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Rail Freak

Engineer
Joined
Apr 5, 2008
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Location
Tampa Bay, Florida
I've been thinking of doing a Canada trip (coast to coast). What would be the best for me if:

I want a sleeper

I want to dress casual

I want to see the best scenery @ the cheapest price

RF
 
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I've been thinking of doing a Canada trip (coast to coast). What would be the best for me if:

I want a sleeper

I want to dress casual

I want to see the best scenery @ the cheapest price

RF
The Canadian for sure from Toronto-Vancouver, go in the winter when prices are lowest bucket and lots of specials (but not during holiday times, prices go down after Canadian Thanksgiving which is In Oct., rise for Christmas /New years, stay low until Spring, go back up in May!Casual dress can be jeans/sneakers and layered T-shirt/shirt/sweater/jacket for getting off the train!Your other option is the Ocean from Montreal-Halifax but the scenry is not as good as the Rockies in the west! Google up via.ca and do some info/price tests. They even have real specials during none tourist timnes such as companion prices/1/2 price etc. The cheapest are the upper berth/section sleeper, then the lower berth/section sleeper, then what we call a roomette, I think they call it a bedroom for one??? :)
 
No matter what you do, when you go, or how much you spend, ride Via Rail ASAP. It is an experience that will spoil you.
That's assuming that VIA actually lets you ride their trains. Last year they wouldn't let me ride! :( And for a little while I was beginning to wonder if they were going to let me ride this summer.

And I have to say that while it was nice, I didn't exactly feel spoiled when I went VIA 1 between Montreal and Toronto, especially with the one attendant.
 
The Canadian is amazing. I've ridden it twice, once in September with a 22 car consist (4 domes) and once in January with 10 cars and the highest passenger load was 40. But on both trips, I was treated like a king. It was absolutely fantastic. And don't worry about the casual dress, it might feel like you're on a cruise, but casual dress is encouraged.
 
When I was younger My mom and I used to take the via rail corridor train from Windsor to Toronto and back to visit relatives. We always got our tickets from AAA back then. The staff was always nice and friendly. I don't remember it but my mom says the engineer let me up into the cab while stopped at the station. I also remember that once in awhile they would pass out these cardboard puzzles that you fold together to make a paper model of a LRC locomotive and a LRC coach. The first time we took the via rail train they were trying out other food besides chips on the train so we got free sandwiches and soda cause it was a promotional thing. The next year we had to pay for them. And the year after that all they had was small cans of Pringles chips from the food cart. At least that's the way I remember as a child.
 
There are High Dollar Tourist trains that run only from Vancouver to the Rockies, also the Land Cruise Tourist trains here in the US usually are several thousands of dollars! Of course the canadian can be thousands of dollars if you book in the Sumnmer and take the most expensive accomodations! The cheapest I saw it last winter was like $750 CDN, which is cheap for this train! (I was a section seat/bed for one,cheapest roomette/bedroom for one I saw was like $980 but still cheap for that train!) Coach is about half but doesnt include meals nor access to the First Class ammenities and why would you want to do this on a Bucket List trip, you can't take it with you, money doesnt repolace memories! ;)
 
No matter what you do, when you go, or how much you spend, ride Via Rail ASAP. It is an experience that will spoil you.
That's assuming that VIA actually lets you ride their trains. Last year they wouldn't let me ride! :( And for a little while I was beginning to wonder if they were going to let me ride this summer.

And I have to say that while it was nice, I didn't exactly feel spoiled when I went VIA 1 between Montreal and Toronto, especially with the one attendant.
]
And I guess I should have been more specific with the "spoil you" statement. Via Rail will "spoil you" in regards to how you are treated as a customer on their trains, in GENERAL. Comparatively I was "spoiled" by the courtesy of the station agents in Moncton, NB, my sleeping car attendant on The Ocean, the dining crew on The Ocean, even the lounge attendant on The Ocean.

OK, I'll bite, what do you mean, "....Last year they wouldn't let me ride! :( And for a little while I was beginning to wonder if they were going to let me ride this summer.......?"
 
