Bruce Division

Passenger Service

R.L.Kennedy

#801 leaving Union Station, April 1943. Engineer Sam Fielding. Al Paterson collection

The two Sudbury sections of The Canadian meet at West Toronto, On Time at 1725 after #12 (right) has brought passengers from Vancouver, 3000 miles away! #11 has RS-10's 8477 and 8482.
August 12, 1967. Robert J. Sandusky

8467 at Bala, August 1957. Randy Masales collection

Passenger service on the Bruce Division over the decades ran the gamut from the finest; Trans Canada Limited, The Dominion and The Canadian to the nameless branchline mixed trains.

Public Time Table 1906

The name trains ran between Montreal and Vancouver with a Toronto section that usually combined at Sudbury with the main train. In times of heavy traffic, especially before The Canadian (#11 and #12) was inaugurated in April of 1955, The Dominion (#3 and #4) would run as separate trains. Express and the Royal Mail was so heavy it required a long train (#5 and #6) which followed right behind The Dominion between Toronto/Montreal and Vancouver. It carried only coach passengers out of Toronto (and Montreal) even though it left near midnight, with sleepers only between Fort William and Winnipeg. Additionally, there was a Daily Toronto-Sault Ste. Marie (#27 and #28) and a Toronto-Sudbury (#25 and #26) Daily except Sunday local for many years along with a special "Steam Boat" (#303 and #304) train to connect with the Great Lakes steam ship service and the Bala Weekend (#317 and #318), a special service to the Muskoka resort area.

Steamboat with 1271 meets Budd Car at Emery

During the Great War (World War I) a 3.3 mile branch was built into Camp Borden, site of Canada's largest training ground (21,000 acres, opened July 9, 1916), from a junction point named Ypres, at Mile 52.8 MacTier Sub. This enormous Army Camp was also served the CNR off their Allandale-Collingwood line. The CPR stationed a little D4 class 4-6-0 (439) there in the last years of steam to run shuttles over the Camp Borden Sub. connecting with main line trains as well as handling freight. Following removal of #25 and #26 Toronto-Sudbury, a Toronto to Camp Borden local passenger service was operated starting with the October 27,1957 time table. #309 & #310, operated Daily Except Sunday, using a single RDC-2. (9110). It ended with the change of time table effective April 30,1961. The 3.21 mile long Base Borden Spur, was approved for abandonment November 7, 1990, although most of it remained in place until dismantled in September 1997.

Hamilton Subdivision

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

Hamilton local	NYC run through	TH&B 15 on #772 eastbound at Lorne Park. January 12,1954.
TH&B pool power at John Street	CNE Special	CNE Special

Randy Masales Collection courtesy of Brian D. Switzer

2839 eastbound on the Joint Section with TH&B and NYC equipment. John Biggs

2856 has just arrived at Union Station from Hamilton. 11-10-56 Joseph Testagrose Collection

Hamilton Subdivision trains operated over a Joint Section of Canadian National trackage between Bathurst Street (Mileage 1.1) in Toronto and Hamilton Junction, Mileage 37.3. A straight and almost level stretch of track that permits high speed operation of passenger trains. The CPR in connection with the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo and the New York Central, operated the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Line, a jointly owned and operated through passenger service between Toronto, Hamilton, Welland, Fort Erie and Buffalo, New York. It began with the joint purchase in 1924 six baggage cars, six smoker and ten regular coaches at a cost of $916,019.69. An agreement effective January 1,1935 covered all aspects of operating, servicing, and repairing of equipment including supplying spare cars. This was apportioned Michigan Central 29.73 per cent, TH&B 34.23% and CPR 36.04%. Mileage operated was CPR 40.25 miles (39.06%), TH&B 37.57 miles (36.46%), MC 25.23 miles (24.48%).

There was also an important through service from New York City using mostly NYC equipment including many sleeping cars that were heavily patronized. Trains operated into the Central Terminal in Buffalo, built just before the Great Depression, (opened June 22, 1929) until it was abandoned when Amtrak left in October 1979, after which the new Exchange Street station was used. It remains in use and is the latest in a long line of Exchange Street stations dating back to the 1840's. The previous Exchange Street station was in use from 1952-1965. Trains always stopped at Black Rock in Buffalo for US Customs clearance although the Inspectors travelled to and from Welland on the trains to do their work as it proceeded.

Through service to Buffalo and New York on a day time schedule ended on April 25, 1964.

Night sleeper service between Toronto, Buffalo and New York City ended when decrepid Penn Central equipment was replaced with CPR RDC equipment on a day time schedule between Toronto and Buffalo.
First train was #321 on October 25, 1970 with RDC-4 9251 and RDC-2 9103. This lone train carried on jointly with Penn Central (which had been created Feb.1/1968), Conrail (Apr.1/1976), CP Rail (100% ownership of TH&B, Apr.19/1977) and finally VIA Rail in 1978 until its last run on April 25,1981.

Automobiles, trucks and airplanes all combined to affect train service. Gradually, over the years passenger service declined with mixed (freight and passenger) trains replacing some passenger trains until they too were eliminated. Fewer and fewer through and local trains ran until finally, only The Canadian and a lonely, lightly patronized service to Buffalo, utilizing two RDC's, (mostly to ensure operation of signals), remained to be taken over by VIA Rail Canada in 1978. Note: There was also a single service remaining on the Trenton Division between Toronto and Havelock which was heavily used by commuters.

9021-9023 RDC-3's on the Buffalo train enroute to Toronto (going away from camera).
Four days later, this equipment and most other CP Rail passenger equipment was sold to VIA Rail Canada.