Silk Trains

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---Handling precious cargoes was common on many railroads.For the CNR,handling silk imported from the Orient was one of those special assignments .These trains were so important,they had clearance rights over the entire system as it was critical to get this commodity to market as soon as possible.Usually the train was loaded at the pier as soon as the ships landed.Headed by the railroad's fastest locomotives and specially designed rolling stock,they were a sight to behold as they raced to their destinations.
Inspired by some of the recent roll-bys by other members,I thought I would do a run by of a typical Silk Train---hope you enjoy

CNR J-7 Class Pacific #5303 is perfect for this assignment---fast and powerful



On the drawbar are a series of specially equipped Through Baggage boxcars---note the passenger type trucks designed for high speed











Quite often,the train carried handlers and agents on board to insure speedy off-loading.Here we have a combine in the consist



Carrying the markers,a classic CNR caboose carries an extra crew

[Ralph]

That's an interesting operation and an attractive roll-by!
Ralph

[Bigsteel]

its always cool to see specialty equipment (all amazingly detailed nonetheless) and even better to hear there history,great roll-by CN --josh

[ocalicreek]

Photo-runby's are great, and this one is exceptional. Still, how about a video on Youtube so we can see those big beautiful drivers turn?

Galen

[eightyeightfan1]

Excuse me for being "Canadian(Canadien?) Railroading illiterate.
Whats a "silk train"?

[doctorwayne]

The silk trains carried raw silk from Canada's west coast, more or less non-stop, to manufacturing centres in the east, including New York City. Here's a bit more info.

Wayne

[cn nutbar]

Excuse me for being "Canadian(Canadien?) Railroading illiterate.
Whats a "silk train"?

Hello Everyone---thanks for responding---Ed,I found this info.on silk trains.Even though it says CPR ran these trains,I'm sure the CN got into the action as well ---










Silk Train, the term used to describe CPR cargo trains carrying expensive shipments of Oriental raw silk. The trains sped from Vancouver to merchants in eastern Canada and the US, from 1900 to the 1930s. The valuable cargo deteriorates rapidly and the market fluctuated daily, so speed, security and safety were essential. Silk arriving by CP ship in Vancouver was loaded into airtight train cars specially lined with varnished wood, sheathed in paper and sealed so that no damaging moisture or thieves could intrude. Armed guards were the only passengers. Trains of up to 15 cars rushed from Vancouver to Ft William [Thunder Bay] in 15 hours less than the fastest passenger train. The silk trains had preference over any others on the tracks: once a train carrying Prince Albert, later King George VI, was held on a siding while a silk train went through. The trains were discontinued in the 1930s with the advent of air transportation and man-made fibres.

Galen---as much as I'd like to submit a you-tube video,it wouldn't get very far---maybe I can convince Doctor Wayne to try one on his layout

[doctorwayne]

Here's another LINK with some info on silk. If you scroll down the page, it notes that silk trains operated from Vancouver, Seattle, and San Francisco. I'm guessing that the ability for single-carrier handling across most of the continent made the Canadian route the one preferred.

Wayne

[cn nutbar]

Thanks Doc

[eightyeightfan1]

Thanks guys!
Guess it is true. you do learn something new everyday.

[MountainMan]

Forgive my ignorance: why were the shipments "time sensitive"?

Beautiful work, by the way...

[doctorwayne]

Forgive my ignorance: why were the shipments "time sensitive"?

As it notes in my first link, the raw silk deteriorates rapidly, calling for a fast trip to the spinning mills. (It makes you wonder, though, why they didn't have mills on the west coast.)
Also, as it says in my second link, insurance on the cargo was paid on an hourly basis, at 6% of the value of the shipment. With cargo valued at $10,000/ton, and about 35 tons of it in each car of an eight-car train, no wonder the only passengers carried were armed guards.

Wayne