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I've always used the term "lounge lizard" to refer to those who set up a sleeping camp in the Sightseer, not those who just spend a long time enjoying the car. I am like @crescent-zephyr, I always spend a good amount of time in the Sightseer, including the less scenic parts (like eastern...

There are also the "border checkpoints" on highways that can be as much as 100 miles from the border.

Well, Superliners are over 16 feet high, so that seems appropriate.

I completely agree. But the rub lies in the "permitted" part. Crews appear to be "permitted" to do anything they darn well please. The Official Amtrak Book of Jokes (aka, the Service Standards manual) notwithstanding.

Faxes are still extensively used in medicine. Don't know about government bureaucracies, but in medical bureaucracies they are an embedded feature.

It is funny that the agreement apparently wasn't nationwide for either country. Or nobody sent the memo to Amtrak, CBP and CBSA on the west coast. The Cascades Vancouver service never used and doesn't now use the stamps/stickers and baggage tags. It was never, ever done out here. That...

Ah, the Service Standards manual, a work of unintended comedic genius.

Addendum/correction to the number of VIA Budd cars sacrificed to destructive tear down inspections and testing last year: 2 Chateau series sleepers 2 Manor series sleepers 1 coach 1 diner 1 Skyline dome/lounge 1 baggage 2 Park dome/obs Total 10 cars. Plus one RDC.

Well, since there are only 8 Prestige Chateaus in existence and 4 consists are required to support the service, they cannot run three on all consists. They don't have enough cars. It has to be an unusual situation of some sort. I bet that the Park will be off limits to Sleeper Plus entirely...

The Cascades have a downloadable PDF available

VIA sleeping accommodations simply cannot hold as much. There is no common storage space like Superliners, nor a luggage cubby like on Viewliners. I never check bags on Amtrak but always do on VIA after an unfortunate experience with a large bag (but within Amtrak carry on limits) in a...

Probably won't bother until I think I have enough for a one-way.

Well, right off, just one, one-way trip in a room is enough to put you into the first elite tier, Privilege, in VIA's Preference program (spend > $999 CAD). That gives you a coupon for 20% off that has no restrictions and plus you get 2x points earn for the year. I didn't use my 20% coupon this...

I like my berth remade and the room given a quick once over, so I do what I normally do on Amtrak. Leave the bed down, ring for the attendant, leave the door open and go to breakfast. As with Amtrak, most of the time, the bed is remade and the room serviced by the time I get back. If it...

They do require closed toe shoes to move about the train. Although I will admit to padding down to washrooms on the other end of the car in the middle of the night barefoot a time or two. I would never cross between cars barefoot, though.

That's pretty much the use that curtain was specifically designed for.

VIA itself, after last year's sacrifice of 7 (? I am too lazy to look it up but it's around there) Budd cars to destructive tear down inspection and testing, says the cars have about 10 more years of safe, useful life. That's really barely enough to get a replacement fleet in place. So their...

I take the Canadian every year and get fares in this ballpark. It isn't luck. I know how their fares work. As to the Builder fare, I started checking a couple of months ago. Both the Lake Shore and Builder were both in higher buckets then. My experience is in the last few years Amtrak...

Yes, but it doesn't have a blank wall between it and the door. From the vestibule door out towards the trucks: Two full windows and a small half window = dry/roomette end. Blank wall and small half window = wet/bedroom end.

I just finished booking my annual Everett, WA, New York, NY round trip, VIA going eastbound, Amtrak returning. EVR-NYP using the Canadian: $22 EVR-VAC coach $1132 USD ($1559.55 CAD) Vancouver(VCVR)-Toronto(TRTO) Roomette. Note this was after a 30% off promotion VIA is running (VIA2024)...