Goin' to Vancouver

[rmgreenesq]

I live in Worcester, Ma and need to go to Vancouver, BC. I'd like to ride the Canadian one way and the Empire Builder one way. Anybody have any experience on this trip?

I have a few specific questions:

1. Is there any way of avoiding the bus from Vancouver to Seattle? Amtrak appears to run a train between these two cities, but Amtrak.com does not want to connect to that train. It wants to put me on a bus up I-5. Short of ponying up for a room in Seattle (or crashing & freeloading with a friend), is there a way to make this work? Is the connection possible in Portland?

2. Which train should I take in which direction? Is there a preference for scenery viewing, scheduling, or connections? Does it matter?

3. I know I need to change over from Amtrak to Via somewhere in the east. Is there a preferred spot to transfer? Toronto? Montreal? Niagara Falls? Buffalo, NY? I realize that it does not matter that much if I lived in New York, but (sorry AlanB) I don't live in New York. Is there a good place to connect to get on the Lake Shore or a train that has a reasonable connection time to a train that goes to Boston?

Thanks in advance for any/all replies. I have a fair amount of time to plan this. I'd just like to know if there is any conventional wisdom on this board for a trip like this.

Rick

 

[George Harris]

A bus from Worcester to Albany might be your best bet, or drive to Albany (Rennselear or however you spell it). From there go to either Montreal or Toronto to change to Canadian trains, depending on which works best from the schedule viewpoint.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Hello...

1) Cascades...

As you've already spotted, 'Amtrak Cascades' service includes a number of Thruway buses: at the moment there is only one train a day in each direction between Seattle and Vancouver. This is set to change in 2008:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...98&ssid=180

However until then if you take the Empire Builder to Seattle and the Canadian back from Vancouver *and* take the Cascades Talgo train instead of the bus, you need to overnight in Seattle. You leave Seattle at 07h40 and arrive in Vancouver at 11h35, with a couple of hours to see Vancouver before the thrice weekly late afternoon / early evening departure of the Candian.

Going in the other direction, you have no problem arriving in Vancouver on the Canadian in the morning (around 07h50) and then catching the early evening Cascades train south to Seattle. But you'd then need to overnight there to catch the Empire Builder the next day.

Or, of course, you could explore both great cities, and overnight in both

2) Which direction...

Since you're taking both trains, I'd probably save the Canadian (which is more luxurious and feels more special) for last, so travel Chicago - Seattle - Vancouver - Toronto. In both cases travelling west to east is a little depressing, because after the amazing scenery of the Rockies, you have a day or two of flat praries

3) Going west from Worcester, you're easiest route is to take train 449, which is a stub of the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Albany. You have a guaranteed connection at Albany onto the Lake Shore Limited, which will take you to Chicago.

edit: sorry - misread your original post... I suspect that the previous poster is correct, most connections towards Montréal or Toronto are problematic, since the two northbound trains from New York leave early in the morning.

It's been a while since I researched it all, but I do know you'll end up spending a night in Toronto at some point... the Canadian arrives in the evening, and then the Maple Leaf towards Albany and New York leaves the next morning. I can't remember about the other way around, but I suspect you're best routing is still to go to Seattle on the EB and come back on the Canadian. You will have to make some stopovers, but after those long train rides I'm sure that won't be a drag

*j* :blink:

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Hello...
1) Cascades...

As you've already spotted, 'Amtrak Cascades' service includes a number of Thruway buses: at the moment there is only one train a day in each direction between Seattle and Vancouver. This is set to change in 2008:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServe...98&ssid=180

However until then if you take the Empire Builder to Seattle and the Canadian back from Vancouver *and* take the Cascades Talgo train instead of the bus, you need to overnight in Seattle. You leave Seattle at 07h40 and arrive in Vancouver at 11h35, with a couple of hours to see Vancouver before the thrice weekly late afternoon / early evening departure of the Candian.

Going in the other direction, you have no problem arriving in Vancouver on the Canadian in the morning (around 07h50) and then catching the early evening Cascades train south to Seattle. But you'd then need to overnight there to catch the Empire Builder the next day.

Or, of course, you could explore both great cities, and overnight in both

2) Which direction...

Since you're taking both trains, I'd probably save the Canadian (which is more luxurious and feels more special) for last, so travel Chicago - Seattle - Vancouver - Toronto. In both cases travelling west to east is a little depressing, because after the amazing scenery of the Rockies, you have a day or two of flat praries

3) Going west from Worcester, you're easiest route is to take train 449, which is a stub of the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Albany. You have a guaranteed connection at Albany onto the Lake Shore Limited, which will take you to Chicago.

edit: sorry - misread your original post... I suspect that the previous poster is correct, most connections towards Montréal or Toronto are problematic, since the two northbound trains from New York leave early in the morning.

It's been a while since I researched it all, but I do know you'll end up spending a night in Toronto at some point... the Canadian arrives in the evening, and then the Maple Leaf towards Albany and New York leaves the next morning. I can't remember about the other way around, but I suspect you're best routing is still to go to Seattle on the EB and come back on the Canadian. You will have to make some stopovers, but after those long train rides I'm sure that won't be a drag

*j* :blink:

Just as a note, the current "Canada" set that runs to Vancouver from Seattle is actually not a Talgo trainset. The current Talgo trainset that covers this route is being painted and is not in service. The train running this route now is made up of 2 Superliner coaches and a diner. Thus, there is no Business class currently offered.

 

[rmgreenesq]

Thanks for all the advice.

I think I'll do as recommended and take the Empire Builder on the way out and the Canadian on the way home. I understand that I'll need to overnight in Seattle or Portland (or take the bus to from Seattle) and Toronto. I'm going to a professional conference, so I'll have a few days to see Vancouver. I used to live near Vancouver, so its not like its a big strange city. This trip is in 2008 so maybe the secont train will be on the schedule by then.

Instead of taking the Maple Leaf to New York and getting on Train 66 to Boston in the middle of the night, I think I'll terminate this adventure in Albany. After two weeks of trains and conference, I think I can convince my wife to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Albany to get me.

Rick