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Part # 3
CPR In New Brunswick(Continued)
Back in 1957 on one of my trips to McAdam that particular Fall; potato traffic
was coming off the North Line that had originated on CP's Aroostook Valley
Railroad via Aroostook. New Brunswick grown Potatoes via the CP route to Other
destinations.
One particular evening transfers were operating all night between McAdam and
Vanceboro, Maine-all CPR rolling stock to the Maine Central. Power that night
being assigned to the transfers being 2-10-0 5755-Semi-streamlined 2-8-2 5459
doubleheading and on the back end being a 2-8-0 either a 3400 series or heavier
3600 and 2700 series. The lead locomotives would run light Vanceboro back to
McAdam with its caboose, and start all over on another transfer.
Note: the 5750 series 2-10-0's that came to New Brunswick were lighter
locomotives to their 2-10-0 counterparts in Western Canada-Winnipeg west to the
Vancouver area engines 5756 to 5790. The western locomotives either assigned to
yard service, pushers and freights. Known to assist passenger trains as helpers
out of Revelstoke, B.C. 5700's in earlier years assigned to some passenger
trains. IN the Vancouveer area 5700's either in transfer, yard, and pusher
assigned at Port Coquitlam.
Passenger trains on the North Line, St. Andrews or St. Stephen:
During the war years wood head-ends and wood coaches were assigned to the
McAdam-St. Stephen and St. Andrews trains. The Woodstock runs and to
Edmundston. Out of Saint John, the through passenger to Edmundston had new
streamlined light-weight manned postal-express cars of the 3600 series, other
head-ends and coaches being wood. By the late 1940's heavy-weight cars Express
either 4300 and 4400 arch roof cars took over and heavy-weight steel coaches of
the 1300 series, maybe the odd 1400 series on all trains.
The Montreal-Saint John passenger service with trains 39, 40, 41 and 42 during
the war years ran heavy trains and in the 1942-1943 era received new
streamlined 85 foot light-weight express, baggage, manned postal express cars.
They had smart lines and onecould stand and admire them. Heavy-weight arch roof
4300 and 4400 express and baggage cars plus same design mail-express cars, but
the new streamlined ones gradually took over. Coaches, Dining and Buffet parlor
and sleeping cars all heavy-weights. The odd time I observed the early 1936
version of a 2100 series Day-Coach streamlined-light-weight on this service but
very rare.(by 1949 a number assigned to CP's Dominion Atlantic on the
Halifax-Yarmouth route(216 miles)
On the Boston "Gull" in and out of Saint John mostly assigned cars were Maine
Central, Boston & Maine head-ends, MEC B&M coaches, Pullman Company sleeping
cars either Maroon or dark green. One Pullman Company sleeper ran through to
Halifax and return like one car "Maskell". Busy traffic periods a CPR sleeper
or sleepers were added out of St. John. CN 40 foot refer express cars(passenger
service) came from Point du Chene via Moncton and Saint John and aded to the
"Gull" with seafood products destined to the U.S. market. After the war years
CPR express-refers(passenger service were added at McAdam from St. Andrews with
seafood products also destined to the New England market-plus added to
westbound Montreal trains at McAdam. In all its a long story to tell.
After the war ended, some of the same passenger consists continued. By the late
1940's the Boston "Gull" became requipped with new stainless-steel coaches both
Maine Central and Boston & Maine. B&M new stainless-steel sleepers meshed in
with Pullman Company heavy-weight arch roof sleepers. By the 1950's early
1960's New York New Haven & Hartford Railroad stainless-steel sleepers.
The late 1940's saw CPR into a rebuilding program of coaches, dining cars,
Buffet Parlor cars, Cafe-Parlor cars, sleeping cars, plus new passenger cars
being delivered the light-weight streamlined "Deluxe" coaches of the 2200
series and same design new "Grove" series rommette sleepers. The rebuilt "R"
series sleepers were assigned to Montreal-Saint John runs, modernized
heavy-weight dining cars. New rebuilt Buffet-Parlor-compartment sleepers "Lake
Annis", "Lake Erie", "Lake Winnipeg" and one other "Lake" were assigned to the
Maritime runs. Other heavy-weight sleepers that were modernized came on-line to
the Maritimes.
Busy travel levels, one could find "R" series sleepers running on the Boston
"Gull".
During 1947 the Boston & Maine/Maine Central for the summer season experimented
on extending their "Pinetree" Boston-Portland-Bangor passenger run east of
Bangor to Vanceboro, Maine with through stainless steel coaches to Saint John
arriving Sundays only. coach or coaches put on the "Atlantic Limited" at
Vanceboro for Saint John and westbound Sundays only on the "Atlantic Limited"
to Vanceboro and MEC/B&M to Boston. CPR heavy-4-6-2(Smoke deflectored) 2336
that ran on the TH&B was known to be in Saint John-but never observed
her(Tuscan Red-Grey-Black & Gold).
To Be Continued-With Part # 4- CPR"Empress Boat Trains" Saint John &
Halifax-Diesels later. Excuse any typing errors.
Don Scott-Coquitlam, B.C.
"Following Canadian Pacific(All Services) Since The mid-1930's".
Don Scott-Coquitlam, B.C.
