P
panamaclipper
Guest
I spent two nights in Toronto before taking The Canadian. It was the second week of March and I was expecting the temps to be okay. Wrong.
It was in the mid 20s during the day and I don't want to think about how cold it was at night.
I was staying at a hotel about six blocks from the train station - an easy walk.
The day before my departure I went to the station and looked around to find out the check in procedure.
I would be leaving at morning rush hour so I wanted to find out where the passenger lounge was, etc.
After dinner and a good night's sleep I arrived at the station about at about 8 a.m.
The VIA Rail folks checked my ticket and told me to wait in the first class lounge until 8:30 boarding.
The lounge in Toronto reminded me of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. It was a little smaller but had the same type of furniture, refreshments, etc. I had some coffee and juice and waited for the boarding call.
When the announcement was made I headed up the ramp to track 19 and The Canadian.
I was in a sleeper called Draper Manor, which was just ahead of the Tweedsmuir Park car.
I put my stuff in bedroom B and the attendant, Bob, introduced himself. Bob would be with me until Winnipeg when the crews changed.
Before departure I had a chance to take some more pictures out on the platform. The Toronto station at 8:30 was very busy with VIA trains, GO commuter trains and even an Amtrak train on the platform across from The Canadian.
My train left at 9 a.m. on the dot and I went to the tail end of the park car to watch Toronto slide by the curved windows.
Soon the Home Depots and apartment blocks were replaced by first fields and then snowy woods.
I chatted with the folks in the park car for about an hour then set out to explore my sleeping car. The four roomettes were at the end next to the park car, with the bedrooms in the middle. At the opposite end were three sections and a shower and changing room that occupy space originally taken by another section.
Except for the shower, the car was pretty much like it was when it was built in 1954. The interior was all done in cool blues and grays and none of the fixtures had been changed. It was really a rolling time machine.
Today's train had the park car, three sleepers, the diner, a dome lounge car, two coaches and a dorm baggage car. Two F40PHs were heading up the train.
I walked the whole train which was in great condition. The coaches were about half full, but few of those passengers where going the whole 3000 miles.
One lady in my sleeper who was going to Vancouver - she was moving - had her cat in a cage in the baggage car. She would walk forward through the train into the baggage car several times a day to visit the cat. She said there was also another cat and a dog riding up there.
I took the first lunch seating and the food was just great. I had some seafood chowder and a turkey wrap. For desert there was sherbet.
Our first significant stop on day one was in Capreol, Ontario. It's a big CN division point and there were large yards and lots of rail crews.
The train stopped at the small station for about 20 minutes and I had a chance to walk along the platform. Not much to see in the way of a town.
At dinner the first night I had prime rib. Another night I had haddock. Every dish was well prepared and presented. The dining car chief said the head cook was a former hotel chef. I could believe it.
While I wasn't there for the real thing, it was easy to believe the food and service were on par with what you would have received in the 50s.
After some time visiting in the park car and sitting in the upstairs dome watching the moon and stars overhead, I decided to head to my bedroom.
The bed had been pulled down from the wall and was made with a comforter and two pillows. There were even a couple of chocolate mints on the pillow. I was surprised how large the bed was.
The bed faced the window so that I sat and watched some small towns go by.
The CN tracks we were riding on were in much better shape that I am used to in the U.S. There was none of the serious pitching and shaking that wakes me up some nights.
Instead I slept soundly until about 6 a.m.
I got dressed and was at breakfast by 6:30. French toast that morning. Eggs benedict the next day. The breakfasts were quite large and they were always offering extra sides, fruit and such.
The first morning I sat with a retired engineer and his wife from Toronto. He told me quite about the line we were on and how the trains operate in Canada. Was great luck meeting him.
Our next stop was at Sioux Lookout, Ontario. They had a nice old wood paneled station that was unfortunately closed. But I had time to dash across the street to a drugstore to buy some batteries and a newspaper. I also took photos of them refueling the locomotives.
We had about 30 minutes in Sioux Lookout. There were a couple of bars, a hotel and a few shops along the main drag and that was about it.
This area of Ontario has hundreds of lakes. But in March they were all frozen over and the only recreation was snowmobiling - there was a lot of that.
In Winnipeg we had about 45 minutes stop. The old station downtown was built in 1911 and was designed by the same architect that did Grand Central Station in New York.
It has a huge dome in front and is across the street from the historic Fort Garry Hotel - an old railroad hotel that has been restored.
