Park series
Strathcona Park on the rear of the Canadian in 1965
Interior of Algonquin Park in 1978
In service1954–present
ManufacturerBudd
Constructed1954
Number built18
Number in service14
Capacity
  • 3 double bedrooms
  • 1 triple bedroom
Operators
Specifications
Car body constructionStainless steel
Car length85 feet (26 m)
Width10 feet 3⁄8 inch (3.058 m)
Height15 feet 10 inches (4.83 m)
Notes/references
[1]

The Park series or Park car is a fleet of lightweight streamlined dome-sleeper-observation cars built by the Budd Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1954. Sixteen of the cars were named for a Canadian national or provincial park, while one was named for a wildlife reserve, and one was named for what was at the time a private park owned by Canadian Pacific subsidiary Dominion Atlantic Railway, but is now one of the National Historic Sites of Canada. Via Rail acquired the fleet from Canadian Pacific in 1978 and the majority of the cars remain in active service.

Design

The observation lounge looking forward towards the staircase to the dome section with the map of Algonquin Park above the writing desk. June 1979

The cars were constructed of stainless steel; save for a Tuscan red letterboard bearing the name "Canadian Pacific" they were unpainted.[1] Each car was named for a Canadian national or provincial park; CP assigned numbers in the 15400-series, but the cars did not carry them.[2] The interiors were largely plastic, including the handrails up to the dome area. Inside at the front of the car were four private rooms: three double bedrooms (D, C, and B) and one drawing room (A). A single corridor on the left hand side of the car led past the 12-seat beverage room or "Mural Lounge" (under the dome), and led to the 13-seat observation lounge at the rear of the car; a short flight of stairs was located centrally at the front of the observation lounge which led up to the dome, with seating for 24.[3]

An initial proposal for each car to have its own decorative scheme was rejected on cost ground; instead there were two schemes: "O" and "P"; both of which were developed by Harbeson, Hough, Livingston and Larson, a firm of architects in Philadelphia frequently used by Budd.[4] Additionally, a leading Canadian artist was commissioned to produce two murals for the beverage room: a main mural 81+3⁄8 by 41 in (2,070 by 1,040 mm) for the front wall, and an auxiliary mural 163 by 45 in (4,100 by 1,100 mm) for the right hand (window-side) wall.[5] In addition, they were asked to provide a 3 by 5 ft (0.91 by 1.52 m) decorative map for the observation lounge which was mounted above the writing desk to the right of the dome staircase. Both related to the Park the car was named after. At the time of their construction in 1954 the listed capacity throughout the car was 54 persons.[1] Via removed the murals in 1986.[6] Via rebuilt the cars in the early 1990s, converting them to Head End Power (HEP), and renumbering them into the 8700-series. They also added a panel of clocks to the observation lounge showing the different time zones in Canada.[7]

Fleet list

Table of cars[8][9][10]
CP No.Via No. (1979)Via No. (HEP)NameParkDecorArtistNotes
1540115501—Algonquin ParkAlgonquin Provincial ParkPA. J. CassonLeased to Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum[11]
15402155028702Assiniboine ParkAssiniboine Provincial ParkOGeorge Franklin Arbuckle
15403155038703Banff ParkBanff National ParkPCharles Comfort
15404155048704Evangeline Parkprivate park, now Grand-Pré National Historic SiteOHarry Leslie Smith
15405——Fundy ParkFundy National ParkOLawren P. HarrisWrecked in 1959
15406155068706Glacier ParkGlacier National ParkPAdam Sherriff Scott
15407155078707Kokanee ParkKokanee Glacier Provincial ParkOA. Y. JacksonFeatured in the 1976 film Silver Streak
15408155088708Kootenay ParkKootenay National ParkPGeorge Pepper
15409155098709Laurentide ParkLaurentides Wildlife ReserveOAlbert Edward Cloutier
15410155108710Prince Albert ParkPrince Albert National ParkPFrederick James Finley
15411155118711Revelstoke ParkMount Revelstoke National ParkPRobert Pilot
1541215512—Riding Mountain ParkRiding Mountain National ParkPWilliam Arthur WinterOwned by Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society[12]
1541315513—Sibley ParkSibley Provincial ParkOYvonne McKague HousserOwned by Canadian Railway Museum
15414155148714Strathcona ParkStrathcona Provincial ParkOWalter J. Phillips
15415155158715Tremblant ParkMont-Tremblant National ParkOEdwin Holgate
15416155168716Tweedsmuir ParkTweedsmuir Provincial ParkOE. J. Hughes
15417155178717Waterton ParkWaterton Lakes National ParkPLlewellyn Petley-Jones
15418155188718Yoho ParkYoho National ParkPThomas Harold Beament

