The CPR's connection to Nova Scotia was by Ferry on for example S.S.(Steamship) "Princess Helene" a trip of approximately 75 mi. to Digby, Nova Scotia on the line of CPR's subsidiary "Dominion Atlantic Railway" that runs 216 mi. from Yarmouth, two Halifax, Nova Scotia. Digby is located at mile 65.9 of the Railway.

I am showing my "Dominion Railways" Waltham 1883 hunter. I believe these watches were ordered for the Dominion Atlantic Railway, years ago I saw a private-label Dominion Railways 1883 on one of Roy Ehrhardt's pocket watch lists. "DOMINION RAILWAY on an 18 size, 17 jewel, adjusted gilt 1883 model railroad grade movement #5280607. 24-hour Canadian dial marked "B. L. Reagh, Watchmaker and Jeweler, Middleton, N.S." In an 18 size yellow Gold filled 20-year open face case." Middleton Nova Scotia was located at mile 113.7 of the Dominion Atlantic Railway.

Dominion Atlantic Railway dial

Dominion Railways Waltham 1883 movement

...thanks Larry for the 'horological railride' thru the eastern Provinces...great watches!!!...btw: do have anything that goes to our 10th Province?...

Well this takes us to the end of our trip on the Canadian Pacific Railway from Vancouver, British Columbia to Halifax, Nova Scotia a distance of 3584 miles from coast-to-coast. I have covered private-label pocket watches from the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. That leaves the provinces of Québec, and Newfoundland that we have not seen examples of. Newfoundland had an extensive narrow gauge system over 906 miles long, the longest narrow gauge railway in North America, it was originally started by the local government, and was taken over by ggroup of private investors who ran it successfully until the 1920s, when the government took control. Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation in 1949, and Canadian National Railways took over operating it until they abandoned the railway in the 1980s. If anyone out there has any private labels from these provinces it would be great to see them posted. There also could be private labels from the Yukon Territory as the White Pass Railway ran from Dawson Creek over into Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s.

Hi Larry -

A friend of mine has just picked up a Prince Edward Island jeweler-marked 18 size Illinois, and I will see if I can get a photo taken and added here.

Fred

p.s. Thanks again for taking us through this tremendous thread!!!

Larry,

Thank you for taking us on this incredible coast-to-coast Canadian journey!

I appreciate the researching and countless hours that it has taken you to organize and assemble all of the material in this topic.

Your story about this great railroad, along with the pocket watches, helps me to understand the history even more.

The watch my friend found - a 18 size 17 jewel Illinois marked for G.H. Taylor of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, shown here in seller's photos from the recent eBay listing ...





Fred

Larry, very nice thread indeed. did you have any from St John, N.B.?
Here's a Ferguson & Page, St John, N.B. with a
Longines 19J 5 pos mvt I'd like to show.
"Fortune" case is worn and probably not original, but otherwise a quite nice watch.

mvt.

Peter thank you for sharing with us your Longines private-label from St. John New Brunswick. It's a very nice looking pocket watch.

Larry

I recently got this 18s Ambrose Kent, Toronto. THIS link is to a website that gives a history of the Kent Jewelers. It is about silver boxes, but if you scroll down below the pictures there is a nice history.

The movement

Hello Tom:

Interesting early Kent pocket watch with interesting history of OB Allen and Ambrose Kent & Sons. Thanks for Bringing This to My Attention.

Larry

Here is a photograph taken in 1968 by Walter Kot a locomotive engineer and photographer. It is a view looking west towards the Calgary depot, the modern Husky Tower is being poured, on the right side is the CPR freight sheds that were being erected in the postcard of the bottom of page 3 of this narrative. The postcard view on page 3 looks eastward. The Tower was erected on the former site of the CPR's station, that was a beautiful landmark made of sandstone. This abomination has the Tower and a four story parkade built over the railway tracks, where you can see an eastbound passenger train ready to depart. To the west of the Tower is CPR's Palliser Hotel where we have our CPR pensioners luncheon twice a year in the penthouse of the building. The freight sheds were torn down around 1986. My dads best friend Jim Atkinson and his father had worked in the sheds from the time they were built until the 1950s when Jim was promoted to Perishable Inspector and worked out of the big icehouse down east of this view 2 miles in the Alyth yard.

Some new information on C. R. MacLachlan has recently come to light, one of my recent acquisitions is a Hamilton #946 marked CR MacLachlan on the dial and movement.

C.R. MacLachlan Hamilton #946 movement.

Here is my latest acquisition a C. R. McLachlan Hamilton #940 with the address of his store in Edmonton,Canada marked on the dial. This would be correct, as the watch was manufactured and sold it in 1901, and Alberta did not become a province until 1905. It appears to me that C. R. MacLachlan was a watch inspector for the Canadian Northern Railway, and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway with ran through both Winnipeg and Edmonton.

C.R. MacLachlan Hamilton #940 movement.Serial #158074 manufactured June 3, 1901, sold June 10, 1901.

Here is a watch from my home in Calgary the dial is marked "D.E. Black Calgary, Can."

Here is a picture of the movement it is a Longines Express Monarch Serial #1986007. It Is Marked D.E. Black Calgary, Can. This would be be before 1905 when Alberta became a province

I finally got a private-label from Québec. It is a R.Hemsley from Montréal.

Here is the movement it a 21 Jewel Longines Express Monarch Serial #1986007