# Canada's Via Rail



## JoanieBlon

I have a question for anyone who has had bedroom accomodations on Via Rail from Toronto to Vancouver. Is the storage space for your carry-on located above the toilet door/sink area? I've been looking at the 360 degree photos on the Via website, and there appears to be a space up there ~ different from the shelf that's in Amtrak bedooms. Also, is there any sort of small closet like in the Amtrak bedrooms?

Is there any storage space in the individual cars for luggage like there is "downstairs" on Amtrak train bedroom cars?

I can hardly wait until our trip! :wub:


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## pennyk

I do not have an answer to your question, but I have a question for you. I notice that you are traveling westbound from Toronto to Vancouver. Was that decision based on convenience or for the scenery? Do you know if the westbound Canadian is a better trip than the eastbound Canadian - or is the pretty much the same?


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## caravanman

Hi Joanie,

Likewise I can't answer your question, but MrFss has taken that train in sleeper, so it might be worth giving him a PM. He also has excellent pics on his photo pages.

I see that you are a fan of Cajun music, that is one of my favourite styles. I enjoyed a caravan trip to France last year to a Cajun festival, and had a great time. There were several acts from the states there too.

I will try to post a link, there are several "Salieu Festival" short videos too.



You have stolen my motto, but I say "you can't have too many train holidays"!

Bon Voyage,

Ed


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## Guest

Yes there is a closet in the bedrooms on the Canadian, and yes there is a luggage storage space located above the tiolet annex. It will hold two small suitcases.


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## JoanieBlon

pennyk said:


> I do not have an answer to your question, but I have a question for you. I notice that you are traveling westbound from Toronto to Vancouver. Was that decision based on convenience or for the scenery? Do you know if the westbound Canadian is a better trip than the eastbound Canadian - or is the pretty much the same?


I basically selected the East to West route because it was convenient for us. We will fly up to Montreal from Tampa on Sunday May 29th. Our connections get us into Montreal before noon, so we'll have almost all day Sunday, all day Monday, and most of Tuesday to explore the city. Our train departs Montreal for Toronto at 3:30pm on Tuesday, May 31st. We have booked Business Class for that segment, so our dinner is included.

Our train for Vancouver departs from Toronto at 10:00pm Beginning our travel on May 31st allowed us to take advantage of the "off-season" fares which end that day. High season fares go into effect on June 1st. I booked our bedroom accomodations as early as is allowed by the system. That way I was able to get the lowest fares and I also had my choice of bedrooms. I initially was inclined to select a bedroom in the Park Car ~ the last car on the train ~







but ultimately decided on Bedroom D in the car immediately before that one, as this room is slightly larger than other 2 person bedrooms, and it's right next to the shower. Passengers in the Park Car have to go back one car for the shower.






We'll be able to see quite a bit in route, I believe, as daylight hours this time of year are long. For instance, on June 2nd in Winnepeg, the sun rises at 5:25am and sets at 9:29pm. We will have 4 free hours for sightseeing in Winnepeg ~ 8am to 12 noon. Also, our train arrives in Jasper at about 1pm on Friday afternoon. We were allowed a "free" stopover there, so we are staying from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon (the train leaves at 2:30pm) so we can explore the area and visit the glacier before heading on to our final destination of Vancouver. The train arrives in Vancouver at 9:42am on Monday. We plan on spending 2 days in Vancouver before flying home to Tampa.

I'm hoping that the majority of the scenic areas will be traveled during daylight hours.


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## JoanieBlon

Guest said:


> Yes there is a closet in the bedrooms on the Canadian, and yes there is a luggage storage space located above the tiolet annex. It will hold two small suitcases.


Thanks so much for the information! :hi: Do you also happen to know if there is accessible luggage storage on the train ~ similar to the "downstairs" luggage rack areas on the Amtrak Superliners?


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## AlanB

Joanie,

No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.

When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!


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## Rail Freak

Is VIA (TOR-VAN) comparable to Amtrak(SEA-WAS) overall or is one that much better than the other????

THANX


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## MrFSS

AlanB said:


> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typically matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!


I second Alan's thoughts here. The last time I rode my wife and I were with a tour group and we were specifically instructed to only take one small carry on for the two of us - everything else had to be checked. Also, the bedroom we had contained two folding chairs - no couch as Superliner bedrooms have. Other than sleep in the room, we were always in the lounge, the dome, the Park Car, or the dining car. You have no reason and don't want to stay in the bedrooms except to sleep.


