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pennyk

pennyk

Amtrak Rider
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I am on day 4 of a 14 day trip. I have intermittent internet, so I will post when I am can. I am using a tablet, so my typing is not that great.

On 11/30, I took the Silver Meteor from ORL to NYP. I had bedroom A, and even though the couch was backwards, it was a nice room. My SCA was Preston and he was great. The train was only about one third full, which was surprising.

Shanghai met me in NYP and helped me schlep my luggage to my hotel about a mile away. We later met AlanB for lunch and after lunch Alan was kind enough to escort me to Rockefeller Center so I could see the lit tree. Later, that afternoon, I hit a trifecta but meeting up with jis- at NYP for a drink. Even though he made fun of my 16 layers of clothing, we had a very nice time. Seeing 3 AU members in one day made my stay in NY very special.

On 12/2, very early in the morning, I made my way to NYP, by cab, to catch the Maple Leaf for Toronto. I was in BC and used a red cap so I could board early and get my choice of seats. I was on the left side in a single seat - and had a full window.

More later.
 
pennyk said:
I am on day 4 of a 14 day trip. I have intermittent internet, so I will post when I am can. I am using a tablet, so my typing is not that great.

On 11/30, I took the Silver Meteor from ORL to NYP. I had bedroom A, and even though the couch was backwards, it was a nice room. My SCA was Preston and he was great. The train was only about one third full, which was surprising.

Shanghai met me in NYP and helped me schlep my luggage to my hotel about a mile away. We later met AlanB for lunch and after lunch Alan was kind enough to escort me to Rockefeller Center so I could see the lit tree. Later, that afternoon, I hit a trifecta but meeting up with jis- at NYP for a drink. Even though he made fun of my 16 layers of clothing, we had a very nice time. Seeing 3 AU members in one day made my stay in NY very special.

On 12/2, very early in the morning, I made my way to NYP, by cab, to catch the Maple Leaf for Toronto. I was in BC and used a red cap so I could board early and get my choice of seats. I was on the left side in a single seat - and had a full window.

More later.
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Penny- Sidebar comments:

1) I traveled on the EB on 11/30 and the traffic was likewise light.

2) I just finished a two day CLE in Seattle, and several liked left turns better than right turns. Lol. Debates were fun.
 
Enjoy your trip Penny! I will be traveling with you thru your reports!

It's not surprising you had a seat on the left (good) side. You don't make right turns easily! Luckily the ML turns left crossing the Hudson at ALB!
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I am in Toronto now hanging out in the lobby of my hotel where I temporarily have internet.

I have a few comments about the Maple Leaf - we went through customs outside the train; the crew changed from Amtrak to VIA at Niagara Falls, ON, as did the supplies in the cafe; the VIA cafe did not accept credit cards where the Amtrak cafe did, however, they did accept US dollars (12 of them in my case).

I have gone out on 2 walks this morning and did not get lost (I did make left turns outside my hotel). I already have my ticket for the Canadian, however check in will not be until 7:30 or 8pm. I have stored my luggage at the hotel and soon I will wander off in search of Canadian beer. :lol: It was in the low 30's this morning and i was comfortable in my 4 layers plus scarf, gloves, hat and boots. The high will be a balmy 40F and my guess is the locals will be in shirt sleeves - I may shed a layer or 2.

So far everything has gone very smoothly thanks to information gathered from AU members.

Thanks for reading and i apologize for typos. My tablet tries to correct what it thinks I have done wrong. It changed AU to AA and it will not allow me to type jis- it changes it to his, so i add the hyphen.
 
:hi: Sounds like you bought a "Smart" Tablet! :lol: Glad you're not freezin up there in the Great White North, it can get really COLD! and Nasty! up there but sounds like you are experiencing the same weather Karma we had in SEA and PDX for the Gathering! Looking forward to your reports and updates (when possible) as you start the Looooooooooong trek across Canada, we're envious!Some of your trip will make the Empire Builder route seem like Manhattan it will be so desolute, but extremely Beauitful :wub: (and hopefully toasty) as viewed from a Dome or the Lounge Car!! :cool: Bon Voyage!And don't have too much Canadian Beer, it's stronger than the water down here! :lol:
 
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Thank you for sharing your epic adventure with us. I love these kinds of real-time reports and try to picture what you're experiencing out there! I will be starting a 12 day journey on Thursday from LA to NYC and back, and look forward to getting some on-the-rails intel about what's happening out there. Have a blast and happy railroading to you!
 
