Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia - Legacy

Legacy

For those living outside British Columbia, it is difficult to convey the extent that the CPR empire covered BC. The railroad changed the province; it owned (and dictated to) a large section of it. The CPR's empire became part of BC—from the faux-Pict-Gothic-Palaces of its hotels, to its Tuscan-red cars and engines; from the CPR owning the center of town, to the CPR bloc establishing timber and mineral interests. The clapboard section houses and water towers and rusty rails of spurs, the thousands of wooden wheat boxcars sitting at sidings with the arcing, powerful script announcing "Canadian Pacific Railway"—all left an imprint.

In 1952, the CPR became the first North American railroad to introduce intermodal or "piggyback" freight service, where truck trailers are carried on flatcars. Containers later replaced most piggyback service. Beginning in the 1960s, the railroad started to discontinue much of its passenger service (particularly on its branch lines). Passenger service ended on its line through southern British Columbia and Crow's Nest Pass in January 1964. The Dominion was dropped in January 1966. On October 29, 1978, CP Rail transferred its passenger services to Via Rail, a new federal Crown corporation now responsible for intercity passenger services in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney presided over major cuts in Via Rail service on January 15, 1990. This ended service by the Canadian over CPR rails, and the train was rerouted on the former Super Continental route via Canadian National without a change in name. Where both trains had been daily prior to the January 15, 1990 cuts, the surviving Canadian was (and is) a thrice-weekly operation.

The CPR was in a powerful position during the First World War. Canadian Pacific Railway currently operates three commuter services under contract. The West Coast Express comprises ten daily trains running into downtown Vancouver on behalf of TransLink, a regional transit authority. CNCP was created as a joint venture between Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway in 1967, replacing the different networks used by the two companies. CN Telegraph interchanged traffic with the Postal Telegraph Cable Company in the US, while CPR Telegraphs networked with Western Union. The two networks—former rivals—had been cooperating increasingly since the 1930s. By 1980, CNCP was no longer a telegraph company and emerged as an early telecom company. A 40% stake was acquired by Rogers Communications in 1984, and CP acquired CN's stake. The network was dissolved in 1988, and Rogers renamed the company Unitel Communications Incorporated in 1989.