Canadian Pacific and CN - general items

[piglet]

Not a great shot but all I could get with my phone. It was southbound out of Red Deer on a string of covered hoppers. They were on the siding at Bowden when I went by northbound later on one my way north. With a Turnpike LCV you can't just pull over unfortunatly. sorry its not centred but the sunlight blanked the screen so it was a guess. Never thought I would see a set like this in freight again in this paint job.

Attachments:

[Low Light Mike]

The Whyte Museum at Banff, Alberta has a small display honouring the work of Nicholas Morant, CPR's "Special Photographer".
- We saw it in July 2012.

Part of the display is in their archives room.



Note the Spanner magazine in the top-left of the display case.
- what an appropriate name for a CPR magazine.



2 valuable out-of-print books that are held in the museum archives for research.
- I own a copy of each of these books and they are among my most treasured items on my bookshelf.
- Mr. Garden (of Revelstoke BC) sure did a fine job compiling these books.




Interesting photo-shoot instructions:




Oh, if I could go back in time....

[Low Light Mike]

Rail history display at Princeton BC, off of Hwy-3, just beside the A&W restaurant parking lot.
-seen July 19, 2012.

[Mike C]

Sept 24, 2012 16:53:00 GMT -8 Mike said:

CP's O Yard switcher idling on the engine spur.

Does anyone know if CP is still doing switches to Univar, or has the bridge been permanently kiboshed?

[lmtengs]

Five different CP engines in four different liveries. Not something you see everyday. It looks like some are from lines that CP's purchased over the years.

[Mike]

Oct 21, 2012 21:02:12 GMT -8 @lmtengs said:

Five different CP engines in four different liveries. Not something you see everyday. It looks like some are from lines that CP's purchased over the years.

Those are all bought-new CP engines except the blue one, which is an CEFX leaser. The St.L&H (St. Lawrence and Hudson) was an internal operating subsidiary for some CP's lines in the East in the mid 90's, it's quite rare to see one, since almost all have been repainted back into CP.

[lmtengs]

Oct 21, 2012 21:14:14 GMT -8 Mike said:

Oct 21, 2012 21:02:12 GMT -8 @lmtengs said:

Five different CP engines in four different liveries. Not something you see everyday. It looks like some are from lines that CP's purchased over the years.

Those are all bought-new CP engines except the blue one, which is an CEFX leaser. The St.L&H (St. Lawrence and Hudson) was an internal operating subsidiary for some CP's lines in the East in the mid 90's, it's quite rare to see one, since almost all have been repainted back into CP.

Thanks for the tidbits!

[WettCoast]

Obviously CP operates their Holiday train west bound over their own tracks between Ashcroft & Vancouver. That is of course in the opposite direction to the vast majority of traffic on that line which is in the CP-CN directional running territory.

[Mike C]

Nov 27, 2012 12:44:45 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

Obviously CP operates their Holiday train west bound over their own tracks between Ashcroft & Vancouver. That is of course in the opposite direction to the vast majority of traffic on that line which is in the CP-CN directional running territory.

Does this mean we can expect delays and late arrivals?

[Dane]

Nov 27, 2012 17:24:12 GMT -8 Mike C said:

Does this mean we can expect delays and late arrivals?

No - it has a very padded schedule, and I am sure because of the effort involved, is run with priority over almost everything when it really needs to move.

I am hoping this is not the last year for the train now that the company is operated by a CEO that demonstrates all that can be wrong with large corporations.

[Mike C]

While surfing the YouTube for cat videos, I stumbled across this gem:



A railfan film from 1957 documenting pieces of the KVR's Coquihalla Sub.

Enjoy!

[Mill Bay]

Oct 7, 2013 16:42:28 GMT -8 Mike C said:

While surfing the YouTube for cat videos, I stumbled across this gem:



A railfan film from 1957 documenting pieces of the KVR's Coquihalla Sub.

Enjoy!

Outstanding! If ever there was a railway that should have been a tourist railway... Sadly they just didn't have the foresight in 1959.

[WettCoast]

Oct 7, 2013 16:42:28 GMT -8 Mike C said:

While surfing the YouTube for cat videos, I stumbled across this gem:

A railfan film from 1957 documenting pieces of the KVR's Coquihalla Sub.

Enjoy!

That video was shot not just by any old 'rail fan', but none other than the now departed and legendary Dave Wilkie.  This was posted by his son Mike.  Mike has been digitizing his father's photos and videos (as well as some of his own) for some time now and he posts them on both Youtube & Flickr (under the name 'MDunhamWilkie').  I don't think there is a book out there dealing with BC railway history that does not feature photos by Dave Wilkie.  He also co-authored (with Robert Turner) several books on BC rail history.  For more see this.

He was also a recipient of the Canadian Railway Historical Association's Lifetime Achievement award and is in the company of other greats such as Nicholas Morant & Robert Turner.

