Rails Across Canada

Rails Across Canada provides a comprehensive history of the Canadian Pacific (CP) and Canadian National (CN) Railways. Living in the United States, my knowledge of railroad history north of the border has been quite limited. Since the 1990s, the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National both have expanded into the United States and become more frequent visitors on U.S. railroads. The new title Rails Across Canada brings together the two previously published titles from the Railroad Color History on the CP and CN into one combined volume. The book by Tom Murray is illustrated by more than 300 photographs sourced from the national archives and private collections. The variety of photographs provides a visual history illustrating the highlights of both systems. I particularly enjoyed the items from the authors collection including vintage timetables. I enjoyed learning about the railroad and political history of these lines which is covered in great detail. The construction of the lines in Canada was just as challenging as the more famous western roads here in the U.S. This book brings the engineering and operational accomplishments to light. The book also delves lightly into the non-railroad properties which the railroads owned. The most famous of these are probably the CP Steamships and the famous hotels across Canada which were owned by both roads. The history of the roads ends when the original books were completed. For the Canadian Pacific this was 2006 and for the Canadian National it was 2004. I'd love to see an update on the history from then to today in a future version of the book. Rails Across Canada by Voyageur Press will hopefully encourage you to learn more about the CN and CP and their operations!