CPR 1982 Windsor - Detroit, Local Rail Maps for Shippers

Six railways and two barge lines utilize the Windsor gateway, they say.

This was a year before Minivan production began and 49 years after rum-running ended. 

The Canada–United States Automotive Products Agreement (the Auto Pact) of 1965 was in effect.

Was it the 'good old days'? 

Not if you were trying to buy a house (or a Minivan). The mortgage rate was a little over 19%. Annual inflation was running at about 11%. 

I don't remember where I got this set of two glossy cardstock handouts for CP Rail freight customers. They're old enough to provide an interesting historical contrast to the state of transportation today. 

Some previous posts have also included this region ...

Some Postcards, Detroit etc.

International Railway Tunnels, Southwest Ontario, Postcards x5 +1

CNR 1965 Windsor-Detroit Carferries: Lansdowne & Huron

GTR 1915 Public Timetable, West of Detroit & St Clair Rivers

International Railway Tunnels, Southwest Ontario, Postcards x5 +1

One can compare and contrast the two tunnels through these cards. In fact, two of them offer key data about their respective tunnels on the message side.

While I've made a point of seeing both tunnels, I still get them confused from time to time.

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Only by finally looking at the message side of the cards closely ... did I observe that one of them had probably reached its recipient at a critical moment during the Second World War. Furthermore, the addressee was probably directly involved in a famous battle. The postmark was stamped on 15 August 1940. Margate is 20-25 miles north of  Dover - although it is not clear if this is an originating or receiving postmark.

During the Battle of Britain, August 13 to 18 marked the period of the most concentrated attacks on British airfields and radar installations.  

August 13 was Adlertag - concentrated raids by the massed Luftwaffe forces against RAF airfields in the southeast of England, designed to wipe out any air defence by fighter aircraft.

The highest RAF losses were recorded on the ground on August 18 as aerial battles raged above. 

Gunner Fisher may not have attended a gun heavy enough to reach and damage the high-level bomber formations ... but low-level attacks on nearby shipping and the harbour, aircraft targeting nearby radar stations, and direct attacks on the guns themselves as a prelude to an eventual sea-borne invasion ... were very likely to have occurred in his presence.

Meanwhile back in Canada ... on the picture side of the same card. You can see that the Windsor Tunnel was using a third-rail/shoe contact on the engineer's side for their electric locomotives. The absolute semaphore blade protecting the tunnel track ahead can barely be seen in the colourization of the black and white photograph.

*  *  *

On this card, the semaphore blade is more easily seen as are the third rails. An artist's confection 'worker going to work somewhere with a board' presents another point of interest. It seems likely that the locomotive may be posed and hi-lited in light blue. The elevated box and possible three-aspect signal by the left stairway are interesting to contemplate - along with a similar 'signal appliance' at the right.

*  *  *

The verdant terrain on the Windsor side contrasts with the dynamic scene at the Detroit portal. The locomotive and background cars seem original. However, the loose cars at the portal and the uniform wall of what seem to be refrigerator cars at the right ... constitute the gilding of an industrial lily. It is still a nice card.

The dangling 'telltales' at the right margin appear where we'd expect them - to warn roof-top train crew in advance of overhead restrictions such as those bridges. We would also expect to find them in advance of all the tunnel portals shown on these postcards as well.

Calculating for US dollar inflation, today's 'value' for $8.5 million would be over $260 million. 

1 inch to 1 mile topographic map, Windsor sheet; 1923; Government of Canada ... from: Historical Topographical Map Digitization Project, https://ocul.on.ca/topomaps/

On the 1923 map above, the Windsor railway landscape is complex and interesting. It was tempting to include more of the Detroit network, but the image would have become very large to present everything of interest. Notice the extensive (railway) car ferry infrastructure on the Windsor and Detroit waterfronts. 

From Walkerville, from 1920 until 1933, was coming some of the contraband sought by those who could afford to pay 'the expenses necessary' to consume it - in contravention of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

*  *  *

The postcards will now illustrate the railway tunnel at Sarnia ...

