Ex-CP Smooth-Side Cars Transferred to VIA

TRANSFERRED TO VIA IN 1978

A number of ex-CP coaches and head-end cars were transferred to VIA at the end of September, 1978. While some saw VIA service, most languished in coach yards, many in Montreal's CP Glen Yard. Cynics suggest that CP was cleaning out its yards while getting money from VIA Rail, knowing that these cars were not ever likely to see VIA service due to their age and condition. Some never turned a wheel for VIA.

CP's SMOOTH-SIDE FLEET

Built as a response to post-war passenger traffic and the generally downtrodden state of many passenger cars following the busy wartime period, two groups of 'curved-side' coaches were commissioned by CP:

• CP 2220-2234 built by National Steel Car, Hamilton 1947-48, fitted out by CP's Angus Shops.
• CP 2235-2298 built by Canadian Car & Foundry, Montreal 1949-50.

While there are many references to the unique, curved-side design of these welded steel cars, I use the term smooth-side to differentiate them from the Budd 'Canadian' stainless-steel 100-series coaches. Since none of the NSC cars went to VIA, I'm referring to the CC&F cars throughout this post. (The 2200's are not to be confused with CPs earlier 2100-series cars built in the 1930's and their smaller windows.)

Both classes were very similar, at a length over sills of 77' 11 1/2", overall length of 83' 10 1/2", with 68 seats - 52 in the main room and 16 in a smoking section. Trucks were four-wheel Commonwealth design by General Steel Castings Corp. of Eddystone, PA. Both builders delivered the cars in overall tuscan red, with yellow-gold CANADIAN PACIFIC lettering near the black roofline. The CC&F cars were equipped with mechanical refrigeration and a modified truck design.

IN CP SERVICE

The cars saw varied service, such as on the Atlantic Limited, and overflow service (top photo - Calgary) on the Canadian between Calgary and Vancouver. An online auction site photo of No 2 (above) taken at Field in 1978 shows a 2200-series coach behind the baggage-dorm. During holiday travel periods, the cars could be added to the Atlantic Limited, or replaced Dayliners on Calgary-Edmonton trains. They were also used on short-haul trains that still existed before the advent of VIA, such as Montreal-Ottawa*. There are many accounts of the 2200-series cars giving passengers a smooth, comfortable ride. 

Thirteen of the cars were later repainted to overall aluminum with yellow-gold CANADIAN PACIFIC lettering on a tuscan red letterboard. In the CP Rail era, the letterboard was painted Action Red, with CP Rail lettering and small multimark. (CP's heavyweight fleet had previously passed into other services by 1972, such as rules cars or Service cars.)

DISPOSITION AFTER CP

In light of declining passenger traffic, 19 cars were leased to CN for their busy Expo 67 period from June, 1966 to November, 1967. CP lent 2210, 2236, 2258, 2266, 2285 and 2298 to the Government of Canada for use on the Confederation Train. Twenty-one cars were sold to Hawker-Siddeley in 1967-68, refurbished for NdeM in Mexico. Other cars were sold to Ontario Northland in 1968 (2), Algoma Central thence Wisconsin Central in 1972-73 (13), the Government of British Columbia for museum service in 1973 (4), BC Rail in 1973-74 for tourist train service (12), and the Quebec Cartier Railway in 1972 and 1976 (4).

IN VIA SERVICE

As for the remaining coaches that went to VIA - some reports state that these ex-CP smooth-side cars were all retired by November, 1978 although photos show that some must have been reactivated, since coaches were still in use in 1979. It would appear that time frame was actually two years, not two months! There were concerns about compatibility and no doubt streamlining the polyglot fleet that VIA inherited from CP, and mostly CN. Photos of the ex-CP head-end cars in service are rare**, likely because if there was one thing that VIA never seemed short of, it was baggage cars. At various times, ex-CN baggages were leased to Amtrak, stored, and usually the last ex-CN car type to receive VIA blue & yellow paint.

