The Funny Thing About Bucket Lists

In the 1950’s, Canadian National Railways renewed its passenger coach fleet, in hopes of sustaining the passenger train business for another generation. Being “The Peoples’ Railway”, it sought ways to make train travel across Canada stylish and relevant to the populace.

One marketing touch was to name its 52 new sleeping cars after place names across the CNR system. Names beginning with E were chosen, making the group of cars easily identifiable within railway records and operations, but also resonant to anyone watching a CN train pass.

For this young trainwatcher, CN’s strategy certainly worked. First class trains were magnetic, and the car names were never overlooked as they flashed past. They created a mystique and wanderlust that inspired this guy to see the country and the world.

Somewhere along my journeys, I became curious about this list of place names. I began researching where each one was located, which rail line they were on, and what remained from those past times. Some were obvious, some were close by, some were ethereal and hard to pin down.

And then, I had to see them all. I began collecting my notes and photos, and planning my itineraries to pass through each one. What follows is an album of what I found as I arrived in each former station location.

My bucket list is not full, so you won’t see postcards from every one….yet. My travels continue. Bucket lists are not meant to be complete – some things always remain to tick off. I’m not done yet, but I hope to add more as I travel.

CNR E-Class Sleeping cars, and Their Namesake Places

Note – Many subdivision names have changed over the years. I have indicated the subdivision and mileposts mostly based on employee timetables from the era where the car names were chosen. Similarly, I used a CN 1955 passenger timetable to establish the train service at the time. Where the same town name occurs in multiple provinces, I chose the location which had CN service over those places not on a CN line.

It’s remarkable how many of the station names chosen were very small towns that by 1954-1955 were already fading from glory. Many of these once busy railway places have simply disappeared.

It’s also remarkable how many of the chosen names were already down to a mixed train, often only two or three times a week, when they were selected. Surely the writing was already on the wall – CN can’t have thought that putting these names on view would create much new ridership! Nevertheless, their use as sleeping car names added to our sense of place, and the appreciation of how broad our country is, and how important the railways were to linking it together. It was a heritage gesture that spoke volumes.

Eastport 1110

This community, on the east coast of Newfoundland, had no rail service and was only accessible by CNR steamship. The steamship SS Glencoe sailed biweekly from St John’s to Lewisporte and return.

Eastview 1111

Eastview SK – MP 28.1 Central Butte Subdivision

Eastview was a siding on the Regina-Saskatoon line. It was never incorporated; it did have a post office from 1902 to 1910. Never a full town, it remained a flag stop for daily mixed trains into the early 1960’s.

There are no railway facilities at Eastview today. In fact, I failed to note it as I drove nearby.

Visited – drive by 2019

Edenwold 1112

Edenwold Saskatchewan MP 72.4 Qu’Appelle Subdivision

This prairie town was established in 1912. In 1958, Edenwold saw a passenger train daily except Sunday in each direction between Regina and Melville. The depot had an open train order office for days only.

Today, there is a station sign – but no other railway facilities in town. The community has a population of 265 today.

Visited – 2019

Edgeley 1113

Edgeley SK – MP 61.2 Qu’Appelle Subdivision

Edgeley was established in 1912. It once had a grain elevator and church. In 1958, Edgeley saw a passenger train daily except Sunday in each direction between Regina and Melville. The depot had an open train order office for days only.

Today, its population is 41. No railway facilities remain.

Visited – 2019

Edmonton 1114

Edmonton AB – MP 0.0, Edmonton Terminal Subdivision

Of course I have been to Edmonton. But I didn’t take any pictures, because……

Edmonton was, and still is, a railway hub. In the 1959’s it was the terminus for first class and local trains in many directions. Today, VIA’s Canadian calls twice a week each way. The railway yards have grown, and the industrial switching never stops.

Visited – 1978-2021

Edmundston 1115

Edmundston NB – MP 113.1 Grand Falls Subdivision

Edmundston is a division point on the Napadogan line to Halifax. In 1955 it saw two trains a day each way to Quebec City, and one a day each way to Moncton. There was also a mixed train to Campbellton via the St Quentin Subdivision.

