The construction of the CPR was fraught with financial peril, testing the resilience of the syndicate – Hill resigned in 1883, followed by Angus' close friend Duncan McIntyre the next year. To lobby for funds more successfully, Angus resigned from the St. Paul Railway in 1884. The CPR, completed in 1885, was an immediate financial success, becoming "the world's greatest transportation system". He remained vice-president of the CPR after Lord Mount Stephen resigned from an active role as president in 1888. Apparently never aspiring to the position, Angus supported Stephen's selection of Van Horne as president and, 11 years later, Van Horne's choice of Lord Shaughnessy as his successor. Angus would serve as a director and committee member of the CPR for over 40 years, necessitating frequent trips to the Canadian Pacific Offices on Trafalgar Square in London.