Rails Across Canada

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.

Explore Ontario’s rich railway heritage — from stations and hotels to train rides, bridges, water towers, and roundhouses. Rails Across Ontario will take the reader back to a time when the railway ruled the economy and the landscape. Read about historic stations, railway museums, heritage train rides, and historic bridges. Follow old rail lines along Ontario’s most popular rail trails. Find out where steam engines still puff across farm fields and where historic train coaches lead deep into the wilds of Ontario’s scenic north country. Discover long forgotten but once vital railway structures, such as roundhouses, coal docks, and water towers. Learn about regular VIA Rail routes that follow some of the province’s oldest rail lines and pass some of its most historic stations, including one that has operated continuously since 1857.

Rails Across The Rockis an all colour 'then & now 'celebration of the former Newfoundland Railway on the 25th Anniversary of its closing. The reader is taken on a 547 mile photographic journey from Port aux Basques to St. John's with virtually all stops in between. Captured from 1952 to 1988, you can see the last days of steam, ride the Caribou, and watch lengthy freights and little mixed trains, as well as the final run. Those scenes, contributed by some of North America's top railway photographers, capture not only the colour and uniqueness of our narrow gauge line but also the breathtaking beauty of this wonderful island. The images of James A. Brown, Bill Linley, Phil Mason, Robert J. Sandusky, Mike Shufelt, Rich Taylor and others are spread all along the trans island journey. When compared to the same scene as it exists today, the changes are remarkable as both nature and progress reclaim the right of way.

Canada's rail lines were pivotal in establishing the icons that mark today's landscape: massive bridges, sentinel-like grain elevators, pattern-book wayside stations. Odd and unusual place names dot the lines, while countless ghost towns and stories abound like the "ghost train" of St. Louis and the tunnels of Moose Jaw.

This scenic photographic tour offers “an interesting snapshot of Canadian railroading” (Continental Modeller). The origins of Canada’s railways lie largely in the British Empire, and its two major networks, the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific, operate across the whole of the country. In addition to rail operation, the Canadian Pacific has owned and operated a sizable fleet of cargo and passenger ships between Canada and Europe. Canada has also had some smaller operators running services in odd corners of the country, like the Prince Edward Island Railway and the Newfoundland Railway. David Cable has journeyed across Canada, extensively photographing the network of both the large and small operators, often recording scenes in the most obscure locations. This richly illustrated book captures his travels and the impressive trains that connect people and goods all over the country.

Follow the evolution of the rail legacy of the Canadian Prairies from the arrival of the first engine on a barge to today’s realities. Rails Across the Prairies traces the evolution of Canada’s rail network, including the appearance of the first steam engine on the back of a barge. The book looks at the arrival of European settlers before the railway and examines how they coped by using ferry services on the Assiniboine and North Saskatchewan Rivers. The work then follows the building of the railways, the rivalries of their owners, and the unusual irrigation works of Canadian Pacific Railway. The towns were nearly all the creation of the railways from their layout to their often unusual names. Eventually, the rail lines declined, though many are experiencing a limited revival. Learn what the heritage lover can still see of the Prairies’ railway legacy, including existing rail operations and the stories the railways brought with them. Many landmarks lie vacant, including ghost towns and elevators, while many others survive as museums or interpretative sites.

Tom Allen travels with his family and alone, from Halifax to the interior of British Columbia, riding everything from a two-car dayliner held together with duct tape to a luxury rail cruiser through the Rockies that is packed with wealthy tourists. Along the way, he meets honeymooners and abandoned spouses, ordinary folk and deranged passengers, and veteran railwaymen who sustain pride in their work despite the massive cuts to their industry. Allen weaves his own memories of railroad travel with a family narrative past and present, all the while conjuring the drama, the disappointments, and the magic of Canada's railway history. 2001.