Edmundston retained passenger service into the VIA era, but that service no longer operates. The town is still going strong. It’s a division point on the main freight route to the Maritimes.

Visited – 1977-1997

Edson 1116

Edson AB – MP 129.6 Wabamun Subdivision

Edson was and still is a thriving passenger stop on the CN transcontinental line, west of Edmonton and east of Jasper. Today VIA’s Canadian calls twice a week in each direction. Edson remains a passenger stop.

All my visits to Edson were….by train. And it was usually getting too dark for photos. One day….

Visited – 1978-2014

Edwardsville 1117

Edwardsville, NS – Spur, Sydney Subdivision

Edwardsville did not actually have a train station. It is a small community across the bay from North Sydney NS. It was reached down an industrial spur, but there would never have been passenger service to that location. The tracks are still in place, but VIA stopped running to Sydney a couple decades ago. Even freight trains don’t reach Sydney any more – the line has been taken out of service east of Port Hawkesbury.

Visited – 1997

Egerton 1118

Edgerton, AB – MP 121.2 Unity Subdivision

Egerton NS – MP 52.9 Hopewell Subdivision

Edgerton (Alberta) is a small town on the CN main line between Biggar and Wainright. Even in 1955, the premier passenger trains blew through without stopping. One second class passenger train in each direction stopped, daily except Sunday.

Egerton (Nova Scotia) – spelled without the d, consistent with CN internal passenger car lists – was an unattended flag stop but merited two flaggable trains a day each way, plus a stopping train daily except Sunday, on the Sydney-Truro route through Cape Breton.

I’m going with NS as the inspiration for the CN E-car name.

Egerton NS continued as a flag stop for the daily VIA Railliner until 1980. The station was dropped from the schedule shortly before the infamous Pepin cuts of 1981. There are only a few houses in that location.

Ekhart 1119

Ekhart, MB – MP 4.4 Inwood Subdivision

Ekhart was a tiny village on the Canadian Northern branch line from Winnipeg via Grosse Isle to Hodgson.

Ekhart is best known for its former railway station, a box car that was repurposed as a temporary passenger station. It sat in place from 1916 until the 1950’s, when it was closed and sold to a local farmer. In 1991 it was donated to a local museum and now can be found nearby in Argyle Man. It is the last remaining example of a passenger station built from a converted box car.

In 1955, Ekhart saw only a twice weekly mixed train. Passenger service ended altogether around 1960, and the line was abandoned in 1991. Today, Ekhart is just a hiking trail in the fields – there are no buildings left.

Elcott 1120

Elcott, SK – MP 3.7 Northgate Subdivision

Elcott is a ghost town about four miles north of the US border at Northgate SK, on the old “Al Capone” SOO Line route from Regina to Minneapolis-St Paul. At one time it had a grain elevator, but not much can be found to document its existence as a town.

By 1955, mixed train service ran only once a week in each direction. The last stretch of this line was abandoned in 2007. There is no evidence of any community at Elcott.

Elderbank 1121

Elderbank NS – MP 64.2 Dartmouth Subdivision

Elderbank was a flag stop for a farming community on the line from Windsor Jct to Upper Musquodoboit in Nova Scotia. In the 1950’s, it was served by a tri-weekly mixed train. Passenger service ended before 1963.

The line has been abandoned. There is little to find except the right of way itself.

Excelsior 1122

Excelsior, AB – MP 21.9 Lac La Biche Subdivision, Northern Alberta Railway

Excelsior was a small agricultural town north of Edmonton AB. It emerged along the Northern Alberta Railway. Being CN affiliated, but not owned, NAR was shown in CN timetables as part of the CN network.

In 1955, Excelsior saw a mixed train three days a week between Edmonton and Waterways AB. This service, the famous ‘Muskeg Mixed”, lasted until 1989, after NAR was formally acquired as part of the CN system. The line through Excelsior was abandoned in 1986, when CN rerouted trains to Waterways over its parallel route.

Today, there is nothing to see at Excelsior. The former grain elevator at this location has been preserved in a new location. The line itself is disappearing in the weeds.