I walked up the street to a convenience store for some snacks. And out the back door of the station there was a marketplace of some kind.
They also had some old restored heavyweight passenger cars on display out there.
We headed out from Winnipeg with a new train crew and three more sleepers. They were deadheading at the front of the train. All three were the duplex style Chateau sleepers. The crew unhooked the engines and hooked up to the cars on a separate platform in the Winnepeg station. They hooked the HEP back up and we were ready to roll.
The new crew had a great park car attendant named Diane who knew everything about the history of the route plus the operation of the train.
She had a great personality and entertained us all with stories of winter snow-ins, train wrecks and such.
I had already noticed that many of the switches along the line had propane heaters on them to keep them thawed. Every switch we had also had a broom with a pick on one end and a shovel hanging there so crews could clean out a snow or ice covered switch.
The second night I watched a movie on my lap top before falling asleep. Everything went great until about 5:30 in the a.m. when I flushed the toilet in my bedroom. The valve jammed open and the darn thing wouldn't stop flushing. I fiddled with it a while before running to my sleeper attendant Tony for help. I knew if we didn't stop the flushing that all the water in the car would be lost.
Tony sent me to the park car for coffee while he removed an access panel under my sink so he could turn off the water.
As it was the car ended up very low on water. When we stopped at Edmonton we took on extra water to fill the tanks back up.
Edmonton was dismal. Not only was in snowing heavily and cold, but some sharpy had decided to move the train station from downtown to a new building at the airport. Great. It was sitting in the middle of a huge parking lot with nothing else around but runways and snow. At least the station was manned and had a gift shop and such. I went inside for some postcards and newspaper before deciding to return to the train.
By the time we got to Jasper it had quit snowing and the sun was out. It also seemed much warmer.
Jasper is in a national park and is a beautiful mountain resort town. Across the street from the large restored station there are about two blocks of shops, cafes and such. I mailed my postcards purchased in Edmonton and went for a looksee in some of the shops. Not much besides usual T shirts and such.
But in the train station they had a small railroad shop with books, models, magazines, etc. It was a great little shop with lots of Canadian rail stuff.
Before we left Jasper the train picked up two more deadheading cars. This time it was another park car and a sleeper. The two new cars were added in front of the three sleepers we took on in Winnipeg. It looked odd to see that rounded in observation car at the head of the train.
Leaving Jasper we had some of the best scenery through the mountains.
The dome section of the park car was full for the trip by Mount Robson, Moose Lake and Yellowhead pass. Really beautiful area. And they even slowed the train my some extra nice bits like a waterfall and lake.
Before long it was time for my last dinner on the train - a steak with company from a couple of tourists from Australia. On the trip I had also visited with passengers from Ireland, Germany, Britain and Jamaica. The train was about half older folks and the rest young people on spring break. There were a couple of families with small children. One of the families had folded back the wall between two of the bedrooms to create a very large compartment during the day.
After dinner I spent about an hour sitting in the dome watching the train in the dark. It was great seeing for the signal changes and the oncoming freights.
The trip was just about over and I was sad to be nearing the end.
Day four was busy. The train was getting into Vancouver almost an hour early. About a quarter to six they cut off all the water to the sleepers. It was part of the deal with the city of Vancouver who didn't what folks flushing their toilets on the tracks which ran near homes and roadways.
After crossing a grand old bridge over the Fraser River, we snaked through the suburbs and then backed the final leg into the station.
For this maneuver one of the engine crew came back to the tail car with a radio.
He opened the back door in the park car and sat there in the open door directing the progress of the train. I got some great photo shots around him as we pulled into the old Pacific Central station.
Along with a car barn full of rolling stock they were working on, there were also a large number of 50's Budd passenger cars along the station platforms. They also had an excursion train made up of dome topped cars that I believe were made by the manufacturer Colorado.
I took a few photos on the platform and then out front at the station. I would spend the night in downtown Vancouver before heading home to the states.
While it was the depths of winter in Toronto, in Vancouver it was spring with tulips and cherry trees blooming.
What a difference. I had just been to Vancouver in November so I knew my way around.
After talking to the train crews and all the passengers with experience, I decided my next Canada rail trip will be from Montreal to Halifax. I would like to see the Atlantic section of the country and find out what those imported European cars are like.
To sum up the trip, the train itself - which is 50 years old in April - is wonderful. Most of the scenery is good, especially day three through the mountains. But what really made the trip special was the train crews. The quality and amount of service they gave stands out above my trips in the U.S.
