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Old Time Trains


Canadian Pacific Railway

Trenton Division

Passenger Service

R.L.Kennedy

First 22 eng. 2810 just leaving Union Station eastbound for Montreal. 1937
Note the experimental inboard smoke deflectors.
Wentworth D. Folkins artist. Collection of R.L.Kennedy.

No. 22 eng. 3100 meeting First 21 eng. 3101 Tichborne, ON David A. Oram

First 22 engine 3100 eastbound to Montreal. Leaside 7/17/1952
Alvin H. Brown/James A. Brown Collection

Not just another Twenty Four Hundred, but the 2400 itself! No. 35 westbound at Tweed circa 1945.
Donald M. Wilson/James A. Brown Collection

Two year old G3g 2400 on No.36 eastbound at Tweed September 1, 1944 CLC 2004 9/1942
Donald M. Wilson/James A. Brown Collection

No. 36 engine 2212. Only G1 class engine with Worthington Feedwater Heater. Tweed c.1945
Looks like the fireman is checking the water level in tank.
Don M. Wilson/James A. Brown Collection

No.36 eastbound from Toronto to Montreal. Due at Bonarlaw 12.43 P.M. Daily ex. Sunday
Looks like employee carrying mail bag back to station.
Note the old style lower quadrant train order boards set at clear indicating no orders.
April 4, 1958 Robert J. Sandusky

CNR Bonarlaw

Passenger Extra 2391 East with lots of head end traffic at Smiths Falls 1953. J. Morris

G1g 2233 (CPR 6/1914) The latest passenger power westbound at Smiths Falls c.1914 Paterson-George Collection
Note the CPR constable beside tender. Wood platform.
Note: This might well be the newly inaugurated Montreal-Chicago train The Canadian.

Two scenes nearly 40 years later! Here we see No. 36 eng. 1252 has arrived from Toronto via Havelock enroute to
Montreal while to the right No. 562 from Brockville to Ottawa sitting on the next track exchange passengers.
Smiths Falls 1952 Paterson-George Collection

CPR constable still on hand protecting the travelling public.
After train time he would typically patrol the yard checking seals on box cars.
Note the yard diesel in background.

N2 3735 assisting a G1 or G2 on No.36 eastbound out of Union Station. August 29, 1948 Bruce Chapman Collection

2816 taking water at Tweed on Christmas Eve day, December 24, 1945 World War II has finally ended.
Ken Baines/Ken MacDonald/Joseph Testagrose Collection

No.23 engine 2460 dropping down Wexford (between Agincourt and Leaside) westbound at Pharmacy Ave.
October 6/1956 Bill Carruthers/L.B.Chapman collection.

Canadian Pacific in Southern Ontario by W.H.N.Rossiter


1231 No.35

2333 Psgr Extra

2901 John Street

3100 John Street

Power Distribution 1956

 

Public Time Table 1906

Public Time Table Cover 1925 In this time table there were five daily trains (one via Havelock) between Montreal and Toronto with two of them running through to Chicago. There were also two trains between Ottawa and Toronto, onre via Havelock and one via Trenton. There was also a daily except Sunday Tweed-Toronto train via Havelock.

5.00 a.m. Report 1953 shows status of passenger trains operating, delays etc.

Passenger Train Line Up 1957 shows details of outbound passenger trains. (Issued by Transportation Dept.) Trenton Division trains are: 602 Havelock, 34 Ottawa via Havelock, 24 Ottawa via Trenton (still steam) and 22 Montreal. Note that
22 is running in Sections, with the first section originating in Toronto. Page 2 gives details of groups and special moves.
ACA = accommodation, DH = dead head.

The Trenton Division has always been important to the CPR forming as it did a crucial link between Montreal and Toronto as well as major destinations beyond, including St.John, New Brunswick, Windsor/Detroit and Chicago.

The original O&Q mainline had two daily passenger trains between Montreal and Detroit, as well as a daily except Sunday Perth-Smith Falls, and a daily exc. Sunday Tweed-Toronto passenger service. Two daily exc. Sunday Bobcaygeon-Burketon Jct. passenger trains and a daily exc. Sunday Mixed train between West Toronto and Lindsay.

