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PaulDobbs

Service Attendant
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2014
Messages
101
Location
Fort Worth
I am planning a trip from Fort Worth to California at the end of May next year. I’m taking the scenic route both ways.

Going, I am taking the TE and the CZ, both old friends, to Sacramento. After a night in Sacramento, I am taking the San Joaquin to Bakersfield and the bus to LAX. This will be my first time on the San Joaquin. After a day or so in LA, I am taking the CS to the Bay Area. I’ve taken 14 several times, but never 11.

After the event in the Bay Area, I’m taking the CS to Portland, where I will spend a night at a hotel I’ve used before. From Portland, I am taking the Cascades to Vancouver (B.C., not Washington). I tried for the Cascades in May 2017, but there was a mudslide...

From Vancouver, I’m booked on the Canadian to Toronto. This is a bucket list ride! I’ve built an extra day in Toronto into my schedule in case the Canadian runs late. I’m getting home on the Maple Leaf (another new friend) to Buffalo, then the LSL and TE back to Fort Worth.

Questions:

What is clearing customs northbound on the Cascades like?

What about tipping on the Canadian?

What is clearing customs southbound on the Maple Leaf like?

What other questions should I be asking???

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You will go through Canadian Customs (CBSA) after you arrive in Vancouver's Pacific Central Station.....not at the actual border.

Tip on the Canadian the same as you would on Amtrak....but keep in mind.....VIA employees are well paid and have benefits.

On the Maple Leaf.....you leave the train and go through US CBP in Amtrak's new Niagara Falls NY Station....then reboard the train.
 
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Since you say you haven't taken #11 before, why not take the Starlight to LAX instead of the San Joaquin and Ambus?

Lots better scenery and ambience, and the New Business Class on the Starlight is a very good upgrade @ a very reasonable price!

The rest of your trip sounds Great,were envious!
 
What you say about the CS is true. My only reason for riding the San Joaquin is that I havent ridden it before.

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Got it, you'll see why I ask when you see what's on the San Joaquin Route and change to the Ambus for the ride into LA.
Still think you should consider Biz Class on #11 to LAX.
 
I probably should. But the San Joaquin and the Cascades are the only trains I haven’t ridden in the far west, and I’m trying to fill in my map.

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Sounds like you are closing in on a goal. I get it, totally. Between 1976 and 1990 my quest was to ride every Amtrak and VIA mile in existence then at least once. Closed it out in 1990! Of course routes have come, gone, and changed since then but I try to keep up.
 
Customs at Pacific Central is a breeze. I did it with my then girlfriend now ex on my way home from visiting her. She lived in Seattle and I managed to get a cheaper flight from YVR home. The only question they asked was why is she leaving the country (Canada) and I wasn't leaving together with her. They were very friendly.

Of note they only do one car at a time and you sit on the train till they are ready for the next car. Checked luggage is picked up by the locomotive as you walk by.
 
I have three new questions:

1. I will be traveling in a “cabin for 2.” I found a 360 degree tour of this type of accommodation in which there appears to be luggage storage above the sink and restroom. Can anyone confirm this?

2. I carry a large backpack for in-room use on Amtrak. It slightly exceeds the dimensions for carry-on luggage, but I’ve never had any problem with it on Amtrak. Is it likely that it will be a problem on the Canadian?

3. As I’ve gotten older, the number of medications that I take has increased. I normally pre-pack my assortment of pills into small plastic zip bags for convenience in taking them. I have no objection to also carrying along the original prescription containers. Is this likely to get me into trouble?

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While it's not definitive,VIA is very strict with their carry on Luggage policy.

Most bags ( suitcases) must be checked into the bag car with only a small bag or backpack allowed into the Sleepers.

That being said, since you have a Cabin for 2 ( aka a Bedroom here), you should be OK, but I suggest calling VIA so there are no surprises when its time to board.
 
The 360 degree view is accessed from a page at http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian/train-cars. On that page, there is a list of car types. Clicking on the plus sign to the right of a car type will reveal some text and a number of pictures. There are plus signs under the pictures. One of those plus signs (which one varies) will show a line of text "Take a 360 tour." The text is the link to the tour. There will be a car diagram with a number of small circles on it which you can click on to pick the camera location.
 
3. As I’ve gotten older, the number of medications that I take has increased. I normally pre-pack my assortment of pills into small plastic zip bags for convenience in taking them. I have no objection to also carrying along the original prescription containers. Is this likely to get me into trouble?
I would only carry what I needed on that specific trip and always in the original containers. In simple terms the serialized sticker on the bottle is a surrogate for the original prescription. If you intend to carry any schedule two or schedule three substances I would also carry a photocopy of the original prescription and the contact details for the office of the prescribing doctor. Then there are the country specific considerations. For instance, possessing a blister pack of original Sudafed risks incarceration in Japan. Some countries will ban you from entry in response to a minor marijuana conviction at home. In the case of Canada the main drug offense to consider is a prior DUI/DWI conviction. Even if the final disposition was twenty years ago it can still get you banned you for life today. You can request a special needs hardship exemption but such requests have a high failure rate and cost an unrecoverable CAD$400+ regardless of the outcome. On the way back US CBP will be on the lookout for any drugs purchased in Canada, even if they're 100% legal in both countries and are for your exclusive personal use. Carrying controlled substances across an international border is no joke and you should never assume that you'll be given the benefit of the doubt regardless of your medical history or the legitimacy of your needs.
 