It was in the mid 20s during the day and I don't want to think about how cold it was at night.
I was staying at a hotel about six blocks from the train station - an easy walk.
The day before my departure I went to the station and looked around to find out the check in procedure.
I would be leaving at morning rush hour so I wanted to find out where the passenger lounge was, etc.
After dinner and a good night's sleep I arrived at the station about at about 8 a.m.
The VIA Rail folks checked my ticket and told me to wait in the first class lounge until 8:30 boarding.
The lounge in Toronto reminded me of the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. It was a little smaller but had the same type of furniture, refreshments, etc. I had some coffee and juice and waited for the boarding call.
When the announcement was made I headed up the ramp to track 19 and The Canadian.
I was in a sleeper called Draper Manor, which was just ahead of the Tweedsmuir Park car.
I put my stuff in bedroom B and the attendant, Bob, introduced himself. Bob would be with me until Winnipeg when the crews changed.
Before departure I had a chance to take some more pictures out on the platform. The Toronto station at 8:30 was very busy with VIA trains, GO commuter trains and even an Amtrak train on the platform across from The Canadian.
My train left at 9 a.m. on the dot and I went to the tail end of the park car to watch Toronto slide by the curved windows.
Soon the Home Depots and apartment blocks were replaced by first fields and then snowy woods.
I chatted with the folks in the park car for about an hour then set out to explore my sleeping car. The four roomettes were at the end next to the park car, with the bedrooms in the middle. At the opposite end were three sections and a shower and changing room that occupy space originally taken by another section.
Except for the shower, the car was pretty much like it was when it was built in 1954. The interior was all done in cool blues and grays and none of the fixtures had been changed. It was really a rolling time machine.
Today's train had the park car, three sleepers, the diner, a dome lounge car, two coaches and a dorm baggage car. Two F40PHs were heading up the train.
I walked the whole train which was in great condition. The coaches were about half full, but few of those passengers where going the whole 3000 miles.
One lady in my sleeper who was going to Vancouver - she was moving - had her cat in a cage in the baggage car. She would walk forward through the train into the baggage car several times a day to visit the cat. She said there was also another cat and a dog riding up there.
I took the first lunch seating and the food was just great. I had some seafood chowder and a turkey wrap. For desert there was sherbet.
Our first significant stop on day one was in Capreol, Ontario. It's a big CN division point and there were large yards and lots of rail crews.
The train stopped at the small station for about 20 minutes and I had a chance to walk along the platform. Not much to see in the way of a town.
At dinner the first night I had prime rib. Another night I had haddock. Every dish was well prepared and presented. The dining car chief said the head cook was a former hotel chef. I could believe it.
While I wasn't there for the real thing, it was easy to believe the food and service were on par with what you would have received in the 50s.
After some time visiting in the park car and sitting in the upstairs dome watching the moon and stars overhead, I decided to head to my bedroom.
The bed had been pulled down from the wall and was made with a comforter and two pillows. There were even a couple of chocolate mints on the pillow. I was surprised how large the bed was.
The bed faced the window so that I sat and watched some small towns go by.
The CN tracks we were riding on were in much better shape that I am used to in the U.S. There was none of the serious pitching and shaking that wakes me up some nights.
Instead I slept soundly until about 6 a.m.
I got dressed and was at breakfast by 6:30. French toast that morning. Eggs benedict the next day. The breakfasts were quite large and they were always offering extra sides, fruit and such.
The first morning I sat with a retired engineer and his wife from Toronto. He told me quite about the line we were on and how the trains operate in Canada. Was great luck meeting him.
Our next stop was at Sioux Lookout, Ontario. They had a nice old wood paneled station that was unfortunately closed. But I had time to dash across the street to a drugstore to buy some batteries and a newspaper. I also took photos of them refueling the locomotives.
We had about 30 minutes in Sioux Lookout. There were a couple of bars, a hotel and a few shops along the main drag and that was about it.
This area of Ontario has hundreds of lakes. But in March they were all frozen over and the only recreation was snowmobiling - there was a lot of that.
In Winnipeg we had about 45 minutes stop. The old station downtown was built in 1911 and was designed by the same architect that did Grand Central Station in New York.
It has a huge dome in front and is across the street from the historic Fort Garry Hotel - an old railroad hotel that has been restored.
I walked up the street to a convenience store for some snacks. And out the back door of the station there was a marketplace of some kind.