P.S. – It’s curious that this car violates the careful alphabetical order of the numbering of these cars. Eldorado 1159 seems to be swapped out in order with Excelsior. I wonder if 1122 had been given a different name, but it was stroked out and Excelsior substituted. Or perhaps the typist made an error. We obsessive types notice these things.

Elgin 1123

Elgin, MB – MP 42.0 Hartney Subdivision

There’s a three way tie on Elgin – there are railway place names in Ontario, New Brunswick, and Manitoba. I’m choosing Manitoba, because in 1954 when the sleeper names were chosen, only Elgin MB had train service…. a thrice weekly mixed train between Winnipeg and Virden MB.

Elgin was a bustling town with three grain elevators – of which one still stands and is still in use today. Current population is roughly 100.

The Hartney Sub has been abandoned, but the grade remains, as do several bridges and trestles. The Station Name Sign from CN days rests in a small town museum across the road from the old station site.

Visited – 2022

Elizabeth 1124

Elizabeth, ON – MP 10.1 Fort Frances Subdivision

Elizabeth was a small community ten miles west of Atikokan, ON. It was a flag stop adjacent to Perch Lake, a long waterway extending west from Atikokan. In 1955, it saw a daily Winnipeg-Fort William train on the Fort Frances route, as well as a mixed train that ran twice weekly between Rainy River and Atikokan. By 1965, the through train no longer stopped in Elizabeth; in 1966 the mixed train also dropped Elizabeth as a stopping point.

Today, Elizabeth remains a siding on the Winnipeg-Thunder Bay line – but the only residence nearby is a fishing lodge, a mile up the road, and a few cottages on Perch Lake.

Ellerslie 1125

Ellerslie, PEI – MP 23.5 Tignish Subdivision

Ellerslie was a small community on the Summerside-Tignish railway, which opened in 1875. In 1955 it saw mixed train service between Summerside and Tignish, daily except Sunday. By 1967, when mixed train service was cancelled, service was down to three days a week in each direction.

Elliston 1126

Elliston, NL – MP 82.8 Bonavista Subdivision

Elliston was a flag stop located 5.2 miles south of Bonavista. Today, it’s completely gone. We drove past it without seeing anything recognizable to photograph.

Visited – 2017

Elmira 1127

Elmira PEI – MP 9.9 Elmira Subdivision

There is an Elmira in PEI, and one in Ontario. I’m going with PEI, because there was no passenger service to Elmira ON in 1955, but there was on the Island.

Elmira PEI had a mixed train service to Souris twice weekly. The service was cancelled in the late 1950’s. All railway trackage on PEI has been abandoned. The railway station from Elmira has been preserved and is now a museum.

Elmsdale 1128

Elmsdale, NS – MP 32.1 Bedford Sub

Elmsdale was a busy stop on the Nova Scotia Railway, now the CN mainline, just a little outside Halifax. It had passenger service right up to 1983.

The actual sleeping car is still around, it’s on a short line on the prairies. Shot in Saskatchewan in 2019.

Visited – 2024

PS – There is also an Elmsdale on the Tignish Subdivision in PEI.

Elnora 1129

Elnora AB – MP 37.8 Three Hills Subdivision

Elnora was founded in 1908. It had a days-only order office. Passenger service on the CN Edmonton-Calgary route ended in 1971.

The town remains with a population of 288. The railway still has a siding, but no station name sign. Only a marker attached to a signal bungalow at the town’s level crossing carries the town name.

Visited – 2026

Elrose 1130

Elrose, SK – MP 49.8 Elrose Subdivision

Elrose is on a secondary line in southwest Saskatchewan. The railway arrived in 1913. Passenger service lasted until about 1960, with a triweekly train that linked Saskatoon with Calgary. The station was open daytime only.

The line is now owned by Big Sky Railway. While the old wood grain elevators are gone, a new grain terminal has been constructed and railway tracks expanded.

Visited – 2019

Emerald 1131

Emerald Jct, PEI – MP 30.4 Kensington Subdivision

Emerald Junction was the key rail hub on Prince Edward Island, connecting lines from Borden (ferry to Cape Tormentine NB) Tignish, and Charlottetown-Souris. It was once a busy railway town; during WWII, it also was an important station serving local RCAF facilities.

