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The ''Canadian'' (Le ''Canadien'') is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario, and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia. Before 1955 the ''Canadian'' was a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train between Toronto and Chicago. In 1955 CPR renamed its transcontinental route between Montreal/Toronto and Vancouver the ''Canadian'', with new streamlined trains. Via Rail took over in 1978, and in 1990 reduced the ''Canadian'' to Toronto - Vancouver service primarily along Canadian National tracks. ==Canadian Pacific== In the years following World War II, passenger trains on the CPR consisted of a mixture of prewar heavyweight and pre- and post-war lightweight cars, even on its flagship transcontinental ''The Dominion'' and its eastern extension, ''The Atlantic Limited''. While these cars were serviceable, American trains of the early 1950s, such as the ''California Zephyr'', had already adopted streamlined all-stainless steel consists featuring domed observation cars. Following an evaluation in 1949 of the dome cars featured on the General Motors / Pullman Standard demonstrator ''Train of Tomorrow'', CPR management, including then Vice President Norris Crump, resolved to upgrade its rolling stock. In 1953, CPR placed an order for 155 stainless steel cars with the Budd Company of Philadelphia that included 18 rear-end dome cars (''Park'' series), 18 ''Skyline'' mid-train dome cars, 30 coaches, 18 dining cars and 71 sleeping cars (''Manor'' and ''Château'' series). A subsequent order for 18 baggage-crew dormitory cars brought the final to total to 173 cars, sufficient for establishing an entirely new transcontinental service and partially re-equippiping ''The Dominion''. The interior design of these new cars was contracted to the Philadelphia architectural firm Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson (a company known for its industrial designs on other prominent passenger trains such as the ''Pioneer Zephyr''), and the resulting furnishings and pastel-shaded colour schemes were widely acclaimed. After deciding to name the ''Park'' series dome cars after famous Canadian parks, leading Canadian artists, including members of the Group of Seven, were commissioned to paint suitable murals for these cars. When the decision was made to add budget sleeping cars, the Budd order was supplemented by 22 existing heavyweight sleepers that CPR refurbished in its own Angus Shops, each fitted out with Budd-style stainless steel cladding. To complement the new rolling stock, the CPR ordered General Motors Diesel FP9 locomotives to supplement an existing fleet of FP7s. Although these F-units remained the preferred power for the train, it was occasionally pulled by a variety of motive power, including Montreal Locomotive Works FPA-2s. CPR christened its new flagship train ''The Canadian'' and service began on April 24, 1955. Running time between Montreal and Vancouver was reduced from about 85 to 71 hours, so that passengers spent only three, rather than four, nights en route. Although CPR competitor Canadian National Railways began its own new transcontinental service, the ''Super Continental'', on the same day, CPR was able to boast honestly that ''The Canadian'' was "The first and only all-stainless steel 'dome' stream-liner in Canada" — it was not until 1964 that the CNR acquired dome cars from the Milwaukee Road. CPR operated the train in two sections east of Sudbury, Ontario. The section operating between Montreal and Vancouver (also serving Ottawa) was known as train 1 westbound and train 2 eastbound, with a connecting section to or from Toronto splitting or joining at Sudbury (this section was known as train 11 westbound, and train 12 eastbound). Matching its streamlined appearance, ''The Canadian''s 71 hour westbound schedule was 16 hours faster than that of ''The Dominion''. Although initially successful, passenger train ridership began to decline in Canada during the 1960s. Facing competition from airlines and increased automobile usage following construction of the Trans-Canada Highway, the CPR cancelled ''The Dominion'' in 1966, and petitioned the government to discontinue ''The Canadian'' in 1970. Although this petition was denied, CPR during the 1970s attempted to remove itself from the passenger service market. ''The Canadian'' was operated at reduced levels, with the government subsidizing 80 percent of its losses. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Canadian (train)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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