Former Canadian Pacific Railway
Passenger Services to Montreal
Via State of Maine-Saint John-Halifax

Part II

By Don Scott, Coquitlam, BC

Remarks: Symbol * Denotes CPR Steam In
Tuscan Red-Grey-Black-Gold Paint Scheme.

Speaking of steam power assigned to Montreal-Saint John passenger service; during the 1940's up until the mid-1950's on at Windsor Station at Montreal could always observe train # 41 "Atlantic Limited" arriving at 0655 being a double-header with a light 4-6-2 usually the 2600 or a G-2 Class light 4-6-2 of the 2200 series and behind her a heavy semi-streamlined 4-6-2 of *2390 series or the *2402. Anther locomotive back in 1943 one could observe was semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2 2414 on eastbound train #40 for Saint John; this locomotive only as far as Megantic, Quebec. 2414 observed that year just in "Black & Gold scheme" not quite a year old at that time.

Through my home town of Moncton, N.B. off-line to CP being a CNR rail centre-CPR had the majority of all the eastbound troop trains-reason; the CN line along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and New Brunswick being subject to Enemy U-Boats, so the CPR main-line was the chosen route through the State of Maine. CPR troop trains eastbound ran steady 24 hours around the clock, after coming into Saint John on CP with CN locomotives and train crews taking over to Moncton & Halifax. Canadian Pacific liners were busy as troop ships in and out of Halifax, Trans-Atlantic liners like the CP flagship the 42,500 ton "Empress of Britain" (2nd) only to be lost by enemy action in 1940 off the Irish Coast, the 23,000 ton "Empress of Australia", the four "Duchess" liners-"Duchess of Atholl", "Duchess of Bedford", "Duchess of Richmond", and "Duchess of York" the odd CP "Mont" class liner. Trans-Pacific "Empresses" at times were trooping on the Atlantic in and out of Halifax, the Trans-Pacific Record holder 26,500 to "Empress of Scotland"(2nd) renamed from "Empress of Japan"(2nd), "Empress of Asia", "Empress of Russia", "Empress of Canada" 24,000 tons(1st). These CP liners travelled the World during the war. CP was still operating a limited Trans-Atlantic service out of Saint John, N.B. with the odd "Duchess" liner until about 1941.

The CPR troop trains through Moncton especially the sleeping cars and dining cars looked as if they were newly outshopped from Angus in Montreal-CP even during the War years their power especially passenger was kept spotless as well as their passenger equipment-CPR took pride in their passenger trains.

When Cunard Line's Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth left Halifax for Southampton, England they carried 15,000 troops-meaning it took 27 troop trains. This also applied returning the Military at Wars end-again lots of CPR trains.

During 1944-1945 CPR retired their two 4-8-2's 2900 and 2901 (built 1914 by the railway) the first 4-8-2's in Canada. On the Saint John-Montreal trains 39, 40, 41, 42 all trains westbound out of Saint John to McAdam, N.B. were double-headed with two light 4-6-2's of 2500 and 2600 series-and out of Union Station with the assist "Pusher" up the grades to Fairville(now Lancaster)station. Pushers at that time usually 2-8-0's of 3400 and 3500's-later heavier 2-8-0's of 3600 or 3700 series.

By 1945 the semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2's of 2300 and 2400's commenced running McAdam-Saint John on the Montreal-Saint John passenger trains being *2394, *2395, *2396, *2397, *2402, as well as brand new semi-streamlined 2400's; 2453, 2455, 2457, 2459 and 2461., the last six were on black & gold paint scheme, with stainless-steel boiler jackets, cylinder jackets, and firebox jacket, these six locomotives had "Wartime" Aluminum bells. The above motive power would be run-through Montreal-McAdam, N.B. with a power change. Westbound the same-runthrough power McAdam-Montreal. All thes locomotives had the 8-wheel tender, and later received a higher-capacity 12-wheel tender.

Trains #39 and #40 were known as "The Boat Trains" as they connected with CPR's "Bay of Fundy Service" the Saint John-Digby, Nova Scotia service and Dominion Atlantic east/West Halifax-Yarmouth passenger trains #95 and #98.

After the war years, CPR was bringing out rebuilt modernized sleeping cars, dining cars, buffet-parlor-sleepers, parlor cars, as well as their new streamlined light-weight 2200 series "Deluxe" day-coaches, their new streamlined light-weight "Grove" series roomette sleepers, and not forgetting more new light-weight head-end cars. During the war years CPR were already operating new streamlined light-weight express, baggage cars on the Montreal-Saint John passenger service.

During 1947 Canadian Pacific Steamships re-instated Trans-Atlantic passenger service from Liverpool, England to Quebec and Montreal with West St. John being the Winter turnaround-First ship to re-enter service was the 20,000 ton "Empress of Canada" (2nd) renamed from the Duchess of Richmond, the "Empress of France" (2nd) renamed from the Duchess of Bedford entered service in 1948. I was at West St. John the evening the "Empress of Canada" (2nd) arrived from Liverpool via Halifax. Saint John lost their immigration terminal during the war at West St. John. CPR operated CPS "Boat Trains" over CNR from Halifax to Saint John, then CPR to Montreal and other points west of Montreal. The eastbound CP Boat Trains terminated at West St. John with passengers for the "Empress".

(Note: Semi-streamlined heavy 4-6-2's 2453, 2455, 2457, 2459 and 2461 later received the Tuscan Red-Grey-Black-Gold paint scheme, plus their War time bells replaced with the CPR standard "Brass Bell".)

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©2000, Donald Scott, all rights reserved.