The Winnipeg Sleeper Swap

Some of VIA's operations required switching en route. Switching operations at Winnipeg were of special interest during VIA's early era, not only due to Winnipeg's geographic location as a western Canadian railway crossroads, but also because it was a location at which VIA's transcontinental swapped cars between trains, especially sleepers. This resulted in mixed consists -  ex-CN blue & yellow blended with ex-CP stainless steel cars. Stainless sunset – the setting sun glints off Thompson Manor on Corridor Canadian No 1/55 at Kingston on May 26, 1984, just before I boarded for Manitoba. (top photo by L.C. Gagnon photo)

CANADIAN ITERATIONS 

In the late 1970's, the Canadian and Super Continental operated over CP and CN trackage, respectively, as they had before VIA. Montreal and Toronto sections of each train were joined (westward; split eastward) at Sudbury or Capreol, respectively. Then, in October 1978 the Canadian began operating as one through train Toronto-Vancouver; the Super Continental also operating as one through train, Montreal-Vancouver, trading eastern originating cities with the June 1979 timetable. Both trains now stopped at the CN station in Winnipeg, the Canadian having transferred over from the Higgins Avenue CP station. 

The two trains now met in Winnipeg, exchanging one through sleeper. VIA's October 1978 Western Transcontinental Services timetable page included the following: "Interline Transfers - Winnipeg: This is the main transfer point for passengers boarding the train on one route but destined to points on the other route. Sleeping car passengers enjoy through service: their car is transferred from one train to the other. Coach and Dayniter passengers transferring must change trains". (The same text also appeared in the June 1979 timetable.) Summer 1979 consists west of Winnipeg show one to three E-series sleepers on the Canadian and one or two CP sleepers on the Super Continental. After October, consists show only one of each.

In October 1979, a one-hour scheduled layover was added, to allow passengers time to transfer between the (at that time) joined Sudbury-Winnipeg train and the Winnipeg-Vancouver Super Continental. Passengers continuing west on the Winnipeg-Vancouver Canadian remained aboard at Winnipeg. 

Interestingly, VIA published a revised October 28, 1979 system timetable including the following message on the Canadian and Super Continental Winnipeg-Vancouver schedule tables: "Through sleeping car service to and from Montreal", and this revised text accompanying a schematic diagram of Low-Season Western Transcontinental Service: "Westbound - in Winnipeg, the Super Continental is made up again for passengers destined to points on the north route through Saskatoon and Edmonton. Sleeping car passengers enjoy through service and remain on their car as it is switched to this train. Eastbound - sleeping cars are switched ensuring through service for these passengers" [at Winnipeg]. Coach and Dayniter passengers had to change trains themselves. My brother travelled Toronto to Vancouver westbound on CN, including Winnipeg to Saskatoon, then eastbound on CP Vancouver to Winnipeg thence Winnipeg to Montreal. CN GMD-1 1902 pulls CP Rail-lettered diner, Chateau Maisonneuve and Kootenay Park over the Assiniboine River at Winnipeg during switching moves in November, 1979. (below - David Gagnon photo)

In June 1980, one-and-a-half hours was allocated for the Winnipeg layover. In September 1980, VIA changed from a three-night transcontinental schedule to four nights, operating only one transcontinental train between Sudbury and Winnipeg. This made for a four-hour layover in Winnipeg, and more reasonable departure and arrival times at end points. The change also made more time for inter-switching if one train was late. 

During my trip in October 1980, VIA train No 103 was on another station track at Winnipeg and our No 1 donated Erwood and Chateau Jolliet, behind its CN-painted Eldorado, as the eighth and ninth cars on its train before the two trains left Winnipeg, departing at 1215 and 1330, behind VIA 6505 and 1432, respectively (above). On August 22, 1981, my sleeper Ernestown has been switched from No 1 to No 3 at Winnipeg. Here it slides, sandwiched between similarly swapped Elliston and Eastport, through Portage la Prairie, MB:

