Canadian Pacific Railway

The Dominion

The Dominion operated as two separate complete trains.
Number 7 ran between Montreat and Vancouver. Number 8 in opposite direction.
Number 3 ran between Toronto and Vancouver. Number 4 in opposite direction.

Headend traffic was handled on a separate un-named train not in the public time table.
Number 5 ran between Toronto and Vancouver. Number 6 in opposite direction.
Trains 9 and 10 operated between Montreal and Sudbury.

Consists

Train consists Ottawa 1965

The Dominion in steam era.

First diesels on The Dominion were GMD demonstrators 7001_7002_7003.

GMD 7001-7002-7003 with dynamometer car on The Dominion.
Schreiber December 1949 Leo Aber

GMD 7001-7002-7003 demonstrators are EMD FP7A and F7B units #11015-17 11/1949,
shown testing with dynamometer car on CPR #3 The Dominion at Marathon, Ont. Dec. 5, 1949.
It was the first time diesels had hauled this train and they attracted plenty of attention!

News clipping Fort William. Photo in Vancouver on later trip.
Later, they demonstrated on CNR until 3/1950 as GMD 9051, 9052, 9053.
Also, demonstrated on the AC&HB Marathon and District Historical Society.

Sold 5/1950 to SOO Line as 500A, 500B, 501B.

GMD 7001 FP7A leads two F7B units 7002 and 7003 on The Dominion arriving three hours late. Two views.
Cascade Subdivision, Vancouver, January 13, 1950 Andy Cassidy Collection

Checking things out!

On the ground beside "LTD". is Andrew (Andy) Howie Cassidy, father of Andy Cassidy who has written railway stories.

Discontinuances

The Dominion was discontinued in January 1966 as approved by the Board of Transport Commissioners for Canada.
This came about when the CPR pressed for approval to reassign the diesels (about 20 units) assigned to this
declining passenger service in order to handle a major increase in grain exports to Russia.

The large amount of mail and express traffic carried on The Dominion had been switched to fast freights 954 out of Montreal and 965 out of Toronto and to The Canadian leaving only a baggage car and four passenger cars as a typical consist.
Prior to this similar reductions were made to Number 5 out of Toronto and Number 7 out of Montreal resulting in their elimination along with No. 6 and No. 8 in opposite direction September 25, 1959.

Last Days

The last No. 4 eastbound from Vancouver departed January 6th. due out 7:30 P.M.
The Board Order was issued January 7th. and that night's train was cancelled!

Final run westbound (to Winnipeg) was later this day (9th.) The last eastbound from Sudbury to Toronto
came two days later on January 11th. as did the last train from Sudbury to Montreal.
No. 4 eng. 8470 with 5 cars departed Ottawa on time at 7:40 A.M.

Number 4 engine 1418 with 8502_8473 with 16 cars. Ottawa Union.
Four photos: Sunday, January 9, 1966 Bruce Chapman

Note: This is No. 2 The Canadian and No. 4 combined and running late.
No. 2 was running more than 12 hours late (7:40 P.M. night before)
and therefore had no time table authority.

No. 4 due to leave 7:40 A.M. departed at 10:05 A.M. with 16 cars.
Lifted 1 car at Ottawa. Conductor arriving booked 91 pays (paying passengers)
48 local passengers and 10 travelling on passes. Normal consist 5 cars.

1418's steam generator safety valve popping off. CN yard engine switching one coach.

Single RDC being held to add to train later that day.
Rideau Canal at left. Parliament Buildings in background.

Here she is just a little east at Hurdman with 16 cars of both trains.

A Look Back at The Dominion over the diesel years.

No.8 engine 1431 (and 1904) arriving Ottawa. Consist includes a Skyline dome car and a Budd baggage-dormitory.
1955 W.C.Whittaker/Kevin Day Collection

View from Dome car travelling on The Diminion through majestic Northern Ontario in 1965.

No.7 eng 1410-1431 with lots of headend traffic. Brandon June 10, 1963. Walt Dunlap

Christmas is fast approaching and travellers are heading east on No. 8 The Dominion led by 4036 stopped at
Revelstoke (due 10.05 A.M.) on Saturday December 23, 1961 having left Vancouver 8:00 P.M. the night before.
Joseph Testagrose Collection

1401 leads No.8 The Dominion eastbound at Portage La Prairie, Manitoba Circa late 1950's.
Bruce Chapman Collection

No.8 Eng.1402 The Dominion eastbound due through Glacier at Noon on Sunday April 14, 1963. Peter Cox

Hooping up orders to No. 8 eng. 4033 at Banff.

1405 leads eastbound passenger train at Banff, AB December 25,1960 Ron Visockis
Note: This is likely #7 The Dominion.

FP7A 1420 (ex 4062) leads No.8 The Dominion at Montreal West coming and going (below) 6/21/1959 Bob Krone

Tweedsmuir Park brings up the rear.

The Dominion No.8 with its regular mixed consist of standard and stainless steel equipment. Lake Louise August 1961

1402_1408 The Dominion at Westmount on a winter day. February 16, 1965

No.6 engine 8564-8679 (RS-10 GP9) crossing Stoney Creek eastbound. 1958 Nicholas Morant
Consist: 3 express reefers, express ventilator, 4 baggage-express, RPO mail, coach, buffet-parlor.

No. 8 The Dominion led by a 1400 and 1900 covered wagons and GP9 next to Kicking Horse river.
March 27, 1964. Note four pigs on head end!

E-8 1800 No.10 Sudbury-Montreal local train connecting at Sudbury with Vancouver-Toronto No. 6.
Ottawa Union Station Saturday, August 1958. Ian Taylor