The Manor series is a fleet of 42 lightweight streamlined sleeping cars built by the Budd Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1954–1955. Each contained five bedrooms, one compartment, four sections and four roomettes. The cars were named for distinguished English Canadians. Via Rail acquired the fleet from the Canadian Pacific in 1978 and the cars remain in active service.

Manor series
Two Manor series cars on the Canadian at Jasper in 2013
In service1954–present
ManufacturerBudd
Constructed1954–55
Number built42
Number in service40
Capacity
  • 6 double bedrooms
  • 3 sections
  • 4 roomettes
Operators
Specifications
Car body constructionStainless steel
Car length85 feet (26 m)
Width10 feet 38 inch (3.058 m)
Height13 feet 6+34 inches (4.134 m)
Weight134,100 pounds (60,800 kg)
Notes/references
[1]

Design

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The cars were constructed of stainless steel; save for a Tuscan red letterboard bearing the name "Canadian Pacific" they were unpainted. Each car was named for a distinguished English Canadian but did not carry numbers. As built each contained five bedrooms, one compartment, four sections and four roomettes for a maximum capacity of 24 passengers. The four open sections were located at the front of the car, followed by the five bedrooms and one compartment, and then the four roomettes. Each of the rooms contained a private toilet.[1]

Under Via Rail the cars were rebuilt to include a communal shower at the cost of one section. Via sells the compartment and the five bedrooms as "double bedrooms."[2]

Operation

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Budd delivered 42 Manor cars for the Canadian Pacific in 1954–55 as part of a massive 173-car order which equipped the new transcontinental Canadian and re-equipped the Dominion.[1][3] Via Rail acquired the entire fleet from Canadian Pacific in 1978. One, Aylmer Manor, caught fire on January 18, 1987, and was used as a testbed for Via's HEP conversion programme.[4] Another, Dufferin Manor, was wrecked in the September 3, 1997, derailment near Biggar, Saskatchewan.[5] As of 2015 the remaining 40 are on the roster and assigned to the Canadian.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "The 50th Anniversary of the CPR Stainless Steel Passenger Fleet" (PDF). Canadian Rail (503): 211–223. November–December 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  2. ^ a b "Sleeping cars - Manor sleeping car". Via Rail. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  3. ^ Murray, Tom (2011). Rails Across Canada: The History of Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Railways. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press. pp. 125–126. ISBN 978-0-7603-4008-0.
  4. ^ Rushon, John (March 1988). "VIA Rail Canada". Pacific RailNews (292): 36. Archived from the original on 2015-02-07.
  5. ^ "Railway Investigation Report R97H0009". Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 5 August 1998. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
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