Train From Vancouver, BC to Toronto, Then NYC and Boston

Ok, Time for a trip report. We took two short flights from Eastern Washington then Seattle to Vancouver,BC. My Wife, Granddaughter and myself boarded a Train for a 4 night train ride from Vancouver, BC to Toronto. We met a few people in a lounge before the 8:30 PM departure from Vancouver. We Boarded the train and met the steward who gave us the low down on whats going on and how things work. We had a Private Cabin for 3 with a bathroom and sink area for whatever. The shower was down the hall, and was as big a shower we would have at home. We left the room, the steward pulled down our bunks and turned down the bedding, we were ready for the first nights sleep. Mollie, got the top bunk (Darn) kids always win, my wife got the bunk under hers and mine was on the other side of the room, the Pajama party was in full swing as the train pulled away from the station. The trip across Canada is 4466 KM, or 2775 miles.
 
 I will be posting sample pictures of meals that were offered. they offered breakfast, lunch and dinner, all day beverages and snacks. I'll be back soon with our second day, waking up to the beginning of a full day Canadian Rocky Mountain Adventure.

I'm standing by ... THIS is going to be a good one.  Can't wait.

ALL ABOARD! Can't wait! Does the train have a name?

I love trains. Can't wait to see if the food is worth the trip.

you probably took The Canadian correct?
waiting for as many train pics as food pics on the first leg of your journey.

Whoo-Hoo!.............hope you have a great trip............. My mother and Younger brother went Montreal to Vancouver back in the 70's...they said the scenery was spectacular..the food so/so......I'll be interested to see if 40 years later, things have changed.

After meeting with the steward, we took a walk around the train while the steward prepared our cabin for an nights sleep. When we left the cabin it was set up with two chairs facing a picture window and a couch on the side wall. After having a Champagne and Hors D' oeuvres welcome we returned to our cabin to three turned down bunks ready for  our families tired bodies. My little girl loved the adventure of the top bunk, while my wife and I took the other two lower ones. My little one fell asleep fast, my wife and I laid on our beds watching the train travel out of the city, I lowered the black out shade for a nights sleep.
  The morning came fast, I was up around 5 AM after my wife telling me it was after 6 AM, she couldn't see her VERY VERY small watch face very well. The older we get the smaller the watch face gets. I got up, grabbed a bath towel, soap and shampoo provided by the cabin steward each day. The shower was down the hall, It was a very clean large walk in shower with glass door. The shower was hot and worked very good. I steeped out into a dressing area and got dressed for the day ( I didn't shave, I thought with the movement of the train, I would cut my myself and bleeding buring breakfast doesn't go over very well). I went for a cup of coffee and then up to the upper dome viewing car. There were a few guys drinking coffee talking about the day ahead. It's easy to make friends and talk with people from all destinations around the world. The view was great along a swollen river from the large amount of spring run off, from a large amount of mountain snow pack. I drank my coffee and rounded up the girls for breakfast in the dining car. Breakfast started at 7 AM, we were pulled into the Kamloops station ready for a full day of our Rocky Mountain adventure. Breakfast was open to all, no seating time needed for breakfast. The menu offered 3 different entrees changing daily. The only entree that stayed constant was the all American breakfast, Eggs any style, hashbrowns, choice of bacon, ham or sausage, toast with an assortment of jams and jelly, hot coffee and juice. The other two were Buttermilk Pancakes and Breakfast meats or a lighter oatmeal, yogurt and things like that. This is what we had....................

My wife had this, Scrambled eggs, Hash browns and link sausage ...........REMEMBER I'M TAKING PICTURES ON A TRAIN THATS GOING 60 MPH

The service was great, very kind to my little girl that is sleepy and still tired and never knows what she wants to eat for breakfast. The food was hot, cooked very well, the coffee was hot, juice was cold and the toast was a thick cut very good quality. They offered Rye, white or wheat. This is a great way to start the day, great meal, great friendly service with a smile.
We went back to our room, the steward had the bunks up and away, the chairs back in position in full view of the scenery out the picture window.
I'll be back later with more...........

rail-ROADFOOD ...
Sure is FAR better than what I envision train food ... My experience on Metro North was never  worth documenting.

You probably won't get this kind of experience on Amtrak

Great beginning Bill. I'm looking forward to more. Train food used to be really good. In fact, I had my introduction to -- and began my lifelong love affair with -- corned beef hash while traveling from New Orleans to New York on the Southerner back in the '40s (the 1940s, smart @$$'s).

Hopefully you aimed the camera out the windows too from time to time.

yes, I was going to make the same comment. The Canadian Rockies are beautiful.

The Canadian Rockies are indeed beautiful.  One year we drove from Anchorage to Palm Springs, CA.  The trip through Canada was the best part.

After Breakfast we went up to the Dome car to view the wonders of the Canadian Rockies. I could not do justice with my camera catching the true beauty of this area. It was a great site and it is hard to take it all in at one time. this is the view getting close to the mountain range.

the view of the Rockies during lunch....


during lunch the sky started to clear

lunch was a Salmon incrusted in Puff pasrty in a dill sauce and  a glass of white wine


my wife had a Southwester Chicken wrap

Little Mollie downed a mini pizza

 
 
 
 

Yum!

Bill, I've been anxiously waiting for this report and I see that it won't disappoint.
 
I'm guessing you had to have passports.  It's a trip I've thought about taking, but I don't want to buy a passport. 
 
Looking forward to more!
 
