Canadian Railway Journey

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2010 (5821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Once upon a time … in a land from sea to sea, Canada’s railways were not only the more human way to travel — they were the only way to travel. Trains from the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway ran daily from coast to coast, as passengers carried on their steamy love affair with trains. These days, it seems, the love is gone. It’s hard not to notice the abandoned tracks and derelict railway stations — strewn across the country like bouquets left behind by jilted girlfriends and forgotten lovers. Yet — despite Canadians’ auto-erotic relationship with the car and affair with air — travelling by train remains alluring to overseas visitors drawn by the romance of Canada’s National Dream. Sure, the old gal may not be what she used to be — but these visitors still love her. To them, this Brief Encounter is the journey of a lifetime.

 

ON BOARD THE CANADIAN — Chioko Shimizu can barely contain her excitement. Sitting on the edge of her seat in the dome car, she gazes at the 3-D panorama outside with wonderment. The young Japanese teacher’s eyes light up, her face is radiant — as if reflecting some heavenly glory. Her digital camera joins the chorus of electronic clicks and whirs, as passengers rush to capture the Kodak moment on Panasonic cameras and Apple iPhones.

Since I live in Jasper, I’ve seen this before … and wouldn’t normally bat an eyelid at such a reaction.

But we’re not in Jasper. We’re on The Canadian — Via Rail’s own Orient Express — heading west towards Jasper. Barely out of Edmonton, with Paradise about four hours away, we’re in what I’ve always considered to be the most mundane part of the journey. And yet, here is Chioko acting as if the rivers were flowing out of the heavenly city. Canadians may be unexcited. Chioko is enraptured.

 

CATHEDRAL OF RAIL

To many Canadians, there is something so "last century" about train travel.

For me, that’s not a bad thing. Since my dad worked for the railways in England, I grew up thinking of train travel as "the only way to fly." So when it came time to travel cross-country, I jumped at the chance to fly "the more human way."

This journey begins in Toronto at Union Station, the Mother Church of Canada’s railways.

Like the other great temples and cathedrals of the railways’ golden age, Union Station’s Beaux Arts design — with Neoclassical columns and high ceilings — was meant to make you feel like you were taking part in something really grand.

These days, the realities of hauling your own bags through narthex and nave can make the start of a train trip a little more mundane. But once I arrive at the departure area, the Via "flight crew" instantly make me feel welcome. This is much better than scurrying through an airport.

 

ALL ABOARD

I love the sleek "silver bullet" design of The Canadian’s 1950s-vintage railway carriages. Ironically, the style mimics the "ultra-modern" design of the very jet airliners that were destined to replace trains.

But once on board The Canadian, I really notice the world of difference between this and air travel. No rushing, no pushing, no shoving — no one desperately trying to stuff his oversized bags into the overhead compartment.

Instead, the coach-class travellers at the front of the train are making themselves comfortable in a way that plane passengers never can. For starters, they’ve got leg room.

The sleeper-class travellers are already heading back to the Park car — the old first-class lounge/observation car — for a champagne reception. And after helping themselves to hors d’oeuvres, passengers flock to the upper level of the dome car to see the night view.

Balancing a drink in one hand and hors d’oeuvres in the other, I climb the steps to the upper level, find the only empty seat and sit down. That’s when I meet Chioko — a young teacher from Japan who’s heading out to Alberta before the snow flies. When she finds out that I’ve actually been to Japan — and can actually say "Good evening" and "Thank you" in Japanese, Chioko drops the Japanese reserve and warms up to me.

She tells me that she has come to Canada just to travel across the country by train and see the Rockies. Ever since she was a teenager, it has been her dream. And now it’s coming true.

But the Rockies are three days and thousands of miles away, so for now it’s time to say goodnight. I find my way to my little room and settle in for a good night’s sleep on a real bed. Something about travelling on a Canadian train makes me think of Gordon Lightfoot. It’s good to be Alberta Bound.

 

OJIBWAY COUNTRY

The trip from Toronto to Vancouver takes four nights, three days and covers 4,452 km (2,765 miles) rolling past the ever-changing mural outside the windows. Since our first night is through Ontario’s industrial heartland, I figure we’re not missing much.

The next morning, we awake to find we are far away from the concrete jungles and rolling our way through the cobalt lakes and lush forests of northern Ontario. Cold steel and glass towers and have given way to the burnt oranges and deep reds of Ontario in autumn.

As I stare out the window, the landscape teases a haunting tune and provocative words from the depths of my memory … it’s the theme song from the IMAX film "North of Superior":

 

"What kind of man will come to this country

To bear the discomfort and challenge his brain

For it will take him, shake him, remake him …"

 

What kind of man (or woman) comes here? British pensioners who have saved up their pennies for a trip of a lifetime. Americans who value Via Rail much more than Canadians do. Widows and widowers heading back to their little homes on the Prairies. Asians like Chioko and pilgrims like me who are living a dream.

In the days to come, we will traverse the Canadian Shield and miles and miles of the Great Prairie. There, the blue flax and yellow canola of summer will have given way to golden bales of hay, bundled like shredded wheat and sugar-frosted with snow.

Then comes what Chioko and so many others have come for: the turquoise rivers, sapphire lakes and opal peaks of the Canadian Rockies.

But on our first morning, the light dawns on Ojibway Country — and it’s glorious.

 

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

On that first morning, I head to one of the dining cars for breakfast. There I meet Chioko for what will become the first of many meals together on this trip. This is the other great thing about rail travel: you actually get to meet people and talk to them — break bread together.

