Canadian Pacific Paper Collectables
Introduction
To readers of this web site it is probably obvious there is a
bias in favour of the Canadian Pacific Railway. This is because like most railfans one develops a favouritism towards
one particular railway. Like many a packrat I've collected many railway items over the years but the preponderance
would comprise CPR.
One common item accumulated by railfans is the paper collectable. While there are many different railway paper
collectables in my collection most are Canadian Pacific. This month, instead of the usual photos of some railroad with
a description, there will be a display of scanned CPR paper items such as envelopes, timetables, and folders.
Some of these images have been published on the web previously but there are a couple of unusual items you may not
have seen before. Not to give anything away, you'll have to read the text with each item, to discover possible
nuggets of knowledge about Canadian Pacific.
Envelopes
This corporate logo first appeared in 1929 when the
company's expansion called for a new look. The shield survived, but the beaver went. "Canadian Pacific"
occupied the top of the crest, leaving room below for the symbol of the company's different interests - a hotel crest,
a ship, a truck, a telegraph pole, and for the railway, its new slogan, "World's Greatest Travel System". A
simple black ink logo was used on small plain brown envelopes that were 6 x 3 1/2 inches ( 15.25 x 9 cm ) in size.
By the 1950s the logo once more contained a beaver but was
reduced to a simpler form, free of borders and raised points, and appeared on all cars of "The Canadian".
Customers purchasing tickets were often accompanied by this interesting and colourful envelope. It was 6 3/4 x 3 1/2
inches ( 17 x 9 cm ) in size.
Jumping over several corporate logos to 1968 the CP Rail
"Multimark" appeared. Canadian Pacific felt its growing multi-faceted enterprise needed a
symbol that could be adapted to its different businesses. The Multimark was a triangle and semicircle with a square
block signifying direction, global capability, and stability. The Canadian Pacific Railway became known as CP Rail.
Naturally the envelopes changed too. You could still purchase a ticket on "The Canadian" which now carried a
red stripe and multimark on its stainless steel cars. This envelope was 8 1/8 x 3 1/2 inches ( 20.5 x 9 cm ) in size.
At some point during the 1950s these passengers are about to board
a sparkling clean "Canadian" somewhere in Canada. Judging by the gentleman's hat it would most likely be
in Calgary, Alberta, next to the Palliser Hotel. It's probably a CPR publicity shot - Date/photographer
unknown.
Timetables
While CPR produced a public system-wide
timetable that contained all the passenger trains running on its trackage numerous small timetables, pocket size, were
printed for the convenience of the public. This pocket size timetable of "The Canadian" would make a great
addition to any paper collection. The timetable is 4 1/2 x 3 1/4 inches ( 11.5 x 8 cm ) in size and opens to 4 1/2 x
6 3/8 inches ( 11.5 x 16.25 cm ).
In the year 1969 "The Canadian" was still in
operation but it now carried the CP Rail Multimark livery. The red and brown beaver logos attached to both sides of
each car were removed and sold through a marketing scheme known as "CP Bygones". At that time you could
purchase an original logo from one of the cars for the huge sum of $10. "The Canadian" also carried a
lighted drumhead with the logo on the last car of each train, a "Park" series
dome-observation-sleeper, so-named because each car carried the name of one of Canada's
National Parks. The timetable is 3 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches ( 8.25 x 15.75 cm ) in size and opens to 6 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches
( 15.75 x 16.5 cm ).
At sometime during the CP Rail Multimark period one page
public timetables on light card stock were produced for the RDC (Rail Diesel Car) fleet also known as "Budd"
cars because they were manufactured by the Budd Company in the United States of America. CP named them
"Dayliners". Several scheduled routes were covered such as the Victoria to Courtenay run on the Esquimalt
& Nanaimo Railway (E&N) of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The example shown here covers the RDC service
between Calgary and Edmonton. At one time trains used to cross the High Level Bridge in Edmonton and stop at the North
Side station but by the time of the Budd cars service terminated at the station in Edmonton South. This timetable is 4
1/8 x 8 3/16 inches ( 10.5 x 20.75 cm ) in size with the schedule printed on the reverse side.
