If ever a railroad can be credited with building a nation, the Canadian Pacific Railway deserves that distinction. Indeed, in 1871 the Western province of British Columbia insisted on a transportation link to the Eastern provinces as a condition to joining the fledging nation of Canada. And thus, the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John Macdonald, made it his mission to see that a railway be built to connect the vast, uncharted western half of his country.

Officially founded in 1881, the Canadian Pacific Railway overcame numerous political and geographical obstacles to become Canada's first transcontinental railway. For decades it was the only practical means of long-distance transportation in many regions of Canada and it grew to become one of the country's most powerful and influential companies.

From hard-working freight trains, to comfortable passenger trains, to elaborately outfitted railway cars designed specifically to transport the Royal Family during tours of Canada, the Canadian Pacific Railway rose to meet every challenge.

Indeed for the 1901 tour of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (later King George V and Queen Mary), the Canadian Pacific Railway specially built two railway cars to serve as mobile royal quarters. One, named Cornwall, served as the day car, with a rich walnut-paneled reception room decorated with Louis XV ornamentation and fitted with a piano, as well as a dining room painted with lush, pastoral scenes, and a boudoir for the Duchess lined in silk. The other car, York, contained the bedrooms for the royal couple, reached through a green velvet-lined vestibule, the Duke's in grey and crimson and the Duchess' in blue.

A force in uniting a nation, the Canadian Pacific Railway stretches from Montreal to Vancouver and even serves major cities in the United States including Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and New York.

From the dining cars of the great Canadian Pacific Railway, we are very pleased to offer this handsome Vintage Silverplate Food Dome. Produced in England exclusively for Canadian Pacific, the dome features the railroad's friendly beaver logo atop the CP crest accented by the slogan "Spans the World", a branding combination in use during the post-war period from 1946 to 1949. With the streamlined silhouette of classic railroad silver, this dome with its storied pedigree is sure to be a treasured addition to your silver collection.

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Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale.  In good original condition with minor wear from decades of service aboard the Canadian Pacific trains.  Please see product photos for condition details. 8.5" x 3"H.

Learn More about Hotel Silver

Once found in Grand Hotels, chic cafés, elegant restaurants as well as luxury steamships and the dining cars of the great locomotives, vintage hotel silver beautifully evokes the Golden Age of Travel. Enduringly crafted using sturdy nickel silver as its base metal and coated with a thick plating of pure, gleaming silver, vintage hotel silver is unmistakeable for its simple, classic lines and its pleasing heft. Often crested with the name of the establishment, the pieces bear the gentle, lovely patina often referred to as a “butler’s finish”.

Produced by the great silversmiths here in the United States, as well as those in Britain and on the Continent, most hotel silver dates from the 1920s to the 1940s. Prized for its perfect blend of form and function, hotel silver was made to withstand the rigors of daily use. Highly collectible, vintage hotel silver is a wonderful addition to any home.

Evoking the days of elegant travel, there are many new ways that hotel silver can be enjoyed. A milk pitcher or sugar basin makes an elegant vase for flowers or fresh herbs on the kitchen counter. A collection of oval platters adds sparkle and depth in a hutch when not being called into service for a buffet or dinner party. A toast rack becomes the perfect way to display photographs, hold fingertip towels in a powder room or organize mail in the office. Mix and match cutlery brings a relaxed sophistication and elegance to any tablescape. Whatever the piece, vintage hotel silver is sure to stir memories not only of your own travels, but of exotic destinations and ports of call from parts unknown.