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And I guess I should have been more specific with the "spoil you" statement. Via Rail will "spoil you" in regards to how you are treated as a customer on their trains, in GENERAL. Comparatively I was "spoiled" by the courtesy of the station agents in Moncton, NB, my sleeping car attendant on The Ocean, the dining crew on The Ocean, even the lounge attendant on The Ocean.
I didn't feel all that spoiled when the first class attendant barked at me to put my bags in the overhead luggage rack, rather than in the empty floor based rack at the end of the car as I entered the train. I tried to comply, but the overhead bin would not hold my laptop backpack, so after putting my suitcase above, I went back and put my laptop in the floor rack. He turned around to see me doing that and yelled at me "I told you to put that in the overhead." I told him that it wouldn't fit and returned to my seat. Two minutes later he walked down the aisle with my bag and proceeded to shove it into the overhead bin without comment.

I didn't find out till later than night that in the process of his abusing my bag, he broke a flashlight in the front compartment and knocked a full water bottle out of the side compartment that I didn't notice as I removed the bag in Toronto.

So while I suspect that this was more of an aberration, I can tell you that I wasn't feeling too spoiled after that run.

And while the food was superior to Acela's first class food, the 2 & 2 seating that didn't provide any more legroom that an Amfleet one also didn't make me feel too spoiled. To VIA's credit, the other attendant seemed just fine and did take good care of getting me my food.

OK, I'll bite, what do you mean, "....Last year they wouldn't let me ride! :( And for a little while I was beginning to wonder if they were going to let me ride this summer.......?"
Last year my mom and I went to the On Track On Line Southern California Railfest in the LA/San Diego area. While most returned back east via the SW Chief, our plans saw us taking the Coast Starlight up the coast to Seattle, a Talgo to Vancouver, and then the Canadian to Toronto, before finally returning home on the Maple Leaf.

As the fest was riding down the coast to San Diego, word came that the engineers for VIA were considering a strike. I spent time while in San Diego, back in LA for one night, and while riding the CS booking alternative plans just to get us home in case of a strike. And they did indeed go on strike 2 days before we were to travel. The settled the day our train was supposed to leave, but that was already too late for us and too late for the train to run that day anyhow.

This year's OTOL is in the Pacific Northwest, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. So again we figured, we're going to be right there this time, let's try again. We booked the reservations about 5 months ago for the Canadian. Word came at the beginning of June that the OBS, phone agents, stations agents, and others were considering a strike at the end of June, the 27th. At least this time I had some forewarning and wasn't actually already in the middle of my riding while starting to scope out other alternatives. Thankfully this time the union settled the day before the strike deadline.

So unless they vote down the contract, we should be good to go.

But again, I'm not exactly feeling spoiled and special.
 
Canada has lots of Unions and when a general Strike is called almost everyone in Canada that works for the Government (it is a Socialist Country)honors the strike and stays home. This includes VIA workers and all other transportation workers too! (you can't get there from here!)They will run a few corridor trains (Montreal-Windsor) with management scabs but very limited service! You are correct about VIA service/trains but the price is high! Doubt if most Americans would want to pay what Canadians pay in taxes/higher prices etc. :eek:
 
While I wasn't treated rudely, I wouldn't call myself spoiled by VIA on the Malahat, either. Granted, it's a short (slow!) run with vintage RDCs, but my interactions (at stations and on the train) were really no different than the average on Amtrak.
 
When looking to book VIA, what does "Discounted Fare" actually mean?

Thanx

RF

EX: Cabin for 1 opposed to Discounted Cabin for 1 ?????
mda.gif
 
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Similar to buckets or our "discounted" fares! Always go for the lowest one listed of course!

I guess Cabin is the word I couldnt remember for roomette! via.ca is a pretty good website,fun to play with/monitor! Hope what ive sent helps, it prompted me to get back on the site when I get home and can use my computer! ;) Jim
 
Similar to buckets or our "discounted" fares! Always go for the lowest one listed of course!

I guess Cabin is the word I couldnt remember for roomette! via.ca is a pretty good website,fun to play with/monitor! Hope what ive sent helps, it prompted me to get back on the site when I get home and can use my computer!
wink.gif
Jim
YEP,

Opened my Eyes, gonna Geter Done!!!

Thanx

RF

I still don't understand why they have a non discount price & a dicount price unless there is a differance somewhere!!!

RF
help.gif
 
Similar to buckets or our "discounted" fares! Always go for the lowest one listed of course!

