Continued From Part #1
Part # 2
Former Canadian Pacific Railway Passenger Services-Montreal-via State of
Maine-Saint John-Halifax
Remarks: Symbol * Denotes CPR Steam In Tuscan Red-Grey-Black-Gold Paint Scheme.
Speaking of steam power assigned to Montreal-Saint John passenger service;
during the 1940's up until the mid-1950's on at Windsor Station at Montreal
could always observe train # 41 "Atlantic Limited" arriving at 0655 being a
double-header with a light 4-6-2 usually the 2600 or a G-2 Class light 4-6-2 of
the 2200 series and behind her a heavy semi-streamlined 4-6-2 of *2390 series
or the *2402. Anther locomotive back in 1943 one could observe was
semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2 2414 on eastbound train #40 for Saint John; this
locomotive only as far as Megantic, Quebec. 2414 observed that year just in
"Black & Gold scheme" not quite a year old at that time.
Through my home town of Moncton, N.B. off-line to CP being a CNR rail
centre-CPR had the majority of all the eastbound troop trains-reason; the CN
line along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and New Brunswick being subject to Enemy
U-Boats, so the CPR main-line was the chosen route through the State of Maine.
CPR troop trains eastbound ran steady 24 hours around the clock, after coming
into Saint John on CP with CN locomotives and train crews taking over to
Moncton & Halifax. Canadian Pacific liners were busy as troop ships in and out
of Halifax, Trans-Atlantic liners like the CP flagship the 42,500 ton "Empress
of Britain"(2nd) only to be lost by enemy action in 1940 off the Irish Coast,
the 23,000 ton "Empress of Australia", the four "Duchess" liners-"Duchess of
Atholl", "Duchess of Bedford", "Duchess of Richmond", and "Duchess of York" the
odd CP "Mont" class liner. Trans-Pacific "Empresses" at times were trooping on
the Atlantic in and out of Halifax, the Trans-Pacific Record holder 26,500 to
"Empress of Scotland"(2nd) renamed from "Empress of Japan"(2nd), "Empress of
Asia", "Empress of Russia", "Empress of Canada" 24,000 tons(1st). These CP
liners travelled the World during the war. CP was still operating a limited
Trans-Atlantic service out of Saint John, N.B. with the odd "Duchess" liner
until about 1941.
The CPR troop trains through Moncton especially the sleeping cars and dining
cars looked as if they were newly outshopped from Angus in Montreal-CP even
during the War years their power especially passenger was kept spotless as well
as their passenger equipment-CPR took pride in their passenger trains.
When Cunard Line's Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth left Halifax for
Southampton, England they carried 15,000 troops-meaning it took 27 troop
trains. This also applied returning the Military at Wars end-again lots of CPR
trains.
During 1944-1945 CPR retired their two 4-8-2's 2900 and 2901(built 1914 by the
railway) the first 4-8-2's in Canada. On the Saint John-Montreal trains 39, 40,
41, 42 all trains westbound out of Saint John to McAdam, N.B. were
double-headed with two light 4-6-2's of 2500 and 2600 series-and out of Union
Station with the assist "Pusher" up the grades to Fairville(now
Lancaster)station. Pushers at that time usually 2-8-0's of 3400 and
3500's-later heavier 2-8-0's of 3600 or 3700 series.
By 1945 the semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2's of 2300 and 2400's commenced running
McAdam-Saint John on the Montreal-Saint John passenger trains being *2394,
*2395, *2396, *2397, *2402, as well as brand new semi-streamlined 2400's; 2453,
2455, 2457, 2459 and 2461., the last six were on black & gold paint scheme,
with stainless-steel boiler jackets, cylinder jackets, and firebox jacket,
these six locomotives had "Wartime" Aluminum bells. The above motive power
would be run-through Montreal-McAdam, N.B. with a power change. Westbound the
same-runthrough power McAdam-Montreal. All thes locomotives had the 8-wheel
tender, and later received a higher-capacity 12-wheel tender.
Trains # 39 and #40 were known as "The Boat Trains" as they connected with
CPR's "Bay of Fundy Service" the Saint John-Digby, Nova Scotia service and
Dominion Atlantic east/West Halifax-Yarmouth passenger trains #95 and # 98.
After the war years, CPR was bringing out rebuilt modernized sleeping cars,
dining cars, buffet-parlor-sleepers, parlor cars, as well as their new
streamlined light-weight 2200 series "Deluxe" day-coaches, their new
streamlined light-weight "Grove" series roomette sleepers, and not forgetting
more new light-weight head-end cars. During the war years CPR were already
operating new streamlined light-weight express, baggage cars on the
Montreal-Saint John passenger service.
During 1947 Canadian Pacific Steamships re-instated Trans-Atlantic passenger
service from Liverpool, England to Quebec and Montreal with West St. John being
the Winter turnaround-First ship to re-enter service was the 20,000 ton
"Empress of Canada"(2nd) renamed from the Duchess of Richmond, the "Empress of
France"(2nd) renamed from the Duchess of Bedford entered service in 1948. I was
at West St. John the evening the "Empress of Canada"(2nd) arrived from
Liverpool via Halifax. Saint John lost their immigration terminal during the
war at West St. John. CPR operated CPS "Boat Trains" over CNR from Halifax to
Saint John, then CPR to Montreal and other points west of Montreal. The
eastbound CP Boat Trains terminated at West St. John with passengers for the
"Empress".
To Be Continued.
Note: Semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2's 2453, 2455, 2457, 2459 and 2461 later
received the Tuscan Red-Grey-Black-Gold paint scheme, plus their War time bells
replaced with the CPR standard "Brass Bell".
Don Scott-Coquitlam, B.C.
