Canadian Railroads > The "Ocean" in Halifax

Until last year we made at least one visit to Halifax every year for many years. Some of those trips were on the RMS Queen Mary 2 and the rest on the Ocean. Since the service was reduced to tri-weekly we have occasionally flown one-way but we don't make that  a habit. Last year we had two visits planned, one by train and one by the QM2. Of course, both were cancelled. There is a little chance that a trip on the Ocean may be possible later this year. Our booked October visit on the QM2 is unlikely due to the Canadian ban on cruise ships. (Cruise lines have removed their cruises from their Websites but most have not yet been cancelled because there is a provision in the order that it may be rescinded if the state of the pandemic improves.)

I have taken many a photo and video of ships in Halifax, but only a few of the Ocean taken from a ship. Both of these photos were taken from the top deck (Deck 13) of the Queen Mary 2. The first was in October 2016. The second was in in October 2017.
 

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Here's a link to some photos of the Station and dock area back in the '30s with a Transatlantic Liner. The station had a train-shed and there was an overhead link between the immigration area on the pier and the station


https://halifaxbloggers.ca/builthalifax/2015/02/grand-entries-the-hotel-nova-scotia-and-the-cn-train-station/

Cruise ships are a big thing here in the Maritimes. I've been in Halifax when there will be 5 in port at once and 10,000 passengers strolling around or on tours. Big $$ lost but it's for the best for one more year. (With a pop of nearly 1 million....we only have 9 active Covid cases in the Province right now)

Here's the 'Norwegian Jade' with the Ocean's Park Car in the foreground



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/21 07:42 by ghCBNS.

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ghCBNS Wrote:
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> Here's a link to some photos of the Station and
> dock area back in the '30s with a Transatlantic
> Liner. The station had a train-shed and there was
> an overhead link between the immigration area on
> the pier and the station
>
>
> https://halifaxbloggers.ca/builthalifax/2015/02/gr
> and-entries-the-hotel-nova-scotia-and-the-cn-train
> -station/

Thanks for the link to the photos. My fondness for arriving/departing Halifax by train and ship must be in the blood. My mother and mother-in-law emigrated from the UK and arrived through Pier 21, continuing their respective trips to Toronto by train. My father, three uncles and my father-in-law went off to England and back through Pier 21 during World War II. As to the covered passageway from the station to the immigration building and the other one to the pier, the soldiers told me they don't remember using it. They believe they detrained and entrained  the troop trains from the platforms adjacent to the piers. The Pier 21 museum has an HO-scale model of the pier and railway tracks.

In 2014 I was able to recreate a voyage that my mother and mother-in-law took by travelling from Southampton to Halifax on the Queen Mary 2. (Sadly, Atlantic crossings that include Halifax are infrequent.) We could have boarded the Ocean the same day and continued on our trip to Montreal and Toronto. But we like Halifax so much we decided to stay two days and catch the next train.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/21 04:10 by DrawingroomA.

Nice photos and narratives.  Had lots more to say about this but just about had it completed and it disappeared!!  My photo of the train is a nice one taken from the hotel.
Just gotta love the photo of the ship and Park car!!  

Thanks to both of you for posting.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/21 17:57 by viatrainrider.