Passenger Service on CP's
Dominion Atlantic Railway
1930-1950s

By Don Scott, Coquitlam, BC

Your question regarding DAR lettered 4-6-2 #2516 and the CN passenger equipment coupled to her. That was in June 1956 photo taken at Kentville, Nova Scotia (DAR headquarters). A matter of fact myself and family had arrived there from Moncton the day prior to this picture being taken.

The special is the former Governor General of Canada "Vincent Massey's special train which I observed arriving Kentville from Halifax the afternoon prior with "Well Groomed" light 4-6-2 #2551 again lettered Dominion Atlantic. The special overnighted at Kentville, and I presume His Excellency and party stayed at Canadian Pacific's former "Cornwallis Inn" just a stones throw from the DAR station. 4-6-2 #2551 backed the special later into the coach yard for overnighting.

From what I can remember, the last two heavy-weights--one being an open platform car--both belonging to the Government of Canada. The special was to continue on to other Annapolis Valley points to Yarmouth.

CP's DAR was noted for its smart paint scheme from the early 1930's up to the outbreak of the Second World War. A good number of the 4-6-0's of 500 series, D-10's of 900 and 1000 series as well as 4-6-2's #2511, #2551 and #2552 had the fronts of their smoke box painted white, a number with tuscan red paint scheme, gold pin stripes on ther cylinder box, and domes, also pin striping around numbers on locomotive cab and tenders.

No doubt many CP followers have old timetables and promotional material of "Crack Boat Trains" operated by the Dominion Atlantic such names as "The Flying Bluenose", and "The New Yorker" that operated during tourist season Halifax-Yarmouth connecting with Eastern Steamship's stately ships plying between Boston-Yarmouth, and I believe New York-Yarmouth, a service cancelled as victim of the Second World War.

CP had other hotels along the DAR route--"Yarmouth Inn" at Yarmouth, N.S., the famous "Digby Pines Hotel" at Digby, N.S. plus the Cornwallis Inn as mentioned at Kentville, N.S. and it was known that CP had interests in the "Lord Nelson Hotel" in Halifax. The CP hotels along the DAR catered to CP/DAR rail passengers--business, pleasure and tourists. The reason CP sold these hotels along the DAR route--red tape and draconian liquor laws.

In the 1950's on DAR's 6600 series buffet-parlor cars, one could purchase beer. These trains on the DAR route to and from Halifax were fast trains. They were well patronized--lots of mail-express pickup and drop-offs, so to make up time with all the traffic, these trains really had to roll especially #95 and #98 as they had the CPR boat connections to make at Digby with the Princess Helene to and from Saint John.

Trains #95 and #98 before the mid-1950s via CPR's Bay of Fundy Service--#95 connected with evening passenger train #39 from Saint John Union Station for Montreal, a 2000 departure, also with "The Gull" 2030 departure for Boston.

Eastbound Montreal-Saint John train #40 (known as the boat train) arrived Saint John Union Station at 0645 and the Princess Helene nearby departed for Digby at 0745 and making connections with DAR eastbound #98 from Yarmouth enroute to Halifax.

From 1955 in the fall--trains #39 and #40 were withdrawn to and from Saint John, only to terminate at Megantic, Quebec. "Atlantic Limited" trains #41 and #42 held down the Montreal-Saint John run, and schedules were changed on CP's Bay of Fundy Service and trains #95 and #98 on the DAR.

"Dayliners" RDC-1's in the fall of 1956 replaced conventional passenger trains on the Yarmouth-Halifax service. During weekends and especially during peak travel periods, Dayliners (RDC-1's) 9058-9059 (lettered Dominion Atlantic) operated together eastbound or westbound, and a conventional passenger train in other direction would operate with one SW1200RS 8100 series--1 headend--two to three heavy-weight coaches of 1300 series.

From 1956 to the 1970 period--Dominion Atlantic doubled their passenger service on Fridays and Sundays on the Halifax-Kentville run, Halifax-Yarmouth-Halifax, and Kentville-Yarmouth-Kentville.

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©1999, Donald Scott, all rights reserved.