The untold history of the maritime branches of two giants of early-twentieth-century Canadian railroads.

The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and the Canadian Northern Railway, two giants of Canadian rail transportation, each operated maritime shipping ventures during the early twentieth century.

Numerous vessels, including sidewheel, paddlewheel, and propeller steamers, tugboats, and barges, helped to build and serve these railways. Passenger and merchant ships sailed the West Coast, the Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence River, and served Canadian and European ports, in a time when groundings, shipwrecks, and sinkings often claimed lives.

These same steamship lines played an important role in World War I, when Canadian vessels ferried men and war supplies. Many troopships and freighters were torpedoed, and Canadian Northern’s entire transatlantic fleet was virtually obliterated.

Illustrated with contemporary photographs and drawings, this book pays tribute to the maritime enterprises of two trailblazing Canadian railway greats.

David R.P. Guay, is a life-long railroadiana collector and the author of Tracks to the Trenches and Steamships of the Soo Line. He began his second career as a writer in 2010, after a thirty-year career in geriatrics.

David R.P. Guay's profile page

A definitive guide.

Western Mariner

The book is truly a wonderful addition to both Canadian railway and shipping history.

Canadian Rail

The author has made a major contribution to an overlooked part of Canadian maritime history.

The Northern Mariner