They also had some old restored heavyweight passenger cars on display out there.
We headed out from Winnipeg with a new train crew and three more sleepers. They were deadheading at the front of the train. All three were the duplex style Chateau sleepers. The crew unhooked the engines and hooked up to the cars on a separate platform in the Winnepeg station. They hooked the HEP back up and we were ready to roll.
The new crew had a great park car attendant named Diane who knew everything about the history of the route plus the operation of the train.
She had a great personality and entertained us all with stories of winter snow-ins, train wrecks and such.
I had already noticed that many of the switches along the line had propane heaters on them to keep them thawed. Every switch we had also had a broom with a pick on one end and a shovel hanging there so crews could clean out a snow or ice covered switch.
The second night I watched a movie on my lap top before falling asleep. Everything went great until about 5:30 in the a.m. when I flushed the toilet in my bedroom. The valve jammed open and the darn thing wouldn't stop flushing. I fiddled with it a while before running to my sleeper attendant Tony for help. I knew if we didn't stop the flushing that all the water in the car would be lost.
Tony sent me to the park car for coffee while he removed an access panel under my sink so he could turn off the water.
As it was the car ended up very low on water. When we stopped at Edmonton we took on extra water to fill the tanks back up.
Edmonton was dismal. Not only was in snowing heavily and cold, but some sharpy had decided to move the train station from downtown to a new building at the airport. Great. It was sitting in the middle of a huge parking lot with nothing else around but runways and snow. At least the station was manned and had a gift shop and such. I went inside for some postcards and newspaper before deciding to return to the train.
By the time we got to Jasper it had quit snowing and the sun was out. It also seemed much warmer.
Jasper is in a national park and is a beautiful mountain resort town. Across the street from the large restored station there are about two blocks of shops, cafes and such. I mailed my postcards purchased in Edmonton and went for a looksee in some of the shops. Not much besides usual T shirts and such.
But in the train station they had a small railroad shop with books, models, magazines, etc. It was a great little shop with lots of Canadian rail stuff.
Before we left Jasper the train picked up two more deadheading cars. This time it was another park car and a sleeper. The two new cars were added in front of the three sleepers we took on in Winnipeg. It looked odd to see that rounded in observation car at the head of the train.
Leaving Jasper we had some of the best scenery through the mountains.
The dome section of the park car was full for the trip by Mount Robson, Moose Lake and Yellowhead pass. Really beautiful area. And they even slowed the train my some extra nice bits like a waterfall and lake.
Before long it was time for my last dinner on the train - a steak with company from a couple of tourists from Australia. On the trip I had also visited with passengers from Ireland, Germany, Britain and Jamaica. The train was about half older folks and the rest young people on spring break. There were a couple of families with small children. One of the families had folded back the wall between two of the bedrooms to create a very large compartment during the day.
After dinner I spent about an hour sitting in the dome watching the train in the dark. It was great seeing for the signal changes and the oncoming freights.
The trip was just about over and I was sad to be nearing the end.
Day four was busy. The train was getting into Vancouver almost an hour early. About a quarter to six they cut off all the water to the sleepers. It was part of the deal with the city of Vancouver who didn't what folks flushing their toilets on the tracks which ran near homes and roadways.
After crossing a grand old bridge over the Fraser River, we snaked through the suburbs and then backed the final leg into the station.
For this maneuver one of the engine crew came back to the tail car with a radio.
He opened the back door in the park car and sat there in the open door directing the progress of the train. I got some great photo shots around him as we pulled into the old Pacific Central station.
Along with a car barn full of rolling stock they were working on, there were also a large number of 50's Budd passenger cars along the station platforms. They also had an excursion train made up of dome topped cars that I believe were made by the manufacturer Colorado.
I took a few photos on the platform and then out front at the station. I would spend the night in downtown Vancouver before heading home to the states.
While it was the depths of winter in Toronto, in Vancouver it was spring with tulips and cherry trees blooming.
What a difference. I had just been to Vancouver in November so I knew my way around.
After talking to the train crews and all the passengers with experience, I decided my next Canada rail trip will be from Montreal to Halifax. I would like to see the Atlantic section of the country and find out what those imported European cars are like.
To sum up the trip, the train itself - which is 50 years old in April - is wonderful. Most of the scenery is good, especially day three through the mountains. But what really made the trip special was the train crews. The quality and amount of service they gave stands out above my trips in the U.S.