[Low Light Mike]

A new thread for 2 companies:
- I combined these 2 companies into 1 thread, because we have many posts that have both company items in 1 post, and likely will continue to do so.

===============

All things related to Canadian Pacific's railway operations, history, infrastructure etc. And the same for CN

I was careful to set our thread name to the company's current brand, which is simply "Canadian Pacific." And "CN" is what that company brand is, currently.

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Here's the company websites

C P

C N

[WettCoast]

Oct 9, 2013 7:44:01 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

A new thread for 2 companies:
- I combined these 2 companies into 1 thread, because we have many posts that have both company items in 1 post, and likely will continue to do so.

===============

All things related to Canadian Pacific's railway operations, history, infrastructure etc. And the same for CN

I was careful to set our thread name to the company's current brand, which is simply "Canadian Pacific." And "CN" is what that company brand is, currently.

--------------

Here's the company websites

C P

C N

I think combining CN & CP for photos & discussion re their parallel routes between Kamloops and Vancouver makes sense.  However, IMHO, there should be separate threads for areas outside of that corridor:

- CP mainline - Kamloops to Calgary & east
- CP other (e.g. Crowsnest & Kootenay)
- CN mainline - Kamloops to Jasper & east
- CN BC North (e.g. the one time Grand Trunk Pacific route & branches)
- CN-ex BCR (everything to do with the former BC Rail aka Pacific Great Eastern, including current operations)

[Low Light Mike]

Oct 9, 2013 11:08:01 GMT -8 WettCoast said:

However, IMHO, there should be separate threads for areas outside of that corridor:

- CP mainline - Kamloops to Calgary & east
- CP other (e.g. Crowsnest & Kootenay)
- CN mainline - Kamloops to Jasper & east
- CN BC North (e.g. the one time Grand Trunk Pacific route & branches)
- CN-ex BCR (everything to do with the former BC Rail aka Pacific Great Eastern, including current operations)

I'll continue down the 1 combined thread "CP & CN" track for now (pardon the pun), as part of this initial thread-moving exercise.

Once that's completed, we can all see how it turned out and whether the new thread is too large and all encompassing.
- I have no problem doing further diversification of this, later. Most of you know that I don't like overflowing multi-item threads.

So if it's obvious that we need more diversification, I'll do it. However, I also like to keep focused in small-steps, and so that's why I'm taking a step-by-step approach to this.

[Low Light Mike]

Sept 9, 2011 21:33:31 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Seen at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria:

[Ferryman]

Last night I was listening to a half an hour presentation of Bob Swanson explaining his whistle legacy, from the 1975 train fan meeting he spoke at. I've had this recording for a few years now, but hadn't listened to it for a while. What inspired me to dust it off, was hearing the "O Canada" whistles at noon everyday ever since I moved to North Vancouver, two months ago. After listening to the recording, I was curious to find out what happened to the Centennial Train that was used for Canada's Centennial year, and for Expo '67 in Montreal. I can't seem to find any obvious whereabouts of the train online, however I've found a recent recording of the whistle that was used on the train. The whistle is now found at a place called "Camp Feral" in Ontario. Now, it's hard to say if this is one of the whistles that was used on the eight caravans, or the locomotive itself. The Caravan's had a slightly different tone in comparison to the locomotive though. Does anyone happen to know what happened to the train?

Anyways, here's the recording of the "O Canada" whistles from the Centennial Train.

[Low Light Mike]

Here's a link to a webpage for MAX JACQUIARD's Canadian railroad art.
- It's fabulous. Take a browse through this collection, and enjoy it.


H E R E

[Low Light Mike]

Unlike some ferry companies in BC, the railroad company CPR has an attitude that celebrates its whole history, and its website includes a "for further reading" section of books and websites.

Here's the CPR link:
Someone At CPR Cares About History

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For those with their own lists of books read or collections of books owned, here is the CPR's list of books:

History of the Railway


Selected Books on the Canadian Pacific Railway

The National Dream: The Great Railway, 1871-1881 by Pierre Berton
A dramatic historical account of the origin and launching of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, between the years 1871 and 1881. Told in a narrative and anecdotal fashion, the book portrays numerous personalities of the last century who played a key role in getting the construction of the transcontinental railway underway.

The Last Spike: The Great Railway, 1881-1885 by Pierre Berton
A sequel to “The National Dream”, this historical novel reconstructs the five year period, between 1881 and 1885, during which the railway was built and two thousand miles of steel put down across the continent. Its historical material came from many primary sources such as unpublished manuscripts, diaries, letters, public documents and newspaper accounts of the era.

Tales of the CPR by David Jones
Written by a long-time CPR employee, this book is a collection of historical anecdotes and vignettes covering many of the aspects of the Canadian Pacific. The stories are fun, informative and illustrated.

Van Horne’s Road: An illustrated account of the construction and first years of operation of the Canadian Pacific transcontinental railway by Omer Lavallée
The author, a former CPR archivist and historian, pays particular attention to the construction staff who made the achievement possible. The book contains more than 460 photographs, illustrations, and historic documents.

