From the Dome Car: Train 6 Track 3 (July-August 1996)

 

In this Dome Car, Morgan provides information about a little-known feature of Canadian railroading: The tree planting car, which he visited that summer. And big news: CRM will soon be on the Web. In 1996, there were an estimated 257,000 websites in the world, so CRM was certainly on the leading edge in that area. Looking back on it from today, it’s cruelly ironic to read how excited Morgan was about that development; it was the Web that contributed greatly to the death of the magazine. Just like you don't need a tree planting car anymore, since everything is online.  

Ah, the good old summer time! If you like to haunt the odd railway museum like I do, now's the best time of the year for it. 

I heard from our magazine designer Debbie at DM Desktop that she and her family happened upon a 'tree planting car' while camping in the Sandilands area of eastern Manitoba. It sounded like a very interesting car, one of which I'd not heard of before. 

So when Jim Martin, our book review editor, was in Winnipeg visiting family and friends, we took the opportunity to check it out for ourselves. After an hour's drive east on the TransCanada and a right turn at Highway 11 just south of Hadashville, we came to the front gates of the Manitoba Forestry Association and, sure enough, there it was: CPR coach number 64, sitting on a track amongst the tall pines. 

Jim and I were welcomed guests and given a tree each by our guide, Rick Unger. It just goes to show that you never know what you're going to find while out 'on tour'. 

The Tree Planting Car was very popular throughout the three prairie provinces during the steam and early diesel era. The CPR originally converted a wooden passenger coach around 1919 (CPR 54) and, with the cooperation of the Canadian Forestry Association, went from town-to-town praising the advantages of not cutting all the trees on one's property and planting tree belts to control wind damage and soil erosion. 

A train crew would park the coach on a siding near the station and folks would come from miles around to see the car and pick up a few free trees. School children loved having classes in the coach; it was a fully equipped travelling school room where they could learn about native species of trees. 

It’s arrival was a big event and one which was widely publicized months in advance on large posters located all over town. 

In 1957, the wooden coach was taken out of service and CPR 64, a steel heavyweight passenger coach, was converted to the Tree Planting Car and continued touring until 1973 (a total of 55 consecutive years of service) when the practice was abandoned. 

In 1975, the railway donated the coach to the Manitoba Forestry Association and it was taken to Hadashville, Manitoba on the GWWD line. From there it was loaded on a flatbed truck and taken to the Association's learning centre just south of Hadashville. The finely preserved coach, still painted in CPR maroon, is covered with a protective roof and now houses facilities to teach the many visitors who come each year to learn about forest conservation and educational activities associated with trees. 

In other news, most of us have heard that CN has made public it's plans to abandon more railway lines in Canada which, if bought-up by private companies, could produce new shortline railways. Like you, we'll be keeping an eye on any new developments, especially if any new railway companies are formed. It looks like a new era in railway development that will likely continue into the next century. 

On the magazine front, we appreciate the modellers' photos we've been receiving and would encourage more of you to submit them to us. We are also looking forward to hearing from more Canadian model train clubs that would like us to feature their club in the magazine. 

And, as you can see by looking through the pages of our New Products section, there are plenty of new items being offered to keep our hobby growing. 

We've got other news too: CRM should be on the Internet before the end of September. Our web site is currently being designed now and, once all the bugs are ironed out, online we go! 

Well folks, I'm told the burgers are ready so I'll sign off now and catch you in the next issue. Hope you're having a great summer.



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