Interestingly, the Budd 'Canadian' cars that VIA obtained from CP as part of the same transfer continue to be the backbone of VIA's intercity and long-distance fleet some 45 years hence. Most photos of the smooth-side cars in service are no later than 1979 and I don't recall any seeing Montreal-Toronto Corridor service. 

Eric May kindly shared a photo taken by his brother Bruce in July, 1979 showing VIA No 2 arriving Calgary. Behind VIA 1416, two CP Rail Geeps, an ex-CN baggage and I-series 24-roomette is a CP 2200 followed by a VIA-painted stainless steel coach and Action Red Skyline:

The ex-CP smooth-side cars were eventually scrapped or sold to other railways. Ex-CP Rail baggage 2720, showing remnants of at least two paint schemes, languishes in Winnipeg at the bumper of an East Yard coach track, with ex-CN Sceneramic Fraser (Brian Schuff photo):

DISPOSITION AFTER VIA

I've summarized all the information I could find on the ex-CP smooth-side cars in their transition from CP to VIA, as well as their eventual disposition, in the table below. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a table is worth ten times that! The table includes colour of stripe, sold status, storage status and scrap dates. It also lists a few known CP baggage cars that were not sold to VIA, as well as a few odd head-end cars that were transferred but rarely if ever photographed:

Bruce Chapman made a trip to the CP Glen Yard in Westmount to photograph languishing ex-CP cars that had been sold to VIA. In a variety of CPR/CP Rail colours, these cars were resting and rusting, seemingly forgotten, and most decidedly not in VIA service. Bruce's photos are from 1983:

Ex-CP 2734 its CANADIAN PACIFIC lettering seemingly removed (above) and CP Rail-lettered 2732 (below) coupled to CP Rail Motive Power Test car:

Ex-CP 2424, still with maroon stripe. The central position of the doors meant a very long distance between CANADIAN an PACIFIC. CP Spans the World and spans the letterboard, too:

Unreadable-numbered car in CP Rail colours:

Lots o' links:

• A Montreal-Labelle fall foliage excursion in September, 1975
• railpictures.net photo of VIA No 2 with a red-striped smooth-side coach at North Bay in September, 1979.
• CP 2245 in overall aluminum.
  
• A rather bedraggled CP 2247 with a multimarked companion.
• What appears to be CP 2256 in CP Rail colours, perhaps early 1970's, actually.
  
• CP 2260 in CP Rail colours at Vancouver, 1977 along with CP 2293.
• Rapido Trains Inc. had not taken on production of the round-side cars. I do have a second-hand HO scale 2200-series car in the tuscan scheme, based on the CN/VIA CC&F prototype (above) produced about 10 years ago..
• CP 2424 in in 1976 still with tuscan letterboard, and 2722 in CP Rail colours.

In print:

• * A Robert Sandusky photo in Chris Greenlaw's excellent MBI book on VIA Rail shows VIA 1432 still in CP Rail paint pulling three similarly-painted 2200's at Lachute, QC. The caption states that No 132 on the North Shore route was normally a Dayliner, but this smooth-side equipment was protecting the service when photographed on March 24, 1979.
• ** Tom Nelligan's VIA Rail Canada: The first five years includes a photo of VIA No 1 captioned April 1981, with an ex-CP baggage in the consist.

Photos in this post kindly shared by Bruce Chapman unless otherwise indicated. Top photo taken by D.L. Zeutschel, kindly shared by Brian Schuff.

Running extra...

 

On display: months after I was born, CPR 5433 was put on display in Chapleau. This photo set portrays some of the day's events for posterity.

On the block: speaking of CP relics, crane 414222 is in Milwaukee, offered for sale by the company. The crane still has its inspection certificate from Pankratz Engineering in Winnipeg:

On the cowcatcher: our grandson took in a lunch downtown with us, plus a visit to the Pumphouse Museum's 'On The Move' exhibit and a trip to the toy store. Though we did not walk out with his choice, a $155 dumptruck/float trailer/backhoe set, he did choose two smaller trucks for himself and two for his brother, at a third of the price!