As you can see, it is a single track tunnel with electricity being provided through catenary and pantographs. An inflation calculation is meaningless as neither the US nor Canada seemed to be tracking inflation data pre-1913/1914. Inflation probably became an economic indicator of concern requiring tracking by both countries because of the outset of the Great War. 

This is an interesting part of Canada to visit if you enjoy watching lake freighters disappear over the horizon on beautiful blue water ... or if you are interested in petroleum and its history. It is a coincidence that this card was mailed to Petrolia. I was tempted to include a much larger map section which included the spur to that town.

*  *  *

This is also a nicely colourized card - done by Valentine in the UK.

1 inch to 1 mile topographic map, Sarnia sheet; 1912 (see top left corner) from: Historical Topographical Map Digitization Project, https://ocul.on.ca/topomaps/

On the 1912 map above, you can see the nascent petroleum refining industry beginning in Sarnia - near the eastern portal of the tunnel. 

This Militia and Defence topographic map includes important tactical features and historical detail. A brown road is 'metalled', that is, it has an all-weather surface (Latin: derived from a mine) - so tar, asphalt, concrete, etc. Half-hatching along the roads indicates a telegraph or telephone line. 

Red buildings are stone or concrete. So anything round is probably a roundhouse (I see two). Black buildings are wood ... often round black buildings may be railway water tanks. 

T (with serifs) is a telegraph office. But a T (sans serifs) is a telephone office. As railways had telegraph facilities which are not marked, one assumes they must mean telecom exchange buildings - eg., filled with operators sitting on stools at manual switchboards. 

H is a hotel or tavern. S is a school. SM is a sawmill. GM is a grist mill.

Bridges are M (stone) I (iron) or W (wood).

Churches with a spires are buildings with an attached cross ... the attached cross showing the side of the building on which the spire is located. ... Spires being useful for reconnaissance of a distant enemy, signalling ... and directing artillery fire. C is cemetery.

*  *  *

The Wild Card ...

There are some fun-looking construction catwalks along the face of the dam ...

Sometimes people have trouble telling the Hoover Dam and the Boulder Dam apart. 

Salt Lake City, Utah ... to Riverside California (near San Bernardino) would have been perhaps a 700-750 mile drive. This was long before interstate highways and early in the era of the private automobile. 

detail from: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, 1946; from The Colorado River, A Natural Menace Becomes a National Resource ... at ... alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps

The railroad branch line joining Las Vegas with the future dam site was built in 1930. Prohibition was still on - but 'off and on' in Vegas. Las Vegas made casino gambling legal in 1931, as well as granting divorces after a 6 week residency period. (In typical fashion, rather than Vegas, Canadians had to go to the Senate of Canada for their divorces.)

On this map from 1946, the railroad shown is labelled as the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad - eventually part of Union Pacific Railroad.

Construction of the dam started in 1931 with the dam (but not the powerhouse) being completed/opened in 1935 to coincide with a tour of the American west by President Franklin D Roosevelt (in office 1933-1945). FDR's New Deal(s) would become essential in offering hope to citizens in the depths of the Great Depression.

('In many ways, Herbert Hoover was the American RB Bennett' ... discuss ...)

For reasons one might assume were intended to promote the idea of positive, sweeping change the Hoover Dam project was renamed the Boulder Dam - a name it had from 1933 until 1947. Congress then re-renamed it the Hoover Dam. So, there!

It seems that many efforts 'to make deserts bloom' do not end happily for everyone involved for all time. While the hydro-electricity was handy to keep the neon of Las Vegas lit, the principal goal (as shown on the map above) was to see how much water could be pumped out of the Lake Mead Reservoir of the Colorado River 'to serve man' ... as they always used to say. 

1939 June 6, Royal Train Orders

 ... & late 1950s ETTs for CNR Subs: Brampton, Thorndale, Dundas, Strathroy, Longwood, Chatham.

In the mid-1980s, we were visiting the Harbourfront Antique Market and I had just selected the shell of an electric switchlamp (2 green & 2 red Fresnel lenses with an insulated port for a 'railway-weight' cable) ... because I thought it would be relaxing to carry it back to the Royal York, easy to put into a suitcase and fun to transport back home by train. The dealer said he hadn't seen one like it before, and I have not since.