In 1955, it saw a through train from New Brunswick, plus mixed trains to Charlottetown, Borden, and Tignish. The last passenger trains ran through Emerald Jct in 1969.

The Emerald railway station has been preserved. Today, there are only a few houses in the area.

Emerson 1132

Emerson, MB – MP 71.4 Ridgeville Subdivision

Emerson is a border town in southern Manitoba. It was a railway centre on a key route into North Dakota.

In 1955, Emerson saw two trains each way running between Winnipeg and St Paul-Minneapolis. These trains were Great Northern Railway runs. A CNR mixed train provided local service twice a week to Winnipeg. Service to Winnipeg ended in 1969, the through train from the US ended in 1971..

The Emerson depot was built in 1923. It has been preserved by the Prairie Dog Central railway and moved to Grosse Isle MB.

Emperor 1133

Emperor BC – MP 10.8 Tete Jaune Subdivision

Emperor was a flag stop on the Jasper- Prince George line. It was the closest point on the railway to Mount Robson, and existed mostly for that reason. It had no railway operational significance.

The station name does not appear in early Grand Trunk Pacific sources – it appears to have been added sometime before 1941. In 1955 Emperor saw one passenger train each way, six days a week. It ceased to be a flag stop in 1968.

Endako 1134

Endako, BC – MP 115.4 Nechako Subdivision

Endako was a division point on the Grand Trunk Pacific line west of Prince George, BC. It opened in 1913. Local mining and lumbering activity, along with railway operations, made this a busy railway stop.

In 1955 Endako was served by one passenger train each way, six days a week. Service continues today with VIA’s Skeena calling twice a week in each direction. The station building has been demolished, and the VIA stop is simply marked by a sign.

Endcliffe 1135

Endcliffe, MB – MP 7.5 Tonkin Subdivision

Endcliffe was founded around 1909 on a branch line that ran from Russell MB to Parkerview SK. At one time Endcliffe boasted a grain elevator and a school. The school still stands, alone in a field – everything else in the former community is gone – a total ghost town with little trace that it ever existed. The crossing where the tracks crossed the road is still barely recognizable.

Visited – 2022

Endeavour 1136

Endeavour SK – MP 40.1 Assiniboine Subdivision

Endeavour is located in northeast Saskatchewan on the main line from Winnipeg to Churchill Manitoba. It was originally named Annette, but the town changed its name in celebration of the first commercial transatlantic air flight in 1930. In 2021 the poulation was 65.

Endeavour remains a stop on the triweekly VIA train from Winnipeg to Churchill. In 1955, it saw a triweekly train from Saskatoon to Melville, a triweekly train from Winnipeg to Flin Flon, and a triweekly mixed train to Melville.

The town’s railway station, has been preserved and moved to McBride Lake. These days, the passenger train simply stops at a road crossing.

Enfield 1137

Enfield NS – MP 29.7 Bedford Subdivision

Enfield was a small town just west of Halifax on the CN main line. It maintained passenger service as a flag stop until the late 1960’s. There is no evidence of the railway other than the track itself.

Visited – 2024

Englee 1138

This community, on the northwest coast of Newfoundland, had no rail service and was only accessible by CNR steamship. The steamship SS Northern Ranger sailed roughly every 3iweeks from St John’s to Corner Brook and return, taking 9-10 days in each direction.

Ennishore 1139

Ennishore NB – MP 69.3 Grand Falls Subdivision

Ennishore is an unincorporated community on the old National Transcontinental main line near Grand Falls NB. It’s a fairly rugged area and served as a flag stop for local farms.

In 1955, Ennishore saw one train daily each way running Montreal – Fredericton. this was cut back to triweekly the following year. Service ended altogether in 1967. Today, the community has vanished, but Ennishore remains a railway station name with a 7,000 foot CTC controlled siding on the main freight line to Moncton.

Enterprise 1140

Enterprise, MB – MP 33.3 Wakopa Subdivision

Enterprise was a small farming community in southern Manitoba, southeast of Boissevan. It had a grain elevator but very few inhabitants.