I took Jim's advice and only had one Canadian beer. I had a Richard's white which is a wheat beer very similar to Blue Moon. It was starting to get dark outside, so I ventured back to the hotel and am still able to use their Wi-Fi, even though I checked out hours ago. I will retrieve my luggage in a couple of hours and walk over to the train station.

I have no idea when I next will have internet. I will post when I can. I have a throwaway cell phone for emergencies and had not planned on using it a lot because I am being charged roaming rates. From the pub, I sent a couple of text messages - at least I think I did since I really do not know how to use the phone. :wacko:

My regular cell phone will not work at all in Canada.
 
Right now I am in the VIA Winnipeg (winterpeg;- it is -8F outside) station. As a footnote, I would like to mention that i was not able to connect to the AU site from the VIA Toronto station, even though I had internet for all other purposes. I was in communication with Alan, Anthony and Tom, and it was determined there was some quirk in the VIA system.

The trip so far is fabulous! With no offense to Amtrak, the VIA experience on the Canadian is much better than any train I have traveled on.

I have a bedroom for 2 - just for me and I have plenty of room. Everything is clean and seems to work. The staff is efficient, extremely well trained and very friendly. The bed is more comfortable than Amtrak. There is no shower in the room, so one must walk a few steps to the community shower.

I think the food is somewhat better, but one should not judge food by my likes and dislikes - i am a very strange eater. I love the fact that fresh fruit and hot water and tea (including green tea) is always available in the Park Car.

I am among the few Americans on the train and am getting to know a lot about Canadians. I have spoken to people that have taken this train numerous times (including one couple that is on their 19th trip). The consensus is that winter is better: better prices, better service, shorter walk to diner and Park Car.

Last night there was a wine tasting after the first dinner seating. The folks eating later did not get wine. I ate early and tasted 2 Canadian wines, which were pretty good, but not as good as the Canadian beer I purchased yesterday afternoon. There was no beer tasting yesterday - hopefully there will be one today with our new crew.

Off to catch up on emails and then go for a walk when it gets above zero( and i will be wearing all my layers).
 
pennyk said:
I am among the few Americans on the train and am getting to know a lot about Canadians. I have spoken to people that have taken this train numerous times (including one couple that is on their 19th trip). The consensus is that winter is better: better prices, better service, shorter walk to diner and Park Car.
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I completely agree with the consensus. In addition there are way fewer obnoxious tourists on the train in the winter who seem to believe that the world owes it to them. :)
 
I just went outdoors for a few minutes when it was 6 below F. I did not last long even though I was wearing long underwear, jeans, t shirt, turtleneck, sweater, down vest, wool peacoat, wool scarf, glove liners, mittens and lined hat with ear flaps. I also was wearing wool socks and boots and had hand warmers in my pockets . Everything was fine except for my face. :eek: :eek:

We still have about another hour + here, so i might try again and cover my face with my scarf.
 
:hi: Theres an old saying that Canadians from Manitoba use; "Standing on the corner in downtown Winnipeg in the Winter, Coldest place on Earth!" :giggle: Bet your glad you bought the Winter Clothing! This is a good reminder that up North its great to visit in the Winter, but it's the Sun Belt where you want to be when Temperatures drop! ^_^ (In all honestly, the same thing applies in the Summer down here where we live! -_- )Enjoying your updates, the prettiest part of the journey is fixing to happen, I can picture you in the Lounge with a drink or up in the Dome looking @ the amazing scenery! :wub: Guess well hear from you again in Vancouver,we're all still envious! :lol:
 
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There is a freight derailment and we are going to be delayed about 7 hours - maybe more. Will miss jasper in daylight maybe my cascades connection. A pax loaned me his iPhone. We will be doing chair yoga in the park car in 15 minutes, however we are hoping for free drinks!!
 
pennyk said:
There is a freight derailment and we are going to be delayed about 7 hours - maybe more. Will miss jasper in daylight maybe my cascades connection. A pax loaned me his iPhone. We will be doing chair yoga in the park car in 15 minutes, however we are hoping for free drinks!!
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You will miss Jasper, but the ride along the Fraser the next morning is a good trade off. Get up early and you might see the Cisco bridgers where the CP and CN tracks switch sides of the Fraser.
 
