On April 24th, 1955 Canadian Pacific heralded a new age in train travel with The Canadian. (similarly, Canadian National introduced their Super Continental at the same time) The new trains were introduced to reverse the trend away from passenger train travel being felt across North America. While they were responsible for a spike upwards in passenger rail traffic, highway building and airlines were just a few years away from reversing that trend forever.
The Canadian was an “ultra-modern, lightweight, highly attractive, stainless-steel streamlined train” as reported in the papers in 1955. The train offered the world’s longest (and Canada’s only) dome ride at 2,881.2 miles. Postwar Canada believed that train travel had a long and healthy future, and Canadian Pacific went all out—even including murals by famous artists of the Group of Seven in the dome observation cars. The entire April 1955 issue of Vogue Magazine was devoted to this new service!
Canadian Pacific spent $40 million for the 173 stainless steel cars that would provide the new service—the majority of which remain in service today with VIA Rail Canada. The Canadian would be the last “built from scratch’ streamliner for North America, and came to be as a result of the vision of NR “Buck” Crump, CPR’s vice president who oversaw the creation of the new diesel powered train. Not only would the new train revolutionize what the CPR had to offer the Canadian traveller of the time, it also released equipment to upgrade other trains and allowed retirement of CPR’s older passenger equipment—effectively modernizing the whole fleet.
The Canadian was faster than its predecessor Dominion service—running Vancouver to Montreal in just over 71 hours. The inaugural train from the Vancouver end pulled out of the CPR station at 2000 hours on April 24, 1955 with engineer R.J. McQuarrie at the throttle. There were 300 passengers and a crew of 22 aboard.
Fifty years later, on April 24th, 2005 The Canadian (now operated by VIA Rail Canada) left Vancouver, a little late, for Toronto. A total of 39 coach passengers and 40 in sleepers, were welcomed into the Silver and Blue lounge for entertainment, cake and champagne. Yes, “Comfort Class passengers” were welcomed on this occasion to swell the ranks of the Silver and Blue class passengers. A few well-wishers and some hard core rail fans rounded out the gathering. Dawson Wolk, Director, Customer Services West, gave a short speech committing the next years to the same high standard of service this popular train has become famous for. Tom Savio “The Railway Baron” a writer from Los Angeles was on hand to give some historical colour with his conductor’s garb and spats.
After the speeches, champagne and cake, passenger loading began with Comfort Class on platform 2 and Silver & Blue Class on the adjoining platform. At 17:25k the front section left
and returned to pick up the rear section. A couple of Canadian flags were affixed to the markers of the Park Car – for photos, but didn’t last long. The only tangible reference to the historic event came from a Kamloops group with a colourful sign wishing a Happy Birthday to the “Canadian” with date noted on the drumhead of the Park car. (photo, page 21)
Railfans waiting for the train at various locations waited longer than expected as the train took over a half hour just to clear Still Creek at the top of the cut well past 18:00k (cover photo)
The 22 car consist was headed by F40PH-2’s 6437 & 6438. Next came a Park car and coach deadheading to Jasper followed by baggage 8600. Skyline 8517 followed coaches 8106, 8116. Manor sleepers 8330, 8311, 8338 preceded Skyline 8515 and diner 8411, then sleepers 8316, 8305, 8320, 8332 & 8327 filled the gap to Skyline 8500 and diner 8410. Sleepers 8328, 8309 and 8329 tailed the train with Glacier Park car 8706 carrying the markers.
Some have called The Canadian an anachronism. On a late April day in 2005, 79 revenue passengers paid top dollar to enjoy train travel in the traditional ”transcontinental” manner, and they will enjoy it – all the way to Toronto. The train uses the stainless steel equipment built for the CPR’s Canadian, while the train follows principally the route of the CN Super Continental. Will it last another 50 years?