INTER-SWITCHING

Most passengers were not as interested in the Winnipeg inter-switching as I was! On the platform, a 1900-series GMD-1 or switcher shuffled cars, while cases of beer and pop, snacks and other menu items were loaded through small doors in the meal service cars. Tractors and baggage wagons brought linen and baggage, low wagons laden with ice blocks for the older cars' cooling systems, and water tanks were filled. Windows were cleaned by a four-man crew, and car-knockers tapped every pipe, wheel and anything else they could hit with a ball-peen hammer under a passenger car. Rail enthusiasts might be able to piece together its results by examining consists east and west of Winnipeg, but before November 1981 I was able to gather first-hand data on the Winnipeg switching and sleeper swapping. A snow-crusted stainless steel and blue & yelow Canadian consist disappears under the trainshed at Toronto Union station on January 25, 1982. (below - Dave More photo, Mark Sampson collection)

THE CORRIDOR CANADIAN

Then, when the 'Corridor Canadian' began operating between Montreal and Toronto in November 1981, I was able to also gather consist-based data on cars added or removed at Toronto for the trip to Western Canada. With the Super Continental cancelled, there was no longer any need for inter-switching at Winnipeg. I was, however, able to photograph the Canadian and the Super Continental in August, 1981 before the latter's cancellation three months later. Interestingly, the Corridor Canadian was switched en route - at Brockville, ON.

CONSIST DATA

The consist data for the Corridor Canadian and west-of-Toronto Canadian is presented side-by-side chronologically within each of the following groups of consists: starting with westbound consists from my 1982 trip, eastbound 1982 consists, consists from my parents’ 1983 trip, ending with some consists east/west of Winnipeg from 1981. Asterisks (*) denote inter-switched cars or locomotive/car changes:

I’m able to draw several conclusions from the above consists…

CONCLUSIONS

In 1982-83, crew cars west of Toronto included one Chateau, two Rivers, nine I-series, one Mount, one Green, and possibly one Dayniter! Deadheaded cars between locomotives and baggage car included two baggage-dorms, one E-series, one ex-CP diner and one Dayniter. Cars removed/swapped at Toronto or Winnipeg were two diners and two sleepers - perhaps these cars were bad-ordered. Generally, cars added to the westbound Corridor Canadian at Toronto, and removed from the eastbound Canadian for its Corridor trip east, were blue & yellow: three to four E-series, a crew car and an ex-CN diner. Also at Toronto, one to four coaches (No 55) were removed from the Corridor Canadian, with four or five coaches (Nos 44/54) added for the Corridor Canadian’s trip east of Toronto.

In August of 1981 at Winnipeg, three E-series sleepers were transferred from Toronto-Vancouver (on CN) No 3 to Montreal-Vancouver No 1 (on CP), and three ex-CP sleepers swapped from No 1 to No 3.  The ex-CP diner was swapped out for a new (fully-stocked) ex-CP diner at Winnipeg. On the August 24 east/west of Winnipeg consists of No 3 that I recorded, the café-lounge was swapped out for an extra ex-CN diner and Skyline .

Once again, the value of consists comes through. I find this kind of data so interesting, and the information it provides, in this instance on VIA's inter-switching, is valuable. Today's passengers on the Canadian smoothly slide through Winnipeg, unaware of the coupling and shuffling that once took place under that trainshed!

Running extra...

VIA paid some high-priced ad agency a high price to create this campaign. To show a good return on taxpayers' money, I've incorporated it in part of this Trackside Treasure campaign (below). All that's missing is the leggy model with the bright yellow pants!

Fellow Kingston railfan Paul Hunter kindly shared another photo of VIA 906 with its 'love the way/la voie qu'on aime' lettering at Kingston on July 15. Love that P42!

Summertime is a great time for a cool beverage. Try an illuminating lager, a winsome wheat beer, a popular pale ale, or a refreshing radler. I went on a 'bender' recently in this muggy Southern Ontario weather and doubled my beer consumption. Yup, I had two in one day! Cheers!

Riding VIA's Canadian, June 2019

It's a rare treat to travel on VIA's ex-CP Canadian. Even non-enthusiasts marvel at the enduring nature of Budd's 1950's design and the stainless steel elan that the Canadian still conveys. This post shows the car's interiors and gives a glimpse of what it's like travelling on the Canadian today. VIA's Customer Delivery Manager Mark Sampson was a man of his word (as well as an expert on the Canadian and a valuable book contributor), meeting us on the platform at Toronto Union. We would also meet Mark on our eastward trip about VIA No 2. When we had a chance to talk, Mark asked me a question that really got me thinking...."So, how does this compare to riding this train in the 1980's?"

