Merry Christmas 2019 and CN Plum Pudding

A suitably wintry image of your humble blogger with a westbound CN freight at Mi 182 Kingston Sub in March, 1971. (L.C. Gagnon photo)

Canadian National Railways' passenger services were known for many years for their in-house production of Plum Pudding. Beginning in 1937, about 1,000 pounds were made for local use, supplemented by well-known commercial brands. In 1940, plum pudding was served to troops on trains. Procuring canning equipment in 1943, the tins were sealed and large quantities were produced for several years, the peak year being 1944 when more than three tons were produced!

In its December 1958 issue, CN's Keeping Track magazine sent Miss Elizabeth Gillan to go behind the scenes at the commissary car in Montreal coach yard where plum pudding production was taking place. Her article was published under the heading 'A special feature for women'. Three chefs: Joseph 'Bill' Nellis, Joe Panko and Camille Fleurent (pictured above) produced 210 tins of pudding every four hours - enough to feed 1,260 passengers, during a two-week work bee Annual production at this time was two tons, enough to serve CN passengers from December 19 to January 5: 3,200 tins or 19,200 servings in total. In the 22 years previous, 50-55 tons of pudding were served in CN dining cars!

Walnuts from China, almonds from Spain, raisins from Australia, rum from the West Indies, apples from Canada, lemons and oranges from the United States, and the three chefs - from New Brunswick, Russia and French Canada respectively, were part of the mix. Washing five hundred pounds each of sultanas and raisins, 600 pounds of currants, then adding 15 gallons of rum, 20 gallons of stout, juice from 400 oranges and 400 lemons, 400 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 200 teaspoons of almond extract, the ingredients were soaked for 12 hours. 

Four hundred pounds of chopped apples, lemon and orange rind, 3200 eggs whipped and 300 pounds of mixed peel were added and mixed well. Then, 400 pounds each of brown sugar and flour, 400 teaspoons each of baking soda and cinnamon, 500 pounds of bread crumbs, and 200 teaspoons each of ginger, nutmeg, allspice and salt, then 400 pounds of nuts, 500 pounds of beef suet were stirred - with a silver-plated shovel! Here's the recipe condensed for the average household. Make your own!

Of note - the recipe contained not a single plum! So if Jack Horner were sitting in his corner of the dining car eating it, he would have something else stuck on his thumb. (It would be unlikely that the Alberta Conservative/Liberal politician of the same name would be on a dining car since he portrayed himself as a railway foe, though 1958 was coincidentally the first year he was elected to Canada's Parliament!)

In the CN commissary car, the mixture was placed in 20-ounce tin cans, steamed for three hours then sealed piping hot. Packed and sent to all dining cars for serving, a hard sauce was to be prepared for a topping just before the pudding was served. Our family was the recipient of at least two cans of the plum pudding in the 1960's. Here are two labels that my Dad kept on the cans from a family acquaintance who was a CN conductor. I'm assuming the blue label was the earlier, since the cost shown was a mere 95 cents:

And this one with the red-and-white label may have followed, as it cost a dollar. I noted some refinements to the French translation:

I can't think of anything better than rolling through a winter wonderland on a steam-powered or diesel-hauled CN passenger train sipping strong dining car coffee and tucking into a piping hot serving of this tasty-sounding plum pudding. Perhaps reminiscent of these two years of puddings given to us, our family enjoyed boiled plum pudding after Christmas dinner at home for many years, topped by a sweet, thick, lemony sauce. VIA resurrected plum pudding in its dining cars in 2007. Though I don't have this book in my library, Exporail's 100 Years of Canadian Railway Recipes apparently includes the recipe:

                          

Lots o' links: 

• VIA even has a recipe on its website.
• Here's a Toronto Star article on VIA's pudding from 2007.
• Some discussion from Eileen's Lounge

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Normally, the Running Extra section appears here. In lieu of my routine ramblings, I'm pleased to share Christmas greetings from fellow bloggers, enthusiasts and friends and greetings of the season to all Trackside Treasure readers! Check back to see more as they arrive!

Platforum Episode 3 'Home for the Holidays' special has reached 1,000 views!

Merry Christmas to my fellow bloggers whose fine work I enjoy in Trackside Treasure's sidebar: John, Dave, Edd, Chris, George and Don and Peter, Matthieu, Bernard, Michael and Marc!

* * *  Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings!  * * *  

-Eric

Season's Greetings video message from blog partner Edd Fuller of The Trackside Photographer:

...from Bernard Kempinski of the USMRR Aquia Line: 

VIA's Canadian from Mark Perry:

Another Canadian at Winnipeg by Steve Boyko:

From the HOsers at Rapido Trains Inc.

Out of the snow by 'Diesel' Don McQueen:

Steve Bradley:

 Randy O'Brien:

 Proto-hogger and model-hogger Mark Perry:

Alberta's Jason Paul Sailer:

Mr. Alex Pallo Jr.