Radio Broadcasting on Canadian Railways

For early investors, both rail and radio technology enabled people to envision a future where communities were not limited by geographical distance. While modern transportation offered the public a way to quickly navigate vast distances, the radio brought people together without them having to move at all. Before long, the two technologies would harmonize on a national scale as both Canadian National Railways (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) expanded into network broadcasting. From entertainment to vital safety systems, radio technology soon proved itself as a central feature of day-to-day company operations.

 Ship-to-shore radio guide from DeForest Radio Co., circa 1920s

At the turn of the twentieth century, inventor Guglielmo Marconi discovered a way to use spark-gap transmitters to send transatlantic radio messages in Morse code. Perhaps the most notable application of the early Marconi system came with the sinking of the Titanic. On that fateful day in April of 1912, the ships Mesaba, Californian, and Carpathia, as well as an on-land station in Cape Race, Newfoundland, had been in communication with the Titanic by radio. When the Titanic's crew realized they had struck an iceberg, a series of distress signals were sent out. These calls were received by ships as far as 170 nautical miles (315km) away, ushering aid for an otherwise helpless vessel. This grand example of the benefit of radio was felt across the world. Soon most seafaring ships would be equipped with radio systems for safety communications. As the technology developed, crews began experimenting with these systems, sending messages as well as songs to other vessels. The association between radio and ships was seemingly unbreakable, as most hobbyists in British Columbia were introduced to the technology through ship-to-shore radio and other long distance broadcasts. As connectivity was improved, communities further inland were able to receive messages and broadcasts. Before long, most homes and forms of transportation would be equipped with radio receivers.

Canadian National Railways Broadcasting

Early radio technology involved unreliable, fragile yet bulky equipment. Transmitters could rarely reach signals in mountainous terrains and internal tubes were delicate and prone to warring out. Despite the seeming incapability of radio and railway, CNR President Sir Henry Worth Thornton envisioned a future where the two technologies could be applied to a single target audience.

Rather than waiting for radio infrastructure to advance to a point where it was suitable for use on the railway, Thornton chose instead to create a network of radio stations dedicated to play on the CNR mainline. This network not only brought radio entertainment to their trains but also allowed the CNR to control what was chosen for scheduled programming and, most importantly, dictate sponsors and advertisements. After participating in several national radio tests, the CNR created the Canadian National Railways Radio Department in 1923. Then, the company made their first broadcast on February 27th, 1924, playing a recording of "O Canada" over the air waves in Ottawa. After the initial success of it's Ontario stations, the railway began to expand further west, only now using carrier circuit rather than individual voice-frequency circuits. The CNR would become the first transnational network in North America.

One reason for the CNR's nation-wide innovation came not from inspiration as much as financial necessity. By the 1920s, Canada's economy had expanded so much so that both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific telegraphic services had reached their operating capacities. The two railway companies had the individual choice of obtaining additional telegraph facilities, either through the installation of supplementary wires or by finding way to make their lines multi-use. The CNR was first to tackle the issue, installing a continuous carrier current by April, 1927. This expansion of telegraph services meant that the CNR now had the technological capacity to simultaneously reach the nation's people through rail, telegraph, and radio. Once the update had been complete, Canadian National Railways began to install updated transmitters and broadcasting antennas across each of their studio broadcast locations. Using a combination of both CNR and "phantom" stations, the rail company made their first national broadcast in December of 1928.

List of CNR Licensed Radio Stations, 1926

CNRA - Moncton, New Brunswick

CNRO - Ottawa, Ontario

CNRV - Vancouver, British Columbia

List of CNR Phantom Stations, 1926

CNRM (CKAC) - Montreal, Quebec

CNRT (CFCA and CKGW) - Toronto, Ontario

CNRW (CKY) - Winnipeg, Manitoba

CNRR (CKCK) - Regina, Saskatchewan

CNRS (CFQC) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

CNRC (CFCN and CFAC) - Calgary, Alberta

CNRE (CJCA) - Edmonton, Alberta

For reference, a "phantom station" is created when a station pays to fill unused airtime from a separate pre-existing channel (such as CNRM broadcasting through CKAC's transmitter). In the early years of broadcasting, stations were not live twenty-four hours a day, so open airtime could be leased to other companies or local stations. They could then broadcast through the licensed stations transmitter without having to set up their own license or equipment.