I guess Cabin is the word I couldnt remember for roomette! via.ca is a pretty good website,fun to play with/monitor! Hope what ive sent helps, it prompted me to get back on the site when I get home and can use my computer!
wink.gif
Jim
YEP,

Opened my Eyes, gonna Geter Done!!!

Thanx

RF

I still don't understand why they have a non discount price & a dicount price unless there is a differance somewhere!!!

RF
help.gif
The only difference is the price.

Amtrak has 5 bucket levels for its sleepers. If you're lucky, you can go from Tampa to NY for the low bucket of $198 in a Roomette. If you're unlucky and get the high bucket, you can go from Tampa to NY for $489, plus rail fare. You still get the same service and ammenities without regard to which of the 5 bucket prices you paid.

VIA has 2 buckets, discounted and regular. Just like Amtrak, you get rewarded for being one of the people who helps to make the minimum quota for the train. Once that quota is met, you get to pay the higher price. But the attedants aren't going to know which price you paid and you aren't going to get any difference in the level of service.
 
Canada has lots of Unions and when a general Strike is called almost everyone in Canada that works for the Government (it is a Socialist Country)honors the strike and stays home. This includes VIA workers and all other transportation workers too! (you can't get there from here!)They will run a few corridor trains (Montreal-Windsor) with management scabs but very limited service! You are correct about VIA service/trains but the price is high! Doubt if most Americans would want to pay what Canadians pay in taxes/higher prices etc. :eek:
I really wish people that throw around the term "socialist" would actually have some basic understanding of the term. From that unimpeachable source, Wikipedia( actually I'm just too lazy to look it up in Webster's, et al): "Socialism is an economic and political theory based on public ownership or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources.": Government programs alone do no a Socialist country make.

Here's a question for the political scientists on this Board: What, arguably, is the most "socialist" of the 50 states over the last almost 100 years. I'll give you a hint: It starts with an "N" and has a state-owned bank and at least used to have state-owned industries( I haven't checked to see if it still does. Again, that lazy thing)?
 
Opinions are like noses, everyone has one but IMO,especially in the winter, going West from Toronto-Vancouver is the best way, longer days. Also Toronto has cheaper hotels than Vancouver so you can spend the night, then when you get to Vancouver take the bus to Seattle and catch the Empire Builder, the bus will drop you off @ King Street Station!

If you want to ride the CS you will have to spend the night in SEA since it leaves early in the AM!
 
When looking to book VIA, what does "Discounted Fare" actually mean?

Thanx

RF

EX: Cabin for 1 opposed to Discounted Cabin for 1 ?????
mda.gif
I believe the discounted fare will incur a small fee if you cancel the trip. The full price fare can be cancelled without penalty. Of course, this refers to cancellation before departure; after departure you are out of luck :(

Mike
 
When looking to book VIA, what does "Discounted Fare" actually mean?

Thanx

RF

EX: Cabin for 1 opposed to Discounted Cabin for 1 ?????
mda.gif
I believe the discounted fare will incur a small fee if you cancel the trip. The full price fare can be cancelled without penalty. Of course, this refers to cancellation before departure; after departure you are out of luck :(

Mike
Yes, at least in the case of a sleeper, the discounted fare comes with a $100 penalty for cancelling the reservation prior to departure.
 
Also with Canadian trains the sleepers do not have doors to the bunk and you share a room with someone if you choose the cheapest sleeping option.
 
Also with Canadian trains the sleepers do not have doors to the bunk and you share a room with someone if you choose the cheapest sleeping option.
Ah, not entirely true. You CAN choose to get a "Section" (think that's what it's called) where the upper and lower will be sold to different parties. There is ONLY a heavy duty curtain. (Think old Three Stooges shorts, but not three-high) But you can also get the equiv of a slumbercoach, (for one) or a "cabin for one".

When I rode in April, I felt that the mattress was almost twice as thick as any I have ever seen on Amtrak.
 
OK I was going by pictures a member posted.
There are sections and in the daytime configuration there are two large seats for each of the night time bunks. There you can sit with someone you don't know. At night each person has their own curtained in area and aren't sleeping in the same "room" so to speak. You do have privacy.

When we last rode, we had a full bedroom but the car we were in had sections, too. None of them were being used and I enjoyed sitting in the seats of the section area more than in the bedroom. Of course I was in the dome a lot, too.
 
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