In 1955, Wakopa saw a mixed train once a week in each direction, running between Belmont and Deloraine. Service ended before 1963. The line was abandoned in 1978 and has totally disappeared. Despite it’s optimistic name, there is no trace of the community at Enterprise.

Entrance 1141

Entrance, AB – MP 60.2 Brule Subdivision

Entrance was a small farming and logging community on the CNR main line, about 60 miles east of Jasper. When incorporated in 1914 it was intended to carry the name “Heda”, but this was changed in recognition that it was the start of the Rocky Mountains, and the headquarters of the Athabaskan Forest Reserve.

There were two separate station locations called Entrance over the years – the first station, which came to be referred to as “Old Entrance” has been preserved, while the second was demolished in the late 1960’s.

As a station on the transcontinental main line, Entrance saw plenty of passenger trains, but most did not stop. In 1955, one train a day, the Continental, provided flag stop service in each direction. There was also a mixed train that ran twice a week between Edson and Jasper.

Visited – well, rode through here on the Canadian 2014

Entwistle 1142

Entwistle, AB – MP 66.3 Waubamun Subdivision

Entwistle is a small town on the CN main line, west of Edmonton and east of Jasper. Thanks to the prior establishment of a second station, Evansburg, to the immediate west, the CN station for Entwistle was built to the east of the hamlet of Entwistle, so as to not cause operational confusion. Consequently the station was not in the town itself.

In 1955, Entwistle saw a local train three times a week in each direction… the many transcontinental passenger trains served only nearby Evansburg. By the following year, both stations had been dropped from the timetable. By 1965, Evansburg had been reopened as a passenger station, and remains such today for the twice-weekly Canadian. Alas, Entwistle was not so lucky.

Entwistle remains a siding on the CN main line, overshadowed again by a much longer siding at Evansburg.

Visited – well, rode through here on the Canadian in 2014

Equity 1143

Equity AB – MP 53.8 Three Hills Subdivision

Equity was a three-elevator siding on the Calgary-Edmonton line. It was never a population center, but served as a flag stop for a thrice-weekly mixed train into the 1950’s.

Today, it is a station name sign and nothing more. There are still siding rails buried in the grass.

Erickson 1144

Erickson MB – MP 31.5 Rossburn Subdivision

Erickson is a town on the old Canadian Northern line to Russell, MB. it was settled in 1905. The town is named for its first postmaster, E. Albert Erickson. The first settlers were of Swedish descent.

Today its population is 473. The town’s grain elevators have been demolished, and the CNor line has been abandoned, but remains in place as part of the Trans Canada Trail. The town’s railway depot has been moved and is now in private hands.

Erinview 1145

Erinview, Man MP 21.3 Inwood Subdivision

Erinview was a small village on the Canadian Northern branch line from Winnipeg via Grosse Isle to Hodgson. The railway arrived in 1903. In its day it had a school and a church, and a railway water tower.

In 1955, Erinview saw only a twice weekly mixed train. Passenger service ended altogether around 1960, and the line was abandoned in 1991. There are only a few buildings remaining in the small community.

Ernestown 1146

Ernestown ON – MP 181.7 Kingston Sub

Ernestown is located on CN’s main Toronto-Montreal main line. It has a heritage designated railway station that dates from the 1850’s.

In 1955, Ernestown already had closed as a passenger station. The line is hugely busy with VIA trains today… but nothng stops in Ernestown.

I’m embarrassed to say that I have never visited or taken a picture here. So close by, so easily overlooked.

I have certainly roared through town on many occasions riding CN and VIA.

Erwood 1147

Erwood, SK – MP 92.6 Erwood Subdivision

Erwood was a small community to the east of Hudson Bay SK. It was established around 1900 and was a small agricultural and lumber producer. Current population is 35.

In 1955 Erwood was served by a local Winnipeg-Prince Albert passenger train that ran 3 days a week. In the 1960s, a mixed train also between Swan River and Hudson Bay Jct also stopped in twice a week. All passenger service ended in 1970.

The line has been abandoned and all traces of the railway have disappeared.

