Canadian National didn’t issue as many menus as Canadian Pacific and I haven’t tried to collect all of the ones it did issue. Many of the ones I have seem to fall into several series, though like Canadian Pacific menus the series aren’t as sharply defined as menus from U.S. railroads. As usual, dates ending in 0 or 5 may be estimated.
If you know of any menus or entire menu series that aren’t included below, please let me know. If you have such a menu or menus and a scanner, please send me scans. Thanks.
Jasper Lodge Menus
Scores of Jasper Lodge menu cards must have been issued over the several decades they were used. Many photos were used for several years in a row, but the menu designs changed a little from year to year. Typically, the lunch and dinner menus were dated but breakfast were not, and I have three breakfast menus from one year that is probably in the early 1930s.
 1926 Menu |  1935 Menu |  1935 Menu |
 1935 Menu |  1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |
 1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |
 1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |
 1946 Menu |  1948 Menu |  1951 Menu |
 1951 Menu |  1951 Menu |  1951 Menu |
 1951 Menu |
Canadian Achievement Series
Before the war, CN issued a series of menus celebrating Canadian industries, including farming, fishing, forestry, and manufacturing. Scans of these menus were contributed by a Streamliner Memories reader. These menus are from 1940 but the series may have been started a year or two before.
 1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |  1940 Menu |
 1940 Menu |
Photo Menus
In the 1940s and early 1950s, CN issued a series of menus with color photos. Although the specific designs changed from year to year, most have in common that the photos filled about half the page, with the rest devoted to the word “Menu” in a narrow font, the words “Canadian National Railways” across the bottom or top, plus another graphic element or two.
 1941 Menu |  1942 Menu |  1942 Menu |
 1942 Menu |  1946 Menu |  1948 Menu |
 1948 Menu |  1949 Menu |  1952 Menu |
 1953 Menu |  1953 Menu |  1955 Menu |
Regions Series
After the war, CN issued a series featuring different regions of Canada. I have one for British Columbia and one for “Western Canada” meaning Manitoba and Saskatchewan (and perhaps Alberta to the foot of the Rockies). I’ve also seen ones for Ontario (featuring Niagara Falls), the Rocky Mountains (featuring a moose), and the Maritime provinces (featuring a sailboat). By extension, there must have also been one for Quebec.
 1948 Menu |  1949 Menu |  1949 Menu |
 Missing Menu |  Missing Menu |
Coronation Menus
In 1937, Canadian National issued six menus commemorating the coronation of King George VI. In 1953, it issued three more for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. These menus were provided courtesy of a Streamliner Memories reader.
 1937 Menu |  1937 Menu |  1937 Menu |
 1937 Menu |  1937 Menu |  1937 Menu |
 1953 Menu |  1953 Menu |  1953 Menu |
Provincial Symbols
In a subtle effort to show that CN was the only railroad that served every Canadian province (CP didn’t go to Newfoundland), CN issued menus in the early 1960s featuring symbols of each province: shields, birds, tree leaves, and flowers. Note that sometime in 1960 the maple leaf logo changed to CN’s worm logo.
 1960 Menu |  1960 Menu |  1960 Menu |
 1962 Menu |
Buffet Car Menus
Later in the 1960s, CN made some tall, narrow menus that seemed to be used exclusively in buffet cars. These had a variety of decorations including one emphasizing CN’s new wormy corporate logo and one that seemed most appropriate for the Christmas season.
 1964 Menu |  1966 Menu |  1966 Menu |
 1966 Menu |
Tableware Series
Full diner menus in the late 1960s were wider and had images of tableware in at least three color variations: red and blue on a white background; red and white on a black background; and blue and white on a red background.
 1970 Menu |  1970 Menu |  Missing |
Alaska Charcoal Menus
Canadian National also issued several beautiful series of menus for its Alaska steamships. In the 1930s and 1940s these were decorated with charcoal drawings. Although no artist was identified these are all clearly by the same hand. The backs also had drawings by the same artist; in most cases, the drawings on the back were of Jasper Park. The first cover on the second row shown below was used on menus but in this particular case it was used for an entertainment program aboard the ship.
 1937 Menu |  1937 Menu |  1939 Menu |
 1939 Brochure |  1943 Menu |  1948 Menu |
Alaska Painting Menus
In the early 1950s, CN replaced the drawings with some very colorful paintings. Again, no artist is identified. Note that the word “Alaska” is presented in a different typeface and different colors on each menu. Again, the backs were usually advertisements, with illustrations and text, for Jasper.
 1950 Menu |  1950 Menu |  1951 Menu |
 1952 Menu |  1952 Menu |  1952 Menu |
 1952 Menu |  1956 Menu |
Alaska Photo Menus
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, CN used photos on its Alaska steamship menus. In comparison to the brightly colored paintings, some of the photos seemed pretty washed out. Considering that southeast Alaska is cloudy much of the summer, that’s probably more realistic, but not the kind of message CN should want to send back home with people who keep menus as souvenirs. The backs had ads, in photos and text, for other parts of Canada including (for the menus shown here) Jasper, Gaspé, Peggy’s Cove, Niagara Falls, and Ottawa.
 1957 Menu |  1957 Menu |  1960 Menu |
 1961 Menu |  1961 Menu |  1963 Menu |
 1963 Menu |  1963 Menu |
Alaska Black Menus
In 1964, CN used these menus with black covers illustrated with photos in a circular frame. The back covers of some of them also have photos in a circular frame, but one has just a white circle, as if someone forgot to add the photo.
 1964 Menu |  1964 Menu |  1964 Menu |
 1971 Menu |  1971 Menu |  1971 Menu |
 1971 Menu |  1971 Menu |