'I've got something else you might be interested in.' he said. 

He handed me an unpriced envelope with a number of train orders in it: Psgr Extra 6400 ... 1939 ...

I'm sure he was able to 'read' people pretty well, but I tried not to react to what I was seeing.

' ... Those are the routing instructions for the Royal Train.'

'Oh ... ' I tried to say this as nonchalantly as possible, and pretended to look for something which made them special. I think he wanted $30 for them - about $70 today.

From within a very large crowd at Dominion Square, my grandfather had seen King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal. Later LC Gagnon and his mother watched the Royal Train pass Westmount station - with the King and Queen on the rear platform. The photos from the 1939 Canadian Geographic - such as the photo below - were well known to us growing up.

Under the Railway Technology & Systems radio button (above) you'll find a series done in 2019 about the CPR-conducted trip west. Burnout occurred before I could attempt to describe the CNR return trip - even though I wanted to finally examine these orders and determine if they were likely to be genuine. 

A genuine set of fake Royal Train orders should be yellow, with a green clearance form on top and a staple holding everything together. Certainly a sheaf of winter slow orders for the Heron Bay Sub were presented in this form in 1977 ... 

However, LC Gagnon's retained and practiced 'office procedures' from his time in Freight- and later Passenger Receipts at Windsor station in the mid-1950s suggested that the whole railway ran on straight pins and string. (During the Dirty Thirties, neither railway would be buying a new-fangled 'stapler' for every operator up and down the line ... 'They'll all be stolen!' ... And then the Travelling Auditors would have to visit every station ... to grill every station agent.) ... With straight pins, you just pull the pin out to remove a cancelled order, insert a new order exactly where you want it, and replace the pin.

Who knows what kind of protocols they were using in 1939 for this train? (Adolf Hungry Wolf included a long and fascinating list of operating preparation and practices for the Royal Train in one of his early books and I should provide some of those in the near future.) On board this train, it seems unlikely that the conductor was alone in his set of four facing seats with his rules, references and paperwork - just doing the usual 'conducting' - without Company managers hovering around, or without any kind of government, RCMP or military liaison. The train orders wouldn't be in his jacket pocket as 'his little secret', while the engineer was entrusted with navigating the road ahead.

Prime Minister Mackenzie King was essentially the 'host' and tour operator for almost the entire Royal Tour. He'd often pop off the train, a few cars from the tailend, and scoot back to the observation car to ensure that all went well if the Royal Couple chose to detrain at a division point.

The train orders which I have owned for almost half of their lives are not particularly glamourous and they don't commemorate special stops or special events during the 'public day'. They represent good business-like train operations.

... You're on a steam fan trip and it's the end of the day. You've descended and climbed the car steps a number of times for runpasts, you've waited a few times while the engine was being serviced, you've stuck your head out vestibule doors with the smell of creosote, hot brake shoes and sulphur in the buffeting wind, you've been jostled by hundreds of excited people. You're hot, tired and sticky and ready to go home. You'll be content when the day is over - everything has gone well. There are no more scheduled stops - you're staying inside the train now - and it really seems to be making good time. The engine is running faster than it has all day and the whistling seems continuous as the miles fly by.

... I can't accurately synthesize the experience of the King and Queen on the evening of Tuesday June 6 - the day before they crossed the border at Niagara Falls. They were acting on an unprecedented British and Canadian governmental request. Their developing mission: To inspire Canadians, Americans and Newfoundlanders to resolutely support Britain through the impending disaster Europe was expected to experience.

Below is a rather extensive presentation about June 6, 1939 - the day on which those train orders took effect.

from: Canadian Geographical Journal; July 1939; Canadian Geographical Society.

Above: At London on the morning of June 7. 

Below: A CNR annual report from 1942 with an airbrushed photo from this series of photos taken at London. Notice that the number plate of the 6400 is affixed to the retractable coupler cover. The fireman and engineman are posing in pristine white coveralls.