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While it's not definitive,VIA is very strict with their carry on Luggage policy.

Most bags ( suitcases) must be checked into the bag car with only a small bag or backpack allowed into the Sleepers.

That being said, since you have a Cabin for 2 ( aka a Bedroom here), you should be OK, but I suggest calling VIA so there are no surprises when its time to board.

Rode the Canadian #1 Toronto to Vancouver in May in a "Cabin for 2," with another adult. We are both wilderness backpackers planning to hike and camp later in the journey, and had fairly large backpacks. We each struggle to keep packweight under 40# because we have to carry for many hours and days in mountain terrain, but no doubt these exceeded weight and size dimensions listed on the VIA site for luggage.

No one hassled us about the size or weight. I got the impression that so long as we were willing to handle these monstrosities, the staff didn't care. We "wore" the packs from station to platform to cabin so no one on staff had to pick them up. Most likely had we expected them to, it would have raised a red flag. Also, once underway, we made sure the packs were fully packed and closed up anytime we left the room like they would be if we were hiking on a trail -- and out of the way so the SCA could make beds, etc.

I find wearing a backpack to be infinitely more efficient than carrying luggage--especially on a train, and we don't need to check anything as baggage, avoiding those pre-boarding and post-arrival issues altogether. If we weren't planning to camp on this journey, we would have used somewhat smaller backpacks. The ones we used on this trip were listed by manufacturers to be in the 55L to 65L capacity; my smaller pack is 45L.

BTW, if in a Manor car, Bedroom F -- which I requested and got -- has a little more room to maneuver, and is closest to the shower! (The diagram would seem to imply the same about Bedroom D in a Chateau car, but I have no personal experience to verify this.)
 
The 360 degree view is accessed from a page at http://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian/train-cars. On that page, there is a list of car types. Clicking on the plus sign to the right of a car type will reveal some text and a number of pictures. There are plus signs under the pictures. One of those plus signs (which one varies) will show a line of text "Take a 360 tour." The text is the link to the tour. There will be a car diagram with a number of small circles on it which you can click on to pick the camera location.
Thanks for the link, and the description of how to find the tour!
 
So far, nobody has been able to answer the question, "I will be traveling in a “cabin for 2.” I found a 360 degree tour of this type of accommodation in which there appears to be luggage storage above the sink and restroom. Can anyone confirm this?"

And a new pair of questions: Would using a scanner be a problem on the Canadian? Does anyone have a channel list for the Canadian?
 
The luggage rack above the sink is very small. It is nowhere near as big as the above door luggage cubby on Viewliners. I would bring a small bag (gym bag) with enough clothes for the 4 day journey, and check larger bag. I never check bags on Amtrak but now always do on the Canadian.

I use a scanner on the Canadian and there is no problem. Of course, use earphones just as you would on Amtrak, not subjecting your fellow passengers to the sqauwks and static.

I have the frequencies and will IM to you when I get home. There are two nice things about it. First is that CN uses a system wide road channel, so no changing every few hundred miles, although the "RTC Callback" channel (CN uses a system sort of like CSX where the dispatcher - RTC in Canada - is on separate channel) does shift. The other is that Via onboard service crew uses radio to communicate with one another, so you not only get RR operations, you get the service crew, too. Via has its own channel, for that, it isn't the road channel. That channel is also used for the service manager (remember, no conductors on Via) to talk to the head end.
 
IIRC, there are hooks on the wall of the cabin for 2--perhaps it'll be more convenient for you to hang your backpack than try to stow it overhead.
 
We were able to store a back pack and duffle under the seats of the Bedroom on the Canadian. As a matter of interest, when we noted that our seats would be facing backward for the trip and remarked same the the attendant, we were told to just "turn them around." Surprisingly, the two seats were easily moved and repositioned so that the faced the other way.

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The luggage rack above the sink is very small. It is nowhere near as big as the above door luggage cubby on Viewliners. I would bring a small bag (gym bag) with enough clothes for the 4 day journey, and check larger bag. I never check bags on Amtrak but now always do on the Canadian.

I use a scanner on the Canadian and there is no problem. Of course, use earphones just as you would on Amtrak, not subjecting your fellow passengers to the sqauwks and static.

I have the frequencies and will IM to you when I get home. There are two nice things about it. First is that CN uses a system wide road channel, so no changing every few hundred miles, although the "RTC Callback" channel (CN uses a system sort of like CSX where the dispatcher - RTC in Canada - is on separate channel) does shift. The other is that Via onboard service crew uses radio to communicate with one another, so you not only get RR operations, you get the service crew, too. Via has its own channel, for that, it isn't the road channel. That channel is also used for the service manager (remember, no conductors on Via) to talk to the head end.
Will you send me those as well. More for the ocean then the Canadian though.
 
The storage space above the toilet in the cabin for two held a 23x15x10 bag and a 19x15x7 bag easily. They also fit under the lower bunk when it was down.
 
Update: After looking at the cost, I was forced to change my route to LAX. I will be taking 421. That means that I am not going to be able to check the San Joaquin off my list this year. I still hope to do it some other time.

On the good side, I now have all my tickets, and I will be checking off the Amtrak Cascades and the Maple Leaf, not to mention the Canadian (which is not technically on my list, not being Amtrak). I'm still looking for scanner freqs for the Canadian, but I have until May to get them.
 
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