Service in later years on branchlines is described under the various original railway names, (see above). While the Mixed train service between Port Mc.Nicoll and Orillia that was said to be in neither the public nor the employee timetable, was unusual, an even more unusual passenger service was operated by Canadian Pacific Express! As part of a regular express route, passengers were only carried between Ivanhoe (9 miles west of Tweed) and Madoc. It was possibly the only such service in southern Ontario, but such service was operated elsewhere, including on Western Lines. The vehicle used is unknown and may have simply been a regular truck and therefore only likely able to carry one or two passengers at a time! Rail tickets were honoured!

Derek Boles Collection

1915 advertisement. The new Lake Ontario Shore line was opened June 29, 1914.

Public time table 11/01/1914

 

 

 

 

The new Lake Shore line beginning June 29,1914 featured one daily sleeper train 37 and 38 between Montreal and Toronto via Trenton. A new Limited service began May 31, 1914 over the old line Number 19 and Number 22 The Canadian between Montreal-Toronto-Detroit via the Michigan Central tunnel to Chicago. It was rerouted via the Lake Shore Line December 13, 1914. Number 21 the Chicago Express and No. 22 the Overseas via Trenton later became the premier train service. Following creation of the CNR it became a racetrack to compete and show off what each company had to offer the travelling public. So important was it that the CPR built two steam locomotives, of a new type and design just for this run!
K1 class 4-8-4's 3100 and 3101
built in August and October 1928, respectively, they were impressive looking engines designed to haul increasingly heavier trains on this important route. Montreal and Toronto are the main business centres of Quebec and Ontario, while Montreal was also the System Headquarters of both railways. The best time was 7 hours and 40 minutes for the approximately 335-mile run. Schedules became faster and faster between the two railways until they were reduced on the CPR to 6 hours and 15 minutes! On the Winchester Sub, east of Smiths Falls, the 124 miles to Montreal West was covered in 108 minutes by No. 38 the Royal York for a start to stop average of 68.9 mph! During the summer of 1931
this was the world's faster scheduled train. This may have surprised the CNR, but it positively alarmed the famed Great Western Railway in England, whose Cheltenham Flyer had held the record on the much shorter (77.3 miles) Swindon-London (Paddington) run at 66.3 mph. Effective September 14,1931 the GWR had instructed its drivers to open the regulator a little more and make the run in 67 minutes for an average of 69.2 mph! The British reclaimed the world record as befitted a nation renown for its high speed steam locomotives.

During World War II, a second night train (23 & 24) was added to the Lake Shore line in the form of an Ottawa-Toronto service operating daily except Sunday, first appearing in the timetable effective June 27,1943. The last run of No. 23 8744-8563 from Ottawa was made on Labour Day, September 1,1958. This train was hauled by steam almost until its end, with
G3 class 2399 being the last regular engine used returning on No. 23 on Saturday June 28,1958. It remained at John Street
as a protect engine for a short while before being transferred to freight service at Lambton.

The old O&Q mainline retained a daily except Sunday Montreal-Toronto day train as well as daily except Sunday Ottawa-Toronto night sleeper train and Peterboro-Toronto trains.

The first major change came in 1954 with dieselization of the premier trains 21 and 22. K1 class 3100 arrived in Toronto on March 11, 1954 and that evening 22 left with GMD diesels hauling it. 3100 was stored at John Street for some months as was 3101 at the Glen. Once the diesels had proven themselves reliable the two engines were reassigned to the Atlantic Limited.

Heavy traffic often required No. 22 to operate in Sections from Toronto with a Second 22 being fairly common. This resulted
in the use of steam on many occasions when diesels were not available for several years. Train register book 1956.


G1 2200 with equipment laying overnight on freight-only spur off main line.
It will move to the station to become train No. 601 due to depart 7:10 A.M. Exc. Sun. for Toronto.
Hidden behind is the two stall enginehouse visible in this aerial view. Peterborough Museum & Archives
Peterboro. 1939. Harry R. Wales/Bud Laws Collection
Note: The Quaker Oats Company buildings in the background.

Same train, different consist (first coach is wood), different day. Returning to Toronto at unknown station.
While 2200 has a vestibule cab in this photo it still has older style headlight and slanted number boards. It will get a new Pyle-National headlight and flat illuminated number board. Later it will receive a new, larger tender and much later, a stoker!

 

 

 

F1 class 4-4-4 type Jubilee 2925 hauling No.601 April 24, 1956, westbound over the CNR diamond just west of
Peterboro station. What a consist! Three era's of equipment; wooden (Steel Under Frame), modern lightweight steel
and old heavyweight steel. Ray Corley

NOTE: 2925 blew up on a Peterboro-bound passenger train years before, killing its engineer and fireman.
Shown at unknown location and date in Toronto. Bud Laws Collection

Note: 2928 also worked this train. Millbrook House.

