Nov 8, 1985: Quebec City's magnificent chateau-style Gare du Palais reopens, nine years after being abandoned as a passenger station. The station was built by CP in 1916 and closed in 1976 in an ill-advised relocation of railway tracks out of Quebec City's downtown. 1/3

Nov 7, 1985: Canadian Pacific celebrates the centennial of the driving of the Last Spike with a rededication ceremony at Craigellachie. CP ran a special train from Revelstoke to the event, bearing various dignitaries including the current Lords Strathcona and Shaughnessy. 1/3

Nov 6, 1960: Canadian Pacific Railway No. 29 pulls a Canadian Railroad Historical Association excursion from Montreal to St-Lin, QC. The trip was billed as the last official operation of a CP-owned steam locomotive—something that remained true until 2816 returned to steam in 2001. 1/3

Nov 5, 1990: the first Head End Power (HEP)-equipped VIA Rail trainset arrives in Toronto from Vancouver, returning west the next day. In the 1980s, VIA Rail planned to replace its fleet of stainless steel cars with new bi-level cars, similar to Amtrak's Superliners. 1/3

Nov 4, 1925: Canadian National Railway diesel-electric self-propelled car No. 15820 completes a transcontinental test trip from Montreal to Vancouver. The total elapsed time for this first transcontinental trip by a diesel was 72 hours and the actual running time was 67 hours, 7 minutes. 1/3

Nov 3, 1873: the International Railway Bridge between Bridgeburg (Fort Erie), ON and Black Rock (Buffalo), NY officially opens. Toronto engineer Casimir Gzowski built the bridge and the Phoenix Bridge Co.—later of Quebec Bridge notoriety—erected the superstructure. 1/3

Nov 2, 1885: the Canadian Pacific Railway begins operating regular passenger train service between Montreal and Winnipeg. Just five days later, CPR director Donald Smith would drive the Last Spike of company's transcontinental line at Craigellachie, British Columbia. 1/3

Nov 1, 1875: the Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway opens its own track between Weston and Parkdale. Since its opening in 1871, the narrow gauge (3'6" or 1067 mm between the rails) TG&B had leased the Grand Trunk Railway's right of way, requiring a third rail on the GTR track. 1/3

Oct 31, 1925: the Scarboro Beach Amusement Park closes for business. The park—located on the south side of Queen St East in the Beaches—opened in 1907. The Toronto Railway Company purchased it in 1912 and operated it as a true trolley park. 1/2

Our Mini Train season wraps up this weekend with the final train departing Don Station at 4:50pm on Sunday, November 2. Thank you to our hardworking Mini Train crew for a great season!

Oct 30, 1965: the last day of operation for the "pool train" passenger service operated jointly by the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways since 1933. The two railway companies had competed aggressively for Montreal-Toronto corridor passenger traffic throughout the 1920s. 1/3

Join us this weekend for spooky mini train rides, a scary scavenger hunt, and terrifying tours. **Actually all of our activities are fun and family-friendly!**

Oct 29, 1978: VIA Rail officially takes over the provision, management and administration of CP's transcontinental train, The Canadian. VIA reached a similar deal with CN exactly six months earlier. As part of the arrangement, VIA began using CP's John Street roundhouse. 1/2

Oct 28, 1979: Amtrak abandons the magnificent 1929 art deco-influenced Central Terminal in Buffalo, NY in favour of two smaller depots. These were the tiny Exchange Street station located closer to downtown and the Dick Road station in suburban Depew, near Cheektowaga. 1/3

Oct 27, 1985: VIA Rail's flagship transcontinental train "The Canadian" adopts a new convoluted routing when departing from Toronto. After arriving at Toronto Union Station via CN's Newmarket Sub and unloading passengers, it backed up to VIA's new Toronto Maintenance Centre in Mimico. 1/3

The recording of our October Second Tuesday talk, featuring Chris Fox, is now available on the Toronto Railway Museum's YouTube channel. youtu.be/xSs3HlIoizc?...