Operation

Budd delivered 18 Park cars for the Canadian Pacific in 1954 as part of a massive 173-car order which equipped the new transcontinental Canadian and re-equipped the Dominion.[13] The first car to enter service was the Banff Park.[7] Fundy Park was wrecked in a collision on the Dominion at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, in 1959.[14][15] Via Rail acquired the remaining 17 Park cars from Canadian Pacific in 1978. As of 2015 14 remain on the roster. They are always assigned to the Canadian and the Jasper – Prince Rupert train, and can also be found on the Ocean and the Winnipeg – Churchill train.[16] The three cars listed in the Preserved section below were in service until VIA converted the ex CPR Budd equipment to HEP in the early 1990s. They were stored at Ottawa station for many years until disposition by VIA.

Preserved

Several Park cars are no longer in regular revenue service:

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "The 50th Anniversary of the CPR Stainless Steel Passenger Fleet" (PDF). Canadian Rail (503): 211–223. November–December 2004.
  2. ↑ Randall, W. David (1974). Railway Passenger Car Annual, Volume I, 1973-1974. Park Forest, IL: RPC Publications. pp. 66–67.
  3. ↑ Kerr 1986, p. 9.
  4. ↑ Thom 1986, pp. 14, 16.
  5. ↑ Thom 1986, p. 18.
  6. ↑ Greenlaw 2007, p. 36.
  7. 1 2 "Car Banff Park in 2004" (PDF). Canadian Rail (503): 248–249. November–December 2004.
  8. ↑ Kerr 1986, p. 42.
  9. ↑ Thom 1986, pp. 182–186.
  10. ↑ "Canadian Trackside Guide 1990". Canadian Trackside Guide. Ottawa: Bytown Railway Society: 4–12, 4–15. 1990. ISSN 0829-3023.
  11. ↑ https://www.tvrail.com/equipment/algonquin-park/
  12. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/fortwaynerailroad/posts/pfbid02kqo3vpGAzPSNe6MzyzETudoKeVmLTBhY3ff8UdkKGrVy5UBy2K8KEUySSFTwi18Hl
  13. ↑ Murray, Tom (2011). Rails Across Canada: The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-0-7603-4008-0.
  14. ↑ "69 Injured When Trains Collide at Gull Lake". Star-Phoenix. August 17, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved June 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Elson, Harvey W. (February 1976). "The View From The Top" (PDF). Canadian Rail (289): 40.
  16. 1 2 "Sleeping cars - Park car". Via Rail. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Hiwassee Premium Service". Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Lynch, Kelly (2022-11-15). ""Premiere" Observation Car Acquired for First-Class Service". Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-07-30.

References

  • Greenlaw, Christopher C. N. (2007). VIA Rail. Saint Paul, MN: MBI. ISBN 9780760325292. OCLC 71286639.
  • Kerr, James W. (1986). The Canadian; the pre-eminent train of the world. Montreal: DPA-LTA Enterprises.
  • Thom, Ian (1986). Murals from a Great Canadian Train. Art Global/Libre Expression. ISBN 2-920718-24-X.
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