These two photos appear to show First and Second 21 arriving from Montreal due at Leaside 7.08 A.M. October 1954.
1404-1408 and lots of headend traffic. (Note the newly installed ice breakers on roof of trailing unit to protect domes on the coming new stainless steel train The Canadian).

1409-1906 two more new units for The Canadian due to begin the following April.
Two photographs: Toronto Public Library/James V. Salmon Collection

Assignment of 1400-1900's

Alco PA-1's might have been used instead to power Montreal-Toronto passenger trains:
See: Alternate diesel roster

Westbound No. 35 eng 14xx arriving at Sharbot Lake (Mile 21.4 Havelock Subdivision) semaphore 216A at red.
Circa 1955 Courtesy Mc Janet family.

1410_19xx leading what appers to be No. 36 eastbound. Time Table at Havelock is 12.15 PM - 12.25 PM.
Daily except Sunday service included Parlor car with Dining service.
Note: No.35 westbound was due 4.20 PM - 4.30 PM.
Note too the icicle breakers mounted on the roof to protect
dome car windows inside tunnels in Northern Ontario.

This was just four days after the start of The Canadian across Canada on Sunday, April 24, 1955.
This power cycled on/off other trains to get maximum utilization of the diesels.
A new more complicated rotation was in effect from the old one linked above.

Number 36 with 8460 (RS-3) and 8580 (1 year old RS-10s), eastbound crossing the
Otonabee River swing bridge in Peterboro, May 29,1957. Ray Corley

8466 (RS-10) Number 35 westbound at Peterboro, making the last run of this
train between Montreal and Toronto. Saturday, April 23, 1960. Ray Corley

Montreal-Havelock-Toronto trains 35 and 36 made their last runs on Saturday, April 23, 1960. No. 36 had 1414 (FP9A), two head-end cars and two coaches. No. 35 had 8466 (RS-10), two head-end cars, two coaches and two deadhead RDC's 9049 (ex DSS&A 500 RDC-1) and 9194 (RDC-2). The Budd Cars were for a new Toronto-Peterboro service and were first used on the second day of this service, Monday, April 25th. Interestingly, this resulted in the turntable at Peterboro being put back into service, unused since dieselization. This was done to keep the baggage compartment of the RDC-2 in the lead.


9050-9051 at Peterboro on May 20, 1955. Ray Corley

Effective September 26,1954 a new high-speed Toronto-Peterboro Dayliner service began using a single RDC, it cut about 45 minutes off existing schedules covering the 77 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes, stopping only at Leaside and Agincourt. Early in 1957 the Peterboro-Toronto service was extended to the division point at Havelock and also became a Dayliner service. In fact, the fast mid-day Toronto-Peterboro short turn utilized an RDC off this two-car train, returning in time for the evening run back to Havelock. This mid-day train was gone by the October 1969 timetable. The one roundtrip remained operating daily, with the weekend schedule altered for the convenience of passengers.

The success of the RDC Budd Cars was responsible for retaining passenger train service for many years on main and branchlines due to their modern air-conditioned stainless steel construction, rapid acceleration being self-propelled and crew reduction. Because of their high cost and the nature of passenger service there was no spare cars. Additional ridership on weekends was handled by reassigning Car from some trains to other trains and replacing certain consists with what was designated as "conventional" trains. In other words locomotive hauled cars sometimes mixed with RDC's on idle. The most recognized example of this latter mixed consist was Toronto-London-Windsor.

Here we see a conventional train No. 386 eng 8473 due depart from Toronto Union 9.40 A.M. Sunday Only.
Four 2100 ice air- conditioned lightweight coaches make up the consist. The car next to the engine should be unoccupied serving as a buffer as required by government regulations. Sunday 5/16/1965 James A. Brown

9049 (ex DSSA 500 acq. 5/1958)-90xx eastbound to Havelock arriving at Agincourt before Toronto Yard opened.
Station is to left, small structure to right was once a shelter on north platform.
Note commuters autos. May 25, 1962 Collection of Gord Billinghurst

Looking in the other direction, same 9049 in newer end paint style, service is now down to a single car at newer shelter. Station at right. 7400's working on a hump lead. May 24, 1967. Collection of Gord Billinghurst

9050 eastbound at the Don station. W.H.Coo Collection.

