The Railways of Canada Archives -- Dominion Atlantic Railway's Buffet-Parlor Cars, Circa 1949

Dominion Atlantic Railway's
Buffet-Parlor Cars, Circa 1949

By Don Scott, Coquitlam, BC

The heavy-weight steel "arch roof" cars with open platform went to the DAR in the late 1940's in the 6600 series and operated on day trains #95 and #98 on the 216 mile run from Halifax to Yarmouth.

On one of my trips to the DAR on Labour Day weekend in September 1949 these cars were in service then--both east/west bounds observed at Digby, N.S. These cars carried no names below the windows and centered in the middle Buffet Parlor and numbers underneath like "6616".

There was a third sister Buffet-Parlor as a protection car kept at the Kentville, N.S. coach yard. The cars were lettered "Canadian Pacific". Trains 95 and 98 ran up to 9 cars with head-ends express, baggage, postal and express, heavy-weight 1300 class coaches, streamlined light-weight 2100 class coaches that were built in 1936 for the streamlined "Jubilee" 4-4-4's of 3000 to 3004 series.

During the heavy tourist season in 1949, CP dining cars assigned to these two trains, plus the heavy-weight 6600 buffet-parlor cars, open observation platform as the end of train car. That particular weekend in 1949 eastbound #98 Yarmouth-Kentville leg was handled by 4-6-2 #2552 (open cab) lettered DAR with famous"Land of Evangeline Route" logo. Power would be changed at Kentville with another 4-6-2 taking over to Halifax.

Westbound train #95 arrived at Digby from Halifax for Yarmouth--powered by light 4-6-2 #2515 which had recently been transferred from New Brunswick being based out of McAdam, lettered CP and equipped with vestibuled cab. DAR's 4-6-2's sent to Nova Scotia in the 1930's never received the enclosed cab--#2511, #2551 and #2552. The more modern and rebuilt over the years of light 4-6-2's of 2500, 2600 and towards the end of steam on DAR light 4-6-2 #2209 all were equipped with all-weather cabs and a number being feedwater equipped.

That particular weekend I had just came back from a few days at Mc Adam, N.B. to Saint John and CPR's Bay of Fundy Service "Princess Helene" Saint John-Digby and return. DAR daytime passenger trains--from east would go directly along shipside at Digby, then back up to the main line and pull into Digby station.

Train #98 from Yarmouth would stop at the station, then pull east and back to the Digby wharf to detrain and entrain passengers and express, mail, baggage etc. Train #98 would then pull out and connect onto the main line and head east.

All power either on daytime trains and overnight passenger #99 and #100 Halifax-Yarmouth, a power change was made at Kentville. The two overnight passenger runs carried sleepers, as I can remember they were the "H" class.

During the fall of 1951 I travelled on train #95 Halifax-Kentville, and on the return back to Halifax on train #98 rode in one of the 6600 class buffet-parlor cars. Both day-trains were fast running passenger trains. On that particular day to Kentville we had 4-6-2 #2551 as far as Kentville.

Newly outshopped from Angus at Montreal was a newcomer 4-6-2 #2516(spotless) and re-equipped with a new modern tender like the modern G-5 light 4-6-2's of 1200 to the low 1230 series locomotives. #2516 was sporting the DAR "Evangeline" logo.

During the War years on a couple of trips Moncton-Saint John to CP facilities--the second Montreal train #42 from Montreal at 1140 would arrive at Union Station powered by 4-8-2 #2900, and on the end of the "Atlantic Limited' Buffet-Parlor car "Fort Francis" the same style arch-roof heavy-weight as the 6600 series on the DAR after the late 1940's. I only observed the "Fort Francis" on the Montreal-Saint John service a few times.

CPR's daylight Montreal-Boston "Alouette" always had one of the same 6600 series heavy-weight buffet-parlor cars, also at times a similiar Boston & Maine same style buffet-parlor would alternate with CP as this train was made up with cars from both CP and B&M.

[ ARTICLES ]