One thing that has not changed is the genteel nature of train travel, the daily highlight of eating in a moving restaurant - on No 1, the ex-CP diner Emerald - and the unsurpassed quality of the meals served. Impressive on land, but unparallelled when created in a moving, rolling box of a galley kitchen. Dominique, our car attendant from Cabot Manor is also in the diner as we sit down to our first brunch of our trip, near Washago, ON (above). Lunch and dinner each comprised two sittings, roughly 1730 and 1900, with reservations made in the Panorama lounge at Toronto by the dining car steward, then for the next day's meal while in the diner. Brunch menu:

Every day it was the Transcontinental for me. Hard to beat. I can order it the same at Ramekins Restaurant here in Kingston, at Denny's, or on the Canadian: Scrambled-Sausage-White Toast (SSW - I just think of the Cotton Belt!) The toast was always just right and jam-ready, and the coffee full-bodied and hot. My wife and I at brunch (below). On our No 1, continental breakfast was available in the lower level of the Skyline or the diner 0630-0830 or later, with brunch 0930-1400 then two dinner sittings. Since brunch was on a relaxed schedule, the diner was not full. But for lunch and dinner, it always was, and we would be seated with an array of fellow passengers, usually another couple. The unfortunate IT guy from Trenton, NJ was seated at one meal with three non-English-speakers. Quiet. Just look at that toast:

Fun fact: the tablecloth is always set on a large white towel, to cushion the surface. Cream is always in a pitcher, and salt & pepper always require at least one good knock on the table to get them flowing. Across the aisle we can glimpse limpid lakes among the endless evergreens and the occasional outcrops of igneous rock (below). With meals included in fare, there is no settling up with the steward after each meal, except for liquor purchases. This greatly speeds up sittings, and without internet coverage, how could I pay by Square anyway? Nor do I have to write my order down on paper. Tipping is still allowed, though the 25-cent tip is long gone.

We are in Skyline 8501 with The Smoker - daydreaming about her next, distant smoke break - and Ivan, whose onboard posts from his VIA No 2 I had enjoyed before leaving home. We're enjoying a Caesar for my wife and Steamwhistle, brewed in Toronto's ex-CP John Street roundhouse, for me, both from the under-dome bar. Surprisingly, this bar service is not highlighted or even mentioned to passengers. Fun fact: neither Skyline had been remotely recently refurbished, with bad-order seatback tables and fraying upholstery.

Skyline activity near Washago, ON (below). The Italians, IT guy, the BC political Granny and The Smoker enjoy the sunlight. There are three printed exhortations, of various eras, reminding passengers not to hog the dome seating. Thinking back to Mark's initial question, on my earlier trips, VIA had not reversed the Skyline direction-of-travel yet, so there was no previewing of who was in the dome or who was coming upstairs. One could appear surreptitiously at the back of the dome and scope out your seat. Not any more! Some glass panels have also been replaced with seizure-inducing wavy glass. So not all seats are created equal, and ample air-conditioning also make one pick one's seat, so to speak.

The activity co-ordinator onboard updates the lower-level activity board in each Skyline. In our case, we were the first Sleeper Class Skyline, there also being an Economy Class Skyline ahead, a second Sleeper Class Skyline behind, and finally the Prestige Class Park car. The Three-Class Canadian was upon us. In the 1980's, there were no such distinctions and no lettering on various car end-doors warning off-Class passengers from going any farther. I 'get' that VIA is offering more luxury for Prestige passengers at a higher price, but we all travel together, are all as late as one another, and all cluster around the baggage carousel together. Unlike the 1980's, there was a functioning PA system, though notices of time changes and announcements regarding passing sights were not always given.

Continental breakfast on our second morning (below). Yes, we're still in Ontario, near Auden on CN's Caramat Sub. We've got juice, coffee, muffin and bagel, with fruit and endless Christie cookies available all day downstairs. The Railroader From France is also up with the chickens! Awakening to the non-functioning 'space-toilet' in our Double Bedroom (er, Cabin for 2 - there's another change since the 1980's) we left a note for Dominique and the train rider reset or otherwise remedied the pesky plumbing problem. Train riders were riding both our trains - a positive change from, "The carman will probably look at it at Winnipeg."