The Spiral Tunnels and The Big Hill: A Canadian Railway Adventure by Graeme Pole
Read about the construction of CPR’s tunnels through British Columbia’s Kicking Horse Pass making the journey through steep and unforgiving mountains less dangerous.


Biographies

From Telegrapher to Titan: The Life of William C. Van Horne by Valerie Knowles
American-born William Van Horne came to Canada in 1881 as the general manager of the brand-new CPR. Van Horne led the railway’s construction and eventually became its president. This biography tells the story of this fascinating man.

Lords of the Line by David Cruise & Alison Griffiths
A compilation of biographies of the men “who combined foresight, power and wealth to create Canada’s greatest institution – the C.P.R. – and through it helped shape a nation”. From George Stephen to Ian Sinclair, the lives of the presidents of the Canadian Pacific are illuminated through the use of archival letters, private papers and anecdotal material.


Pictures of the Canadian Pacific Railway

Portraits of Canada: Photographic Treasures of the CPR by Jonathan Hanna, Robert C. Kennell and Carol Lacourte This book is a carefully made selection of 158 of the most thought-provoking, stunning, and sometimes quixotic images from the historic collection in the Canadian Pacific Archives. Not only do the photographs record momentous events in Canadian history, but also the social changes that swept through Canada from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.

Nicholas Morant’s Canadian Pacific by J.F. Garden
Nicholas Morant was a "Special Photographer" for the CPR between 1939 and 1981. This book features many of his photographs, some of which are now famous world-wide. Stories and other information accompany the pictures.

Canadian Pacific: stand fast, Craigellachie! by Greg McDonnell
This tribute to CPR features the work of some of North America's top rail photographers. Excellent photography and essays bring the entire CPR system to life, from the east to the west coast.


Kid’s Books

The Kids Book of Canada’s Railway: and how the CPR was built by Deborah Hodge
Featuring many colourful illustrations, this book tells the amazing story of the CPR in easy to understand language.

Adventures in Canadian History, Canada Moves West by Pierre Berton
The Adventures in Canadian History series looks at many great and historic moments in Canadian history including a number of books dedicated to the building of the CPR.

I'm happy to say that I own 6 of the above items.
- This post has inspired me to pull one out of the pile, and read Omer Lavallee's "Van Horne's Road" over the holidays.

And if I were asked to add 1 more book to the list on the CPR webpage, I'd add Robert Turner's "West of the Great Divide" which is a great account of the early days of operating the CPR in the Laggan and Mountain subdivisions.

[Kahloke]

I captured a CP train heading northbound through Steilacoom, WA, just south of Tacoma.


CP train and Steilacoom II

[Low Light Mike]

Sept 11, 2013 11:58:44 GMT -8 Dane said:

Hunter Harrison is the model if everything wrong with the Western world's economies. He treats people very poorly and allows infrastructure to crumble. He has exported and eliminated thousands of jobs. CN is now entering the phase where more expensive recapitalization is required because of neglect to infrastructure - ironic given it occurred during the railways most profitable period, ever.

Service reductions to small industry are having massively negative effects on CN lines, and now it has started at CP.

His success is an embarrassment to common sense.

Further comment on this:
- CPR's stock price has risen from approx. $50 in late 2011 to $244 today. That's almost a 5-fold increase in the "value" that investors are attributing to the company.

Meanwhile, CN's stock price has doubled in the same period.

So in terms of western world economics, he has done well. The financial markets are affirming that.

...of course, the financial markets do strange and irrational things, all the time.

[SS San Mateo]

CN locomotives pushing a snow plow (according to the comments, this was on the Gilman Line in Illinois).

[Low Light Mike]

....and the winner of the North American "Railroader of the Year" as chosen by Railway-Age magazine, for the 2nd time.....

E.H.H.
- Hunter Harrison joins the prestigious 2-time-winners club.

from HERE

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excerpt of article:

“Hunter Harrison, regarded as one of the best all-time operating executives in railroading, came out of retirement to lead a remarkable turnaround at CP, which up to that point had been lagging well behind its six North American Class I contemporaries in performance,” said Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “Under his highly disciplined, focused leadership, CP has produced record revenues and earnings, a record-low operating ratio, and the stock price has more than tripled. The railroad, with aggressive long-term growth prospects, has become one of Wall Street’s most favored investments in the rail sector.”

“I am honored and humbled by the award as it is a reflection of the remarkable team at CP and the transformation we have undergone,” said Mr. Harrison. “The railroaders of CP are the reason for our success and, while our focus on growth and cost control continues, it’s important to pause and recognize that this award is as much theirs as it is mine.”

[dofd]

I was scrolling through the Discovery channels and noticed a new show 'Rocky Mountain Railroad', Monday's at 7:00pm PST starting today.

Bell Media