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## JoanieBlon

AlanB said:


> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!


Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck our carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!






My husband wants a totally fresh change of clothes every day, so I need to pack enough in our carry-ons for that. One thing that will also help us out is that we're getting off in Jasper for a couple of days, so I'll be able to access our larger suitcases at that time. We typically bring just one carry-on, plus a couple of bottles of wine, and our laptop computer. I think we'll be fine.

Thanks again for the information! I always feel much better when I know what we'll encounter ~ instead of having surprises.


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## AlanB

Rail Freak said:


> Is VIA (TOR-VAN) comparable to Amtrak(SEA-WAS) overall or is one that much better than the other????
> 
> THANX


Comparable in what sense? Service? No! Scenery? Probably slightly better, IMHO. Or something else?


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## AlanB

JoanieBlon said:


> Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck out carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!


I won't swear to it, but I don't think that the D room is any larger than the other rooms. I'm pretty sure that it's just the way that diagram is drawn that makes it look larger. You don't have the bathroom from the opposing room in the picture, instead the hall curves back to the center of the car there. But again, from what I recall when I walked by, it's no larger than any other double bedroom.


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## JoanieBlon

AlanB said:


> JoanieBlon said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck out carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I won't swear to it, but I don't think that the D room is any larger than the other rooms. I'm pretty sure that it's just the way that diagram is drawn that makes it look larger. You don't have the bathroom from the opposing room in the picture, instead the hall curves back to the center of the car there. But again, from what I recall when I walked by, it's no larger than any other double bedroom.
Click to expand...

I was told by the Via Rail agent I spoke with that the D Bedrooms are several feet larger than the other double bedrooms, due to how the original trains were refitted when they were remodeled.
BTW ~ Thanx for your input!! ^_^


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## JoanieBlon

MrFSS said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typically matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!
> 
> 
> 
> I second Alan's thoughts here. The last time I rode my wife and I were with a tour group and we were specifically instructed to only take one small carry on for the two of us - everything else had to be checked. Also, the bedroom we had contained two folding chairs - no couch as Superliner bedrooms have. Other than sleep in the room, we were always in the lounge, the dome, the Park Car, or the dining car. You have no reason and don't want to stay in the bedrooms except to sleep.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice on this. I'm certain that we'll spend most of our time in the Park Car. I REALLY enjoyed looking at the photos you took during your 2005 Via Rail trip. The dining room is beautiful. It's interesting that the food appears to be prepared from scratch in the kitchens.


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## JoanieBlon

caravanman said:


> Hi Joanie,
> 
> Likewise I can't answer your question, but MrFss has taken that train in sleeper, so it might be worth giving him a PM. He also has excellent pics on his photo pages.
> 
> I see that you are a fan of Cajun music, that is one of my favourite styles. I enjoyed a caravan trip to France last year to a Cajun festival, and had a great time. There were several acts from the states there too.
> 
> I will try to post a link, there are several "Salieu Festival" short videos too.


I used to host a Cajun accordion website, but finally gave it to somebody else to manage. I couldn't deal with all the male egos! hboy:

I undoubtedly know some of the folks from the states who were at the Salieu Festival!


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## guest

Joanie:

I do not think that Bedroom D in the Chateau cars (which is the diagram you posted) is any larger than the other rooms. However, Bedroom F in the Manor cars is a full 18" wider. It was designated as a compartment (a premium space) when the cars were built, but has been sold as a bedroom since VIA began running the trains.

PS I have ridden the Canadian 14 times since 1960, in both its CPR and VIA versions.


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## JoanieBlon

guest said:


> Joanie:
> 
> I do not think that Bedroom D in the Chateau cars (which is the diagram you posted) is any larger than the other rooms. However, *Bedroom F in the Manor cars is a full 18" wider*. It was designated as a compartment (a premium space) when the cars were built, but has been sold as a bedroom since VIA began running the trains.
> 
> PS I have ridden the Canadian 14 times since 1960, in both its CPR and VIA versions.


I stand corrected! :blush: Our reservations ARE for *Bedroom F* in Car 122, NOT Bedroom D. Had to go pull out our information to check! Manor Car diagram below....


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## Guest

JoanieBlon said:


> Thanks for your advice on this. I'm certain that we'll spend most of our time in the Park Car. I REALLY enjoyed looking at the photos you took during your 2005 Via Rail trip. The dining room is beautiful. It's interesting that the food appears to be prepared from scratch in the kitchens.


I don't know about "from scratch" - I assume the prime rib (best I've ever tasted, btw) is roasted elsewhere and loaded aboard at a stop, for example, but the Salmon en Croûte must surely have been baked on board. And breakfast is cooked completely 'to order'.

The Park Car is the quietest place on the train, and the best place for conversation.

Here are some Photos from last July.


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## rrdude

Guest said:


> JoanieBlon said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for your advice on this. I'm certain that we'll spend most of our time in the Park Car. I REALLY enjoyed looking at the photos you took during your 2005 Via Rail trip. The dining room is beautiful. It's interesting that the food appears to be prepared from scratch in the kitchens.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know about "from scratch" - I assume the prime rib (best I've ever tasted, btw) is roasted elsewhere and loaded aboard at a stop, for example, but the Salmon en Croûte must surely have been baked on board. And breakfast is cooked completely 'to order'.
> 
> The Park Car is the quietest place on the train, and the best place for conversation.
> 
> Here are some Photos from last July.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but on the dinner trains we used to operate in Maryland, we did three or four prime ribs each trip. No biggie at all to do on the train, just have to start them early enuff.


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## guest

JoanieBlon said:


> guest said:
> 
> 
> 
> Joanie:
> 
> I do not think that Bedroom D in the Chateau cars (which is the diagram you posted) is any larger than the other rooms. However, *Bedroom F in the Manor cars is a full 18" wider*. It was designated as a compartment (a premium space) when the cars were built, but has been sold as a bedroom since VIA began running the trains.
> 
> PS I have ridden the Canadian 14 times since 1960, in both its CPR and VIA versions.
> 
> 
> 
> I stand corrected! :blush: Our reservations ARE for *Bedroom F* in Car 122, NOT Bedroom D. Had to go pull out our information to check! Manor Car diagram below....
Click to expand...

Yes, the sleeping car setups on the Canadien can be a bit confusing because you have the Chateau, the Manor and Park setups all slightly different.

The F room in the Manor car is slightly bigger than A-E, though it will still be tight with a lot of bags.

The D room in the Park Car is a bit larger than the others two doubles in Park, B and C (A is a triple bedroom). That may be where your confusion came from because the agent was talking about putting you in the Park Car (which would have been great because even if you would have had a short walk to the next car for the shower once a day, you would have been already in the dome and lounge area and could go right up to the top anytime with just a few steps, plus be right near the coffee, tea, fruits and other goodies for the sleeper passengers in the 2 lounges).

But every room is very nice on the Canadien, believe me, having ridden it about 5 times, over a 20-year period.

The only thing you need to be aware of for room F in the Manor is that while you are right next to the shower, you also will get people at times congregating outside your door because it is right next to the shower area. You will want to keep your door closed always whether you are in the room or not.

Have a great trip!


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## amtraknovi

AlanB said:


> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!


Taking this trip in April, my GF and I are planning on two very small roller carry on size bags, the smallest roller around (18 in. H x 13 in. W x 8 in. D) Will those two bags fit above the toilet area? I have tried to find a diagram of the room I will be in (Park Car, Room B) that would include measurements of that area but have found nothing.


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## manderson

amtraknovi said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!
> 
> 
> 
> Taking this trip in April, my GF and I are planning on two very small roller carry on size bags, the smallest roller around (18 in. H x 13 in. W x 8 in. D) Will those two bags fit above the toilet area? I have tried to find a diagram of the room I will be in (Park Car, Room B) that would include measurements of that area but have found nothing.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about the area above the toilet. I'm a shortie and it's too high up for me to be hauling a case up and down. However, my roller bag of about the size you describe fit quite nicely under the bed in a double bedroom.


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## AlanB

amtraknovi said:


> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!
> 
> 
> 
> Taking this trip in April, my GF and I are planning on two very small roller carry on size bags, the smallest roller around (18 in. H x 13 in. W x 8 in. D) Will those two bags fit above the toilet area? I have tried to find a diagram of the room I will be in (Park Car, Room B) that would include measurements of that area but have found nothing.
Click to expand...

Not a chance! 

While I admit that it's now 2 years since I did that run, IIRC my mom's shoulder bag 9" H x 15" W x 7.5" D barely fit up in the area above the sink. I know that my bag, 12" H x 21" W x 7.5" D did not fit up top.


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## amtraknovi

AlanB said:


> amtraknovi said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> AlanB said:
> 
> 
> 
> Joanie,
> 
> No, there is no accessible luggage area. What you can't fit into your room, needs to be checked. During the day, you can get quite a bit into the room, but at night it gets real snug. And I wouldn't count on that area above the sink for too much storage. First, it's not all that big. Certainly not the size of the cubby on a Viewliner for example. Second, VIA puts stuff up there for you, like a basket of soaps and such.
> 
> When I rode last summer, my mom and I had two small overnight bags (one each) and my backpack for my laptop in our room. Again, during the day we had plenty of room. At night, things got snug with that minimal amount of stuff. And when I say "overnight" bag, I'm talking about the type of bag that typicaly matches your big suitcase and sits on top of it. You do not want a suitcase in your room with you!
> 
> 
> 
> Taking this trip in April, my GF and I are planning on two very small roller carry on size bags, the smallest roller around (18 in. H x 13 in. W x 8 in. D) Will those two bags fit above the toilet area? I have tried to find a diagram of the room I will be in (Park Car, Room B) that would include measurements of that area but have found nothing.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Not a chance!
> 
> While I admit that it's now 2 years since I did that run, IIRC my mom's shoulder bag 9" H x 15" W x 7.5" D barely fit up in the area above the sink. I know that my bag, 12" H x 21" W x 7.5" D did not fit up top.
Click to expand...


wow. these bags fit easily under the seat in the Super Liner bedrooms and the view liner upper storage areas. With no on board luggage, where do they expect people to put their clothes etc for a 4 night trip? :angry2: Looks like you just have to shuffle your bags around the room it seems.


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## AlanB

amtraknovi said:


> wow. these bags fit easily under the seat in the Super Liner bedrooms and the view liner upper storage areas. With no on board luggage, where do they expect people to put their clothes etc for a 4 night trip? :angry2: Looks like you just have to shuffle your bags around the room it seems.


That's why VIA highly recommends checking everything but the shoulder bag.

Part of the problem here too is that the seats in this car are fold-up seats. At night they are folded down and go under the lower bunk. That doesn't leave too much room for you to put a suitcase under the bed, which tends to leave one shoved in the corner and the other one in front of the door to the hall.

You're probably ok with what you're planning, but still if there were any way to further condense things into shoulder bags and check the larger bags, I would highly recommend it!


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## jhjr

I just rode the Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto last week. Yes, the prime rib is cooked on board - I was talking to one of the cooks and she mentioned that they slow roasted the prime rib on board beginning in the morning. I agree - it was terrific and the portion was big. Also, VIA was checking the luggage you proposed to take on board and if it was too large (and mine was), they informed you that the big bag would have to be checked. However, they also provided a free fold-up shoulder bag (about the size of one of those LL Bean totes when folded out) to take things out of my big bag so I could carry them on board. The fold-up bag was surprisingly roomy, so I was actually able to move just about everything from the big bag into it. The fold up bag also fit perfectly into the area directly above the sink in the cabin for two and still left enough room for 2 other small carryon rollers to the left. The fact is that when those beds are down in the cabin for 2, space is very tight - tighter than any Amtrak train. There were no storage areas outside the cabins. There was a small amount of space under the bed between the folded chairs that you could squeeze a briefcase and a medium to large purse when the beds were down. We absolutely loved the train, the food and the interesting folks on board. You're in for a real treat.


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## zephyr17

AlanB said:


> JoanieBlon said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the detailed information. One thing that should help us out in the "storing carry-ons department" is that our Bedroom D has extra space in it, so we may be able to tuck out carry-ons there. You can see the extra "return space" to the left of the door in the diagram below. Bedroom D is substantially larger than Bedroom C next door. Look at the space in front of the seats!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I won't swear to it, but I don't think that the D room is any larger than the other rooms. I'm pretty sure that it's just the way that diagram is drawn that makes it look larger. You don't have the bathroom from the opposing room in the picture, instead the hall curves back to the center of the car there. But again, from what I recall when I walked by, it's no larger than any other double bedroom.
Click to expand...

They are larger, at least in the Manors. In original, RR, accomodation terms, they were "compartments" the other bedrooms were "double bedrooms". Compartments were larger and cost more. Via simplified booking at some point and they all became bedrooms or "Cabins for 2" as Via puts it now. So "D" is a better accomodation for the same price.


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