Hey Smoker, it's smoke time!! Walking the non-platform at Sioux Lookout with the Chicago Grad's parents and many others - only the second major stop since Toronto, the first being Capreol while we were enjoying our Prime Rib in Emerald last evening, then Hornepayne in the wee hours of the morning. In the wake of Greyhound's reduction of service throughout Western Canada, VIA is left to provide a modicum of inter-city transportation. Twice-a-week is not what I'd call reliably convenient, or even conveniently reliable. But it's something. Most of the Economy Class folks seem to be inter-city travellers. Meanwhile, in Sleeper Plus Class, we only met one other Ontarian, and not many more Canadians. Two words: land-cruise. For all, a great opportunity to appreciate the awesome Rapido Trains-like underbody detail of VIA's Canadian:

Car wraps were not a thing back in the 1980's. This one on Emerald, promoting Churchill was actually eye-catching. Roster shot by my wife. Of the diner, not me. I took a deep breath entering the kitchen end of the diner everytime. Hoping for that hot food/damp air/cigarette smoke/steam table smell of years past, and only inhaled one of the four!

Patient and persevering, fellow blogger Steve Boyko waited for us to possibly emerge into the Beaux-Arts beauty of Winnipeg depot - which we did. Steve did yeoman service touring us around the street-side and trackside of the Depot. I related to Steve that in the 1980's, I would disembark into the depot, then not-so-surreptitiously slip through under the tracks into East Yard and up at track level to see the wonders of VIA (and the hulks of CN and CP passenger service) on display. Not anymore. The servicing stop looked frenetic, especially since we were running late, and I suggested Steve not run any later, since for one of us the next day, duty called. I heartily recommend Steve's book Passing a Half Century, an essential part of my post-trip armchair travel research!

For the inquisitive boarding passenger, eager to find his or her place in the Canadian milieu, there are these schematic boards at major VIA stations. This one is nearly anatomically correct, with our No 1 having three locomotives and six, not five, mid-train Manor cars. The 'Not in Service' car actually represents a Chateau car (Closse on our train) in crew-sleeper service. Fun fact: Porters/car attendants also requisitioned space in unoccupied Sleeper Class accommodations. Also note the impressive bulk of your humble blogger's reflection and the innards of the depot in the reflection, as well as an enlarged vintage black & white photo of the station environs in an much earlier-than-the -1980's era!

Crossing the wilds of Alberta, on-board entertainers enthrall in the lower level of the Skyline. A nice change to break up the monotony of Saskatchewan or the somnolence of Manitoba. On No 1, a pair of folk singers with various Canadian animal puppets and accessible percussion instruments. On No 2, the virtuosity of David Shewchuk the violinist. The VIA website notes artists' meals may or may not be included, but David should not only NOT be asked to wash the dishes, he should be given a cab ride for his unbelievable onboard stringed-instrument skill! All-ages view from the dome:

Another smoke break, this one at Saskatoon. Vestiges of tracks for Railiner runs to other Western cities remain in foreground, while the station itself basks in 1980's lettering and graphics near the ticket counter. Unlike the 1980's, there is no escaping steam, and refuelling is done direct from on-call local tank trucks. But rail enthusiasts are not encouraged to watch, and passengers are warned in advance not to go near the locomotives or cross any tracks. Safety Second, Risk-Aversity First!

On June 22, we watch VIA No 2 'back' into Edmonton's station, located in the hinterlands, south of CN's Walker Yard. Or in VIA terms, Bottleneck Yard. A classy train, in my opinion, does not require a back-up move, though these were made variously at Edmonton, Saskatoon and even Armstrong. Gone are the days of waiting in the bottom of CN's Edmonton tower, and definitely Calgary's basement waiting room. But stay behind the fences, here and in Jasper, little sheep. My interior shot was photo-bombed by a well-attired, long lens-toting rail enthusiast, at right:

Our early-evening, lurching 15-car pied-a-terre pedestrian-pinball-procession to Glacier Park let us enjoy the Prestige treatment at the non-airhorn end of the train. We actually travelled both ways inside, eschewing a platform walk to get us there one way. A crew member wisely advised Three Points of Contact at all times. This can apparently include one foot, an elbow and a forehead, in my case. As early-evening turns to evening, the car is momentarily empty. In the 1980's, those pedestal drink caddy/ashtrays seemed to be in the way, and the single chairs did not encourage as much canoodling. These sofas are downright comfy and my wife even approved:

Not the 1980's anymore - riding in the vestibule, angling out a Dutch door. Not only is this practice strictly forbidden, it's often impossible due to storage of bags and boxes for removal. No more taking in three senses simultaneously. Stairway to Heaven: taken on our one-and-only trip to get some receding shots near Rivers, here is the stairway to the Park car dome. I missed having snacks and junk food available beneath the Skyline dome. Though included-in-fare meals more than mashed my melancholy. Coffee and refreshments available at right:

Sections are still around. And part of me still wants to try one. Though a larger part of me asks, "Are you crazy?" They are the widest berths on the train. Thirty years ago, pamphlet racks along these aisles held a variety of VIA promotional literature. Getaway to Chatham, Get to Know your Service Manager, and the like. The Long Walk - Sections section. On today's Canadian, many of the on-board staff (either they're getting younger, or...they must be getting younger) refer to the number of 'seasons' they've been aboard, working only high-season summer trains. One mentioned that there about 400 that bid on these jobs. While some of the 1980's porters and waiters were younger, some were definitely seasoned veterans who must have come across from CN or CP. Service was not always their number-one priority. Each porter now seems to be responsible for one-and-a-half sleepers.

At the end of a rollicking dome and diner day, it was actually a relief to climb right in here. Even my wife, who was fearing Sleeping on a Train, (as well as Snakes on a Plane) quickly acclimatizzzzzzz. The little box for Lames Utilisees/Used Blades is gone, and the spring-loaded refuse receptacle under the sink - replaced with a plastic bag-lined dollar-store garbage can. No more pulling out stinky banana peels and who-knows-what for the car cleaners. Harking historically back to a bygone era, I burrowed under the duvet (whaddya mean no more CN Maple Leaf Ayers blankets, made in Lachute, QC??), and before shutting off the 1950's light fixture, revelled in thoughts including, but not limited to:

• Everything in railroading is heavy and made to last. Look at the rollers holding my bed in position!
• My (unshineable) shoes are safely waiting in the aisle-accessible shoe locker, but the porter named Roosevelt or George was no longer there to stealthily shine them and return them while I slumber.
• I'm glad I don't have to wear a suit because I can barely fold my jeans for tomorrow in the close confines of this space!
• Portage la Prairie in darkness? Scheduling guru, you screwed up!
• ALL three S's in the morning!

Running extra...

STOP THE PRESSES! CATCH OF THE DAY!

Fellow Kingston railfan Paul Hunter kindly shared his photo of tonight's VIA No 68 with VIA 906 with the new 'Love the Way' lettering through Kingston behind 6407, then four LRC cars, then VIA 6438-6428 elephant-style on the tail-end:

You won't find a plethora of mountain majesties on here - this is not Instagram nor a travelogue. Okay, just one. The non-$20 bill view of Moraine Lake:

Just watched 'Barney's Version' with the versatile Paul Giamatti, based on the novel by Mordecai Richler. And I'm richer for it. Not to mention cameos by Bruce Greenwood, David Cronenberg, the Laurentians and Central Station, where Barney meets love interest Miriam (Rosamund Pike), dashing onto ex-CP stainless steel coaches from the vestibule-level platforms. Conductor with CN blazer and Amtrak hat!

Kingston-Edmonton Round Trip Aboard VIA, 26 Days in 26 Photos

I'd read that most recent retirees do most of their travelling within the ensuing three years. As a fresh retiree myself, why buck the trend? On the first official day of said retirement, it was down to Kingston's VIA station to get our tickets. While we didn't exactly sleep with them under our pillows, it was good to have them in hand (top photo). Over 1,500 photos would follow on this trip. Having said I would not subject Trackside Treasure's long-suffering readership to a multi-part trip account (that would preclude me from doing other things I enjoy, like presenting posts that allow me to wallow in nostalgia) I decided that I would instead present our trip as a-photo-a-day. Granted, rainy Edmonton provided us with several days of indoor activities, but let's stick with the concept! Let's get to those 26 photos in 26 days, starting of course on Day 1, which was also conveniently June 1...

