Austin Near "Heaven" as "Canadian" Sweeps Across The Continent, Published April 1955 Adjoining picture has Austin Cross boarding ‘The Canadian’ and waving to the cameraman. Caption reads: ‘He’s Not An MP – No. 1 railroad fan of Ottawa, and
possibly of Canada, Citizen columnist Austin F. Cross wears a look of happy
anticipation as he boards the CPR’s gleaming new “Canadian” on its inaugural run
April 24th, 1955. He’ll report on the train’s progress as far as Winnipeg.
Photo by Newton.
‘ABOARD THE CANADIAN
‘Somewhere between heaven and earth am I, as I
ride through the air, deliciously suspended from a roomette aboard the new
Canadian Pacific’s glamor train ‘the Canadian’. Reputed fastest of all
coast-to-coast trains in Canada’s history, it is a bit more. It is as fine
a train as I ever saw.
‘With its glass-end observation car, its
double domes for day coach and sleeping car passengers alike, it is something
more than that.
subtitle: ‘An Institution
‘Still only a few hours old, ‘the Canadian’ is
already an institution. You feel proud as you ride this train of trains,
this super sumptuous string of stainless steel, this thrilling Canadian
institution. I am trying to say that, trainwise, I never had it so
good.
‘What impressed me most as slid slowly through
Ottawa, threaded through Britannia and Stittsville before easing around the edge
of Carleton Place was the crowds. They jammed roads and station platforms
everywhere. This is not just a train going someplace, this is a tour of
triumph. They hung on to the rafters at Almonte and even forelorn Snedden
produced a quorum. There were people all along the tracks at Arnprior, and
as we ripped through Renfrew, it seemed the whole town was down to wave us
through. Soft music wafts us on our way.. The dome car offers sun
bathing and there are other enticing
amenities.
‘But it seems to me that ‘the Canadian’ has a
charm and an atmosphere all its own. This train has elegance. It has
beauty. It has an air. It will keep anybody hustling even to equal
this sumptuous club on wheels. As I said before, this is not just a train
going some place, it is a tour of triumph.subtitle: ‘Tour Of Triumph |