Interesting stuff, Fred. Is this information coming from Public Time Tables
or Employee Time Tables?
Joe Smuin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Shannon" <Fred_Shannon@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 10:56 AM
Subject: [cpsig] Info on trains 801-802, 809-810
Hello List,
I spoke to a friend the other day and got some insight into what
we have been talking about. What I have found out will know dout stir
the pot some more. But some of what I discovered is quit interesting
an through the read.
Trains 801-802 and 809-810 were all mixed trains and wouldn't be
shown in the "Assignment of Space" as were NO RESERVED SEATS. However
a parlor operated from Revelstoke to Vancouver for many years in the
summer months on trains 3-4 as shown in the 1929 book on trains 3-4
west of Revelstoke. My friend recalls that a parlor car actually
operated between Revelstoke and Arrowhead at an earlier time
connecting with the Arrow Lake steamboat service to Nakusp and West
Robson.
He looked in a 1918 timetable and saw there are two trains
running south of Revelstoke 801-802 and 803-804. The Huntingdon Mixed
at that time, April 18th, 1918, was numbered 815-816.
1918 was the first year for the Huntingdon Mixed ar prior to
that year a through Northern Pacific passenger train ran from the
border at Sumas/Huntingdon to Vancouver CPR Station. It would carry
sleeping cars, mail and express, etc. But a CPR locomotive hauled
this train on the Canadian side.
On January 1st, 1918 CPR's Vancouver Station lost its status as
a Union Station when the Northern Pacific moved its Portland Ore.
passenger train to the new Great Northern station in Vancouver.
Therefore CPR's service between Vancouver to Huntingdon on the
Canadian/US border was limited to a daily mixed train, except for
special movements.
Some of these specical movements were very interesting trains
and periodically operated as late as 1955 as soild trains of sleeping
cars for various tourist groups diverted off the CPR main line and
would run south to Seattle area.
An interesting turn of evens occured on the route of the
Huntingdon Mixed on Sunday July 24th, 1955, when at about 08:00k a
tug pushing a barge struct the Mission bridge structure over the
Fraser River and a span collapsed. The bridge at this time was a
combination road and railway bridge. Two autos were on the span; the
lead was nearing the end of the span, felt it jiggling, so the driver
sped up and just made it safely onto the next span. The second
vehicle had just entered the shaking span; the driver stopped and
revsered back onto the pervious span and safety.
As the span over the Fraser River on the CPR's Mission Sub. had
now been carried away, the mixed passenger train service Vancouver-
Mission City-Hundingdon was suspended. Freight traffic went by way of
the B.C. Electric Rwy. (BCE). The bridge was later replaced. The CPR
tried to discontinue the passenger service as well as the MIssion
Sub, but a year or so later service was restored.
Train 809-810, the Vancouver-Huntingdon Mixed, made its last run
on Wednesday, July 15th, 1959.
In the summer of 1955 as in pervious years used combine 3303 on
the mixed. It had been re-built from colonist car 2700 and replaced
the wooden cars on the route from before. This next part I didn't
know about. When service was restored wooden cars were again used,
usually baggage car 3881 and coach 208. In an attempt to discurage
passengers from using the service.
I think that about covers it, enjoy the read.
Regards,
Fred Shannon
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