The Canadian Pacific Railway, The Great War, and the Stories Preserved at McAdam Railway Station
In 1914, when the First World War began, the McAdam Railway Station was not a museum. It was a working junction — one of the busiest railway connections in the region.
Trains moved west toward Montreal, east toward Saint John and Atlantic ports, and south into Maine and the United States. Mail, passengers, freight, and immigrants passed through daily.
When war was declared, that same railway network became part of Canada’s war effort.
Today, on the first floor of the Roadmaster’s Office, the Railway Military History Exhibit tells the story of Canadian Pacific Railway employees who relinquished their positions to serve — and of the railway system that helped carry a nation to war.
The Railway and Canada’s War Effort
Canadian Pacific Railway was instrumental in the First World War.
Company records preserved in CPR publications reflect the scale of that contribution. A postwar “Roll of Honor” records that:
• 11,340 CPR employees enlisted for war service
• 1,116 were killed
• 2,405 were wounded
• 7,573 returned and were re-employed
• 385 were decorated
These figures, preserved in CPR archival bulletins, demonstrate the profound impact the war had on railway workers across the country.
The railway carried troops, food, supplies, and munitions from western and central Canada to Atlantic seaports. From there, soldiers would cross the ocean to Europe.
The war may have been fought overseas — but it moved along rails.
Railway construction units rebuilt bridges and rail lines under combat conditions to maintain supply routes to the front.
Railway Construction Units on the Western Front
One of the most striking components of the McAdam exhibit is the depiction of railway troops rebuilding infrastructure in France.
The display includes a photograph and interpretive panel titled:
“Troops Rebuild Destroyed Bridge Near Amiens, France – A True Testament to Resourcefulness.”
The panel explains that railway construction units on the Western Front rebuilt destroyed bridges so trains could continue transporting troops and supplies to the front lines. Bridges were often blown up to halt movement; reconstruction required skill, speed, and ingenuity under dangerous conditions.
Harry William Gass
Harry William Gass was a Canadian Pacific Railway employee who relinquished his position to enlist during the First World War. His military records confirm that he attested at McAdam, New Brunswick, and served overseas in Canada, England, and France. Like many railway men of the era, he left stable employment to answer what official documents described as “the call of King and Country.”
Gass was discharged in March 1919 following demobilization and returned home after his period of service. The commemorative scroll issued by Canadian Pacific Railway in his honour acknowledges both his railway career and his wartime sacrifice. Preserved in the McAdam Railway Station collection, his records reflect the dual identity carried by many employees — railwayman and soldier — and the lasting connection between this Station and the Great War.
Thomas W. Carter
Thomas W. Carter was a Canadian Pacific Railway engineer on the Northern Division before enlisting for overseas service during the First World War. An experienced railwayman, he was among the early members of his unit to reach the front from England. His service in France was marked by hardship — including severe illness while in the firing line, extended hospitalizations overseas, and a period when word circulated back home that he had been killed.
Those reports proved untrue, and Carter eventually returned to Canada in 1919. However, his health had been significantly affected by his wartime experience. The attestation papers and service summaries preserved in the McAdam Railway Station collection reveal not only the path from railway engineer to soldier, but the physical toll carried by many who survived and came home.
Frank Herbert Ryder
Frank Herbert Ryder began his railway career in McAdam in 1911 as a fitter’s helper before enlisting in the Army on August 14, 1914. He served with the 10th Battalion, was wounded in action, later received a commission as a lieutenant with the 236th Overseas Battalion (New Brunswick Kilties), and in 1917 transferred to the Royal Air Force, flying “Camel” aircraft until the end of the First World War.
After returning home in 1919, Ryder resumed his career with Canadian Pacific Railway and would go on to serve for 47 years, retiring as Yard Foreman at McAdam. His life reflects the full arc of the Railway Military History Exhibit — a railwayman who left to serve, survived the war, and returned to the rails at the very Station where his story is now preserved.
The Great War Memorial Tablet
At the center of the exhibit stands a restored Great War Memorial Tablet issued by Canadian Pacific Railway.
The bronze tablet commemorates the 1,116 CPR employees who “made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The inscription calls on future generations:
“Let those who come after see to it that their names be not forgotten.”
This tablet is more than a corporate memorial. It represents the railway’s public acknowledgement that its employees left stable work, crossed an ocean, and did not all return.
Why This Exhibit Matters
The Railway Military History Exhibit, unveiled on June 30, 2019, ensures that these stories remain visible.
Visitors to the first floor Roadmaster’s Office encounter:
Original service records
Canadian Pacific commemorative materials
A restored Great War Memorial Tablet
Interpretive panels detailing railway engineering on the Western Front
A locally painted mural
The McAdam Railway Station was not removed from the First World War. It was part of the system that moved a country.
The men honored in this exhibit once worked along these rails. Some returned to their positions at CPR. Others did not.
The memorial tablet reminds us — in bronze — that their names are not to be forgotten.
Historic photograph documenting the unveiling of a Canadian Pacific Railway World War I memorial plaque in Saint John, New Brunswick, on June 30, 1922. The plaque was installed to honour CPR employees who served in the Great War, reflecting the company’s postwar commitment to remembrance.
Memorials in New Brunswick and Beyond
Archival research connected to the Station’s collection documents the unveiling of a CPR World War I memorial plaque in Saint John, New Brunswick, on June 30, 1922.
Photographs from that unveiling show the plaque installed prominently at CPR offices. Additional documentation confirms that similar memorials were installed in other locations and, in later decades, were restored and reinstalled when offices moved.
This wider network of remembrance reinforces an important truth:
The story preserved at McAdam is part of a larger national—and international—railway history.
