Casey Jones Rail Road Unit of the ATA



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TRAINS on POSTAL STATIONERY

CANADA - C.P.R. Official postcards of Canada

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TG writes:
The Canadian Pacific Railway Official postcards of Canada are listed in
"Holmes' Specialialized Philatelic Catalogue of Canada and British North America."
I think they deserve a place in the list as they are so interesting and very collectable.
Other railway companies issued cards as well.

I suppose it would be helpful to divide the cards into three categories:
(i) those which show trains
(ii) those which show C.P.R. hotels
(iii) those which show a scene with no railway connection

Holmes recognises three distinct sets:
Queen Victoria indicium issued 1897 (7 basic views)
King Edward VII indicium issued 1903 (10 basic views)
King George V indicium issued 1913 (16 basic views)

There are lots of variations, resulting in about 200 cards in all.

CAN.1 Hot Springs Hotel, Banff
TG
 
CAN.2 Fraser Canon House (with small train)
TG

Locomotive shown is typical CPR equipment of the 1880's, a 4-4-0 American type, with high mounted headlight.

 
CAN.3 Mount Stephen House (with small train)
TG

Another copy on whiter paper(?), ThemaBelga image # 216 - 1902; 1 cent used Postal Stationery Canadian Pacific Railway Company "steam train at Mount Stephen House"

 
CAN.4 Mount Stephen House (with small train: considerably re-drawn)
TG
 
CAN.5 Place Viger Hotel (with tramcar) (3 views with small differences)
TG

Another copy on whiter paper(?), with yet another variation of the drawing, ThemaBelga image # 215 - 1901; 1 cent used Postal Stationery Canadian Pacific Railway Company "tram at Place Viger Hotel"

 
CAN.6 The Chalet, Lake Louise (3 views with small differences)
TG
 
CAN.7 Chateau Frontenac
TG
 
CAN.8 Hot Springs hote, Banff
TG
 
CAN.9 Windsor Street Station Dining Room, Montreal
TG
 
CAN.10 Mount Stephen House (with small train)
TG
 
CAN.11 Windsor Station, C.P.R. Head Offices, Montreal
TG
 
CAN.12 Lake Louise
TG
 
CAN.13 Place viger hotel, Montreal
TG
 
CAN.14 Banff Springs Hotel (considerably redrawn)
TG
Below are two similar cards produced by the Grand Trunk Railway.
In the image of the upper card, the engine is seen head-on, and is the straight-stacked small boilered type used throughout the GTR system.

On the lower card, two trains are seen approaching each other on the double-tracked top deck of the newly-completed Lower Arch Bridge (Whirlpool Rapids Bridge) over the Niagara River, completed in 1897, and still in use.

Note that this bridge was built in the same location as the Roebling bridge depicted on Scott US 961. Click here for more on that.

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All maps courtesy of the CIA World Factbook.

All text Copyright © 2003, William M. Senkus

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Revised -- 01/10/2005