Of course, if you wanted to ride the E&N Dayliner, you had to take a CPR ferry from the mainland. Prior to the
Government of British Columbia taking over the ferry service between the mainland, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf
Islands, CPR had an extensive fleet of car ferries serving Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and even Alaska. This
timetable is 2 7/8 x 5 7/8 inches ( 7.4 x 14.9 cm ) in size and opens to 8 5/8 x 5 7/8 inches ( 22 x 14.9 cm ).
Folders
Should you have arrived in Victoria by E&N Dayliner
from Nanaimo or CPR ferry there was one stop that was a must. That's a stop to take High Tea in the Empress Hotel.
This folder, or it may be a menu, shows the price of High Tea to be $3.50 per person but does not contain a date.
Canadian Pacific no longer owns the hotel but you can still enjoy High Tea there today. The Fairmont Empress now names
it "Afternoon Royal Tea" and it will cost you $30 today! Per person, of course. No torn jeans, short shorts,
beach wear, flip-flops, jogging pants, or tank tops, reservations are required. Please Note: For
the comfort of those around you, it is requested that cell phones be turned off during Afternoon Tea. This paper item
is 4 3/8 x 7 7/16 inches ( 11.1 x 18.9 cm ) in size.
It's been a long time since one could ride in a Canadian Pacific dome car but with the
hints in this folder you will have a better chance getting perfect photos from CP's dome cars now operated by VIA
Rail. The curved glass of the domes is tinted a blue colour. Taking a colour photo through the glass without
correction produces an odd colour on the finished image. I haven't tried it with a digital camera but suspect that
would be problematical too. The folder is 3 x 5 1/2 inches ( 7.5 x 13.9 cm ) in size and opens to 5 15/16 x 5 1/2
inches ( 15.1 x 13.9 cm ).
Now here's an interesting folder. I'll bet there are few railfans out there who have heard of Deluxe Moving &
Storage. That's correct, Canadian Pacific owned a moving company, just like United Van Lines. This folder is 7 5/8 x
3 1/4 inches ( 19.3 x 8.2 cm ) in size and opens to 7 5/8 x 6 1/2 inches ( 19.3 x 16.5 cm ).
Other Items
The "Royal Canadian Pacific" is today's luxury trainset. Comprised of heritage passenger equipment once
frequented by Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, and American Presidents this trainset is pulled by
diesel-electric locomotive "F" units. It offers deluxe tours, food, and service from Calgary through the Rocky
Mountains to southern British Columbia returning via the Crowsnest Pass. Additionally, the train has made special
trips across Canada and even into the United States.
While the cost is prohibitive for the average railfan large corporations sometimes book
the train for their special guests. At one time those two famous movie directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola
chartered the train for a trip across the prairies. This item is a small booklet containing glossy photos of the
train, its dining arrangements, and interior accommodation in the refurbished heritage business cars of the Canadian
Pacific Railway. The booklet is 9 1/4 x 5 7/16 inches ( 23.5 x 13.9 cm ) in size.
Some time ago, unfortunately there is no date, Canadian Pacific published a 9 1/2 x 12 inch folder named
"Canada's Great Railway Adventure" containing various fact sheets and drawings of their freight equipment.
This was prior to publishing their "Fact Book" which is currently available as a download from their web
site. All the equipment drawings included were lettered in the CP Rail paint scheme:
For Sale at
1893 CPR Pass signed by William Van Horne
1894 CPR Public Timetable
1938 CPR System-wide Public
Timetable
1957 CPR Across Canada
brochure
1967 CPR Atlantic Region Employee
Timetable
Associated Web Sites
Canadian Pacific Railway
Royal Canadian Pacific
Fairmont Empress Hotel
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