There was a time, before the plane and the automobile came to dominate travel, that a journey across the North American continent was a leisurely affair – a time when an on-board meal meant more than just half a can of Coke and a tiny bag of salted nuts – a time when you could sit by the window and watch the scenery pass and get a feeling (at least) for the incredible vastness and beauty of this great continent – a time when travel (not just the destination, but the actual travel experience itself) was a pleasure and something to look forward to. Alas, in these days of cattle-car flights, harried overworked flight attendants, and skimpy-to-nonexistent in-flight meals, the journey has become more of an ordeal than a treat.

Yes, travel is not quite the joy it used to be. It has become in fact less of an adventure and more of a chore – something to suffer through so that you might reach your destination. Though I work for Boeing, I have to admit that my company’s chief competitor has it correct in regards to their name: AirBUS is right (and not just THEIR planes). For that is unfortunately what air travel is nowadays – jammed in together like you are all riding a city bus. I’m surprise the airlines have not yet installed straps hanging from the ceiling. Think of all the additional passengers that could cram on a plane if they were all standing up. Heck, if they pack us in tight enough, nobody would have to worry about getting tired standing – We’d all hold each other up and you wouldn’t be able to sit down if you wanted to. Ah yes - crammed seats, lousy meals, mediocre service… and now I hear you can buy a device that prevents the seat in front of you from reclining. Good for you I suppose, if you are the one with the device, but terrible for the poor schmuck in front of you, stuck as he/she is with a seat that doesn’t recline while the persons’ in front does. Being too polite to deprive a fellow traveler in front of me of the ability to squeeze in a few more pathetic inches, I’m likely to have my own freedom to do so taken away by the jerk behind me.

Ah yes, travel can be such a joy.

Actually, it can.

There is an alternative (although admittedly a much more expensive one). You can still travel in the old style, seeing the scenery, enjoying a fine meal and pleasant conversation, and arriving at your destination relaxed, refreshed and with a greater understanding of the journey itself. You can see the land and comprehend it’s vastness, variety, and beauty.

You can take the train… and that is just what we did.

On a recent visit back east (we live in Seattle) to visit family in New England, we decided to fly out as usual, but return on VIA, the Canadian National Railway 2,500 miles across Canada to Vancouver BC, then again by train south to Seattle. Our trip involved a week-long stay with family in Connecticut, followed by a drive up to Quebec City and a train trip up the St. Lawrence to Niagara Falls, Ontario. After a brief two-day stay there, we took the train to Toronto before boarding (the next morning) the transcontinental run of “Train #1” in the Canadian Nation Railway system - a refurbished 1955 era beauty known simply as “the Canadian”. This is travel as it once was – a time when the pace was slower and the service infinitely better, a time when you got to know your fellow travelers, a time when the journey was truly half the fun. Though admittedly rather pricey, it was a wonderful experience, and I don’t regret a minute of it, nor a dollar of the cost.

The journey began with a 9 AM departure from Toronto’s grand and glorious Union Station - a vast and cavernous structure that, when dedicated by the Prince of Wales in the late 1920’s, was likened to a cathedral. Like Grand Central Station in New York City, it’s a place that makes you feel rather small – especially when you look up at the vastness of the chamber above you. Pretty darned cool in my opinion. Anyway, due to somewhat slow service at the hotel restaurant (and allowing insufficient time on our part), we arrived at the station a little late and just missed the baggage pick-up for our luggage. Thus, 8:45 found us pulling our bags hurriedly along as we strode the platform the length of the train to our car near the rear. It was a hazy morning in late June, the sun promising to appear, but not yet doing so. Beside us, the 19 gleaming silver cars and 2 massive 200-ton locomotives waited patiently for the last of the passengers to board.

The Canadian is VIA’s premier train, thus the designation of “Train #1” for the westbound run and “Train #2” for the eastbound run. The crew takes pride in this, and the trains are consequently spotless. Though nearly 50 years old, the cars are well maintained and there is surprisingly little (though admittedly some) signs of wear. Considering that these cars have put on some 5,000 miles a week (a quarter of a million miles a year), nearly every year for close to half a century now, that’s pretty darned good in my book. And, thanks to a major renovation in the early-mid 1990’s the cars retain a semblance of their original glory. Built in the mid-1950’s during the last gasp of the golden age of train travel, these stainless steel beauties harken back to a simpler day and a slower pace of life. Climbing aboard is like stepping into the past. Besides the engines and baggage car, a typical train is made up of several coach cars, a couple of dinette Skyline cars (partially glass-topped), a couple of dining cars, some sleeper cars, and finally, the famous Park Car at the rear of the train (only open to “Silver and Blue” class passengers, and featuring a bar and glass-topped observation area). A typical “high season” train may run 17-20 cars total.

