Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative - Wiki
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Omer Lavallée
Omer Lavallée (1925-1992) joined Canadian Pacific in 1942, working briefly for Canadian Pacific Airlines before moving to CP's finance department. He worked for many years as a paymaster traveling to CP locations in Quebec, Maine and New Brunswick in a vintage wooden pay car. He moved to CP's public relations department in 1966. In 1973, CP created a corporate archives in its public relations department and Lavallée became the first Corporate Archivist. He was a prime mover in the founding of the Canadian Railway Museum at St. Constant, Quebec, today known as Exporail, and was a sought-after advisor for events such as the CBC series The National Dream and CP's centennial celebrations in 1981, followed by the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike at Craigellachie in 1985.[1]
Lavallée's career made him an authoritative voice on railway history and he was the author of numerous books, including the major works Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada, An Illustrated Account of the Construction and First Years of the Canadian Pacific Transcontinental Railway, and Van Horne's Road: An Illustrated Account of the Construction and Early Operation of the CPR. In 1989, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada.[2]
Lavallée's work featured the DAR in several books:
- Canadian Pacific Railway Diagrams and Data (Steam Locomotives).
- Canadian Pacific Steam Locomotives
- Canadian Pacific in the East (Volume II) 1989 (DAR wharf history and photo, page 3)
