Crossing Canada by Train

After entering Canada through eastern ports, many Danish immigrants boarded trains and headed west. Most travelled by day coach (sleeping cars cost more, and funds were limited). The language barrier, unfamiliar Canadian food, and long distances often contributed to a difficult journey.

Nissen Family (1928)
"Before embarking on the journey across Canada the family stocked up on food. George particularly remembers three things that would have been staples for the family in Denmark. They bought lots of brown bread, butter and honey. He remembers this as the main food for the rail trip across Canada. Perhaps this was because he was only eight years old. He could not get enough of that brown bread and honey and he gained at least some of the weight back that he had lost on board the ship. The family bought some other food, as well, because he recalls them cooking on a stove that stood in a corner of the train car. At each train stop Father Georg, John and Hans got off to buy other groceries for the family.

Each family member had a pillow with a handle sewn on it that had been made by Mother Sofie before they left Denmark. The train seats, although wooden, could be folded down to lie on, so the pillows added some comfort."

Sommer Family (1957)
"By that evening the Sommer family was on board a CN train to Edmonton, Alberta, where someone from the immigration department and the CN railroad would meet them and place them on a farm to work. CN and the Canadian government covered the train fare, if we promised to work on farms for two years. One of the first stops was Montreal, Quebec. The cost of each meal on the train was $3.00 per person. Our money would not last long with seven mouths to feed so Tove and Dad along with their trusty Danish-English dictionary went to purchase some groceries for the 4-day train ride out west. Much to their frustration the dictionary was no help, as it seemed these store clerks could not read!! They did not realize that Quebec was French!! With the help of a friendly clerk, ten English words and sign language, they boarded the train with Spam, bread and a strange type of brown butter that tasted a lot like peanuts."

Husted Family (1957)
"Now the luxury was over. We went on the Canadian Pacific National train and I remember that it had vinyl seats. We had not taken sleeping berths, because we were only allowed $50.00 per person so we wanted to save as much money as we could. We slept on the seats, but thankfully I had a carrier for Boman. I would change him on the little table under the window. He was a good baby, but to begin with he did not like the Canadian baby food. Diapers were washed in the sink and hung to dry below the suitcases down the length of the train car.

We bought food on the train for about $30.00 to $40.00. When the train stopped for water and coal by a little town, all the men would leave the train and run to a little store to buy drinks and fruit. The small stores would be packed with shoppers. Some of the men paid for their food, but others left without paying. It was a big nightmare for the owner with lots of confusion. The train would start to go slowly out of the station and I would stand by the window and hope that the men would come back in time. They always did.

It was a very long journey of 6 to 7 days to Calgary. But in that time we made many friends with the other immigrants on the train."

Christensen Family (1957)
"We...arrived in Halifax on May 5th in the evening. We bought train tickets to take us to Saint John, New Brunswick and from there by bus to Florenceville, where Børge's Uncle would pick us up. The ticket office told us that there was a connection in Moncton for the train to Saint John. When we spoke to the conductor after the train had left Halifax, we learned that we would arrive in Moncton too late to connect. We then got our first lesson in the friendliness of Canada, because the conductor got on the radio and called Moncton to tell them to hold the train to Saint John long enough to take us on board. By that time it was well after midnight so we truly appreciated that kind of service."

More Immigrant Stories::

• What food did the Andersen family enjoy (or not) on the train? 
• More anecdotes: Flying to Canada in the 1940s and 1950s