Canadian Pacific
Public Relations and Advertising
PO Box 6042 Station A
Montreal PQ. H3C 3E4
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Volume 16
Number 16
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Dec. 10,
1986
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For Historian Lavallee
Retirement
Not in the Books
by
Michel Spenard
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Omer Lavallee is not
really one to sit around in his retirement but judging by his expression
here, lounging in a sea of parlor car chairs at Angus Shops does have its
good points. Mr. Lavallee is currently writing a history of the
International of Maine to be published for the line's centennial next
year.
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Trying to do justice to Omer Lavallee's 44-year career with Canadian
Pacific in a single story is almost an impossible task. In fact, a book with several
volumes might more adequately address Mr. Lavallee's long association with Canadian
railroading.
Although officially retired, Mr. Lavallee's reputation and unlimited energy will
mean his biography still has many chapters to come.
Recognized as one of Canada's foremost railway historians, Mr. Lavallee has authored
five comprehensive books on rail transportation. He's also a special adviser to
museums, historical societies, and government agencies. And, his special gift for
public speaking has made him a much-sought-after guest speaker at
numerous engagements across Canada and the United States.
But, Mr. Lavallee is probably best known throughout CP Rail as the company's
penultimate historian and archivist.
Interestingly enough, Mr. Lavallee's career did not begin with the railway, but with
Canadian Pacific Airlines, in 1942. However, later that year he left the airline and
joined the Canadian Pacific Railway, carrying on a family railroading tradition that
today totals nearly 140 years of service.
He served with the railway's finance department for nearly a quarter of a century,
during which he criss-crossed Eastern Canada aboard a company pay car.
He gained first-hand experience handling a wide range of financial
services including banking, investment, and cash forecasting.
During his years on Pay Car 52, a wooden coach built in 1886, he travelled over the
"International of Maine" section of the C.P.R. between Megantic, Quebec,
and Mattawamkeag, Maine, handling a payroll that averaged about $65,000.
"Carrying that much money required that I be issued with a revolver, but I
never was comfortable with it", he said in an interview with CP Rail News.
"Thankfully I never had to use it. Some of my colleagues slept at night with
their revolvers under their pillows. I never thought that was a good idea - what if
the slack ran out of the train? I always locked up mine in the safe.
I worked on the pay car until that service ended on 6 July 1960. The C.P.R.'s pay
car was the last car in this type of service in Canada or the United States".
Bygones
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Prior to CP Bygones'
first travelling sale in 1971, Omer Lavallee ( right ) shows then-Chairman
of Canadian Pacific N.R. Crump a selection of the items that were to be
disposed of by sale to collectors.
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Six years later, Mr. Lavallee left the railway's financial world and joined the
public relations department as an historical specialist. Mr. Lavallee's byline
appeared frequently in Spanner, the forerunner of CP Rail News, above stories
ranging from steam locomotives to the origin of the 24-hour clock. All
the while, he served as the company's historical expert, clarifying facts for the
railway's management and the general public.
During this time, he also honed his public speaking skills. He became a popular
member of Canadian Pacific's speaker's bureau. His speaking style was - and still is
- unique. Rarely using prepared notes, Mr. Lavallee's addresses were witty,
off-the-cuff and informative. Audience reaction would determine which
way his addresses would lead.
In 1970, Mr. Lavallee undertook a massive project. He was asked by
then-chairman N.R. "Buck" Crump to determine if a British
Rail project to dispose of used passenger service supplies could be applied to
Canadian Pacific's huge inventory. Included were Canadian Pacific cutlery, dishes,
blankets, lanterns, and a wide assortment of other articles from the C.P.R. and its
varied interests including passenger train services, hotels, steamships, and
telecommunications.
The result, CP Bygones, was a collectors' sales program, started in 1971.
In 1973, Corporate Archives was established as a sub-department of
public relations and advertising.
The corporate archives mandate was to accumulate, catalogue, store, and research
the millions of document, artifacts, artwork, and photographs generated by what for
years had been known as the "World's Greatest Transportation System".
Also included were prototypical engines and cars used by the railway over the years.
The community display trains, which have travelled back and forth across Canada
since 1971, included some of this equipment as well as many of the railway's
historical artifacts.
Mr. Lavallee was a natural choice to oversee the archives collection. His interest
in such collections dates back to his childhood when he collected toy trains and
railway memorabilia. So vast was his collection that he eventually had to expand
his interests beyond North American railways.
Between 1945 and 1967, Mr. Lavallee was a principal participant in the founding of
the Canadian Railway Museum at St. Constant, Quebec, where he worked to build up a
large collection of North American and European motive power and rolling stock.
Given his encyclopedic knowledge of the railway industry and his sharp eye for
accuracy, Mr. Lavallee often was called upon to act as a consultant on a number of
motion picture and television productions - most notably the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation's epic "The National Dream", based on the book by Pierre
Burton.
"Working on that production brought to life a great many aspects of early
railroading - things that had changed drastically in the years since the railway's
construction", he said.
Perhaps Mr. Lavallee's crowning glory came during Canadian Pacific's centennial
celebrations. In 1981, the company celebrated the 100th birthday founding of
Canadian Pacific. Four years later, there was a huge celebration to mark the 100th
anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike at Craigellachie, near Revelstoke, BC.
"In Revelstoke, during the November ( 1985 ) celebrations, I held a type of
historians conclave or get-together where 85 of my colleagues, friends,
and co-workers gathered for a fitting salute to the railway workers of
100 years ago. For railway historians, there is no more significant location in
Canada than Craigellachie".
Mr. Lavallee is currently working on a history of his old pay car stomping grounds
- the International of Maine Division. The book is to be published in time for the
division's centennial in 1987. It will join Mr. Lavallee's other landmark volumes
recording the history of the C.P.R. - "Van Horne's Road" and
"Canadian Pacific Steam Locomotives".
"I've enjoyed my years with Canadian Pacific. The people I've met and
worked with, and the people that have worked for me have made my 44 years something
special - and I thank them".
Retired though he may be, Mr. Lavallee will continue to play an active and important
role as one of Canada's most-respected railway historians. And,
beginning next month, the wit and wisdom of the man known affectionately as
"The Great One", will grace the pages of CP Rail News in a new column
titled "Lavallee".
From: George Wm. Roth - georoth@golden.net
To: slim@pacificcoast.net
Subject: Future book
Date: Monday, 10 September 2001 07:05
This International of Maine was an intention only before Omer's death. As Omer was
part of a group of authors who published under "Railfair Publications",
dispute of the ownership of this manuscript arose. The Lavallee family wanted it
returned to their possession, where it resides today. The request led to the
dissolution of the partnership with only David Henderson now having publishing
rights to previously published titles. It was not pretty. At times, discussion about
publishing the history of the "International of Maine" has transpired with
the Bytown group in Ottawa and the Lavallee family. But nothing has been finalized.
Omer's manuscript was not complete at the time of his death. Hope that answers your
questions.
This CP Rail
News article is copyright 1986 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.
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