Interesting Facts About the Canadian Pacific Railway
Completed six years ahead of schedule on November 7, 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was founded in 1881 with the purpose of connecting Canada's largest eastern cities with its unpopulated western regions. The last spike, which was driven by Donald A. Smith in Craigellachie, British Columbia, made way for the train's first journey from Montreal to Port Moody the following June.
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Passenger Service and Shipping
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The Canadian Pacific Railway was the second company in North America to offer passenger service after the Pullman Company in Chicago, Illinois. With the acquisition of the Dominion Express Company, the Canadian Pacific Railroad doubled as an express shipping business.
Sea to Shining Sea
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In addition to its transcontinental railroad service, the CPR began launching steamships on the Great Lakes in 1883, a fleet of chartered ships on the Pacific in 1886 and eventually a Pacific fleet in 1891. Paddle wheelers were launched in British Columbia's interior in 1893, the coast of British Columbia in 1901 and the Atlantic Ocean in 1903.
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Business Ventures
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Excited by the new Canadian Rockies national park system, the Canadian Pacific Railroad became interested in the hotel and tourist industry as well. As more and more business ventures became profitable, the Canadian Pacific Railroad even began manufacturing goods such as china and bottled water, and providing services such as waste management, forestry and radio broadcasts. In 1942, the Canadian Pacific Railroad entered the thriving airplane industry with a purchase of 10 plane companies.
World War II
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During World War II, the Canadian Pacific Railroad was put to use to aid in the war effort. Three hundred and seven million tons of freight, along with 86 million passengers, which included 280,000 active military, were transported on the rails. Twelve of the 22 Canadian Pacific Railroad ships that went to war were sunk in battle, and the CPR airplanes helped relocate bomber planes from Canada to Britain as part of the "Atlantic Bridge" project.
The Canadian Pacific
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The second largest company in Canada by 1986, the Canadian Pacific Railroad, which by then had been deemed the "Canadian Pacific," included the subsidiary companies PanCanadian Energy, Fording Coal, CP Hotels and CP Ships. In 1990, as an effort to get back to its rail roots, the Canadian Pacific brought the Soo Line in the United States midwest, and the following year the Delaware and Hudson Railway, which had rail lines in the northeastern United States.
Back to Basics
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As of May, 2010, the Canadian Pacific is its own entity, with its previous five subsidiary companies taking on individual corporation titles in 2001. A public company traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchange, the Canadian Pacific now encompasses 14,000 miles of rails from Vancouver to Montreal in Canada and the United States' Chicago, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, New York City and Buffalo.
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References
- Photo Credit Canadian Pacific Railway image by Peter Helin from Fotolia.com
