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Last month, while up in Vancouver, BC, we went over to a restaurant called "Steamworks Transcontinental". The restaurant is also referred to as the "Transcontinental Heritage Restaurant and Railway Lounge". It is on the site of the old CPR Waterfront train station.
I looked up on the wall and saw a number of old railroad posters. Among them was:
I noticed the the "sleeping cars only" statement on the poster. I could not help thinking there must of been a limited number of stops for both boarding and detraining if there wern't any coach cars.
Then I started to think about the word "limited". Is or was this sort of a generic term meaning a limited number of station stops along the route? I think of some of the more famous "limited" trains in the US..such as the "Broadway Limited" and "Twentieth Century Limited", and the present Amtrak "Capitol Limited". There was or seems to be quite a few stops on all the above routes. Maybe I don't understand the meaning of the word "limited".
By the way, if you are ever in Vancouver, I can really recommend the "Steamworks Transcontinental" restaurant. The old CPR station building (W. Cordova and Seymour St.) was renovated and now is a station for the Vancouver Seabus, Sealink, and Sky Train, as well as the restaurant. They did a superb job of fixing up the old station..the building, including the restaurant, is very beautiful. The food is very good and the restaurant is in the "Gastown" area of Vancouver, a popular tourist spot.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Nice building.....pity it isn't a passenger train station anymore.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Thanks for those two pictures, Richard-- that's a likely looking little group on the back platform of the passenger train; probably imbibing some fine adult beverages, while the train courses through that beautiful canyon!
The word "Limited" always summons up speed, and the romance of Golden-era rail travel for me; I'm glad Amtrak has kept the word around on a few of their current trains, such as the Sunset Ltd.
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: Nice building.....pity it isn't a passenger train station anymore.
Since I know hardly anything about the mysterious country to our Far North, just what is that beautiful ornate old building used for today, David?
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by notelvis: Nice building.....pity it isn't a passenger train station anymore.
Since I know hardly anything about the mysterious country to our Far North, just what is that beautiful ornate old building used for today, David?
OP says it houses a restaurant and stations for 'Seabus' (not sure what that is) and 'Skytrain' which is Vancouvers elevated mass transit system.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Re: Vancouver -- I believe the Seabus is a commuter ferry boat service which connects downtown Vancouver with North Vancouver, across Burrard Inlet.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I do not know what the Seabus or Sealink is. The Skytrain is the longest automated rapid transit train in the world..it goes all over Vancouver..about 42 miles total.
Stephen: Thanks for the reference to the post by Mr. Norman. Yes, I can readily believe that that most "limited" trains, in our past, were premier trains. I always, thought, however that the stops were limited compared with other trains along the same route.
The newly refurbished CPR train building is now just called "The Station". You walk into a large concourse with pillars and then on to loading/boarding areas. The restaurant is adjacent, in the same building.
Does anyone know the location for the old CN train station in Vancouver? I tried to find out by doing a web search but found nothing? I know it would not have been in the same building as the CPR, considering the tremendous rivalry between CN and CP. Maybe the old CN station used to be in what is now the Pacific Central Station, which is the station for the VIA train and the Amtrak Cascade train.
I tried for find an old route and time table for the Trans Canada Limited (poster above). I could not find anything there, either.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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I appears you are right in surmising that Pacific Central was originally the CN Station.
I believe Skytrain is now operating directly to YVR. We won't be using it this time since we'll be taking the Cascades to Pacific Central but it seems as if it would be an easy way to get to Central Vancouver. Especially to board a ship at Canada Place.
Frank in Sunny SBA (still foggy downtown, though)
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote:Originally posted by RR4me: Would love to have prints of those old posters. Thanks for posting.
You might try the Fairmont Hotel chain that now operates many of the hotels formerly owned by the CP. We picked up the poster shown in the gift shop in the Empress Hotel in Victoria, a classic CP hotel.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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The Fairmont folks have been good caretakers of the old railroad hotels in Canada. The Chateau Laurier in Ottawa has an extensive collection of photographs on display about the building of the hotel by the Grand Trunk. The former station across the street is an events center but has avoided being torn down.
Frank in sunny and warming SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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The former Canadian Pacific Station, now called Waterfront Station, is still, technically, a railway station as it is used by Skytrain and the local commuter service Westcoast Express. It is truly a beautiful station, and the Steamworks Transcontinental is well worth a visit.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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quote:Originally posted by yukon11: I tried for find an old route and time table for the Trans Canada Limited (poster above). I could not find anything there, either.
Hate to admit it, but I'm stumped too. I did find a timetable for the "Transcanada" (one word) in 1916 but it was not a sleeping-cars-only train; it included coaches and tourist sleepers. It operated daily Toronto-Vancouver. Possibly it spawned a first-class only sibling in the immediate postwar years—my collection gets kind of spotty in the years prior to the streamliner era.
-------------------- --------Eric H. Bowen
Stop by my website: Streamliner Schedules - Historic timetables of the great trains of the past! Posts: 413 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: Mar 2006
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