As we approached our designated car, we were greeted by our attendant, who took the bulk of our luggage and placed it aside so that it could be loaded onto the baggage car at the first opportunity. We were also met by David Spring, an E-mail acquaintance (and big-time train enthusiast) who had kindly provided us with all types of helpful hints in regards to traveling on the Canadian rail system. He happened to be taking the train on a nearby platform at the same time as us, and asked to meet us there so that he might give us a gift package. True to his form, he was waiting with a fine bottle of wine and couple of interesting paperback books on train travel. After thanking him for his kindness and generosity, I took a quick photo of the train, then we boarded and were escorted to our compartment.

There are essentially 2 different classes of travel on board “the Canadian” - Economy and “Silver and Blue” class. Economy class is… well… obviously the most economical way to go. This involves seating in a fairly comfortable airline style seat (though much more roomy) in the coach car. The seat reclines and has a built-in footrest. At night, an attendant can offer you a small pillow and a blanket. Considering that if you take the complete trip all the way from Toronto to Vancouver, you will be aboard the train for a full 3 days and nights, I would think this would be a somewhat brutal way to travel. Though if you are young, healthy, and adventurous (as well as broke) this might be the way to go. We however, being really none of the above, decided to splurge at bit. The purpose of returning by train was, after all, to get home refreshed. So, we had chosen to ride in the “Silver and Blue” class. This meant we had a proper place to sleep, 3 pre-paid meals a day, plentiful supplies of free muffins, cookies, fruit, fruit juice, tea and coffee for snacking, and 3 long relaxing days in which to enjoy it all. Oh yeah, and in “Silver and Blue” class you also have access to a shower (couldn’t imagine going 3 days without one of those).

Anyway, within the “Silver and Blue” class, there are 2 distinct types of sleeping arrangements – berth or bedroom (single, double, or triple). If you choose to book a berth, you will be assigned one of a pair of seats that face each other. At night, they fold together to form a lower bunk, while an upper bunk folds down from the ceiling above. Drawn curtains provide a degree of privacy. If you remember the train trip scene in the old classic movie “Some Like It Hot” staring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon, and Marilyn Monroe, that’s the type of accommodations I’m referring to. The nighttime bunks looked comfortable enough, but in truth, the daytime seats didn’t seem comfortable at all – too hard and firm for me.

Fortunately, we had sprung for a room (a double in our case), and were quite pleased with it. While the single rooms were really tiny (the bed came down over the toilet, meaning that the bed had to be folded up to use the john), the double room, while somewhat cramped (what else would you expect on a train), was certainly adequate. It came with it’s own tiny (think airline style) toilet room, a small sink and vanity and two fold-down chairs. At night, the stewards made up the beds (usually while folks are at dinner). In our case this meant a set of surprisingly comfortable bunkbeds – one that folded down from the wall, and one that dropped down from the ceiling. All in all, it was quite ingenious how everything fit into such a compact space. I guess now is as good a time as any to mention this bit of information – At the time of our trip (June 2003), the cars of “the Canadian” were not yet fitted with sewage holding tanks. This meant… well… what do you think it meant? It meant of course that when you flush the toilet the wastewater was … dumped onto the tracks. For that reason, passengers are asked to NOT use the toilet facilities when the train is in the station. It’s my understanding that the trains are scheduled to receive in-car holding tanks “sometime soon” (whatever that means).

In any event, we enjoyed the trip very much, and it’s possible you may too. As I mentioned, it’s a long trip but there was plenty to keep us occupied. The past couple of vacations have been trips to tropical beach locations where we had plenty of time to relax and unwind (my wife’s favorite vacation activities). This time however, we’d been visiting with family and riding around seeing the sights. As a result, we were pretty tired by the time we boarded the train for home and my wife spent a good part of the trip simply sleeping. Can’t say as I blame her. Snoozing on the train was pretty terrific. The gentle rocking motion of the railcar was very soothing and I found I slept like a baby. As is my custom, I did tend to wake up often to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but once I climbed back into the upper bunk I was out again like a light. The general consensus among the other passengers seemed to be same. Almost everyone enjoyed their nighttime hours – even those people who first doubted they would. This may sound a little funny, but going to sleep on the train was one of the more memorable and pleasant aspects of the trip.

