The Multimark was a

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

introduced by

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

on June 17, 1968, to identify each of its various operations. CP Multimark geometry

The Multimark was created by the international marketing and design firm Lippincott and Margulies. It was composed of a circle representing global activities, a triangle representing motion or direction, and in contrast, a square (sometimes elongated into a rectangle) indicating stability. By the 1990s, the logo was sometimes referred to as the "

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

logo" by

railfan A railfan, train fan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff, anorak (British English), gunzel (Australian English), trainspotter (British English) or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally in ...

s for its resemblance to the early video game character.

Introduction

The Multimark was part of a larger rebranding effort that launched on June 17, 1968, which would see a phase out of older, traditional Canadian Pacific logos and elements, such as the script lettering, beaver and goose logos. As part of this rebrand, the company would go forward known as Canadian Pacific, while its individual units rebranding under "CP", with Canadian Pacific Railway now known as CP Rail, Canadian Pacific Airlines as CP Air, Canadian Pacific Steamships as CP Ships. However the official legal name would remain Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The Multimark would be used as a unifying element across the various businesses, using the color and way the Multimark distinguish services, with the common logo was used to show a shared and connected identity. CP Rail had multiple colors beyond its Action Red, which were used across various freight cars to further highlight usage and type: * Most cars and all locomotives: Red, with a white circle and black triangle. *

Hopper car A hopper car () or hopper wagon () is a type of railroad freight car that has opening doors or gates on the underside or on the sides to discharge its cargo. They are used to transport loose solid bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, a ...

: Black, with a white circle and red triangle. * Newsprint boxcars: Green, with a white circle and black triangle. * Controlled temperature cars: A silver/aluminum color, with a white circle and red triangle. * Insulated and heated rail cars and

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting; as well as in keeping a lookout for load ...

s: Yellow, with a white circle and black triangle.

The Multimark

The Multimark was composed three key elements, a circle, a triangle and a square. The circle represented global activities, a triangle represented motion or direction, and as a contrast, a square that represented stability. The symbol's design enabled it to be adapted to various situations and scales and applied to a wide variety of vehicles across various modes of transport, from railway freight cars, to ship funnels to the sides of aircraft, while still being identifiable as a Multimark.

Industry changes

The Multimark was gradually eliminated in the 1980s as the various components of

Canadian Pacific Limited Canadian Pacific Limited was created in 1971 to own properties formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), a transportation and mining giant in Canada. In October 2001, CPR completed the corporate spin-offs of each of the remaining business ...

changed names. CP Air became

Canadian Pacific Airlines Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian ...

and was later sold off. CP Hotels became Canadian Pacific Hotels and Resorts and much later sold off. CP Express & Transport went out of business due to deregulation. CP Telecommunications was merged into

CNCP Telecommunications CNCP Telecommunications (Canadian National-Canadian Pacific Telecommunications) was an electrical telegraph operator and later a telecom company, which operated between 1967 and 1990. CNCP was created as a joint venture between the Canadian Na ...

which soon went out of business due to the changing industry. ( Unitel was then created to acquire what remained.) CP Ships became Canadian Pacific Ships and was finally sold off in 2005. CP Rail became known as CP Rail System in January 1991, with the acquisition of the bankrupt American

Delaware and Hudson Railway The Delaware and Hudson Railway (D&H) is a railroad that operates in the Northeastern United States. In 1991, after more than 150 years as an independent railroad, the D&H was purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). CP, which would it ...

. The marketing name included

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...

which had become 100% owned. (CPR had long had controlling interest in it). The use of the Multimark on CP Rail slowly faded away with no official announcement. September 1987 saw the first diesel to be repainted without it, a GP7 yard engine numbered 1684.

Legacy

While the two companies, other than owning the same ship ( RMS Empress of Canada, later ''Mardi Gras'') at different points of the ship's life, are completely unrelated, it has been said that

Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel (ship), funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue colo ...

's logo is a derivative of the Multimark, with the Multimark's edges being rounded out, and the colors changed to red, white and blue.

Colours

Each operating division was assigned a different colour while taking on a new identity:

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=CP Action Red , url=http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Action-Red/CP-Action-Red.html , website=art-paints.com , access-date=16 April 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211155846/http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Action-Red/CP-Action-Red.html , archive-date=11 December 2012 {{cite web , title=CP Yellow , url=http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Yellow/CP-Yellow.html , website=art-paints.com , access-date=16 April 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211081533/http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Yellow/CP-Yellow.html , archive-date=11 December 2012 {{cite web , title=CP Action Yellow , url=http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Action-Yellow/CP-Action-Yellow.html , website=art-paints.com , access-date=16 April 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202013610/http://www.art-paints.com:80/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Action-Yellow/CP-Action-Yellow.html , archive-date=2 December 2014 {{cite web , title=CP Gray , url=http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Gray/CP-Gray.html , website=art-paints.com , access-date=16 April 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211151427/http://www.art-paints.com/Paints/Airbrush/Badger/ModelFlex-Railroad/CP-Gray/CP-Gray.html , archive-date=11 December 2012 {{cite magazine , author= , title=A bold stroke carefully applied , magazine=Spanner , location=Montreal, Canada , publisher=Canadian Pacific , date=July 1968 Canadian Pacific Railway Commercial logos Symbols introduced in 1968