Yes, we will miss Jasper. We are in Edmonton now 10 hours late. I hope we make up time since I only have 8 hours before my cascades to SEA.
 
the_traveler said:
BTW: -1º C in Edmonton is equal to 30º or 31º F which is nice and warm "for normal folks" in New England!
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We are in Jasper now (at 10:45pm) and it is a comfortable -2c. The service manager just informed me that she thinks I should have no problem making my connection in VAC to the Cascades. I hope she is correct.
 
A rare opportunity to see the Canadian in in the Thompson and Fraser River Canyons in daylight!…….and I just happen to be in Abbotsford BC right now, planning to railfan between here and Kamloops today…….I’ll be watching for you!

This is directional running territory and your w/b Canadian will be on CN . The e/b Canadian runs on CP. You will see the other railway up on the rock cliff on the opposite side of the river and a steady stream of trains.
 
NS VIA Fan said:
A rare opportunity to see the Canadian in in the Thompson and Fraser River Canyons in daylight!…….and I just happen to be in Abbotsford BC right now, planning to railfan between here and Kamloops today…….I’ll be watching for you!

This is directional running territory and your w/b Canadian will be on CN . The e/b Canadian runs on CP. You will see the other railway up on the rock cliff on the opposite side of the river and a steady stream of trains.
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Yes, Fraser canyon was magnificent! I think all pax were in the dome. One pax had traveled on the Canadian 19 times and had never seen Fraser canyon in daylight. I hope you got to see our train - if i would have known, I would have waved. I did see the the other railway on the opposite side of the river. I had a front row seat in the dome car.

Right now I am in Cascades BC from VAC to SEA, on my way home to ORL by rail. The couple sitting across the aisle from meare going to SEA to catch a plane to go to ORL. Airfare is less expensive from SEA than VAC.
 
Ooo I sure do envy you. When I was delayed 8 hours by a broken rail east of Edmonton, we had a cool ride through the mountains at night. It was so cold the towns were engulfed with fog. Between towns it was crystal clear.
 
pennyk said:
NS VIA Fan said:
A rare opportunity to see the Canadian in in the Thompson and Fraser River Canyons in daylight!…….and I just happen to be in Abbotsford BC right now, planning to railfan between here and Kamloops today…….I'll be watching for you!

This is directional running territory and your w/b Canadian will be on CN . The e/b Canadian runs on CP. You will see the other railway up on the rock cliff on the opposite side of the river and a steady stream of trains.
Click to expand...
Yes, Fraser canyon was magnificent! I think all pax were in the dome. One pax had traveled on the Canadian 19 times and had never seen Fraser canyon in daylight. I hope you got to see our train - if i would have known, I would have waved. I did see the the other railway on the opposite side of the river. I had a front row seat in the dome car.

Right now I am in Cascades BC from VAC to SEA, on my way home to ORL by rail. The couple sitting across the aisle from meare going to SEA to catch a plane to go to ORL. Airfare is less expensive from SEA than VAC.
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Sorry I missed you ……and the Canadian. Guess it slipped by while I was high above the tracks on the Trans Canada Highway. Should have just found a good spot and waited! A rare opportunity lost!
 
Recently easily passed through customs on the Cascades (12/7). We were running early so we waited a bit at the border, but then we had to wait on a coal train, so now we are running late.

After just getting off the VIA Canadian, I would like to make some comments and comparisons:

Food: VIA is far superior, although Amtrak has a more extensive dessert selection. VIA only had 2 choices per meal. The attendants in the dining car knew of my food allergies and i was accomodated with special orders.

Equipment: I loved the Park Car and spent most of my time socializing and/or looking out the window. My bedroom on the Canadian was much cleaner than any bedroom I have had on Amtrak. I like having a shower in my room which VIA's bedroom did not have.

Crew: hard to compare, but in general the 2 crews I had on the Canadian seemed more experienced and efficient than the typical Amtrak crew - but I hate to generalize.

Cost: usually VIA is much more expensive, but with the express deal, I paid $871 for the 4 day trip in a bedroom for two, by myself. The express deals make VIA more economical.

French: all announcements are made in English and French. I love the French language, although I cannot speak it. I did pick up a few words.

Y

Refunds: Amtrak is much better than VIA in general, except that VIA will give you a credit in the amiunt of 50%of your ticket price if your train arrives more than 4 hours late at your destination.

Hopefully, I will enjoy my Amtrak trip home as much as I enjoyed the Canadian.

More later. I have a long hard day of sitting on trains and eating. :lol:
 
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