But sleeping is not the only thing to do on the train. For one thing, there is food, lots of it, and it’s pretty much all good. Meals are included for those traveling “Silver and Blue” class which makes dining very simple. Other than for soft drinks, liquor, or tips, you really don’t need money on board. I do recommend you carry some of course, for you will spend some cash, for those three things if nothing else. There are of course limited seats in the dining cars (we had 1 dining car for every 3 sleeper cars) so meals are served in 3 distinct sittings. The dining is somewhat leisurely and since the dishes need to be rewashed for each sitting afterwards, it takes about 3 hours for everyone to be fed. Like on a cruise boat, dinner is a time of making acquaintances. We sat with different people at each meal and enjoyed the conversation immensely.

On our particular set of cars, most of the passengers were British visitors on a group tour across Canada before taking an Alaska-bound cruise out of Vancouver. By and large, they were very outgoing and a lot of fun and we enjoyed their company very much. One of the great pleasures of a trip such as this is the fact that you are enclosed in a very small area with a lot of people you don’t know. This forces you to get to know them and interact, and soon a happy “party” type atmosphere develops. There is entertainment on board in the form of simple board games and videos (in the Skyline cars), but most of the entertainment seemed to come about from the passengers themselves. Especially at night, people gathered in the domed Skyline cars scattered throughout the train or at the domed Park car at the rear for an evening of drinking and socializing. Though it’s not normally our thing, we did tend to join in, mainly because the bar areas in these cars are the only areas where you can smoke (though only at non-meal times) and my wife does unfortunately partake of that unpleasant habit. Still, I have to admit that we had a good time and all in all, I have to say that the social aspects were one of the highlights of the trip.

Besides, visiting, dining and playing board games, by daylight there is always the scenery to look at. On this trip there are essentially three types of scenery you encounter, each such encounter taking just about 24 hours.

Day1: The Canadian Shield
Pulling out from Toronto, you pass through quite a number of suburbs (Toronto is a very large city after all), local resort communities, and small towns and villages as you head north towards the shores of Georgian Bay. There you turn northwest and pass north of the Great Lakes across a chaotic jumble of small lakes, bogs, rocky outcroppings and tiny isolated settlements. What begins as a series of small lakeside resorts and little towns, eventually gives way to a true wilderness – a bewildering maze of lakes, bogs, small rivers and creeks intermixed with a chaos of shattered stone outcroppings and endless forest. This is the Canadian Shield – a thousand-mile wide swath of remarkably pretty wilderness. I had not expected much of this area and was surprised at just how beautiful it really was. Hour after hour we passed an endless array of such scenery. I kept thinking back to the early days of Canadian settlement, and wondering how anyone could have found their way through this endless maze of water and rock. Channels flowed off in every direction, only to dead-end against a wall of rock or a reedy bog – and of course everywhere there were pine trees. Not the tall, proud varieties that I’m familiar with back in the Pacific Northwest – but smallish, almost tortured-looking trees whose appearance betrayed the harshness of the cold northern winters. Initially, there were a fair number of (what I think were) white birch trees, but as we moved further and further north, they were slowly replaced by the aforementioned pines. Eventually, the forests were entirely such.

The terrain was essentially level, but not flat, for everywhere poked up huge chunks of shattered stone and the general impression was of an area tormented by some ancient geological disaster. The truth of the matter however is a bit less dramatic, though no less destructive, for geologists tell us that once this area held a substantial mountain range, but that over millions of years, the cold harsh winters (and the repeated freezings and thawings that accompany them) broke the mountains down. Subduction of the tectonic plate then forced the surface rock down into the interior of the earth where the stone melted then rose again to the surface where it solidified into the jumbled, chaotic mass we see today. There is almost no soil, and what there is tends to be of very poor quality and stretched in a very thin layer across the rock. Some people find it boring because it goes on and on in this endless repetition of bog, lake, rock and forest. Personally, I found it fascinating.