 

So far....wonderful! Your food photos on the speeding train are really clear, considering. And the Rockies and that beautiful forest - awesome! Looking forward to the next installment.

What a great way to do a trip report...I feel like I'm taking the trip with you.  Thanks for taking the time to share with those of us stuck at home!

nice pnwchef,very nice.

mar52

Bill, I've been anxiously waiting for this report and I see that it won't disappoint.
I'm guessing you had to have passports.  It's a trip I've thought about taking, but I don't want to buy a passport. 
Looking forward to more!

Mar,
You better get one!
As things have been going, you're gonna need one to get in and out of California!!!

mar52


Bill, I've been anxiously waiting for this report and I see that it won't disappoint.

I'm guessing you had to have passports.  It's a trip I've thought about taking, but I don't want to buy a passport. 

Looking forward to more!

HI Mar, long time, no see, I hope you and Sharon are doing well. You can get a Land and sea "Passport card" for $55 that lets you enter Canada and Mexico by land and sea. In your case, if you wanted to do this trip. You can fly to Seattle, or Bellingham, Wa, train or bus to Vancouver, BC and take the train across to Toronto. When you get to Toronto, you can take  a local GoTrain to Niagara Falls, as we did, and after seeing the falls take  a cab over the boarder to Buffalo NY....Easy as pie............This is what I should have done, but I decided to fly from Toronto to NYC............Take care.........................Bill.........P.S. I would do this trip again in a heart beat. The food was Great, the staff on the train from the waitress, Activities director to the Steward were all helpful and kind.

After lunch on the second day we sat up in the Dome car talking with the other people on the train. We were the only Americans in our car, so it was up to me to stick up for the Red Wihite and Blue. I did a good job fighting off the Aussies, Brits and Canadians. I had a bone to pick with the Brits anyway, after all it was getting close to the 4th of July. We pulled in to Jasper at about 3.30 PM, the station is right in town, it was an easy walk from the station to the shops, Mollie and my wife liked this idea. It was nice getting off the train for a few hours and see the nice little town of Jasper, nestled in the Canadian Rockies. The snow pack in the Canadian Rockies at the end of June was stil at 75%. The rivers were swollen all the way up to Jasper, I feel they will have high water and flooding for months to come.

Picture of Mollie in the town of Jasper

FRom town looking back at the Station

Mollie up in the Dome car

After we boarded the train from Jasper, we went for dinner, I had the Rack of Lamb, My wife had the Duck ( Not pictured ) and Mollie had Chicken Strips off the kids menu.


I downloaded some books for her before we left, do ya really think shes reading with that look on her face.

I tried to make sure Mollie didn't get board, I asked the activities director to make sure she was happy. We played Bingo in the afternoon and after dinner, later in the evening, the Activities director asked Mollie if she would like to watch a movie in the game room. We sat in the game room watched the end of the Rockies go by, while watching the sun set and the happy eyes of our little girl while she watched the Muppets take Manhattan. I asked Mollie how her first full day of train travel was, her answers was, I am having a great time Papa. When Mollie has a great day, so does Papa. The end of day two, Mollie was tired, we returned to our cabin with the beds turned down ready us after a very nice day viewing the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
 
 

This is really something I would love to do. It would have to be going to Canada because of the scheduling horrors I've heard about Amtrack. Just ballparking it I think it would be about the same as going on a cruise which my wife wants to do. But after 20 years in the Navy, I've seen all the water I care to.

Bill, it's delightful seeing how Mollie enjoyed the trip. You done good.

Enjoying the report. keep it coming.

Mollie's smile says it all.  Way to travel Chef.

This may be the Trip Report of the Year !!!
I'm enjoying ...

Wonderful report! Can't wait for the rest!!

Bill, Mollie is looking especially cute.  Please say hi to Mollie and Joy for us.
 
I must look into that trip!

We went to bed leaving the Canadian Rocky Mountains in our rear view mirror. The over night trip brought us through Edmonton, Alberta at midnight. We woke up an hour or so from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ( easy for me to say) at 9 AM on our way to a crew change in Winnipeg at 8 PM that night.

Because of the Crew change in Winnipeg, they offered a Brunch at 9 AM and Dinner with two meal times at 5 and 6 PM, so the crew can be ready to depart the train at 8 PM. The brunch was a nice change, Joyce had the American Breakfast " Already shown above " Mollie loves the toast and jelly tray with oj, and this is what I had.
Crab Benedict with Avocado with a fresh fruit salsa:

 
During breakfast my prayers were answered, a Saskatoon couple boarded the train with 10 and 12 year old boy and girl. Mollies eye lite up like a kid in a candy store. This days viewing were the Prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It was great to sit back and watch the different scenery from the day before. While viewing this area, the new couple came up to the Dome car. Within 30 seconds Mollie was out of her seat, introducing herself, Mollie was well on her way to a new friendship, and Papa was now left in the dust. The kids hit it off real fast, this new friendship brought a lot of playing together the rest of the day keeping the activities director on her toes.  I have some stock photos to show the views this day would offer.
 


I told the kids, if they are not good and don't listen to the activities director, I would find a different way for them to travel to Toronto.

 
The kids had a great time, the activities director had a full day planned for them. Scavenger hunts from one end of the train to the other, Bingo was a hit, and Movies had them in good sprits the rest of the day. We made friends with their parents, the day worked out wonderful, Papa was off the hook and enjoyed the scenery of the open plains and Prairies of Canada. We are on our way to Winnipeg.