June 1 found us again at Kingston's VIA station, ready to begin a cross-country journey aboard VIA Rail. My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to drop by the station at departure time, as our daughter and her fiancee deposited us on the platform. Soon enough, on-time VIA No 63 arrived and we boarded the train for Toronto. Before our train pulled out, my wife gazed out the window for her first trackside view of many we'd share (above). This was not my first time making this trip, but it was our first time together. It was also my wife's first visit to British Columbia, and the longest stretch of uninterrupted time she and I had spent together. And we're still together!! 

June 2 - staying in Toronto overnight to start and end one trip, we were up, breakfasted and down to Union Station's Panorama Lounge shortly after 8 a.m. for our 0945 departure. While going to check luggage on the lower level, I paused to snap the Departures board (above). We were fortunate to meet Mark Sampson, one of my book contributors, in his role as VIA Rail service manager! Before long, we were refreshed and ready to board our accommodation for the trip west - Bedroom E of Cabot Manor.

Jessica from Winnipeg was in charge of activities on the way west. This dome view shows newlyweds, Australian itinerant lady traveller ("Do you know if this train goes through the Rocky Mountains? - Yes it does. Are we out of Ontario yet? No we're not  - nine more hours!") Also Chicago  (toting BRS Trackside Guide) and parents, and New Jersey IT guy, among others.  I should note that this trip was never intended to be The Definitive Railfan Experience of the Canadian West or even Trainwatching Thrills in the Rockies but more of a holistic, allgemeine getaway - something for everyone. Having said that, we all know about Mountain Rule One: Where there are roads in mountains, tracks are never far away, don't we?? All's well at Ruel as the sun sets on our first day on the Canadian.

June 3 finds us at the twin towns (definitely not the Twin Cities) of Armstrong and Collins. A large number of passengers has boarded, and now we wait for CN to get out of the way. This was a VERY common occurrence and no, I did not photograph nor note every number on every CN freight we met because not only were they delaying us, there were simply too many of them! As with most other such CN yards, the days of neat stuff on the back track were gone. No bunk cars, snowplows, flangers or cabooses, just pieces of rail and other piles of materiel remain.

A most pleasant evening was spent with my wife (of course), Chicago grad, Laptop Guy and Ivan. We quickly developed nicknames for all our fellow travellers - the Italian Couples, Mr and Mrs. Downs (don't ask), the newlyweds, the Smoker (well who should I contact to let me know when and where we'll be stopping long enough for a cigarette break??) - though Ivan truly is his real name! Anyway, through one of five tunnels, the last before reaching the Rockies, at sunset at about Mi 135 of CN's Redditt Sub:

June 4 - up at Yarbo, with converging potash mine spurs and grain elevators. As usual, morning routine was showers - mere feet away in our Manor car - continental breakfast taken up to the dome and let the sightseeing begin. Sometimes there was a wait for dome seats, largely due to nappers, book-readers or only single seats available. Usually, Skyline-seat-bingo meant that seats freed up fairly quickly. Saskatchewan means grain elevators! Most wooden elevators were privately-owned, used for storage and/or not rail-served. Still wearing Saskatchewan Wheat Pool brown, Hubbard's elevator is lettered for Bryck Farms, not SWP, just east of Ituna:

June 7 - after three days with family in Edmonton, it was time for our 2,000-mile rental car round-up to begin! Hertz painlessly gave us a very good deal, less than $300 for ten days and unlimited mileage. Our first day's longest stop was in Jasper, where from the Maligne Canyon trail lookout, it was possible to see CN freights jockeying for position into and out of Jasper yard. The sheer volume of CN freights on streetcar-like headways west of Manitoba was staggering, especially between Edmonton and Jasper, and earlier west of Melville.

As we already know, CNR 6015 took over in Jasper when CNR 6060 left town for restoration in Montreal.

June 8 and 9  - two nights on a Valemount dude ranch included trail riding (horse name Duke, coccyx pain minimal) and breakfast brought to our cabin by the owner, in pickup truck and cowboy boots. Fresh-baked bread? You had me at butter!! A day trip into nearby Valemount let us sample some local craft beer and pick up some barbecue items for supper. We tarried not long at Valemount's VIA non-station. The owner had earlier told us, "We tell our summer staff not to take the train - there's nothing there and no-one to meet you when you arrive!"