As the day progressed we passed settlement after settlement that obviously had no other way in or out except by train (or in cases where a lake was large enough – seaplane). Several times we stopped in the middle of nowhere as a local boarded the flagged-down train or another departed, his supplies loaded onto a small cart that he’d placed by the tracks when he boarded another train a day or two ago. As we pulled out, we would see him, pulling the cart down a worn dirt path to his log cabin beside a picturesque pond. This was true wilderness, much of it completely roadless, and it was very beautiful indeed. Except for a brief stop to refuel the thirsty engines, we remained on the train the entire day. Towards evening we slowly crept past the tangled remains of a derailed freight train. It was sobering to see the jumbled cars laying scattered about every which-way and half-buried in the bog. Apparently the soft mushy soil beneath this particular section of track had given way a few days back. The track was now repaired and the footings firmed up, but the derailed cars remained. No one on the crew seemed to know when they would be removed.

Day 2: The Plains
After a wonderfully refreshing sleep, we arose to find… that we were still crossing the Canadian Shield. The big rock outcroppings were mostly gone however, and the trees appeared to be perhaps a bit taller and fuller. The land was flatter and the soil layer seemed to be deeper and of higher quality. It was late June (a day short of the first day of summer), and everywhere the trees and bushes were steaming “full speed ahead” in their summer growth mode so everything was lush and green. The growing season is short this far north and once the weather warms there is not a moment to lose. Surprisingly we saw little wildlife however. Perhaps the rumbling of the train frightened everything away, or perhaps we were just unlucky. Certainly in this vast wild land there must be animals aplenty. Except for a few startled beaver however, we saw nothing - no deer, no bear, not even distant hawks or eagles. Very strange indeed.

Toward mid-morning, the trees began to thin out and more and more open spaces appeared. We were approaching the Plains and soon we left the trees behind. The Midwest prairie is flat, flat and… flat. In days past it was a land of vast buffalo herds and the wolves that hunted them – a sort of temperate equivalent of the African savanna. Nowadays, much of it is rich, fertile farmland (in the east) or fenced cattle ranches (in the west). All of it is vast and open, and the sky seems very, very large. I’m pretty familiar with this part of the continent as I once lived a few hundred miles south of here in eastern North Dakota. I have to say that the Canadian prairie looks much the same as the American prairie.

We stopped briefly late in the morning at Sioux Lookout to refuel the engines, then again (for a longer time) in late afternoon at Winnipeg where (as is often the case during the Midwest summer) it was breezy and very, very hot – but that was about to change. As nightfall approached and we raced towards the setting sun clouds could be seen in the distance. After dark, most of the passengers of the cars in this (the last section of the train) gathered in the bar section of the Park Car at the rear of the train. Here we chatted and joked, and told stories about our lives at home or our adventures elsewhere. Soon someone entered and announced that they thought they could see the northern lights. Of course everyone rushed up to the dome to take a look. It was not the northern lights however, but rather the flashes and arcs of a distance series of thunderstorms. We were approaching a squall line – a wall of massive thunderheads that mark the boundary of two conflicting weather systems. Barreling through the darkness at 70 miles an hour, the distance between it and us closed rapidly and soon we were surrounded by a dazzling display of lightning. High in the dome at the rear of the train, surrounded by flashes on all sides, we had an excellent seat while Mother Nature put on a show. For nearly an hour, the lightning continued, sometimes intermittently, sometimes nearly continuously, all of it eerily silent because of the muffled roar of the train. Much as I enjoyed the thought of being rocked to sleep again, I have to admit I really would rather have stayed up and watched the show. Eventually however, I grew too tired and went to bed.

Day 3: The Rockies
The last full day of the trip began with us still on the prairie. It was overcast and rainy and we knew we were probably not going to see much of the Rockies. By mid-morning we’d stopped in Edmonton to find it was cold enough to see your breath (quite a change from the day previously). We stayed just long enough to stretch our legs as the engines were refueled, then continued on our way. Normally this would have been the most scenic part of the trip, passing as it does through the beautiful Canadian Rockies. As it was, it was pretty, but the more rugged, higher peaks were lost in the clouds. Some of the folks on board did manage to spot our first moose however, and others of us got a good look at an enormous elk grazing contentedly a mere 30 feet or so from the roar of the passing train. So much for the theory that the sound had been chasing away the wildlife.