🔢 VIA46 / 🚂 VIA2218 / 🛤 VIA Brockville Sub / 📆 2025-08-24 / #VIARail

Oct 26, 1825: the Erie Canal opens from Buffalo to Albany, NY, connecting to New York City via the Hudson River. The canal was a big factor in New York City's rise as the commercial capital of the U.S. and Toronto's growth as a commercial entrepôt. 1/3

Oct 25, 1968: the Canadian Pacific Railway's Parkdale station serves as an active passenger station for the last time. After this date, CP's Toronto to Owen Sound Dayliners no longer made a stop at Parkdale; they had been the last trains to use the station. 1/2

Oct 24, 1970: the final departure of the overnight Canadian Pacific-Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo-Penn Central train between Toronto and New York City. This ended through sleeping car service between the two nations' largest cities, which had begun on May 30, 1897. 1/2

Oct 23, 1917: the Canadian Railway War Board holds its first meeting in the boardroom at CP's Windsor Station offices in Montreal. The board was formed to coordinate railway activity during the First World War, ensuring efficient movement of troops, war supplies and services. 1/3

The TRM is getting spooky this weekend. Join us on the 25th and 26th for a spooky scavenger hunt! Mini train will also be running! 🎃🚂

Oct 22, 1928: the Canadian Pacific Railway officially introduces two new 4-8-4 Northern locomotives for its Montreal-Toronto overnight passenger trains. Although its rival CN operated over 200 Northerns, Nos. 3100 and 3101 were the only locomotives of this type ever built for the CPR. 1/3C

"Once those troops come to Chicago, a situation that was not violent, gets out of control." Labor history: Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion A Chicago Stories Documentary youtu.be/i-kxAUwLktM

Oct 21, 1880: The Dominion government signs a contract with the second Canadian Pacific Railway syndicate to finish the 3,115 kilometre transcontinental railway. The line was to run from Lake Nipissing, through the Rockies via the Yellowhead Pass, to Port Moody, on the Burrard Inlet. 1/3

Oct 20, 1980: VIA Rail introduces "VIA 1" service on trains in the Montreal-Toronto corridor. This rebranding of first class passenger service replaced VIA's "Club" service on the Rapido, Turbo and overnight Cavalier trains. 1/3

Oct 19, 1967: Cunard Steamship Co. announces cancellation of its Canadian transatlantic passenger ships between Montreal and Liverpool. The line had first been established by Nova Scotian Samuel Cunard in 1839 and became the largest steamship company in the world. 1/3

Oct 18, 1855: the Great Western Railway of Canada accepts tenders for construction of a passenger station and freight house in Toronto. The facilities—which served the GWR’s subsidiary Hamilton & Toronto Railway—were at the foot of Bathurst Street, northeast of Fort York. 1/2

Oct 17, 1977: the former Canadian National Railway Parkdale station is destroyed in a fire started by transients. Built in 1878 by the Northern Railway, the station witnessed the departure of troops for the Northwest Rebellion in 1885. 1/3

Oct 16, 1910: the first Michigan Central passenger trains pass through the Detroit River Tunnel between Detroit, MI and Windsor, ON. It would take four more years before Canadian Pacific's Toronto-Detroit trains started using the tunnel instead of a ferry to cross the river. 1/2

Oct 15, 1929: the Canadian Pacific Railway opens a new 28-stall locomotive roundhouse and passenger car facilities at the foot of John Street, replacing an older facility first opened in 1897. It was built 17 ft. (5 m) higher due to the new elevated railway viaduct for Toronto Union Station. 1/3

Oct 14, 1990: former Canadian Pacific Railway 4-6-2 steam locomotive No. 1201 is retired after an excursion between Ottawa and Hawkesbury, Ontario. Built at CP's Angus Shops in 1944, No. 1201 was withdrawn from service in 1960. It was restored at the John Street roundhouse in 1976. 1/3

Oct 13, 1902: for the first time, wireless signals are transmitted from a moving train. The experimental transmission was made on the Grand Trunk Railway's eastbound "International Limited" between Toronto and Montreal. 1/2

