The 1939 Royal Tour - Part 5 - Winnipeg to Victoria

Briskly, briskly we make our way across the broad prairies and travel into the foreboding mountain ranges, as the Royal Tour of 1939 completes its travel on the CPR system at Victoria, British Columbia. The following pages come from a presentation style book prepared by the railways for participants and the press. Earlier sections of this series can be found under the heading 'Royal Train of 1939' by pressing the "Railway Technology & Systems 04" index button above.

As usual, the standard railway maps are repeated and enlarged to better show detail.

The account begins before Winnipeg and at the end of this post, the first page of the return trip on the CNR is previewed.


As this is posted in early 2020, First Nations blockades of Canadian railways are in the news. Aspects of Canadian history as it was interpreted 80 years ago contrast with our greater historical literacy today.

This post contains fewer anecdotes from the trip, however one story gives us a perspective on life on the Prairies as it relates this event. Cast your mind back to early automobile or horse-powered transportation on Prairie dirt roads at the end of the Great Depression ...

After travelling for hours and hours some well-wishers would finally find themselves trackside along the CPR. After the tracks were unusually quiet for a while, the pilot train carrying the press and some officials would pass. Half an hour later, a headlight would appear down the tracks and excitement would build as the presence of the speeding Royal Train established itself. In seconds, the locomotive and cars roared and flashed by the small crowd. The King, Queen, Prime Minister, any recognizable politician or official ... none could be seen through the windows or on the rear platform of the train. The train quickly faded into the distance and everyone quietly began their long, long journey home.

I have always been interested in the following enterprise.
Finally, here are the photos which go with its mention on Page 75.

from: Commercial Canada; Ed: Fred Cook; circa 1913; Redman Book Co.

Commercial Canada; Ed: Fred Cook; circa 1913; Redman Book Co.

The plant was closed in 1957 and destroyed by fire in 1962.
However, here is the best 'current' Google view of the one surviving kiln in 2012.

Unused postcard, Calgary circa 1940.

Canadian Geographic Journal; July 1939.

Even though their day at the Banff Springs Hotel was supposed to be a well-earned day of rest,
the King and Queen still had to pose for photos, including some with Prime Minister Mackenzie King.

Apparently, the CPR 2850 deadheaded Banff to Calgary for
pre-planned shopping during this day or so that the consist didn't move.

An unused postcard circa 1920.

The CPR's odd assortment of tourist accommodations at Lake Louise can be seen.

Canadian Geographic Journal; July 1939.

The King and Queen tramp up the ballast and receive a floral presentation at Beavermouth.

Canadian Geographic Journal; July 1939.

Canadian Geographic Journal; July 1939.

Having hauled herself up into the cab, the Queen always conveys the idea
that you are making this the best day of her life.
It looks as if the King is behind her.

The royal couple rode in the cab of the Selkirk
up the helper grade from Beavermouth to Stoney Creek.

An unused postcard circa 1925.

The map is repeated above for your convenience and pleasure.

Canada - Descriptive Atlas; circa 1933; Minister of Immigration and Colonization.

The ornate map above can supplement some of the descriptive text.

Unused postcard.

Construction started on the Lion's Gate bridge in 1937 and it cannot be seen on this hand-coloured postcard.

Imperial Royal Canadian World Atlas; 1935; Geographical Publishing Co, Chicago.

Some 'ad wizard' must have come up with the name for that US-published atlas (image above).

CPR Rules and Wages: Telegraphers, Agents and Dispatchers, 1920 - Part 2

Here are the locations of, and the wages paid in 1920, to telegraphers and related occupations on the Canadian Pacific Railway's Western Lines. 

By considering the occupations assigned to work at a particular location ... you can imagine the type of work, the workload, and the importance of the train operations based there ... or the value of the CPR business (passenger or freight) generated there. 

It may also be possible to judge workload/responsibility by comparing the wages for a given occupation at various locations. 

... A solitary resident (business) Agent (also working as a telegraph Operator) at a quiet prairie branchline station would have different remuneration from a Third Operator working at a busy terminal or in a train dispatching office. 

... An Agent where high-value mine-product freight traffic originated would be paid differently from one working in an agricultural region where workload peaked during the fall harvest. 

... Then consider the reputational value to the CPR ... of the work done by the Agent at premier CPR resort locations at which customers' private (passenger) cars might be spotted!

*  *  *

Illustrations have been added to break up this solid block of data. In every case, the photographs were taken closer to 1900 than to 1920.

The rules from this booklet, Pages 1-20, were previously posted.

You can see them here.

Considering inflation:

$150 in 1920 is approximately equivalent to $1700 in 2017
$250 in 1920 is approximately equivalent to $2850 in 2017


Considering income taxes:

After the Great War, the basic exemption for a single person was $1500.
And 4% income tax was payable on the balance of our workers' incomes.

These income taxes were introduced to pay for the debt accumulated
through Canada's participation in the War.

*  *  *

Thinking of this era in Canadian financial history:

Breadwinners paid out of pocket for their family's health care - there wasn't much to buy.
Widespread building and maintenance of hard-surface intercity roads had not begun.

... so, relatively speaking, governments only did a few basic things like ...

Spending money on basic public health programs, eg. quarantining people.
Paying steel companies (aka 'bounty hunters') to make steel in Canada.
Obtaining revenue from all sorts of import duties on goods, esp. those made of steel.

The list above is not all-inclusive!
... but you can imagine it was 'a very different time'.


*  *  *

The Aristocrats of Labour

.. is the term often used to describe the well-paid work of
(white, male) unionized railway employees back then.

Unused, undated postcard.

Not Aristocrats

The grain harvesting procedures of the era required a massive infusion of labour from the east.
Railways operated special harvest excursion trains - bringing in both experienced farm hands and other general labour.
The worker-applicant bought or received a discounted round-trip ticket.
Wages would be paid at the end of the harvest.

*  *  *

Anecdotally, regarding the railways' harvest excursions of the late 1920s and early 1930s ...
My father-in-law said that they provided harvesters from the east with new clothes,
and their old clothes were surrendered to be burned.

( ... to reduce the spread of parasites in the harvesters' accommodations, cf 'public health programs'.)

Those who retrieved their old clothes were immediately sent back east.

...

Furthermore, the harvest excursion trains stopped at every small place there was a house.

If a place had two houses - they stopped twice.

... He was quite a joker.

Unused, undated postcard.

from: Snow War, An illustrated history of Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, BC; John G Woods; 1983; National and Provincial Parks Association of Canada.

The old-style main track switchstands and train order signal are nicely shown in this photo.

Rogers Pass was no longer in use when this booklet was printed - it was bypassed by the Connaught Tunnel in December 1916.

Above:  The first Rogers Pass station was located about 2 miles northeast of the pass summit from 1886 until 1899. This view is from the summer of 1898. Seven months later an avalanche destroyed the station and killed seven people including the night operator, a wiper, a cook, and the day operator and his family. This dangerous location was abandoned and the station was built closer to the summit.

from: The Great Glacier and Its House; William Lowell Putnam; 1982; American Alpine Club.

The Beavermouth, British Columbia station was photographed in 1908.
Notice the kerosene platform light.

This postcard was mailed to England. The postmark date is not legible.

There is a notation at the right edge of this postcard.