Jerome Nicholson mentioned about sealing the doors on the Atlantic (train) through Maine. This intrigued me so I tried to find more and the Wikipedia article (sorry, tried to link but there is bug in this forum relating to brackets in Wikipedia links) hints at the same. But I'm still slightly unclear: was this a purely Canadian train that (at some points in its life) passed through Maine ostensibly non-stop, and thus the doors were locked* to prevent nasty foreigners gaining access to the other country?
I suppose that would be similar to Eurostar while in the UK. Passport checks are done at the stations rather than onboard so the train is "sterile" while speeding through the English countryside.
* Presumably not really locked for fire regulations but some effort was made to prevent egress/ingress.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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The Atlantic was purely a Canadian train...originally CPR then VIA. It did stop for passengers at several stations in the USA on 200 miles of CPR track crossing Maine between Montreal and Saint John, New Brunswick.
A small metal “tag” was looped through an eyelet on all doors except in the car where the US Customs & INS Inspector rode.... only checking passengers getting off in the US. The inspector could see if the tag had been tampered with but it would easily snap-off in an emergency if the door had to be opened.
On the original CPR Atlantic Limited, only coach passengers and those getting off in Maine had been inspected by US Custom and Immigration......Sleeping Car passengers were just left alone.
When VIA restored the Atlantic after it had been discontinued for several years in the 1980s.....US Officials insisted all passengers would be inspected. Eastbound Sleeping Car passengers were wakened at 3am ET in Jackman, Maine. Westbound wasn’t as bad: 9pm ET (10pm AT) at Vanceboro. The trains were running long and full so there were major delays in clearing the train.
The restored Atlantic was only back a short time before people were calling for it to rerouted via Edmundston NB on the NTR to avoid crossing the US border. Passengers were switching to the Ocean to escape the hassle from US officials even if they had to change trains and wait a couple of hours in Moncton to connect to Halifax.
It took a couple of years of negotiations but eventually the train was “Sealed” while crossing through the US. Anyone boarding in the US was checked by Canada Customs when the trains crossed back into Canada at McAdam NB or Megantic, Quebec
The Atlantic was discontinued in December 1994. Wonder how things would be handled today if the Atlantic was still running in these post 9-11 times!
......and there have been several “Sealed” trains in the US and Canada:
Amtrak had a train running through Canada between Buffalo and Detroit. The Empire State Express (later: Niagara Rainbow) was extended to Detroit in 1974 on 250 miles of Penn Central track across southern Ontario. Originally it ran non-stop through Canada but later stops were added at Windsor, St. Thomas and Fort Erie. There was a separate coach to handle the Canadian passengers who were inspected when the train entered the US. I believe these trains were sealed also and only those getting off in Canada were inspected by Canada Customs. Don’t think passengers riding through between US points were even inspected.
Here’s Amtrak's Niagara Rainbow...formerly the Empire State Express at St. Thomas Ontario in 1977:
Prior to Amtrak this was New York Central’s main route from Detroit to Buffalo and on to Boston and New York: Several trains a day (some even operating in multiple sections) and hundreds of passengers passing thru Canada between US destinations and probably most people didn’t even realize it.
If you go way back to the ‘60s: A CP RDC run between Montreal and Boston would cross into the US for about 10 miles to serve a couple of Vermont towns then back into Canada for 10 miles to a stop in Quebec then finally back into Vermont. Don’t know how US and Canadian Customs handled this one!
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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. Here’s the Atlantic crossing the “International Bridge“ at Vanceboro, Maine – St. Croix, New Brunswick. I’m hanging out the sleeper’s door (on the US side).....the diesels are across the bridge in Canada where it’s an hour later (Atlantic Time)
...and the bridge from below. It’s the local swimming hole. US on the left...Canada on the right.
.....and stopped for Canada Customs at McAdam, New Brunswick:
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One evening on the w/b "Atlantic" my young son and I were watching the US officer (with the service manager beside him) attaching the seals. I said quietly to my son: "Those seals are so thin anyone could break them easily." The officer heard me and gave me a suspicious look. I quickly retreated to our drawing room. I was hoping that no-one broke one or I would be prime suspect.
Posts: 216 | From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2000
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