Canada, by Train

Tracking Time

Growth of Tourism

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Dominion Atlantic Railway, 1905

Railway companies realized early that the patronage of wealthy travellers was desirable. To lure them to their particular region and beat out the competition, they used all kinds of marketing techniques, including publications with smartly turned phrases and evocative imagery. "The Cool and Beautiful Land of Summer Rest" was Nova Scotia -- best experienced, of course, on the Dominion Atlantic Railway. At the turn of the century, "The Most Magnificent Scenic Route in the World" was coined by the Niagara Gorge Railroad Company to exploit their part in what was already, arguably, Canada's hottest tourist destination. In 1944, the Pacific Great Eastern urged you to "Rediscover BC" on their line. The cover images of brochures and broadsheets were mostly highly stylized natural scenes, sometimes with depictions of historic, literary and popular figures.

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Niagara Gorge Railway, 1901

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Canadian Pacific Railway, 1899, cover and title page

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CPR Observation Lounge, new solarium car, 1920's

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Ottawa & Gatineau Railway, 1901

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Pacific Great Eastern Railway, 1944, cover and map

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