Cordova Bay Station - Canadian Pacific Railway employee magazine articles

Public Relations and Advertising Department
Windsor Station Montreal Que. H3C 3E4

Volume 10 Number 2

Feb. 6, 1980

The Atlantic Limited is Gone,
and Nobody Waved Good-Bye
Stephen Morris

Preparing to go: The Atlantic Limited, once the pride of the railway's east coast passenger service, ended more than 90 years service recently when it left Central Station in Montreal for Saint John, New Brunswick.

Another chapter has been written in the history of passenger trains in Canada.

And nobody noticed.

With overcast skies and biting cold the Atlantic Limited has gone to Saint John, N.B. It has had its last complete trip over CP Rail lines.

The train, once the pride of the railway's east coast passenger service has ended more than 90 years service.

The Atlantic, as it now will be called by VIA Rail Canada, departed at Central Station in Montreal and used CN Rail tracks as far as Lennoxville, Que., before switching back to CP Rail trackage for the remainder of the trip to Saint John.

CP Rail began passenger service to Saint John in July, 1889 over the company's tracks as far as the U.S. border. The train then operated over Maine Central tracks to McAdam, N.B., and continued its journey on the New Brunswick Railway to Saint John.

The New Brunswick Railway was bought in 1890 and the maine Central trackage in the early 1970s.

Using 4-4-0 class locomotives, the early trains featured first-class coaches and sleepers built specially for the service.

The "new" run-through train being operated by VIA Rail, which sees The Atlantic continue its journey to Halifax instead of terminating at Saint John, was once before a regular service.

Until World War I, CP Rail operated three extra sleepers on the train which continued on the Intercolonial Railway from Saint John to Halifax.

In the 1940's and 50's, CP Rail operated two trains a day in each direction between the two cities. Train 40 left Montreal for Saint John in mid-afternoon while train 42 left in the early evening.

Sister train 39 from Saint John arrived in Montreal about 11:00 hours and train 41 entered Windsor Station in the evening.

Generally the railway used 2300 or 2400 series G3 class 4-6-2 type steam engines on the service.

CP Rail's only two Northern steam locomotives 3100 and 3101 were assigned to the service in the 1950's but only for a short period as they had nickel-steel boilers which prohibited them from operating on the United States portion of the track.

Pensioners recalled during this period four of the last "J" class sleepers were assigned to this service. The four - Jaffray, Jackman, Jelicoe, and Joliette contained 14 sections of upper and lower berths.

The Atlantic Limited also had the distinction of pulling the last CP Rail "T" class sleepers, Tracy and Travers until 1969.

The main reason for these types of cars being assigned to the Saint John run was most passengers in those days preferred the upper or lower berths not because of comfort, but because of cost.

Service to Saint John was reduced to one train about the same time that dieselization took place in 1960.

It was also during that period the train was officially named "The Atlantic Limited".

Railway historians note that the use of "Limited" in the naming of the train was incorrect. The word originated in the early years of the railway and meant that the train was limited to first class passengers or accommodation only.

The train more recently became well-known to rail enthusiasts as it was powered by the only two E8 class diesel locomotives owned by a Canadian railway. Diesel units 1800 and 1802 were familiar sights pulling the one baggage car, one coach, one diner, and trailing sleeper.

The new VIA Rail service also sees the re-introduction of a stop at a new station named Mill Street in Saint John. CP Rail's terminal at West Saint John, which served as the main terminal when the 100-year-old Mill Street Union Station was demolished will no longer be used as a passenger station.

This CP Rail News article is copyright 1980 by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.