Caption: The first section of westbound CPR Montreal to Agincourt freight 915 rolls up to the Smith Falls station behind an assortment of GMD and MLW power. This scene was captured during a trip to Smith Falls to ride train 21, a former CNR/CPR pool train, before cancellation as the pool agreement had been cancelled a few months previous.

With both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways seeing sharp declines in ridership during the Great Depression, both companies entered into an agreement to pool some competitive passenger services on Toronto - Montreal and Toronto - Ottawa routes where both operators had similar schedules. The agreement would come into effect April 2, 1933. Montreal - Quebec City operations were added the following year. This agreement would come to an end at midnight on October 30, 1965. CPR overnight pool trains 33 & 34 became CPR daytime RDC runs Toronto - Peterborough - Havelock - Smiths Falls - Bedell Jct. - Ottawa. The CPR overnight pool trains 21 & 22 became luxury late afternoon trains Toronto - Belleville - Smiths Falls - Montreal using equipment from CPR's Canadian, including dining car and dome-observation lounge Park cars in a vain attempt to compete with CN’s afternoon Rapido’s to/from Montreal. By January 1966, it had become obvious that CP couldn’t effectively compete with the Rapido’s, so CP applied and was granted permission to terminate trains 21 & 22. Wanting to ride #21 before it was discontinued, on this Saturday I made a trip on RDC equipped Ottawa train 33 to Smiths Falls and returned to Toronto on train 21, now named the Royal York. The eastbound counterpart, train #22, carried the name Le Chateau Champlain. Both trains being named after CP hotels at each of their destinations.

Scan and editing by Jacob Patterson.