The following pages come from an officially-issued book which outlines the program for the entire trip. I purchased this at an antique store in Camden East, Ontario. It was owned by someone who lived in Wallaceburg (near Chatham, Ontario). So, by coincidence, this person may have participated in the Tour on June 6 as well.

For the Canadian and international press travelling with the Tour, the book provided a wealth of background information on the passing countryside to help fill out their stories - and Poole Brothers maps of the route.

For local participants, it provided an outline of the program on the day the Tour was to visit their town ... and acted as a souvenir of thanks for their participation. Sadly, the included photographs are bland, standard railway tourism shots which everyone has already seen.

This image comes from a contemporary 90 minute film of the entire Tour (except for the visit to Newfoundland), 

posted to YouTube by Library and Archives Canada. 

I have linked to it at the end of this post.

Above and below: Kitchener, Ontario.

This was an important stop for Prime Minister Mackenzie King because he was born in Berlin.

Above: The crowd at Stratford.

Above: Departing from Windsor for London. 

The train orders. I scanned them without disturbing them in their individual plastic sheet protectors. Except for Order 259 (faint), colours/darkness of print were not altered after scanning. I believe I have put them in the most appropriate logical and/or chronological order to illustrate Conductor Ward's end-of-day run from Windsor, back to London.

Generally:

A track inspection was made after the last train passing ahead of the Pilot and Royal Trains.

Facing point switches and both switches of sidings holding traffic were spiked.

The 6401 pulled the Pilot Train transporting press and an advance team. 

The 6400 followed with the Royal Train on a 30 minute block.

These timetables are from the late 1950s and reflect operations at the end of steam. They are arranged so the route can be followed (and the operating features observed) from Toronto to Windsor. The trains doubled back on their route, Windsor to London, that evening. 

To avoid frustrating people who like employee timetables, the complete data for all subdivisions is included (and the St Clair Tunnel Subdivision is included but it was not used by the trains). 

For the sake of the completeness, the entire subdivision is provided, even if only a short segment of the subdivision was travelled. (The most extreme example is that the entire Dundas Sub is included, even though only 1.5 miles of its 1957 length would have been used by the trains.) For London, in particular, some of the Dundas Subdivision footnotes would apply to the yarding of the two trains on the night of June 6-7.

Before each subdivision timetable below, the first and last stations of the subdivision which were passed by the two trains are stated. For example: 

Brampton Subdivision - Toronto to Stratford.

Thorndale Subdivision - Stratford to London Jct.

Dundas Subdivision - London Jct to London.

Strathroy Subdivision - London to Komoka.

Longwood Subdivision - Komoka to Glencoe.

Chatham Subdivision - Glencoe to Windsor.

For the evening trip (Windsor to London) reverse the route over the Chatham, Longwood and Strathroy Subdivisions.

*  *  *

Fifty years after the Tour, a journalist specializing in Canadian history did extensive research via every conceivable source to describe the experiences of Tour participants. From the experiences of the King and Queen to interesting stories of Canadians who travelled to attend an event - the account was intended to be broadly representative of the whole Tour. The genesis of the Tour idea, its preparations, the journeys across the ocean, the American visit, the visit to Newfoundland, the return to Britain and the Tour's aftermath are all described.

Daylight Upon Magic; Tom MacDonnell; 1989; Macmillan. ISBN 0-7715-9229-9

The description of the events for June 6 follows. 

The period covered by the train orders is the very last paragraph for the day.

A link to the Library and Archives Canada YouTube posting follows. A short segment on the visit to a Sudbury mine jumps to the stop at Guelph on June 6. 

Reversing the video to 1:11:00 (crossing the Manitoba/Ontario border) will quickly show that the CNR choice of 6400-class engines (with their NRC-windtunnel-streamlined sheet metal covering key appliances and valves) was not universal to power the CNR segment of the Tour across Canada. 

... One can think of many reasons why the CNR did not plan to engineer their own motive power PR coup like the CPR did - with the eventual success of the latter's Royal Hudson designation efforts.

The Royal Visit = La Visite de Nos Souverains (1939)

On the morning of Wednesday, June 7, the King and Queen begin their visit at London.