Canadian Railways

Few stories in the annals of railroading are as compelling as the construction, evolution, and astounding successes of the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways. This sprawling volume combines two of Voyageur Press' most successful Railroad Color History titles into one volume taking in the grand scope of both railroads. Author Tom Murray presents fastidiously researched and concisely presented histories of each railroad, along with more than 300 photographs, including rare archival black-and-white images and modern and period color photography sourced from national archives and private collections.

During the first two decades of this century, Sir William Mackenzie was one of Canada’s best known entrepreneurs. He spearheaded some of the largest and most technologically advanced projects undertaken in Canada during his lifetime – building enterprises that became the foundations for such major institutions as Canadian National Railways, Brascan, and the Toronto Transit Commission. He built a business empire that stretched from Montreal to British Columbia and to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil. It included gas, electric, telephone and transit utilities, railroads, hotels, and steamships as well as substantial coal mining, whaling, and timber interests. For a time Mackenzie also owned Canada's largest newspaper, La Presse. He accumulated an enormous personal fortune, but when he died in 1923, his estate was virtually bankrupt as a result of the dramatic collapse of his Canadian Northern Railway during the First World War. In an era when the entrepreneur has come to be seen as a media hero and when struggles about the role of state enterprise in the transportation and energy sectors consume public policy debate, it is ironic that Mackenzie is largely forgotten by all but a few historians and railway aficionados. He left no papers to guide biographers. After a decade of gathering and piecing together fragments from an immense array of sources, Rae Fleming has written the first biography of the man that the German press extolled as the “Railway King of Canada.” Mackenzie was wily, crafty, manipulative, and intimidating. Starting as a general contractor in Eldon Township in rural Ontario, he built a small fortune contracting for the CPR in the Selkirks in the 1880s and then moved on to bigger things. Along the way, he funded the first full-length documentary movie, was toasted by the House of Lords, received a knighthood from George V, and developed close friendships with the major politicians of his day, including Borden and Meighen. In a business biography intended as much for general readers as for a scholarly audience, Fleming offers a revisionist perspective on Mackenzie. He dispels the simplistic approach of those historians and journalists who have depicted Mackenzie and his partner Sir Donald Mann as melodramatic crooks who could have stepped out of the pages of Huckleberry Finn.

Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada is a survey course about one of the most interesting chapters in Canadian railway history. The late Omer Lavallee's original work was published by Railfare Books in 1972, and soon sold out. Long-sought by collectors, historians and railway enthusiasts, his excellent material has now been expanded (over 40 percent) by the author's long-time friend and collaborator, editor Ronald Ritchie. Omer Lavallee's survey indicates the Province of Ontario, Canada, was the birth place - in July 1871 - of the first narrow gauge steam-operated public railway in North America . . . and the Lingan Colliery Tramway in Cape Breton may have been - in 1866 - the first narrow gauge steam-operated railway in the Western Hemisphere. Two dozen different railway systems are covered within the book's twenty-five chapters. There are 192 rare photographs - including a section of 66 full-color photos - interesting sketches, and informative maps of each line to show route details. These are keyed to an overall map, pinpointing the railway's exact location within Canada. Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada contains listings of railway mileage, chronological and geographical facts about each system, and locomotive information. Several other useful features include: time-mileage charts, 50 diagrams, charts and tables, equipment rosters for virtually all the railways, and gradient profiles of three steeply-graded mountain routes. The book includes a specially-commissioned painting by famed railway artist Wentworth Folkins, illustrating Newfoundland Railway's Overland approaching Port-aux-Basque on the last lap of its 547-mile journey from Newfoundland's capital city, St. John's.

This book analyzes the financial and operating record of the Canadian National Railway System in comparison with its private competitor, the Canadian Pacific Railway System. The author offers solutions to the problem posed by the uneconomic competition between the two rail lines.

A riveting, visually engaging collection of vignettes highlighting the rich heritage of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Since its founding in 1881, Canadian Pacific has made an indelible mark on the lives of Canadians. Most commonly associated with its iconic railway, at its height CP also ran hotels, steamships, and an airline, and had myriad involvements in immigration, irrigation, resource development, war contributions, and international trade. It has been said that no other single corporation has shaped Canadian national identity as much as CP. Railway Nation: Tales of the World’s Greatest Travel System is a compilation of more than fifty thrilling and historically significant stories based on colourful anecdotes and archival sources dating back to the company's golden era. From the construction of the ground-breaking Spiral Tunnels on what was previously the most dangerous and accident-prone stretch of railway track in the Rockies, to the CPR-manufactured Valentine tanks that helped the Soviet Union fight off the Nazis in World War II, to the long and frustrating struggle of CP stewardesses fighting against sexist employment policies, this lively and nuanced portrait of an iconic company is illustrated with fascinating archival photography and will be an essential addition to any Canadian history buff's library.

Author Tom Murray provides an unprecedented look at a national icon, from its genesis amid the turmoil surrounding World War I to its acquisition of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and its lease of BC Rail, both in 2003. In addition to exploring Canadian National operations and equipment through depression, war, modernization, and acquisitions, Murray explains how the railway affected and was influenced by the vast and varied regions it served. Marvelous photography from top shooters and Canadian archives, along with period timetables and print ads, illustrate CN's extraordinary geographic reach, diverse operations, and social and economic roles, both as a government entity for 70-plus years and more recently as a privatized industry exemplar.