Oct 12, 1983: the Canadian Pacific Railway ratifies joint purchase with Canadian National of the Canada Southern Railway from Conrail. The sale would conclude in April 1985. This American-owned line across southern Ontario was built in the 1870s to connect the states of New York and Michigan. 1/2

Oct 11, 1853: the Ontario, Simcoe & Huron Railway is extended from Bradford to Allandale, a mile southwest of Barrie. From Allandale, the OS&H planned on building west to Collingwood, bypassing Barrie, much to the consternation of that town's citizens. 1/3

Our monthly feature is the mighty Whitcomb centre cab switcher. “Switchers” or “shunters,” are locomotives used to efficiently relocate railway vehicles across shorter distances. “Number 1,” our 50-ton switcher was manufactured by the Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) in 1950.

Oct 10, 1975: the City of Toronto serves formal notice of its intention to designate Toronto Union Station under the Ontario Heritage Act. The designation would have given the building far more protection than National Historic Site designation, which also occurred in 1975. 1/2

Oct 9, 1921: the Toronto Transportation Commission extends the Bloor West streetcar line from Runnymede Road to Jane Street. This later became the west end of the cross-town Bloor route, the second busiest streetcar route in the city after Yonge Street. 1/2

Shirts and caps by Canadian clothing company Red Canoe are now available in the TRM Shop at Don Station. Red Canoe produces officially licensed Canadian Pacific merchandise - perfect for a gift, or for yourself.

Oct 8, 1918: three Canadian Pacific Railway trains carrying over 900 First World War combat veterans arrive at North Toronto Station. Thousands of Torontonians were on hand to welcome the veterans—most of whom had been "over the top"—as they arrived home. 1/3

Oct 7, 1930: the Canadian National Railway opens a new underpass at Gerrard St. East and Carlaw Ave. The girder bridge superstructure carrying the railway was built on a skew, enabling Gerrard to be straightened and eliminating the sharp reverse curves that streetcars had previously negotiated.

Oct 6, 1990: VIA Rail begins a two-day display of its refurbished stainless steel passenger car equipment at Toronto Union Station. VIA's marketing department named the exhibition "Of Style & Steel" and the Toronto stop was part of a month long transcontinental tour. 1/3

Oct 5, 1869: HRH Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria, turns the first sod for the Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway at Weston. The Grand Trunk Railway excursion train prepared to carry dignitaries from Union Station to Weston for this event consisted of only two cars. 1/2

Oct 4, 1855: the Grand Trunk Railway operates a special train on its newly constructed line between Toronto and Brampton. The special train left the Grand Trunk's Queen's Wharf station at noon, making intermediate stops at Weston and Malton. 1/2

Oct 3, 1927: the Queen Street East railway underpass—or subway—at DeGrassi Street opens to road traffic. This was the first of nine railway underpasses to be completed as part of the Waterfront Grade Separation project. 1/2

Oct 2, 2000: the funeral train of the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau carries his remains from Ottawa to Montreal. The special VIA Rail Train No. 638 consisted of two F40PH-2 diesel locomotives hauling four Budd-built stainless steel passenger cars. 1/3

Oct 1, 1955: a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train collides with the rear of a Canadian National Railway freight at a siding at Trafalgar, near Oakville, on the latter's Oakville Subdivision. No member of either train's crew is injured, but several cows in one of the CN stock cars are killed. 1/2

Registration is now open for our October Second Tuesday Zoom Talk. Join Chris Fox as he discusses connections between heritage preservation and modern rail operations in Canada. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. buytickets.at/torontorailw...

If you'd like to know more about this rail line, you might enjoy my video: youtu.be/eBtREVkhfyM

Sep 30, 1930: the Canadian National Railway's new 4-6-4 Hudson steam locomotive No. 5700 hauls its first revenue train from Toronto Union Station to Windsor, ON. The new engine attracted much attention along the route, especially at Hamilton, where the crowds delayed the train by three minutes. 1/2