List of CNR Radio Stations added after 1926

CHNS - Halifax, Nova Scotia

CFBO - St. John, New Brunswick

CFNB - Fredericton, New Brunswick

CNRX - Toronto, Ontario

CJGC - London, Ontario

CNRQ - Quebec City, Quebec

CKX - Brandon, Manitoba

CJGX - Yorkton, Saskatchewan

There were also stations in Red Deer, Alta., Hamilton, Ont., Chatham, Ont., and Michigan, USA, whose call signs are unknown.

Passengers in a CNR radio receiver car, 1927

Another curious piece of Thornton's technical infrastructure was the CNR radio listening cars. These adapted parlour cars were introduced in 1925 and came in two variants. The first featured headphones with cords mounted to the ceiling above, allowing for individual enjoyment, while the second had a main speaker that played broadcasts out loud for all to hear. A train attendant would maintain the equipment, tuning the reception and pitch of transmissions as the train progressed on its route across Canada. Beyond the dedicated radio receiver car, passengers could also tune in from the lounge and open-deck observation cars. While onboard, passengers could enjoy a variety of radio shows, including church sermons, plays, and music. CNRT, CN's Toronto station, often featured the Hart House String Quartet, while Vancouver's CNRV had its own in-house orchestra.

Promotional poster for the CNRV featuring a decorated locomotive, 1927

It must be emphasized that Canadian National radio and train services were inextricably linked. Stations went on the air according to mainline train schedules, as the trains needed to be in range of a signal in order to hear the programs. Additionally, broadcasts often referenced boarding times and informed the public about the going-ons of the communities along the track. As passengers listened in, CNR radio operators made daily reports detailing listener demographics, stations received, and the duration and quality of reception on the train. Onboard radio operators were also responsible for interacting with the public on behalf of the network, observing how guests responded to the different shows played. These detailed reports provided the CNR Radio Department with the necessary feedback to maintain and improve their equipment and programs.

Despite the radio network being catered to passengers, the nature of the technology meant that anyone near the line with a receiver could tune in and enjoy CNR programs. Jim Laurie remembered the radio car service, saying, "They [CNR Radio Department] tried to play recordings which would be acceptable to the passengers on the trains, and the hours usually included the time when the train was within range. But it was both for the train passengers and for the general public." The company further capitalized on growing public audiences with regular news and sports broadcasts playing alongside the typical music and comedy acts. In 1927, the 60th anniversary of the Confederation was transmitted from Parliament Hill to CNR stations for five million Canadians to hear. Then, in 1931, CNRT and CNRM broadcast the first Hockey Night in Canada, for an audience of over 100,000.

Advertisement for the CNR radio car service, 1926

While the CNR radio was certainly popular, it was also costly and inaccessible for many. The years leading into the Great Depression saw a decrease in both passenger travel and listenership, ultimately causing the termination of radio receiver car service in November 1931. Then, in the early months of 1933, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission  (CRBC) purchased all of the railways' radio stations and equipment. CNRV continued to be recorded in the CNR train station, only now under the name CRCV and with a more generalized target audience.

The closure of the Canadian National Railways Radio Department did not necessarily mean the total dismissal of radio for the company, as two-way radio communication would remain an important safety feature on all Canadian National ships and trains.

Canadian Pacific Railway Broadcasting

While Canadian National Railways was gaining wide-scale recognition as a pioneer in radio broadcasting, the Canadian Pacific Railway was looking on cautiously from the sideline. Radio's popularity was on the rise and pressure was on for the Canadian Pacific to create a network. However, temporary public spectacle was not important to the company; what mattered was operating a network that was both technologically and financially stable. Ultimately, two major factors contributed to the launch of Canadian Pacific Radio: the success of carrier current transmission and competition with Canadian National Railways passenger service.

Advertisement for CPR radio broadcasts, 1932

Under the same predicament as Canadian National Railways when it came to outdated telegraph lines, the CPR now had an opportunity to seamlessly move into radio. The company was aware that the CNR was experimenting with broadcasting via carrier current and observed their progress closely. When the CNR's tests proved successful, the CPR jumped to upgrade their telegraph lines. The national installation was undertaken by the engineers from the Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company and was completed in the early months of 1930. Before then, the Canadian Pacific Railway had joined the effort to broadcast Canada's Diamond Jubilee ceremony in 1927. At the time, the CPR upgraded 4852km of telegraph connection and installed 3082km of two-wire telephone connection, third only to the contributions of Canadian National Railways and the Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company.