June 10 - from Valemount, it was east and south along the Icefields Parkway. Considering Jasper and Banff too pricey and busy, we used Valemount, Canmore, Golden and Hinton as bases outside those main tourist towns. Upon checking in at the Canmore Rocky Mountain Inn, Mountain Rule One came into effect. CP westbounds fleeted through around work blocks (four in 45 minutes on June 11 - below), and cab numbers could be gleaned from the balcony while enjoying a cold beverage, before the nightly inn wine-and-cheese reception, which in turn was before dinner at Patrino's, recommended by the hotel clerk and did not disappoint (Mountain Rule One was in effect there, too!) with two trains after dinner. As with most CP freights, BNSF, UP or leased ex-CSX and Bluebird power was in evidence.

June 11 - Seeing the scenic wonders of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. 'No trains there, and both towns' railway stations are cloyingly referred to as 'Heritage Rail Stations'.

June 12 - Banff, AB population 7,000. In summer, double it! Arriving at the 'Heritage Rail Station' at 0815, Bluebird CEFX 1033-UP 5228 were waiting to take CP grain loads west, following the dearly-departed and scenery-monopolizing Rocky Mountaineer. Then it was back to Canmore for wing night at Patrino's, with two trains passing while enjoying beer 'n' wings.

June 13 - up the Bow Valley Parkway, past a CP eastbound in the hole, ballast cars and large machine gang and Jimbo tie handler south of Lake Louise. No trains at Morant's Curve (below) but shortly thereafter, passing an eastbound would normally have meant a 180 U-turn and pursuit. But British Columbia awaited, so a more-tree, less-train nonetheless-spectacular view would have to do. The good news is that Parks Canada has done a nice job with signage, railings, walkways, albeit a small parking lot on this highly significant CPR site!

June 14 - After visiting more family in verdant Vernon, BC, Mountain Rule One came into effect again. An airhorn delayed car-repacking at The Castle at Swan Lake - this best-of-trip complimentary breakfast and best amenities for best price, as this just-retired non-sprinter sprinted downhill through the parking lot to see just what traversed those silvery rails along Swan Lake. CN, that's what! CN 2608-2567 trundled south with thirty covered hoppers at 0945:

Then, at noon...hmmm...if you were go to Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, it would be a near-religious experience. If the choir started singing and the organ was in full cry, THAT would be a religious experience. If you go to Craigellachie and CP sends two trains through, THAT is a religious experience. Even without such an experience, it would be a nice park, well cared-for grounds and a gift shop. Just being there makes you want to hammer something home. But when the tiny sign adjacent to the mocked-up track says, "Please - Do Not Hammer Spikes" it is like giving out blindfolds and earplugs at the aforementioned basilica. So I mocked up my hammer-swing:

June 15 - After our first night in Golden, we drove east to explore Field and its mothballed station. The same station into which my VIA Canadian slid back in the 80's. An outgoing freight crew was waiting on the platform, not speaking, their facial expressions a mix of grit, determination, disinterest, fear and bravado that I can still see in my mind's eye. But now, it's posted 'No Trespassing' so it was viewed from the town, up the hill:

Back to Golden in the afternoon, there, hiding among the underbrush, being fuelled by Petro-Canada, is the Royal Canadian Pacific consist. Forget feeding or approaching wildlife, here I had to forget properly photographing or approaching the F-units. Anyway, peering furtively like a frightened doe or a wary mountain goat, there it was:

June 16 - Upon leaving Golden we made an impulse stop at the largely-visually-blocked Spiral Tunnels lookout. But like the shy wildlife, an eastbound grain train can be seen among the trees if one just waits, peers, and perseveres long enough. As the head-end emerges from the Lower Spiral Tunnel (2), grain cars continue to enter the Lower's portal (1) as the train's tail-end (3) exits from the Upper Spiral Tunnel, the entrance to which is uphill behind us.