Escuminac 1148

Escuminac QC – MP 25.4 Cascapedia Subdivision

Unattended station with one train a day each way between Matapedia and Gaspe. By 1967 there was one through passenger plus a mixed train each way, but in 1968 the stop was closed altogether. The line is currently being brought back into service with passenger service promised once the line has been restored. Current population is 575.

Essex 1149

Essex Jct VT – MP 108.27 Roxbury Subdivision, Central Vermont Railway

The interesting thing about Essex is – it isn’t in Canada. Ontario has an Essex, and it had a railway station… but….it was located on the Canada Southern, which in 1955 was not a CN property.

There was also the Essex Terminal Railway in Windsor, and CN did interchange with ETR…. but the name Essex never appeared on a station in Ontario. The name was used in Nova Scotia, but only in the early 1800’s before the railways arrived. It does not appear in either the Official Guide, or the Canadian equivalent, in a CNR context, anywhere else….except in Vermont.

Essex Jct can be found on the Central Vermont Railway, an old CNR subsidiary, in northern Vermont. It was the junction point for the Central Vermont railway’s main line between Montreal and White River Jct, and a branch line to Burlingon Vt.

In 1955, Essex Jct Vermont was a busy station that saw two passenger trains a day between Montreal and Washington DC, as well as a local train daily each way between St Albans and Boston Mass. through connection with the Boston & Maine railway. CN’s involvement in the service ended in 1966 when all trains were cancelled. In 1972, the route was reinstated by Amtrak with one train a day each way to Montreal. This service lasted into the 1990’s but was cancelled due to poor track conditions. The line itself was sold to Railtex in 1995 and is now a Gennesee and Wyoming property. Amtrak operates a daily train from St Albans to Washington, but this train no longer connects to Montreal. Reconnection has been blessed but details have yet to be finalised.

Visited – while on board the Montrealler, and by drive through’s many years ago

Estcourt 1150

Estcourt PQ – MP 55 – Glendyne Subdivision

Estcourt is a station name sign on the National Transcontinental line between Edmundston and Moncton.

It sits on the border with the United States, in a location that typifies the traditional “undefended border” where the actual border line cuts through individual houses. This point is the most northerly point in the state of Maine.

The Canadian and American towns were both originally named Estcourt – but subsequently the Canadian side was renamed Pohenegamook. Estcourt remained the name of the town on the American side. Thankfully for railway telegraph operators, CN chose to continue the original name for its station. While the tracks adjoin the border, they never enter the USA.

In 1955, Estcourt/Pohenemagook saw two trains each way daily – one a through Fredericton-Quebec train, and one an Edmundston-Quebec local. Service continued into the VIA era, but the Edmundston-Quebec train was discontinued in 1980.

The station itself, which was built in 1913, was demolished in 1977. Estcourt remains a named operating point on the Napadogan Sub, with a 7600 foot CTC controlled siding.

Ethelbert 1151

Ethelbert, MB – MP 29.9 Cowan Subdivision

Ethelbert was a small town on the through line between Dauphin MB and Hudson Bay SK.

In 1955, Ethelbert was a stop for the thrice-weekly through train from Winnipeg to Churchill, plus a mixed train from Dauphin to Swan River that also ran three days a week. Ethelbert maintained rail service until 1981, when the two alternate routes between Dauphin and Hudson Bay were reduced to a single route through Canora.

Ethelbert’s station was built in 1898. It is reported to have been sold in 1984 and moved to become a private residence, possibly near Pine River. The town retains one of its grain elevators, and has a population of 341.

Euclid 1152

Euclid SK – MP 99.5 Central Butte Subdivision

Euclid was a small farming community on the line from Central Butte to Elrose, northwest of Moose Jaw.

The railway first came to Euclid around 1915. In 1955 it saw mixed train service once a week in each direction, between Dunblane and Regina. Service ended around 1960. The line was abandoned in the 1990’s.

Today, there is nothing to see in Euclid – no houses or buildings remain, and the railway right of way has largely been reclaimed as farmland.

Eureka 1153

Eureka NS – MP 36.3 Hopewell Sub

Located northeast of Truro on the Sydney-Truro line, Eureka was a prosperous small town until its woolen mill burned down in 1915. In 1955, it saw one flaggable train and one stopping train each way. Eureka continued as a flag stop for the daily VIA Railliner until 1980.

