Port of Saint John, N.B & Canadian Pacific-Winter Port Season-1953
Excerpts From One of The Local Saint John, N.B. Newspapers-November 1953
By J.R Strother
General Superintendent New Brunswick District
Canadian Pacific Railway Company.
105,000 Box Cars Used Last Year(1951-1952 Winter Port Season)
Woven securely into the economic tapestry of Saint John and New
Brunswick are the primary threads of transportation by land and sea
provided by Canadian Pacific.
Today it is an established fact that Cnadian Pacific is the leading
industry in Saint John. Each year thousands of the company's employees
draw nearly $4 million in wages, most fo which is poured back into local
purchases in the city.
105,000 Box Cars
A graphic illustration of the volume of imports and exportstransported
to and from Saint John's "West Side" by Canadian Pacific calls for a
stretch of the imagination-a freight train stretching from the Port City
long CPR's main-line through Montreal to 60 miles west of Toronto. The
105,000 box cars which go to make up that train correspond with the
number of cars which go through the Saint John yards during the
five-month winter season 1951-1952.
The life of Saint John's year around harbour depends on the facilities
of Canadian Pacific, for the company consistently handles about 98 per
cent of the rail traffic in and out of the port. The coming Season
promises to be one of the largest in history from the point of view of
freight movement. Not only is there a predicted increase in the amount
of export and import freight but grain movements are expected to show a
marked increase.
Present estimates show that more than 20 million bushels that were
expected last year.
Much of the grain will be moved to European ports by the fleet of fast
modern "Beaver" ships of Canadian Pacific Steamships. These sleek,
10,000 ton cargo-express ships will make a total of 20 calls at Saint
John during the Season, carrying imports from Europe and the United
Kingdom and returning with Canadian materials. In addition, the now
famous immigrant ship, the "Beaverbrae"(2nd) will make three trips to
Saint John, bringing hundreds of new citizens to this country. Three
other "Beaver" ships carry 35 passengers-"Beaverburn"(2nd),
"Beaverlodge", and the "Beaverford"(2nd). The "Beaverbrae"(2nd) carrying
800 passengers.
Two Passenger Liners
The two luxury passenger liners, the 20,000 ton each; "Empress of
Canada"(2nd), "Empress of France"(2nd) are scheduled to make eight calls
at the port this winter. These two veterans of the Atlantic Sea lanes
have established a standard of efficiency, comfort and service which has
made them world renowned.
In keeping with the company's policy to maintain this standard, plans to
replace these two "White Empresses" have been formulated and it has
already placed orders for one of the new liners with a leading
shipbuilding firm in Scotland, with a 1954 delivery date.
To keep this tremendous flow of traffic moving to and from the docks of
Saint Johnwithout a "terminal bottleneck delay"-Canadian Pacific will
operate hundreds of additional freight trains. Moving in a constant
stream over the company's 23,000 miles of track throughout Canada, the
materials will be delivered to their destinations as rapidly as
possible.
Extra passenger trains, too, will operate from the piers each time one
of CP's "Empress" ships docks. Passengers whose rail ticketing is done
aboard ship prior to docking, will step off the ships into waiting
trains and will be transported in maximum comfort to their Canadian
destinations.
1,500 West Side Staff.
With the opening of the "Winter Port" season and to handle the operation
of expanded freight and passenger movements the CPR's "West Side" staff
increases from less than 25 employees to almost 1,500. The vast sheds
which handle only a trickle of freight during the summer months almost
overnight start to hum with activity.
The present volume of traffic taxes Canadian Pacific's present trackage
to the ultimate at all times during the winter months.
With increased docking facilities now under construction, indicating an
increased flow of freight tonnage, CP already has tentative plans to
increase its storage trackage, by extending the Fairville yards. Land is
being secured for a long range expansion program, which when concluded
will permit the company to more fully discharge its duties as a common
carrier.
End.
Don Scott-Coquitlam, B.C.
