The Allan Line was founded in 1854 as the "Montreal Ocean Steamship Company". The company was later known as the Allan Line after one of its founders, Hugh Allan. In 1891 the company absorbed the
State Line (founded 1872). After this the company was often referred to as the Allan & State Line.
The announcement to the right was printed in a Trondheim newspaper by the Line's agent in 1869. It reads: The steamship Norway and Sweden will
maintain a weekly service between this place and England, in the way that Norway will sail from
here to Liverpool May 14th and Sweden May 21st, Norway to Newcastle (from Trondheim) on May 28th,
and Sweden on June 4th, where after the route will continue in the same order, twice for Liverpool and twice for
Newcastle, calling at Bergen to take on passengers.
The Allan Line (Montreal Ocean Steamship Company) opened a route between Norwegian
ports and Britain in 1869. For this service they had purchased the
S/S Norway and the
S/S Sweden.
The service was intended as a feeder service for the company's ocean liners departing
from Liverpool and Glasgow. The
S/S Damascus was also used in the service.
The Norwegian route had it's ending point in Trondheim, and the ships took on pyrites from the mines
at Ytterøy a little further in the fjord. This was a lucrative trade combined with the transportation of passengers. The company also conveyed passengers of other lines from norway to UK, but this was not always a smooth cooperation. In 1870 there was quite a
newspaper campaign between the agent of the
Anchor Line and the Allan Line.
The company discontinued it's feeder service in 1872, due to the decreasing number of emigrants.
Trondheim - Christiansund - Aalesund - Bergen - Newcastle route 1869
Trondheim - Christiansund - Aalesund - Bergen - Leith route 1870
Christiania - Christiansand - Leith route 1870
Trondheim - Christiansund - Aalesund - Bergen - Newcastle route 1871
Trondheim - Christiansund - Aalesund - Bergen - Newcastle route 1872
The picture of the Allan Line office shown to the left was taken in 1903. It showns the exterior of the office of the Allan Line agent in Trondhjem, Richard Solem. This office was located in Søndre gate 25, near the railway station and the Trondheim harbor. Richard Solem was the head agent for the Allan Line in the North of Dovre regions of Norway (and Jemtland in Sweden) from August 1893 till the line was absorbed by CPR in 1917.
The Allan Line was one of the first transatlantic steamship companies to establish a network of agents
in Norway. For many years it had a leading position in the transportation of emigrants from Norway to America. Most of the Norwegian emigrants crossing on the Allan Line ships went from Liverpool to Quebec, but there were also a number of Norwegians going on the Glasgow - Boston and New York routes. The company also maintained other routes, but the above mentioned were the most used routes for Norwegians. You will find more information about the routes and agents by searching our
Lines and Agents database.
All the emigrants traveling on the Allan Line ships
had to travel via UK, the majority via Hull on the
Wilson Line ships and from Hull by train to Liverpool. In 1917 the Allan Line was absorbed by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The Allan Line ships from then of were integrated with the
Canadian Pacific Line.
Allan Line picture gallery