Before long we were in Jasper (in the middle of the Canadian Rockies) and it was time to get off for a bit. It looked to be a small but pretty town and I’m sure the surrounding scenery was gorgeous. Unfortunately we could see very little of it due to the drizzling skies. Still, it was nice to get off and walk around a bit. Here the British tour group left us, and I have to admit the train was not nearly as much fun without them. For the remainder of the last day and night the train was remarkable empty and just a bit too quiet. On the plus side, there were no problems getting seats in the dome cars, in fact, they were never more than half full. The afternoon passed uneventfully and towards evening the sun even came out. We were however at that point past the most scenic sections. Still, those of us remaining on board spent most of our time in the dome cars taking in the view. As the sun set, we knew there were more mountains to see – though we would be passing through the area in darkness. Come morning we would be entering Vancouver, a mere leap from Seattle and home.

Final Thoughts and Observations:
Though we enjoyed the trip a great deal and were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the Canadian Shield, the trip would have undoubtedly been better had we gotten a clearer look at the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about the fickleness of the weather. If you are planning your trip however, there are a few things that you may want to consider.

1) Unfortunately, the schedule of “the Canadian” is not very good in regards to viewing the beautiful scenery of western Canada. Much of the most spectacular scenery is passed through in darkness. If the weather cooperates (which it didn’t for us) you should get a good view of the Canadian Rockies, but most of the beautiful Northwest Cascades will be clothed in darkness whatever the weather. I have a suggestion for you then: Get off the train in Jasper, arrange transportation to Banff (rent a car etc), perhaps stay a few days touring this beautiful area, then catch the Rocky Mountaineer excursion train the rest of the way to Vancouver (this is what the British group was doing). The Rocky Mountaineer is pretty expensive, but it being an excursion train, it only runs during the daylight hours. That’s an important fact, as the scenery in that part of British Columbia is just gorgeous. We briefly considered including the Rocky Mountaineer in our itinerary, but unfortunately, we just couldn’t get any more time off. In hindsight however, that would have been a far better option.

2) Contrary to expectations, we found we really didn’t have much trouble getting a view in the dome seats. People tended to move in and out of the seats so usually a short wait was all that was required in order for a seat to open up. However, that might not always be the case, especially for the most scenic (Rocky Mountain) part of the trip, so you might want to claim a seat early on the afternoon of the 3rd day (heading east to west). We didn’t have a problem because so many people had gotten off the train in Jasper, but you may well have.

3) You may want to consider tipping the attendants. Each section of cars will have it’s own attendant, and (like the rest of the crew) the attendents are changed in Winnipeg. If you do choose to tip (we give him $15 Canadian), do so at the beginning of the attendants’ 1 ½ day shift. You might also consider tipping the dining crew.

4) Liqueur brought on board (like our gift bottle of wine) is supposed to be drunk only in your room (not in the bars or other areas of the train). The crewmembers are known to occasionally look the other way if such is brought out after the bar closes, but you can’t count on it.

5) Dress is casual though you might consider slacks (not shorts or sweats) at dinner. Bring comfy slippers for walking the train in the evenings.

6) Silver and Blue class passengers can go to any of the passenger cars (even the economy sections – though the opposite is not true), so feel free to walk the train once or twice a day for some exercise.

7) The forward section of the Park car has a couple of sleeping compartments. If you are a non-smoker you should avoid these as odor from the bar further back tends to permeate the entire car to a certain degree.

8) Cost of this trip (especially in “Silver and Blue” class) is not insignificant so you have to view the train ride as more than just a way to get from point A to point B. Our 2-person bedroom cost us $3500 Canadian. This did include all meals, but was still not cheap. Travel during the “off season” (spring/fall/winter) is a bit less but still pricey. You can of course choose to travel Economy or Berth, both of which would cost a lot less.

9) Smoking is only permitted in the Skyline and Park cars (essentially the bar areas) during non-meal hours. Pipes and cigars are not permitted.

10) If you want a bedroom, book early (especially during the summer months). The Canadian is considered the premier non-excursion train run in North America, and one of the last great train rides in the world. It’s generally pretty popular.

11) The meal menu in “Silver and Blue” glass is pretty decent and the food, very, very good. You can see a sample menu on the VIA web site (see link below).

Useful links:

VIA web site (page for "The Canadian") -
http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_toja.html

Rocky Mountaineer excursion train web site -
http://www.rockymountaineer.com/

Very useful rail travel message board with lots of knowledgeable posters so it’s a great info source -
http://www.railforum.com/

My photos of the trip (not as spectacular as my tropical island collections, but still interesting) –
http://community.webshots.com/album/79242289QhYBGx

So, until next time, may your travels be happy and (as always) safe.

Ken


Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug