Cross Canada by Rail Adventure

[rtabern]

Here is our most ambitious rail adventure to date...

Rob (rtabern) and my traveling companion Mike (J-1 3235)... we actually met and became friends at the first AUF gathering in Chicago in October 2007... he's about my only friend who'd think sitting on a train for 12 days would be a good use of vacation time!!

September 15, 2011: Fly MKE-BOS, BOS-YHZ (Halifax); overnight Halifax

September 16, 2011: Tour Halifax, VIA "The Ocean" (Triple Bedroom in Park Car)

September 17, 2011: VIA "The Ocean", VIA Montrael-Tornonto, VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 18, 2011: VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 19, 2011: VIA "Canadian" (Double Bedroom)

September 20, 2011: VIA "Canadian" to Jasper, rent car and head down to Columbia Glacier

September 21, 2011: Driver back to Jasper, VIA "Skeena" (Totem Class), overnight Prince George

September 22, 2011: VIA "Skeena" (Totem Class), overnight Prince Rupert

September 23, 2011: Tour Prince Rupert

September 24, 2011: Ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, Alaska

September 25, 2011: Ketchikan, AK

September 26, 2011: Fly KET-SEA, SEA-DET, DET-MKE

Phew!! Check back for updates along the way whenever I get WiFi!!! And a lot more pics, etc. when I get home!!

I wanted to do this trip since I was like 10 years old...

 

[rtabern]

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22020

Day 1 mini-trip report & photos

Thursday, September 15, 2011 marked the first day of a 12 day vacation crossing Canada by rail... from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Prince Rupert, British Columbia... and then up into Alaska. On September 15, I took an AirTran flight from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Boston. That's where I met my friend and traveling co-hort Mike. We had a kick-off lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston. We also walked around the Charlestown Navy Yard. From there it was back to the airport for a flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia where we spent the night.

Tomorrow (9-16-11) it will be walking around Halifax in the morning -- and heading over to catch "The Ocean" by 12:15pm.

G'night all!

 

[rtabern]

Well, an early rise for Day #2 (Friday 9-16-2011)... Got up at 6:30am (Atlantic Time) and am writing this while Mike gets ready. We were chatting and realized a couple of things about our trip. First, we will be going across SIX of the 24 time zones of the world... from Atlantic Time here in Halifax to Alaska Time in Ketchikan, Alaska 11 days from now!! Pretty cool! Looking at my GPS, we also realized that we are actually closer to SPAIN... than we are to ALASKA right now here in Halifax. Pretty sweet!!

Anyway, Mike has been here before and has our interary mapped out for this morning. We're going to get a quick breakfast at the hotel, head down to the Boardwalk (hopefully not a Bored-walk... Hahahauhuh) along the Atlantic Ocean... (I want to dip a toe in the Atlantic and then dip a toe in the Pacific when we get there)... then we are going to head up to the Citadel here in Halifax (Mike said it was pretty cool) before heading down to the station to catch "The Ocean" at 12:15PM.

Well, this will probably be the last post for awhile until we can pick up some WiFi along the way. I am slowly talking Mike into doing a trip report too I think!! Hahaha.

Oh, yeah, it's 18 degrees Celcius outside... I think I am going to have to Google the conversion on what to wear this morning. Oh, and its been pretty rainy here... they say it's from the Outer Bands of Hurrican Maria. Guess we got lucky, its just missing Nova Scotia... areas just to the east of here are under Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings.

 

[rrdude]

Really looking forward to this trip report "Mike" and Robert.

I am so envious, it's not even funny. Did the Ocean two years ago, like a trip back in time. Imagine the Tran-Con will be even more so.......

I hope you enjoy the Ocean as much as I did, and the domes, and the food, and the service, the service, the service,.........

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Some people get to have all the fun! We'll be looking forward to ya'lls trip reports, and once you return home, the pics! Truely a trip of a lifetime, I'm envious too! :wub:

 

[Rail Freak]

You guys HAVE FUN. I'm really envious!!!!

RF

 

[J-1 3235]

Good Morning! I have an update to our trip.

After our boardwalk,we walked up to the Citadel. The Citadel was the site of a fort in the 1700's, and was in use until the end of WWII. It's a very interesting historic site. The two hours we spent looking around did not do it justice. You could easily spend the better part of a day here.

From the Citadel, we made a brief stop at the local hobby shop, then walked to the Inn we stayed at. After checking out, we made the very brief walk to the VIA Rail Station. Picked up our tickets, and then looked around the station until the agent called for the touring class passengers to board. We had a short walk to our car, as we reserved the triple bedroom in the Park Car. Our attendant, J.F. met us at the door.

Room A is the last room before the Mural Lounge, which is underneath the Dome. After we dropped our bags, we returned to the platform to take a few pictures. We reboarded, and departed on time. We promptly headed to the dome to watch our journey out of the city. Soon after, the first (12:45) call for lunch was made. We made our way through seven (one deadhead) sleepers, and the kitchen/lounge car, to the diner.

We were seated with a couple from Saskatoon, and enjoyed conversing with them. They are headed to VAC, with a flight back to their home. Rob selected the duck and pasta dish (less the duck) and I opted for the lobster roll. We also enjoyed a bowl of Italian Wedding soup before the main course. Both meals were quite good, and as expected the service was excellent.

After lunch, we returned to the dome, and learned all about lobsters In touring class, the attenant is also the learning coordinator. Over the course of our trip, he was always cordial and ready to help with whatever we asked. We spent most of the afternoon up in the dome, except when the onboard musical entertainment was performing in the rear lounge. A young woman, with an acoustic guitar, sang some blues-y songs for the group of passengers.

We had dinner reservations for 6:30; the second seating. Rob selected the vegetarian meal, which was eggplant parmesan. I chose the seafood chowder and the salmon entree. Once again the meals were good, and the waitstaff was top notch. We retired to the dome to watch the night sky and later enjoyed some ice wine, which is made from grapes that have frozen while on the vine.

Late in the evening, after crossing into Quebec Province, we stopped at Matapedia. This is the stop where the Gaspe train is coupled up to the Ocean. Tonight though, there was no train from Gaspe; it runs only three days a week. As we had about a half hour, Rob and I ventured into the station. We said hello to the agent, but got no reply. We're hoping he didn't speak English Our train waited the scheduled half hour until departure.

Our attendant had lowered the beds earlier in the evening, so we turned in after departure.

Morning arrived early; we had a 5:15 wake up call. Rob wanted to get a few photos at Charny, which actually requires a back-up move into the station. While he took pictures, I was able to grab a shower in the deadhead sleeper, courtesy of our attendant. The Park Car does not have it's own shower. When part of the Canadian, PC passengers may use the shower in the adjacient sleeper, but not on the Ocean as the sleepers are Renaissance cars, and they have no public shower. After Rob finished up, and we departed, he was able to clean up, too.

We then proceeded to the diner for a Continental breakfast. It had the usual items, and also toast! Rob had two orders, as it is a special treat to have toast on the train (except in Canada!). We arrived in Montreal a short while later. We dropped our large bags in our VIA 1 car, and headed upstairs and outside for a short walk to the Starbucks on Rue St. Catherine. Rob aquired a Montreal coffe mug for his collection, along with some hot chocolate for us both. We hustled back to Central Station and boarded train 57 to Toronto.

Once onboard, the two attendants got to work, pouring juice and snacks. Then after 11:00, the wine and beer cart made it's way through the car. Shorly after, our lunch orders were taken. I chose the tilapia, and Rob, the bowtie pasta with mushroom sauce. Both meals were good; comparable to the Acela FC offerings. Chocolates were passed out after lunch.

I'll wrap up my long winded update while we're stopped here in Kingston (ON, not RI).

Thanks for reading!

Mike

 

[pennyk]

Great trip report - I am looking forward to reading more. I am very jealous.

 

[Rail Freak]

I, too, enjoyed the report & am being strongly convinced to do the same trip!!!! I didnt exactly understand the shower situation in your sleeper???? Keep the report coming!

RF

 

[rtabern]

On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!

Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat. Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.

 

[rtabern]

DAY 2 PHOTOS!!!! THE OCEAN IN NOVA SCOTIA, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND QUEBEC

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22068

We will probably be in-communicado for a couple of days due to remoteness of "The Canadian". Leaving Toronto tonight at 10PM and arriving in Jasper, Alberta on Tuesday afternoon...

 

[Rail Freak]

On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!

Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat. Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.

So, if you're in a Park Car Sleeper, you will always have access to a shower??? ( I believe my planning just started!)

Thanx

RF

 

[J-1 3235]

On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!

Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat. Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.

So, if you're in a Park Car Sleeper, you will always have access to a shower??? ( I believe my planning just started!)

Thanx

RF

If you are travelling on the Canadian, yes. You will use the public shower in the adjacient sleeper. If you are on the Ocean, not usually. The next sleeper is a Renaissance car, and each room has it's own shower, or no shower at all. So, unless you are lucky enough to have a helpful attendant, and a deadhead sleeper next in line, you're probably not having a shower that morning.

Hope this helps

Mike

 

[Rail Freak]

On Train #57 (VIA) about an hour east of Toronto now!

Oh, the shower situation... there seemed to be several different type of sleepers on "The Ocean". In the Park Car, you have 3 double bedrooms and 1 triple bedroom. Mike & I got the triple bedroom, the attendant gets one of the double bedrooms, and other people had the 2 other double bedrooms. The Park Car is where you want your room to be if you can afford it, because you are steps away from the Dome and lounges in the car. I mean you can get from your room up to the Dome in 30 seconds flat. Because the car is so old, it doesnt have showers. There are also new sleepers (Renissance) some with showers and some without. So the attendant let us use a shower in the Renissance Sleeper with a shower since there were none in the Park Car.

So, if you're in a Park Car Sleeper, you will always have access to a shower??? ( I believe my planning just started!)

Thanx

RF

If you are travelling on the Canadian, yes. You will use the public shower in the adjacient sleeper. If you are on the Ocean, not usually. The next sleeper is a Renaissance car, and each room has it's own shower, or no shower at all. So, unless you are lucky enough to have a helpful attendant, and a deadhead sleeper next in line, you're probably not having a shower that morning.

Hope this helps

Mike

 

[Rail Freak]

I'm sorry but I'm still confused! To make sure I have a shower, how do I book Halifax- Vancouver?

Thanx

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I'm sorry but I'm still confused! To make sure I have a shower, how do I book Halifax- Vancouver?

Thanx

On the Ocean between Halifax and Montreal, you would have to book a cabin for 2 with shower. These are bedrooms, with private showers and are in the newer Renaissance Sleepers.

The bedrooms in the Park Dome Car do not have showers but as noted in the post above, the attendant did allow use of a private shower in an adjacent deadheading Renaissance Sleeper......but I wouldnt count on this always being the case. Also, the Oceans Park Dome Car only runs until Thanksgiving Weekend (October 10)

On the Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver the older Budd equipment is used and each sleeper has one public shower available to all in that car to use. If your room is in the Park Dome Car, there is no shower but unlike the Ocean, you can use the public shower in the adjacent sleeper.

 

[rtabern]

We had a serious lack of WiFi between Toronto and Prince Rupert, BC... which we are now in at the end of Day #7. So, we are playing "catch up" with the trip reports as best we can here... Let's go back to Day #3 and get the update from Mike.

We’re picking up at the midpoint of Day 3, where we left you off on the commuter train between Montreal and Toronto. We had an ontime arrival into Toronto on Train #57. We headed over towards the CN Tower... I noticed that the Sky Walk I took a couple of years ago was closed due to construction near the CN Tower (for some aquarium that is slated to open in 2013). After a lengthy wait in line, we made it to the top. The view was spectacular... even though we couldnt quite see Niagara Falls. From there, Rob and I went on a quest to find the Toronto Starbucks mug that he was looking to add to his collection of 21 other mugs.

Rob made a quick phone call, and he found that the Starbucks at Children’s Hospital was open 24 hours, and had 1 mug left. A short cab ride and some wandering around to find the correct entrance, Rob had his mug.

After our success, we walked back towards Union Station. At about the ehalfway point, we stepped into Earl’s Restaurant for supper. We both selected the burger. We enjoyed our meal, and made ourway to Union Station.

Upon arrival, we returned to the baggage counter, as we had stored our luggage there in the afternoon. We proceeded to the sleeper check in and the Service Manager pulled our tickets, and then we met the Dining Car Steward, Robert, for our lunch and dinner reservations.

We boarded at 9:30, heading up the ramp to Track 17. Once again, after dropping our bags, we were back on the platform taking pictures. We heard the all aboard and made tracks to the west.

That night after boarding we had a champaign reception and pastries in the Dome Car and watched Toronto’s skyline disappear... oh wait... I mean also re-appear after we backed up outside of the station (I guess a typical reverse maneuver to get on the right CN trackage). I asked the attendant to turn off the lights after the reception and we stayed up for an hour or so watching countryside. In fact, we were the last two to leave the Dome.

 

[greatcats]

We had a serious lack of WiFi between Toronto and Prince Rupert, BC... which we are now in at the end of Day #7. So, we are playing "catch up" with the trip reports as best we can here... Let's go back to Day #3 and get the update from Mike.

We’re picking up at the midpoint of Day 3, where we left you off on the commuter train between Montreal and Toronto. We had an ontime arrival into Toronto on Train #57. We headed over towards the CN Tower... I noticed that the Sky Walk I took a couple of years ago was closed due to construction near the CN Tower (for some aquarium that is slated to open in 2013). After a lengthy wait in line, we made it to the top. The view was spectacular... even though we couldnt quite see Niagara Falls. From there, Rob and I went on a quest to find the Toronto Starbucks mug that he was looking to add to his collection of 21 other mugs.

Rob made a quick phone call, and he found that the Starbucks at Children’s Hospital was open 24 hours, and had 1 mug left. A short cab ride and some wandering around to find the correct entrance, Rob had his mug.

After our success, we walked back towards Union Station. At about the ehalfway point, we stepped into Earl’s Restaurant for supper. We both selected the burger. We enjoyed our meal, and made ourway to Union Station.

Upon arrival, we returned to the baggage counter, as we had stored our luggage there in the afternoon. We proceeded to the sleeper check in and the Service Manager pulled our tickets, and then we met the Dining Car Steward, Robert, for our lunch and dinner reservations.

We boarded at 9:30, heading up the ramp to Track 17. Once again, after dropping our bags, we were back on the platform taking pictures. We heard the all aboard and made tracks to the west.

That night after boarding we had a champaign reception and pastries in the Dome Car and watched Toronto’s skyline disappear... oh wait... I mean also re-appear after we backed up outside of the station (I guess a typical reverse maneuver to get on the right CN trackage). I asked the attendant to turn off the lights after the reception and we stayed up for an hour or so watching countryside. In fact, we were the last two to leave the Dome.

You left us hanging and waiting for more! I am just up the pike here in Ketchikan.

 

[rtabern]

Day #3 Photos Uploaded (Quebec & Ontario on The Ocean, Regional Service (VIA), and Canadian) with trip report above

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22556

 

[rtabern]

Day 4 trip report from Mike... and photos by me (Our first day on the westbound "Canadian" going through Ontario)

Onto Day #4, September 18th, 2011... We were rudley awoken at 5:33am when someone pressed the emergency call button in the shower. We did manage to fall alseep until around 7:30am... which was a nice treat. From there it was to breakfast where Robert had scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast (yeah! Real toast again on a train!).. hash brown and bacon. I had the feta and tomato omlet with bacon, toast, and hash browns. We met a nice couple from England who we talked politics with... and heard that there was an overnight train in Scotland but it could get cut soon.

After breakfast, it was around 9:30am... and we headed up to the Dome Car. At 10:30am, it was “sales time” with the Dome attendant bringing out tons and tons of VIA souveniers. Robert bought a black vest, a squishy train paperweight, a teddy bear, a black hat, a pen, and a route guide for all the trains in Canada to know what you are looking at our your windows. I bought nothing... showing utmost restraint.

From there it was onto lunch, just 90 minutes after left the breakfast table (we reserved the first seating for breakfast and lunch because the second seating was taken and the third one meant you didn’t eat dinner until 9pm, which is too late. We both had the burgers... both agreed the burgers were better than Amtrak’s. We sat with a couple who had a cabin 100 miles north of Toronto in what they called “cottage country”.

After lunch, we headed back to the Dome for a round of Canadian Trivia. Mike and I were put on opposite teams because we were sitting across the aisle from each other. After about 45 questions, Rob’s team ended up winning by one. He got a VIA rail pin with a Polar Bear in the shape of Manitoba... and I got my choice of a bookmark or postcard... and opted for the book mark.

After that, around 3PM or so, we got to Hornepane... which was really the only stop you could get off and walk around all day. We were there for 20 minutes or so. We ended up walking up to the engine and taking pictures of the consist that had 21 cars... including 3 coaches (one was deadheading ahead of the baggage car), 2 diners, 3 Skyline Domes, and a Park Car... and 12 sleepers.

Once we were back aboard, it was time for the 5pm dinner. Robert had the vegeterian chili in a bread bowl... while I had the Prime Rib. Dessert was a maple cake that tasted a lot like french toast.

Following dinner, it was time for the 7:15pm wine tasting back in the Dome. Our attendant, Brian, put on a hour long wine tasting with 2 Canadian wines – one white and one red. Robert liked the white better than the red, while I didn’t care for either. Following that, we uploaded Day #3 and #4 photos onto Rob’s computer with hopes that we would be able to upload them to the web during the long layover in Winnipeg in the morning.

From there, we met up with a couple who we met on the Ocean and who was doing the same itinerary we were, except they were going Jasper-Vancouver while we are going Jasper-Prince Rupert. We spent the evening talking about many subjects – ranging from their interest in the space program/NASA, so me trying to convince them to come to Minneapolis and ride the Friends of the 261 steam engine.

We called it a night and updated this trip report... We get to get up at 6am tomorrow (Sept 19th) to get 6:30am breakfast and do a shuttle tour of Winnipeg, MB during the 3 hour layover.

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/22998

 

[rtabern]

(in reality, we are actually in Prince George, BC this morning waiting on "The Skeena" to Prince Rupert, BC this morning... but we are slowly playing catch up on trip reports for the past few days now we have WiFi access again)

SO, here is the Day #5 trip report from Mike... and the photos from me.

I awoke early on Day 5, and went to the Skyline car for a short while. I returned to our room at 5:45, and waited for the shower to open up. We went for breakfast at 6:35, just after the diner opened. Both Rob and I chose the French Toast, which we both thought was excellent. Most definately not frozen and re-heated. 

We arrived in Winnipeg early, at 7:30. After an unexplained delay, the crew received word to open the traps and allow us onto the platform. We walked the length of the train, half of which was outside the trainshed. From there we proceeded down he escalator and into the station. We signed up for a short tour of Winnipeg, and then wited for the bus to arrive at 8:30.

The tour was pretty good, it gave us a quick taste of the city, visiting the Manitoba Provincial Building, and the city’s beautiful flower and sculpture garden. We also saw a few of the more affluent families’ homes, and were told of their influence upon the city. Rob broke off from the tour early to visit the local Canada Post building, a local Starbucks (without Mug success), and a local package store in quest of Ice Wine, which we had tried on the Ocean, but was out of stock on the Canadian.

A side note for those interested-Ice wine was “created” in Germany in the mid 1800’s by mistakenly allowing the grapes to freeze on the vine. A vintner from Switzerland who had heard about the mistake, came to Ontario in the early 1960’s and made the same mistake. He then found a market for the wine here in Canada. It is rather expensive, as many grapes provide very little wine.

We returned to the station just after 11. I went to the Winnipeg Railroad Musuem, which uses a few tracks under the trainshed. I could only stay a short while, as boarding began at 11:30. If I ever return to Winnipeg, I will be certain to spend most of the layover at the museum. After meeting up with Rob in the First Class lounge, I found that he too had visited the museum

Depature was delayed slightly as the train had an unknown mechanical problem, which was resolved quickly. We remained in our room, Room F, until it was time for the second call for lunch. Rob went for the grilled cheese with chips, and I chose the BBQ chicken kabobs. Rob didn’t care for any of the adult menu selections. For dessert we both selected the strawberry shortcake. As expected, the entire meal was delicious, and the service was exemplary.

At Winnipeg, the entire crew is swapped, with a Vancouver-based crew. The new Steward was more outgoing than the previous one. The new waitstaff was just as friendly and efficient.

After lunch, Rob went up to the dome to listen to some music, and then participated in the beer tasting. I had no interest in the beer tasting, so I took a nap  Later I joined Rob in the dome to watch the scenery chance from the forests and lakes of Manitoba to the praries of Saskatchewan. We saw three potash mines, which is used in making fertilizer.

Melville is our next stop. The communities was named for the President of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad Company, Charles Melville, who had died in the sinking of the Titanic.

After departing Melville, we heard the call for the second dinner seating. Rob had the onion soup, mac and cheese, and mashed potato. I had the Atlantic fish chowder, and the pork tenderloin with mashed potato. Rob like his mac and cheese, and I was very pleased with the pork. Our tablemates, a couple from Toronto, had the Atlantic char, and the pork. Both were very happy with their selections.

Dessert was a choice of chocolate torte or raspberry creme brulee cheesecake. We both opted for the cheesecake, as we had enjoyed the torte while on the Ocean.

We ventured into the Skyline Car and played a game of Scrabble, which I won! As we finished, the stop at Saskatoon was announced. We grabbed our coats, and hopped out to check out the station. The station is located south of Downtown, in a rather deserted industial area. As we were early, the stop lasted for more than half an hour. Rob and I boarded just behind the baggage car, and walked through to the first Skyline car. We purchased a couple of VIA souveniers, and then walked through the remainder of the train to our car.

Thanks for following along, and for reading my long winded trip report.

For those interested here is the consist, generously provided by the Toronto to Winnipeg Service Manager:

Loco 6443

Loco 6418

Coach 8144 (the deadhead, removed at Winnipeg)

Baggage 8615

102 Coach 8106

103 Coach 8103

Sky A 8512 (Skyline Dome)

DC B 8418 York (Diner)

Sky B 8510

110 Sleeper 8320 Douglas Manor

111 Sleeper 8314 Cameron Manor

112 Sleeper 8309 Brant Manor

---- Panoramic Lounge 1721 (added to consist in Winnipeg)

113 Sleeper 8315 Carleton Manor

114 Sleeper 8335 Mackenzie Manor

115 Sleeper 8340 Stuart Manor

116 Sleeper 8205 Chateau Closse

117 Sleeper 8202 Chateau Bienville

Sky C 8504

DC A 8402 Alexandria

120 Sleeper 8338 Rogers Manor (our car)

121 Sleeper 8319 Dawson Manor

122 Sleeper 8321 Draper Manor

139 8714 Strathcona Park (The Park Car)

Rumour had it that two more sleepers were to be added in Jasper, thought I can not confirm.

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23156

 

[rtabern]

(We are actually in Prince Rupert, BC this morning... playing "catch up" on trip reports... hoping to get caught up today)

Ok, Day #6... Once again we were rudely awoken around 5AM (why do people get up do damn early on trains??? something i'll never figure out!!!) by a bunch of banging around in the sleeper from fellow passengers. Looking out the window, Mike and I determined we were in Edmonton, Alberta. We tried going back to sleep, but when we heard the head end power go down... we decided to get up anyway. I asked an attendant how long we'd be in Edmonton he said until 7:30AM (about 90 minutes). Mike waited for the power to come back so he could shower... while I threw on some clothes and decided to get some pictures. I walked the length of the train at Edmonton and noticed they were switching on a "Panorama Car"... you will have to check out my pictures to see what it looks like... but it's basically a nicer version of the Sightseer Lounge... single level... with bigger windows and nicer seats. The difference is the seats all face forward. We later found out that there were only 3 of these cars made for VIA... and we actually saw 2 of the 3 (we had one on "The Skeena"). Even though the car was nice, Mike and I decided to just get some photos of the Panorama Car and stick with the Domes... because we like the older cars and you can see forward and back, which you cant with the Panorama Car. BTW, the Panorama Car was only for touring class passengers.

Mike and I discussed what we wanted to do because we knew the mountains would be coming up in 3-4 hours... and we wanted to get good seats in the Dome. Because of the time spent in Edmonton and later Jasper, crews told us that they would only be serving a brunch from 7:30AM-NOON. They had both breakfast and lunch items available, but you were only allowed to come in once for a meal there. We decided to get in right at 7:30AM, eat, and then head up to the Dome. For breakfast, Rob had scrambled eggs, a potato pancacke, toast (2 helpings of course!) and Mike had eggs over easy, the best home fries ever, and yogurt and toast too.

From there, we quickly headed to the Dome in the Park Car at the rear of the train. We were both surprised to see that the Dome was pretty much already full. We tried to get 2 seats in the front of the dome together, but were unable. After about an hour up there, the rolling hills started to turn into mountains. I would compare it to seeing the mountains off in the distance when you are traveling on the westbound Zephyr or Empire Builder. The biggest difference is the Canadian Rockies are a little more jagged than the American Rockies... but equally as beautiful. We spent about 3 or 4 hours in the Dome just taking in the scenery and taking lots of photos of the climb up the east side of the Rockies.

We arrived in Jasper just before the scheduled time of 1PM MDT... they had to switch on a couple of extra sleepers at Jasper for a group... so we were slightly delayed getting off the train... however we still were on the ground before the scheduled arrival time. We quickly grabbed our stuff and headed inside the station to the Hertz rental car booth. Mike and I rented a car so we could explore Jasper National Park, where there really is no public transportation options. I was a little taken aback by the fact that you could only put on 100km (around 70 miles --??) per day... and anything beyond that would be a mileage surcharge. I know they have that in the USA to a degree, but only 70 miles a day?? C'mon folks!

Anyway, we left Jasper around 1:30PM and headed South on Highway 93 towards Jasper National Park. Our first stop was to take pictures of an elk who was standing just inside the entrance gates... he was eating just off the shoulder of the road. We stayed for a few minutes watching the creature who was eating his lunch. From there, we proceded about 20km south on Highway 93 to Athabasca Falls... we saw it on the national park map and it looked really cool. We spent some time walking around the waterfall, cavern, and just taking beautiful pictures of the mountains behind the falls (make sure you check out my photos!) From there, we hit the highway and stopped for lunch. Rob spent $20 on a burger, onion rings, and drink! And Mike spent $15 for a roast beef sandwich and a drink! I guess things are higher in the middle of nowhere!!! We hit the road and went another 70km into Jasper National Park -- and made tracks towards the Columbia Ice Fields (our real destination).

At Columbia Ice Fields, is a large glacier... and it's actually the origin of the Columbia River that flows down into the US... and out to the Pacific Ocean west of Portland. And yes, its the same river you see on the Empire Builder #27 and #28. We bought tickets on a special "tundra buggy" ride that takes you up the face of the glacier and lets you walk out on the ice. The buggy went upto a 30 degree angle up the glacier and had special $5,000 tires on it (6 of them) to make the accent up the glacier. After that, we headed back to the visitor center and signed up for a 2 1/2 hour hike on the toe (lower part) of the glacier area. We found out that no one else signed up for the walk and it was just Mike, I, and the tour guide... a French Canadian intern named Ann from Montreal. We spent the time walking over 3 miles all over the toe of the glacier... she pointed out and we actually tasted some of the native plants to the area. We continued on our exploration of the glacier until night fell. From there, it was back to the visitor center where we just made last call for supper. Mike had shrimp and broccoli and rice... Rob had fetuchini alfredo. We stayed at the visitor center (the 3rd floor was a hotel) and called it a quick night after being quick exhausted from the long day and hike.

Oh, a side note... we were sorta hoping being off the train that we could do the Day #6 trip report and upload it from the hotel... however because of the remoteness... that was not really possible. They had satelitte internet you could pay for -- however it was expensive -- and we were told it would take 10-15 minutes just to load one page. Blah! (So hence the delay in writing this to you)

PHOTOS!!!

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23325

 

[rtabern]

Day #7 Trip Report (for September 21, 2011)

Mike and I started the day by enjoying the sunrise from our glacier view room at the Columbia Ice Fields. We were both surprised that the sun didn't come up until around 7:30AM, but I am guessing that is because we were so far north and west in Mountain Time Zone. But wow, when does the sun come up in the dead of winter? Like 10 or 11AM or something? We decided to explore a little more of Jasper National Park before heading upto Jasper. We drove down Highway 93 to get the sign for Jasper NP and Banff NP. From there, we turned back north towards Jasper. We made a stop at Horsehoe Lake, which was recommended to us by the waiter from the night before. He said it was cool because the lake was used for cliff diving because of the deepness of the pool of water. While we weren't going to be partaking in that -- we did go because he said the mountains reflect right in the water and it would make for some cool pictures. It lived up to the hype... and was pretty cool!! From there, we took a scenic drive (Higway 93A) and headed out of the park. We took about 45 minutes to make a roundtrip drive over to the Alberta/British Columbia border to get the "welcome to" signs and have our pictures in front of them.

From there it was back to Jasper. Since we had about an hour before "The Skeena" left, we decided to walk around the town. We were both disapointed with the town -- very touristy and full of crappy shops. We were told there was some sort of chocolate shop, but were unable to located the sweets. We did both hit the gift shop in the Jasper station to buy Skeena post cards and stamps.

We boarded the Skeena around 12:30PM and left right on time at 12:45PM. "The Skeena" was an interesting train -- made up of one engine, one baggage car, one coach, one Panorama Lounge, and one Park Car. Most of the people seemed to be in the coach class (no access to the Park Car/Dome or the Panorama Car)... while we were in "Touring Class" which provided an actual seat in the Panorama Lounge... and access at anytime to the Park Car/Dome. We were both stunned that there were only about 16 people in this class -- meaning everyone could fit up in the Dome (24 seats). It was a nice change to a degree to the rather packed "Canadian". In fact, Mike and I spent most of the afternoon and evening in the Dome with just one or two other people!!! It was pretty awesome!!! The meals were not anything to write home about on "The Skeena"... it actually was just turkey and roast beef sandwitches for lunch, etc. I think all of the meals on both days on the train were loaded on in Jasper. What was interesting was there was no real conductor aboard -- just a customer service manager and his associate. They took tickets, made drinks, passed out the meals, etc.

Even though I am calling the train "The Skeena" we found out that VIA pulled the name of the train a couple of years ago, because they thought named trains would "confuse" tourists. VIA kept "The Ocean" and "Canadian" for historical purposes, but eliminated everything else. So, the techincal name of the train is now the "Jasper to Prince Rupert Train"... however others kept calling it "The Skeena" and even the older name of the "Rupert Rocket".

We were put in the hole for most freight trains on our way up to Prince George. The scenery was great; mountains, valleys, but very little wildlife. We saw more ducks than anything else! Supper was beef kabobs over Thai noodles, or prawns over rice. Mike selected the beef dish, and I actually had tomorrow night's meal, the chicken with pasta-without the chicken.

Arrival was more or less on time into Prince George, with a steady rain awaiting us. We walked the nine blocks to our motel, and began uploading photos. As we were still a bit hungry, we called for a pizza delivery. We were both hankering for a pizza after days without any

That wraps up day 7. Photos can be found at: http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/23583

 

[Bob Dylan]

Great pics Rob! And you guys get to do so much cool Train riding that you almost deserve to "rough it" on the Skeena and in the Tourist Trap towns around that part of Canada! :lol:

Looking forward to the rest of yalls adventures, how was the Pizza? Hi to Mike too, 8 days till I leave for the Looooooooong way to SEA for the Gathering, but not as Long as yall! :wub: Jim

 

[Rail Freak]

Great Pics & Report!!!! Hope you dont mind if I PM ya when I'm ready to go!!!!

RF