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Caption: Nice cold winter morning, typically dull; but still worth the drive to Fort Erie to catch the CP Budds honouring a long term contract as TH&B service, only a scant 3 months before the run ended for good on April 25th. The passenger service ran from Toronto to Exchange St., Buffalo and back. Oft-times it was a surprise even to see one passenger detrain at Fort Erie. This station, like all the others that once crowded Fort Erie down by the International Bridge, is long gone from the site. As in 20 years. Cars are CP 9115 and 9021.
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Were those the Budd cars that CP called “Dayliners”?
I recall seeing Dayliners on the Galt at Mavis Road near Cooksville back in the 60′s before I started taking any pictures though.
Thats them. You got it.
CP called ‘em Dayliners, and CN called ‘em Railiners.
How many ppl rode the train in this period? Have good patronage to toronto?
Good question. I never did see much activity around this train at Fort Erie, and never did ride it. Someone out there must be able to come up with some numbers………..
I rode it to Exchange St and back…maybe a dozen ppl. Heck we even rode up front for a good part of the trip to Buffalo.
Good morning Arnold, great picture ! Brings back great memories. On Good Friday , April 17,1981, my wife, 2 young children, our babysitter and a good friend rode these RDC’s from Toronto to Fort Erie, with 4 adult and one child’s bicycles in the baggage section of the front RDC-2. The plan was to unload the bikes at above station and bicycle along River Road to Niagara Falls. TH&B checked baggage service was available to Welland, but not Fort Erie . At Welland we asked the.baggage man to take the bikes to Fort Erie and we would help unload them and he graciously agreed and they were unloaded at Fort Erie NYC Station. There were about 20 passengers on board it being Easter long weekend but after we detrained, only about 15 crossed the boarder. To me, the 2nd car looks like a RDC-3, not RDC 9021. Made history that day in that the last run of the RDC’s over the TH&B was 2 weeks later on April 30.
The next day, Fri May 1, 1981, VIA/Amtrak Maple Leaf made its first run, and probably the bikes were the last checked baggage to Fort Erie. We successfully biked to Niagara Falls and back to Toronto on CN/VIA evening RDC train. Rode on CPR and CNR RDC’s the same day! As did the bikes !! Thanks for posting a memorable picture. Much appreciated !!
Thanks a great story; nice the pic helped along the memories.
I did post the first Maple Leaf in this series somewhere as well……I’ll have to check and see if i can find if the other Budd was 9021 or not. I had planned on taking “going” photos but CBC TV came by and asked a couple of us to stand at the old “B-1″ station at the bridge and pose as “railfans” for the news. So, missed the opportunity.
Oops. Sorry, railwayguy; my mind was thinking this was the last run shot. Disregard my “last run” ramblings. Mind is turning to rubber being stuck at home, I guess.
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No problem, my mind is the same way. I just was looking at your posted picture of the last CP-TH&B-NYC run into Buffalo taken at the ex-NYC Fort Erie station at the end of April, 1981 that you are mentioning. It is a picture capturing history in the making, and interesting that ex-CN RDC’s had replaced the CPR RDC’s on the last run, and that it was a 3-car train picture as opposed to the 2-car train in the above picture. Thanks for photographing both events. So if we were around back then, are we “historical” ? Keep well
CP’s RDC-3 units were numbered 9020-9024, so 9021 is plausible. It did do some time on the TH&B Budd run.
Many of those CP RDC-3′s were later rebuilt by VIA as RDC-2′s, and had the extended baggage/RPO/Express section shortened for more seating. I think most went to IRSI and were scrapped a few years back.
Absolutely correct MrDan, and apologies to Mr. Mooney. His notation that the second RDC car in the above picture taken by him is 9021 is I’m sure correct. It is definitely an RDC-3. In my elderly state I was thinking the CPR RDC-1 numbering started with 9000, but of course CP’s initial RDC-1 units (ordered 1953) were 9050, 9051 & 9052 (9049 being acquired later).
Thank you for the correction.
MrDan the encyclopedia to the rescue!!
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