With the installation complete, the Canadian Pacific Railway could begin operating their national network. Although seen as a late adopter in comparison to CNR, the Canadian Pacific Railway was able to guarantee the highest quality of radio service, entering the market after radio's period of technological infancy. The CPR had little room for error, however, as the company was losing passenger business to the CNR over the matter. Broadcaster E. Austin Weir recounts, "There were actual cases in which travelers, in the act of laying down their money at Canadian Pacific wickets, inquired if the train was radio-equipped; when they were told it was not, they picked up and left for the CNR." This late into the century, radio was no longer an obscure or fantastical curiosity but seen as something of a necessity.

Passengers listening to radio on a CPR train, 1930. Note the two men wearing headphones and the operator in the background.

Long before their radio network, Canadian Pacific had become known and revered across Canada for their passenger trains, ocean liners, and luxury hotels. The latter could boast of experienced orchestras and other talents that regularly performed for CPR guests. Now with the needed wiring and recording equipment, the company could broadcast their hotel entertainment to radio listeners. Between live shows, Rex Battle directed the CPR's first national network program from 1930 to 1931. Supporters could listen in to the "Canadian Pacific Hour of Music" between 9 and 10pm on Fridays, as Battle conducted a thirty-five piece orchestra, with a chorus of twenty-five and various distinguished soloists. Then it was on to the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, where "Fred Culley's Dance Band" would be broadcast from CPRY, a phantom station of CHRY. That same year, the CPR sponsored a second program called the "Musical Crusaders," which featured music that corresponded with countries visited by the Canadian Pacific ocean liners. Musical Crusaders ran from 4:14 to 4:45pm EST on Sundays, 1930 to 1931, and featured advertisements for upcoming cruises.

One notable feature of CPR radio service ironically came in the form of print. Most ocean liners had been equipped with telegraph machines and radio communication equipment after the Titanic disaster in 1912 and the wide-scale application of the Marconi system thereafter. Using incoming radio and telegraph messages from land, operators on the Pacific Empress fleet would transcribe communications into printed newspapers to keep both crew and passengers informed while away at sea. This daily wireless news bulletin not only reported the happenings on land but also featured a ship directory and had advertisements guiding passengers to the best hotels, restaurants and car services for when they disembarked. The final page of the Radio News would typically showcase items that could be purchased onboard the ship, including everything from cigarettes and coats to both location-based and CPR themed souvenirs. This publication would outlive the CPR's time in broadcasting, existing until ocean liner traffic was halted during the second World War.

Page from the Pacific Empress Radio News, RMS Empress of Japan, 1932

The Canadian Pacific Radio Broadcast Service seemed to emerge just as the future of Canadian broadcasting was becoming the subject of national debate. In 1929, the Aird Commission recommended that radio should be developed into a publicly owned service rather than a private sector. Although the beginning of the Great Depression delayed action, the federal government proceeded with nationalization following the election of Prime Minister R.B. Bennett in 1930. By 1932, Parliament had established the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (CRBC) as Canada's first national public broadcaster. The CRBC hoped to offer a unified national broadcasting system that could highlight Canadian culture rather than corporate interest. Unlike Canadian National Railways, whose radio stations, programming, and technical expertise became the foundation of the new commission, the Canadian Pacific favoured a privately operated broadcasting system and refused selling out. Nevertheless, nationalization ultimately prevailed, relieving the CPR from the considerable expense of operating a coast-to-coast radio network. The Canadian Pacific Railway refocused on it's specialty of transportation and hospitality, while still receiving occasional publicity through broadcasts originating from its hotels and other properties. The Royal York Hotel, for example, continued to operate its in-house station until 1935. The last venture associated with CPR radio service was the Radio News, which was in print until 1939.

While the CPR no longer had a broadcasting service, there are some instances where lines were leased to the CRBC in their early years of operation. As for CPR trains and ships, safety communications became the central use of radio by the company.

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