9063 southbound at the Don circa 1965. Jack Dyer/John Mellow Collection


Pool Trains

Seaview, one of four View series 5 Double Bedroom Lounge cars acquired in January 1959 from the New York Central where this car was the Babbling Brook in their Brook series. Two cars each worked Pool Trains 21 and 22 between Montreal and Toronto and Pool Trains 33 and 34 between Ottawa and Toronto. Initially, the Montreal cars operated through to Hamilton with two other sleepers on No. 321, returning on No. 328. Built by Budd in 1949, which company later built The Canadian equipment. All were sold in 1969, this car and another went to the Quebec Cartier Mining Company and one Singing Brook to the Algoma Central as their Canyon View. Shown here in John Street Coach Yard in Toronto, October 1965 David Hale

Note: Singing Brook was a spare car for the 20th Century Limited's Hickory Creek and Sandy Creek.
The large observation windows were unique to these three cars. Babbling Brook (Seaview above) had standard size.


Consist Pool 21 Montreal-Toronto January 11, 1960


Quebec District
Montreal Terminals Division

Night trains from Toronto.

Number 22 engines 1405-19xx arriving at Windsor Station in Montreal from Toronto. Sun. 7/04/1954. John Dziobko
Just four months old 1405 was the first GMD FP9A built (A589 2/28/1954) of an order of 11 A and 8 B units.

Note man wearing a red cap is a "Red Cap". Employee who assists passengers by carrying their carry on
luggage to their seat as well as from train to station. Tipping was accepted as being obligatory.

Photo courtesy of John Cowan and red cap part of his vast railroadiana collection.

1/22 eng. 1411 with 1414 trailing at Montreal West. July 1954 CPR/Steve Morris Collection.

Pair of FP7A units 1413 leads First 22 from Toronto at Montreal West 6/23/1959 Bob Krone
Note green classification flags and the tunnel icicle breakers on the roofs.


Pool trains, brought in to being during the depression to cut costs, were a way of sharing the much-reduced passenger carryings (55-65% less) yet still provide the choice of travel times. It all began April 2,1933, at which time the break-neck speeds were eased from 6 hours on the CNR and 6 hours 15 minutes on the CPR, to 6 hours 30 minutes on both for the Montreal-Toronto service. Pooled services also included Ottawa-Toronto trains. Most, but not all trains were Pool trains. Assigned to the Ottawa Pool trains were the only two 4-8-2 2900's (The only two 4-8-4's were assigned to Montreal-Toronto service.) While this was a complicated system of shared equipment and locomotives, with some CN cars on CPR trains and vice-versa, and CN locomotives serviced at the CPR roundhouse, for the passenger it was simple. A ticket bought from either railway could be used on any pool train.

World War II brought traffic back to far above pre-Depression levels, the railways left the pool arrangement in place, perhaps to avoid a return to the "race" mentality.

Termination of the Pool Agreement became effective with new Fall time table 12.01 Sunday, October 31,1965.
Last runs 21 & 22 Montreal-Toronto no information on consists.
No. 34 Toronto-Ottawa engine 8567 arrived (as Psgr Extra 8567 North) Ottawa 0745 (30 minutes late) October 31st. with 9 cars, 55 through passengers, 29 locals. Note: Time Table had expired at midnight requiring a "run extra" train order.
8572 was on No. 263 from Ottawa to Brockville for his last run with 7 cars, returning on No. 264 at 2120 with 6 cars, 60 through passengers and 13 locals.
No. 33 Ottawa-Toronto that night had 8572 with 7 cars, out at 2200; he probably made it to Smiths Falls (due 2320) before becoming a passenger extra.
L B Chapman

A wave from the engineer of 9049-902x No. 34 bound for Ottawa.
John Freyseng/John Mellow Collection

These 2 RDC’s on #34 from Toronto via Havelock, upon arrival at Ottawa Union, would later in the afternoon be used on #261 from Ottawa to Smiths Falls via Carleton Place, passenger extra to Brockville, back to Smiths Falls, #262 to Ottawa Union, sit overnight and leave on #33 in the morning back to Toronto via Bedell and Havelock. This train only ran for less than three months, after the end of October 1965 to January 1966.


