A National Passenger Chronicle, Vol. 4 (Book Review)

Dale Wilson  A National Passenger Chronicle, Volume 4 (2010) [Available from Nickel Belt Rails, Box 483, Station B, Sudbury ON P3E 4P6, $50 +$8 S&H] This is not a scholarly work, but serious scholarship by several hands underpins it. A collection of photographs, maps, and plans in loosely chronological order, grouped by region, it provides an overview of the state of passenger travel from the beginnings of VIA to the present day. It’s as thorough as a personal collection of materials can be, i.e., stronger in some areas than others. Wilson doesn’t attempt to analyse the whys and wherefores of the changes passenger travel, but contents himself with factual captions and the occasional personal comment. He clearly wishes that railway passenger travel in Canada were better done, but he doesn’t waste his time bemoaning sad facts. The result is a very good overview, and (oddly enough, considering) an urge to get on a train.
     For those of us who lived through that transition, and can recall the earlier regimes of passenger travel, it’s a reminder of a time in which Canadian passenger travel by rail was more or less deliberately downgraded. It hasn’t recovered. Two years ago, we took the train from Sudbury to Edmonton. Most of the travellers were tourists from overseas, who loved the scenery, but were somewhat perplexed by the low status of the passenger train in Canada.
     Photo-reproduction varies from adequate to excellent, the captions are informative, and the whole tells a story. In other words, it’s very good of its kind. Recommended to anyone who likes passenger trains, trains in general, or just a nice wallow in nostalgia. ***