I’m not used to getting up so early for breakfast and have never been what anyone would call a gourmand. But the Canadian’s Silver & Blue class service absolutely pampers passengers. The art-deco stylings and silver table settings tell me I’m in for a treat. I feel like I’m on The Orient Express and expect Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman to walk in any time. But my current company is definitely first-class. And the food and service are five-star.

For the next three days, I eat more — and better — than I usually do in a week.

Breakfast options range from the healthy (porridge with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries) to the hearty (Florentine Feta Cheese omelettes). Little jars of jams and marmalade for my toast. Bottomless cups of gourmet coffee. This is a breakfast I can get up for.

Offerings at other meals will be truly Canadian without being cliche. Brown butter pickerel, yes. Poutine, no.

The menu is limited. But there are still enough choices to make sure that we won’t have to order the same thing twice, unless we really want to.

The waiters and waitresses are attentive, patient and helpful. The maitre d’ clearly enjoys food, enjoys people and enjoys his job. The philosophy here is clear: "Do only a few things, but do them very well."

 

PARADISE DELAYED

A few days and several wonderful meals later, we arrive at our destination. We’re late getting to Jasper, of course, because Via Rail’s passenger trains always seem to get sidetracked by CN’s freight trains — especially between Edmonton and Jasper.

But before the sun declines behind the blue Rockies, Chioko and I have time for a short walking tour of the town and a last supper together at the Kimchi House — Jasper’s highly regarded Korean restaurant.

Tomorrow, we will part ways. Chioko will take the Highway to Heaven (the Icefields Parkway) to Banff. Then I’ll continue my journey on The Canadian, across the great divide to Vancouver.

Along the way, I’ll see some of the spectacular scenery — including the imperial Mount Robson — that lures visitors from the far side of the world to take one of the greatest rail journeys on the planet.

But here — on a magical evening in Jasper — the light lingers on the mountains and makes them look like a painted backdrop from a Hollywood set.

Sometimes I feel like the train really is a magic carpet ride. And just like in the stories, it has taken us to a whole new world.

Chioko looks around, takes a deep breath and says out loud what everyone is thinking, "It’s like a dream!"

 

» Stephen A. Nelson is a former Brandon Sun writer and editor now based in Jasper, Alta. Before moving to Jasper, he lived in Asia for eight years, where he produced travel and current affairs programs for Radio Taiwan International.

 

If You Go …

GETTING ON BAORD

* Via Rail runs The Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver three times a week; with major station stops in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Kamloops.

Considerable discounts are available when you book online. Toll-free: 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245) www.viarail.ca/

 

GETTING AROUND IN JASPER

* Mr. Taxi and Tours can take you anywhere in town and anywhere in the park, including Maligne Lake and the Jasper Tramway. Tel: 780-931-2931

 

SOUVENIRS and GUIDE BOOKS

* Friends of Jasper National Park Gift Shop

Parks Canada Info Centre, Tel: 780-852-4341

* Jasper Yellowhead Museum, 400 Pyramid Lake Rd., Tel: 780-852-3013

* Trains and Lattes, Jasper Heritage Railway Station Tel: 780-852-7444

 

WHERE TO EAT IN JASPER

* Kimchi House (Korean) 707 Patricia St., Tel: 780-852-5022

* Sayuri (Japanese) 410 Connaught Dr., Tel: 780-852-3780

* Papa George’s (Casual Fine Dining)

404 Connaught Dr., Tel: 780-852-3351

* Palisades Restaurant (Greek/Italian)

401 Patricia St., Tel: 780-852-5222

* Lou Lou’s (Breakfast, Pizza, Poutine)

407 Patricia St., Tel: 780-852-3373

* Smitty’s Family Restaurant, 109 Miette Ave.

Tel: 780-852-4880

 

WHERE TO EAT — OUT OF TOWN

* Sunwapta Falls Resort (Cafeteria /Fine Dining)

Toll Free: 1-888-828-5777

 

WHERE TO STAY

* Straight Shooter’s Mountain Inn (Private Home Accommodation/Luxury efficiency suite), Tel:780-852-464, http://www.bbcanada.com/9131.html

* Antonio and Pina Gualtier (Private Home Accommodation) Tel: 780-852-3750

* Sunwapta Falls Resort (Luxury Cabins at Sunwapta Falls) Toll Free: 1-888 828-5777; sunwapta.com

* Glacier View Inn (Hotel at the Columbia Icefield) Toll free: 1-877-423-7433

 

Places to Stay Along The Way

While researching and writing his travel stories, Stephen A. Nelson has been a guest at the following Fairmont hotels. Each of these was once a great railway hotel, considered an essential part of a journey on the Canadian Pacific or Canadian National Railways. Today, they still offer first-class service in elegant style.

 

* Toronto: Fairmont Royal York. Toronto’s most famous place to stay and right across the street from Union Station. This Château-style hotel was built by The Canadian Pacific Railway. Toll-free: 1-800-441-1414; www.fairmont.com/royalyork/

 

* Edmonton: Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. Named after Canada’s first prime minister (Sir John A.) this Château-style hotel in downtown Edmonton was originally built and owned by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Toll-free: 1-866-540-4468; www.fairmont.com/MacDonald

 

* Calgary: Fairmont Palliser. This Edwardian style building — right next to the Calgary Tower — was originally a Canadian Pacific Hotel. It’s named after Captain John Palliser, who was an explorer in the region during the 1850s. Toll-free: 1-866-540-4477; www.fairmont.com/palliser

 

* Vancouver: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. A grand hotel overlooking the downtown. The Hotel Vancouver has a mixed history as both a Canadian National and Canadian Pacific hotel. Toll-free:1(866) 540-4452; web: www.fairmont.com/hotelvancouver