The end of October and early November is the prime time for polar bears. The time window in which they're migrating through town is actually quite short -- a couple of weeks or maybe a bit more. We misjudged this when we took this trip 20-plus years ago, at the end of September. Even after riding out in one of the "tundra buggies," we only saw perhaps one polar bear at a great distance -- though it might have just been a white rock. On the plus side, the weather was not so cold yet, and we saw a spectacular display of the northern lights on our last night there. And the train ride and the experience of being at the edge of the arctic made for a fascinating trip.
The train really is the only way in or out to most of the places north of Thompson (other than by air, which is really expensive), so people use the train to make supply runs. On the northbound trip, I remember people piling all kinds of stuff into the baggage car at Thompson -- big cases of diapers and paper goods, for example. One family even loaded a mattress and box spring for a double bed.
There was a period when Park cars were showing up on the Churchill train with some frequency, but I'm guessing that would have ended with the pandemic if not before. When we rode it, the consist was a baggage car, a couple coaches, diner-lounge and a Chateau sleeper. But we passed trains in the opposite direction that had the Park car as well.
