The Dominion of Canada was created in 1867 when the then separate colonies of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick united as provinces under one government. Of those which joined later the far western province of British Columbia made it a condition of entering this confederation (which it did in 1871) that a transcontinental railway would be constructed linking the Pacific Coast with Eastern Canada.

Such a railway was begun as a government project, but for various reasons it was later decided to turn it over to private enterprise. A syndicate of Canadian, British, and American railway builders and financial men signed a contract with Sir John A. MacDonald, the prime minister, on the 21st October 1880. This contract was ratified on the 15th February 1881, when the Canadian Pacific Railway Company was incorporated and undertook to complete the line in ten years.

Construction was begun at many points simultaneously. The Last Spike was driven at Craigellachie, in the Rocky Mountains 28 miles west of Revelstoke on the 7th November 1885. The first transcontinental train left Montreal on the 28th June 1886 and arrived at Port Moody, near what later became Vancouver, on the 4th July 1886, five years ahead of the time limit.

The total Canadian Pacific track miles in 1886 was approximately 4,406. Today this mileage has increased to 17,072, plus 3,807 miles owned and controlled in the United States. Canada with a relatively small population of 15 million has about 43,000 miles of railway track. This mileage is exceeded only by the U.S.A., U.S.S.R., India, and Pakistan combined.

The gauge is the same as British Railways, 4 feet 8 1/2 inches, The transcontinental line runs from Montreal to Vancouver 2,882 miles. To Saint John on the Atlantic seaboard is a further 482 miles and to Halifax another 190 miles.

Leaving Montreal, the route is firstly that of the original explorers, by the Ottawa River, with its pleasant farm lands, its lumbering industry, and the federal capital, Ottawa. Then a cut across to the denser forests that lie north of Lake Huron and on to that magnificent inland ocean, Lake Superior. After Fort William, where east meets west, there are forests again until an entirely different type of country begins with the Prairies and we roll across the Red River into Winnipeg. Then there are eight hundred miles of prairies with their enormous grain crops, and large herds of cattle in the foothills country

Just beyond Calgary the ascent is suddenly rapid. The Rockies have begun! Here are Banff and Lake Louise, the Great Divide (where the track reaches its highest point, 5,337 feet) from which waters flow to the Pacific and Atlantic. The track then drops down into the narrow Kicking Horse pass and through two remarkable tunnels known as the Spiral Tunnels.

The track was originally laid through a pass, but the average gradient was 4.5% (which means a rise or fall of 4 1/2 feet for every 100 feet of track) for some three miles which made operation very difficult and expensive, four locomotives were sometimes required to haul trains over this section. By building two tunnels (1908-1909) under two separate mountains the gradient has been reduced to an average of 2.2%. Whilst it has increased the length of the line by approximately 5 miles the operation of the trains is much easier. Going west, the track enters the first tunnel under Cathedral Mountain, 3,255 feet in length, turns 291 degrees of a circle and emerges 54 feet lower down. The track then turns east, crosses the Kicking Horse River, and enters the second tunnel 2,922 feet in length under Mount Ogden and turning 217 degrees, emerges 50 feet lower.

The 125 mile stretch between Field and Revelstoke is also famous for its magnificent scenery. This section includes the Connaught Tunnel built in 1916, through Mount MacDonald to avoid the climb over Rogers Pass, lowering the summit attained by the track by 552 feet. The tunnel, 5 miles long, is double tracked 29 feet wide, 21 feet 6 inches high, and is equipped with special ventilating machinery.

The track emerges from the western end of the Connaught Tunnel at Glacier which lies at the summit of the Selkirk Range, and begins the long descent to the Pacific Coast. From Sicamous the line runs alongside the South Thompson River. At Lytton the Thompson joins the Fraser and they there begin their united course to the sea through the magnificent Fraser Canyon and then on through fruit lands and meadows to the pacific Coast.

The Canadian Pacific's most famous train is the Dominion from Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver daily. The journey takes 3 1/2 days.

There are two ordinary classes of travel, first and coach. Then there is another division, into day and night travel. If your journey is entirely by day, a coach class ticket would be sufficient, unless you prefer the additional comfort of a Parlour Car. But Canada is a country of such vast distances that a certain amount of overnight travel is essential, and is in fact a convenience. In that case, if you desire a berth in a sleeping car, the holders of first-class tickets book for the standard sleepers as described below. Holders of coach class tickets can book for Tourist Sleeping Cars (operated on certain trains only). There is also a Colonist class which is operated on certain trains only.