At this time the CPR introduced new trains between Montreal-Toronto and Ottawa-Toronto, using the old train numbers. The latter trains were RDC equipped day runs via Havelock leaving each terminal at 9.00 a.m. The Lake Shore service via Trenton featured equipment once used on The Canadian, including Skyline dome cars and Park observation dome cars. Departing 5.00 p.m. from each terminal, they were deluxe name trains; Royal York to Toronto and Le Chateau Champlain to Montreal, where CP had hotels by the same name. Their reign was short, embarrassingly so. The high-priced deluxe service didn't catch on fast enough and the trains were gone in a matter of months! Sunday, January 23,1966 saw the end of Montreal-Toronto trains 21 & 22 and Ottawa-Toronto trains 33 & 34. On that day No. 21 operated with engines 8579 and 8471, and 9 cars. No. 22 had 1412 and 1903, 9 cars. No. 33 had RDC's 9020-9060 and #34 had 9072-9021 conductor R.J.Wing, engineer Gerry Greenham, after being delayed 23 minutes meeting 33 (scheduled at Kaladar) and running 80 mph in a very severe snow storm arrived in Ottawa at 2.23 pm only 8 minutes late with 43 revenue passengers and one pass (LBC). The end.

Number 33 engine 9020 an RDC-3 passes Agincourt flag stop 2:12 p.m. 3/16/1966 Doug Hately


Note: Following the end of the Pool Trains service continued between Toronto and Peterboro six days a week instead of seven. With the new time table effective April 24, 1966 new numbers 380 and 383 were added along with 382 and 385 likely using the same consist. Toronto-Havelock 381 and 384 also ran.

In this 1964 scene, 1416 leads an RS-10 on No.21 arriving in Toronto from Montreal with two unique headend cars.
An RDC-4 handling Windsor express and side-loading container flatcar (with only two of four containers)
carrying London area express, followed by ordinary headend cars and other equipment. Charles W.R.Bowman

A unique but brief experiment with intermodal containerization involved trains 21 and 22 whereby some express was handled in containers and trucked by CP Express for part of the way. To handle these containers on passenger trains a few old passenger cars were converted to flat cars still equipped with such features as steam heat and communicating air lines to allow them to operate with other headend cars. Express was picked up by two tractor trailer trucks in the London-Galt-Kitchener area and driven to John Street Coach Yard where a simple loading pad was built. Two each of these containers (four in total) were quickly side-transferred from road to rail.

Around the same time another unique arrangement for express involved the use of RDC-4's. Effective with the April 26,1964 public timetable trains 21 and 22 between Toronto and Detroit were changed from conventional locomotive-hauled trains to self-propelled RDC Dayliners 339 and 340 and utilized an RDC-4 (no passengers) for express from Windsor to Montreal, in addition to RDC-1's for passengers. At Toronto the self-propelled RDC-4 was added next to the locomotives of the conventional style train and became an ordinary (not self-propelled) express car. Another RDC-4 worked in the opposite direction. This unique operation did not last for long. RDC-4 9250 at east end of Union Station, Toronto, August 1964. RDC-4 in conventional train.


VIA Rail



VIA 6109 on eastbound No. 189 on a 1981 Sunday in Peterboro. David Onadera/JBC Visuals.

VIA Rail took over CPR passenger trains effective September 28,1978. In November 1981 the Federal Government instituted a major (19%) cut in passenger trains operated by CN and CP. It gave a few runs (ones largely commuter dependent), a one-year reprieve, which resulted in the last run of the Havelock RDC run on Labour Day week-end September 1982, with VIA 6135-6215 shown at Peterboro. VIA's mandate was for inter-city service, not commuter. This train had been a popular service for daily commuters from Peterboro and points west thereof. Two RDC's were required to handle the load from Claremont and west with about 200 passengers in total, daily. In spite of a fierce campaign by commuters they were not successful in saving it, nor were they able to get it reinstated after further efforts. Eventually, with the changing political winds from Ottawa, a re-instatement of the Havelock RDC began June 3, 1985 and commuter and week-end service continued until new VIA cuts saw the last runs again on January 14, 1990 with No. 190 a single RDC, VIA 6120. During this time the RDC's were serviced and CPR crews based at VIA's Toronto Maintenance Centre in Mimico. From time to time over the years there has been talk of it returning, but to-date (July 2002), it has not happened. July 2013, nothing yet!

Night approaches as Sunday Only No. 189 with 3 RDC1's arrives at Peterboro enroute to Toronto
March 1981 Bruce May


RDC's did not operate in passenger service on the Trenton Sub.

GO trains did not operate on the Trenton Sub. but, GO units often did.

VIA passenger trains did not operate on the Trenton Sub. but VIA units did.


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