Evandale 1154

Evandale NB – MP 20.6 Centerville Subdivision

Evandale is found on the St John River, between St John NB and Fredericton. This line was completed in 1919.

Curiously, passenger service ended in 1952 – before the E series cars were built or named. The line ceased to be used in 1976 and was abandoned through Evandale in 1984.

Evangeline 1155

Evangeline NB – MP 57.0 Caraquet Subdivision

Evangeline is an unincorporated municipality on the Bathurst-Tracadie branch line. It was a flag stop at a distance from the main road. It had no depot, had only a very short siding spur, and was not an operational point for the railway. The line opened around 1911.

In 1955, Evangeline saw a local train in each direction six days a week. Service ended around 1956. The line was officially abandoned in 1989 and is now a recreational trail.

Today, Evangeline has a population of 340.

Evanston 1156

Evanston NS – MP 5.2 St Peters Subdivision

Evanston is a small town in Nova Scotia, northeast of Port Hawkesbury, on a former Cape Breton branch line to St Peters, joining with the main line from Truro to Sydney at St Peters Jct.

The line opened in 1915.

In 1955, service consisted of a mixed train running three days a week each way. Passenger service ended in the late 1950’s. The line itself was abandoned in the 1980’s and is now a trail.

The town is now just a handful of houses, but also notable as the site of the regional hospital and a community center.

Evelyn 1157

Evelyn BC- MP 9.1 Bulkley Subdivision

Evelyn was a siding on the Jasper – Prince George line, west of Smithers BC. It opened in 1912. Current population is 65.

Evelyn had no passenger station or train office. In 1955 it saw one through passenger train each way, six days a week. It ceased to be a passenger stop in 1967.

Everett 1158

Everett ON – MP 9.0 Alliston Subdivision

Everett was a small farming town on the Hamilton & Northwestern line from Burlington to Collingwood via Alliston. It sat on the cutoff that originally ran to Collingwood from Alliston.

In 1955 Everett saw a mixed train each way between Beeton and Collingwood, six days a week. The following year, the line was removed between Alliston and Creemore. Over time, virtually every trace of this line has disappeared. The community is now a thriving urban growth centre with a population of 1,570

Eldorado 1159

Eldorado ON – MP 40.5 Maynooth Subdivision

Eldorado is a small community north of Madoc in the Canadian Shield. It came to be thanks to a short-lived gold rush, thanks to the discovery of gold nearby in the 1860’s. The railway arrived later, in 1884.

In 1955, Eldorado saw a mixed train each way from Bancroft to Trenton, three days a week. This service ended by 1961. The line was abandoned in 1982. Only a trail remains. Today, Elorado’s population is around 60.

PS – somehow the numbering sequence swapped Eldorado and Excelsior. I wonder how that happened.

Exeter 1160

Exeter ON – MP 27.0 Exeter Subdivision

Exeter was a farming community in Huron County, north of London Ontario. Its railway, the London Huron & Bruce Railway, arrived in 1876. This was mostly a branch line.

In 1955, this line saw a mixed train in each direction six days a week. This service ended around 1957.

Today, Exeter’s second railway station has been preserved in Grand Bend, Ontario. The Goderich & Exeter railway still serves Exeter for freight, but the line south to London has been abandoned.

Visited – 1972 – 2020

Extew 1161

Exstew BC – MP 49.5 Skeena Subdivision

Exstew Falls is a remote area along the Skeena River east of Prince Rupert BC. The Exstew River joins the Skeena near a large water falls.

CN goofed on this one. The passenger car carried the name “Extew” – however the correct spelling – which even appears in CN passenger and employee timetables back in 1955 – is “Exstew”. I wonder if the typist who prepared the list for the paint shop was getting a little tired and committed a typo.

In 1955, Exstew was a flag stop seeing one train a day in each direction, six days a week. It was dropped as a flag stop in 1968.

The I’s will have it – one day….

It so happens that CNR also named a series of post-war sleeping cars for towns beginning with I. I have visited a few of them, also. Stay tuned for notes on these.