1860, September 10th: - the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VII, travels between Toronto and Collingwood, Ont and return. The special train of two coaches and an open observation car, was hauled by Northern Railway 4-4-0 locomotive "Cumberland" and was in charge of Superintendent of Motive Power James Tillinghast with Engineer L.S. Williams.
* 1879, September 19th: - The Credit Valley Railway is formally opened by his His Excellency, the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General of Canada at Milton Ontario.
* 1882, September 13th: - The Canada Atlantic Railway is opened between Ottawa and Coteau. This line which was built by John R. Booth was extended, within a period of 20 years, into a system stretching from Georgian Bay to the Vermont border.
* 1883, September 22nd: - The Grand Trunk Railway acquires the 452 mile Midland Railway.
* 1885, September 15th: - the famous circus elephant "Jumbo" is killed by a GTR freight train, hauled by locomotive no. 788 at St. Thomas. It was struck from behind while being lead along the track to be loaded into his car. Jumbo stood 12' 5" high and weighed 7½ tons. The Globe and Mail of 26 Octoober 1951 had the following commentary:
"Jumbo, the Barnum circus elephant killed in St.Thomas on the evening of Sept 15, 1885, literally attacked the old Grand Trunk freight locomotive which struck it. Fred R. Arnum, retired veteran train dispatcher, said today, in breaking a long silence on the tragedy. Mr. Arnum was night operator for the Grand Trunk at the time and is the only one of the 38 railway witnesses who gave evidence at the inquiry in New Yirk City, still living. He was there for two weeks giving his testimony."Mr. Arnum said a circus official disregarded specific instructions given him not to start loading the circus animals until after 9:55 o'clock on the night of the accident and also not until after a yard crew was sent to assist. The locomotive of a westbound freight struck Jumbo in he east yards at 8:18 o'clock."Mr. Arnum said that when Jumbo saw his danger he reared up on his rear legs and struck at the locomotive with such force that he cut off the smokestack. One of the cylinder heads struck the elephant's tusk, driving it back into his head. Jumbo did not breathe his last until 4 o'clock the following morning."
* 1891, September 19th: - The single track St. Clair tunnel under the St. Clair River is opened by the Grand Trunk Railway. Construction had commenced in 1888 upon this tunnel which connects Sarnia with Port Huron.
* 1897, September 24th: - A new double track steel arch bridge is completed by the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company. The upper floor of the new structure is leased to the Grand Trunk Railway.
* 1914, April 7th: - Grand Trunk Pacific Railway main line is completed between Winnipeg, Melville, Edmonton, Jasper and Prince Rupert. The last spike was driven at a location 93 miles west of Prince George, BC. The first sod was turned at Fort William, on the Lake Superior branch, by Sir Wilfred Laurier on 11 September 1904.
* 1915, September 14th: - a special funeral train conveys the body of Sir William C. Van Horne from Windsor Street station, Montreal, to Joliette, Illinois. Departing at 11:00, it was hauled by 4-6-2 No. 2213. Nearly a mile of drapery was used in decorating the train and the front of the CPR station and office building.
* 1916, September 10th: The Quebec bridge suspension span over the St Lawrence, which was being lifted, buckled and fell into the river killing 10 - 12 workmen.
* 1916, September 11th: - The bridge under construction across the St. Lawrence at Quebec falls a second time, killing another 13 men.
* 1921, September 1st: - The Toronto Transit Commission takes over the street car system in that city upon the expiration of the 30 year franchise of the Toronto Railway.
* 1924, September 15th: - Canadian National opens the 30.66 mile Long Lake Cut off from Long Lake to Nakina, Ontario. It connected the former Canadian Northern and National Transcontinental lines.
* 1928, September 22nd: - the last spike is driven by Premier John Bracken on the Canadian National line between Flin Flon and Cranbe
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