There are several types of sleeping cars:

STANDARD SLEEPER This is divided into sections on either side of the central corridor, each section having an upper and lower berth ranged long ways down the car. During the day the upper berths are folded back into the roof of the car and the lower berths become seats.

COMPARTMENTS A private room with a lower and upper berth, private toilet, and wash basin. In daytime the lower berth provides two seats.

DRAWING ROOMS A larger version of the compartment.

BEDROOM CARS Most like the British sleeper with beds instead of berths.

ROOMETTE The ideal accommodation for the traveller who desires complete privacy at a moderate cost.

All important Canadian Pacific trains are well provided with lounge cars. Known generally as Parlor Cars, they are available on payment of a supplement to holders of first class tickets, and free to those who have booked in the standard sleeping car. They have large windows, and comfortable arm chairs, magazines, a library, and refreshment service. Some have a sight-seeing platform at the rear.

All important trains have dining cars or cafe cars

In charge of the locomotive is an engineer and an assistant. In charge of the train is a conductor assisted by trainmen. In charge of the dining car is a steward assisted by chefs and waiters. In charge of the sleeping car is a sleeping car conductor assisted by porters who make up the beds and look after the linen. The man who carries your bag at the station is a "Red Cap". A Sales Agent passes up and down the train from time to time selling newspapers, magazines, candies, and refreshments.

Platforms are built at track level, not raised as in England, and steps are provided to allow passengers to enter and leave the coaches.

There are over 3,000 stations on the system.

These are not named as in this country. As a matter of interest, Canadian Pacific locomotive 2850, a 4-6-4 Royal Hudson type, hauled the Royal train the entire 3,060 miles from Quebec to Vancouver when their Majesties, the King and Queen, visited Canada in May, 1939.

All locomotives carry a bell, headlamp, and whistle, the following are some of the more famous steam types:

The majority of Canadian Pacific's 1,630 steam locomotives are black in colour with letters and number in gold on tuscan red panels. Some of the Jubilee, Hudson, and Selkirk types have polished steel boiler jackets.

In 1943 the Company began experimenting with the use of diesel engines for yard work. Later diesel electric locomotives were introduced on Vancouver Island and on the Schreiber division, north of Lake Superior. Freight operation on the Calgary-Revelstoke division in the Rockies was begun in October 1951 and passenger train operation in the summer of 1952. The company now has more than 365 diesel units in operation. The CPR has the longest continuous haul with diesels, 2,239 miles Montreal to Calgary. This will shortly be extended to 2,881 miles Montreal to Vancouver. Normal passenger trains are operated with two diesel units with the assistance of a third unit in the Rockies.

The average distance travelled by the 9 million passengers carried by the Canadian Pacific in 1953 was 140 miles.

About 78% of all the 81,000 freight cars are of the closed box car types. They are considerably larger than those used by the British Railways, over 70% of the box type having a capacity of 40 tons, whilst the remainder are mostly 50 tonners.

In 1953 the Canadian Pacific carried 29,700,000 ton-miles (l ton hauled 1 mile) and hauled each ton an average of 447 miles. The chief commodities were as follows:

Products of mines - 19,300,000 tons.
Products of agriculture - 18,000,000 tons.
Manufactured and miscellaneous products - 15,400,000 tons.
Products of forests - 5,400,000 tons.
Less Carload freight - 1,000,000 tons.

The Winnipeg marshalling yards with over 300 miles of track may handle as many as 7,000 cars a day when the movement of wheat is at its height in the fall of each year.

In July 1950 the Company opened the first Hump retarder marshalling yard in Canada. Covering more than a square mile the St. Luc yard, west of Montreal has 75 miles of track and can handle 3,000 cars per day.

Side by side with the development of the railway has grown up a vast Canadian Pacific communications system with over 199,000 miles of wire. In 1886 the Canadian Pacific inaugurated the first commercial telegraph service across Canada. Today the Company's facilities contribute to the long distance telephone and radio networks of Canada.

Further details of history and development of the Company may be found in "Steel of Empire" by J.M. Gibbon, now out of print, but which can be borrowed from most public libraries. (Also known as "The Romantic History of the Canadian Pacific")

September 1954