   

Returning to Edmonton via Jasper (for more Tims and t-shirts), puffy clouds crown the plumped-up late on-time performance of VIA's Skeena, seen here at the station as inexorable intermodal invaders continue to roll:

June 17 - back in Edmonton, the sun shone a little more, and we entered Edmonton through Spruce Grove, as this adorable aquamarine apparition greeted us. Eighties Me thought - hey, an elevator! New Millennium Me thought - hey, didn't AWP become Agricore then Agricore United and hey, an elevator! still in AWP colours. Stop the car! Always one of the most aesthetically-pleasing schemes, this Spruce Grove museum elevator looks positively regal perched along the road into town.

Our next few days in Edmonton were plagued by unusually wet weather. June 19 - The Old Strathcona Antique Mall hosted several marker lamps and a set of crossing flashers on offer. My suitcase was simply too small. A drive downton on June 20 yielded ETS LRT in YEG:

June 21 - Sunny. Near South Edmonton/Strathcona, this end-cupola CP Rail caboose marks the location where my RDC from Calgary once terminated. Now it's a playground for adult trespassers making bad choices. Does the trespasser think it's time to 'going back to turn some stemwinders as we descend the Big Hill' or some other obscure historical CPR reference? I doubt it. 

June 22 - After an impressively-late arrival and departure [Winnipegers Brian and Mark, I feel your pain as you watch a tiny icon move across the station television screen. I did the same in Edmonton] during which I thought "I can switch out two passenger cars and cut in one much, much faster in HO scale" I was reminded that as Model Railroader used to tell us, "Passenger trains can switch, too!". Switch slowly, VIA, switch slowly. Diner Kent was cut in as the Panorama car 1721 and Jarvis Manor were switched out. Departure 4 hours, 30 minutes down.

June 23 - The next day gave a glowingly golden gamut of Prairies, ending in the Park car with other non-Prestige passengers as we are allowed 'to go back there' after 4 p.m. Snapping photos of the Uno trestle out Glacier Park's bullet lounge windows (below). Through Portage la Prairie and into Winnipeg 2 hours, 30 minutes late.

June 24 - this day was largely characterized by rain, trees, more rain and dinner! Sioux Lookout, ON was reached 4 hours late. Our tablemates from Wyoming and Venezuela popped their eyes out, as did I, when this delicious, juicy beef burger arrived on my towel-cushioned, white-tableclothed and flower-bedecked table at lunchtime of a long day. Not normally given to photographing my meals (no smart phone and no Instagram) I just had to. I mean, look at this prodigious display of high-caloric goodness! Beware - there be vegetables!

June 25 - The sun beamed brightly as it desperately tried to permeate CN's tree-tunnelled right-of-way, which was a consistent architectural feature of our trackside vistas throughout northern Ontario. Twigs touching FRA glazing in Parry Sound! Birches leaning precariously trackward! But two hours late at Parry Sound magically became one hour early into Toronto Union!

From Jack Astor's fourth floor patio at Yonge-Dundas Square, we heard horns honking, misters misting and nacho cheese sizzling.

June 26 - On board VIA No 64 for a quick trip down CN's Kingston Sub, here passing over the Don River at 1150. Downstream were the Don Rapids and possibly the Don Rickles. Anyway, our quest was at an end as limestone hove into view and we disembarked with suitcases full of  complimentary hotel toiletries, and hearts and minds full of mountain memories!

Watch for an upcoming post on 'Life Aboard VIA's Canadian'!

Running extra...

While heading west, we were pleased to meet while onboard:

• Minneapolis' Tim, who kindly sent a link to his blog and his Black Wing and Western Branch layout while we were still aboard. It's always enjoyable to meet a fellow enthusiast in his natural environment and discuss prototype and model railroading.
• Vancouver's Ivan, a winner of VIA's 40th anniversary contest. I'd seen Ivan's posts on social media, never dreaming we would be on the same westbound Canadian. We spoke of the opportunities Canada presents, life in Vancouver, and how many photos we were taking!  
• Wininpeg's Steve Boyko, who kindly waited until well past his bedtime to greet us and give a quick tour of the Winnipeg depot environs. Honourable mentions to Brian Schuff and Mark Perry for staying as late as time permitted!
  
  Speaking of Winnipeg, the Prairie Dog Central currently has two ex-CPR G5's on the property, sent north from Virginia in 2015. My uncle's brother shared these photos taken recently.