Canada's LONGEST rail journey: 4,500KM across Canada! (Part 2/2: Winnipeg to Vancouver)
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
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Watch Part 1 NOW if you haven't already! • VIA Rail “The Canadian...
This is the second and most epic part of my mammoth four-night excursion on VIA Rail's outstanding Canadian train, VIA Rail no.1. Toronto to Vancouver is one heck of a ride, so this second part deals with the last 2000km from Winnipeg to Vancouver. We pass through Saskatchewan and Alberta, on to Jasper, the Rocky Mountains, Mount Robson, Pyramid Falls, Kamloops and finally Vancouver! Enjoy the video!
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The Jasper route through the Rockies certainly is spectacular, but the original route of The Canadian through Banff and Lake Louise was even more so.
Decades ago, there were 2 trans-continental trains, namely the Canadian National's Super Continental which went through Jasper and Canadian Pacific's The Canadian which went via Banff. With the advent of VIA Rail, the Super Continental was cancelled, and The Canadian became the only transcontinental train. It continued to run via Banff for several years, until it was moved to the Jasper route in order to service more communities.
The fact that the Rocky Mountaineer primarily uses the Banff route is an indicator of how picturesque that part of the Rockies is. It's a shame The Canadian no longer goes through there.
I blame the Rocky Mountaineer for kicking VIA out of the better route and now missing out on the spiral tunnel as well.
Nope. It was Brian Mulroney and the Conservatives who cancelled the banff/Calgary route. I wouldn't be surprised if he was paid off for it like he was with the Airbus scandal@@TassieEV
"The provincial capital, Saskatoon", ouch. As someone from Regina, I'm used to Regina being ignored but this is something else
From the US: I had a WTF moment too. Brent and Tatiana need to have some words with him about Saskatchewan.
Oops, Paul had a mare on that one! 🤣
FWIW. I was born in Regina, in the same hospital as my father. I left, however, as an infant and have only been back once, as a stopover on my epic trip from Halifax to Vancouver in the summer of 1956. My other stopover was in Montréal, where we changed to the (CP) Canadian from CN.
I now live 200 ft from the CP mainline, in Mission BC.
Oh he did not!!! 🤣
Absolutely loved including this one, it’s an inside joke with a Sask friend of mine 😂 I used to date a girl from Davidson SK!
This is exactly why , in 1990, skipped the endless plains (zZZ) & I flew from Toronto to Edmonton ; then took the train to Vancouver (for the scenic part)
Love seeing my country through the eyes of international train travellers. Glad you enjoyed it Paul
My daughter and I are taking the train from Halifax to Vancouver in early September 2023. Your video was very informational, helping us to know what to expect. As Americans, our (extensive) travels have been on Amtrak. It will be exciting to be on a different train and travel all of Canada.
As I mentioned in the earlier video, a Winter crossing of The Rockys is magical. Unfortunately, things have changed in the last 40 years. There is no longer a Calgary-Vancouver crossing offered by VIA Rail. The Rocky Mountaineer does run from Banff to Vancouver, in my opinion better than the Jasper to Vancouver route, however it does not run during the Winter. I remember travelling this route, crawling along at 10 mph through a river gorge, surrounded by feet of snow. The conductor said they didn't want to start an avalanche that could delay them by days! I guess that's why they don't run it anymore. Either train, the memories will last a lifetime.
I am a Locomotive Engineer at CN the line on which the canadian runs. It's great you got to see it run on time. That's very rare!
Yes, you should definitely try the Rocky Mountaineer when the opportunity presents itself - I did it a few years ago, on my way across to an Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver and the scenery was breathtaking. The added bonus is that you stop off and stay at a few notable hotels during your journey, including the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and beautiful hotels near Lake Louise and Jasper, where you may find yourself face to face with a Moose on the way back to your cabin from the restaurant 😁 It’s one of the most memorable journeys I’ve ever taken 👌
@brucewatt1032 Vancouver has been the superhero capital of Canada since hosting the 2010 winter Olympics by creating a lateral entry program for superheroes from all over the country Canada wide that are interested in relocating to bc and establishing Vancouver and the lower mainland as their base of operations for example Calgarians Edmontonians and Winnipeggers prefer Vancouver as their base of operation because of the warm weather in bcs lower mainland superhero and Vancouver is the first city in Canadian history to create a lateral superhero entry program and the 2010 winter Olympics and being the superhero capital of Canada will always be part of Vancouver's history
Fantastic video Paul! I've been fortunate to ride the Canadian a dozen times in all seasons and winter is a magical season to experience it. The sounds of steel wheels on steel rails is muffled by the snow. The scenery takes on a different, more harsh beauty. Given a choice a winter ride is best during a full moon as the moonlight not only casts blue shadows across the landscape but also reflects off the snow giving a somewhat "lit up" experience. You cannot go wrong on this train. Even when excessively delayed that gives you the opportunity to see things that you wouldn't if on schedule. Cheers! -grant
Great video Paul. As a train driver in the uk I found this particularly interesting. I'll be honest I'd not heard of it until I saw Steve Wallis do the Vancouver to Edmonton journey a few weeks ago. Definitely one for my bucket list. I've done the Hainan Dublin to Edinburgh flight and the hovercraft over to the Isle of Wight after watching your videos so would love to get this done at some point in the future! 😁 All the best, James
Beautiful scenery. My Mother's relatives were Canadian National Railway employees based in Winnipeg and other cities. The"Canadian" train is a legend.
Thanks Paul for this review😀💚
Paul, you're right about the slide detector working akin to Anderson's Piano in Scotland, though sans the semaphores. Adjacent signals turn red and the rail traffic controller notified when they trip. Oh, & don't feel bad about not understanding Cdn French. Many in France don't, & they invented the language..
The same system is used on the UP (formerly DRG&W) through the canyons of the Colorado Rockies-route of tge California Zephyr.
It looks like an amazing trip. I loved how everyone was talking to each other instead of acting like there are no other people there.
You were lucky to see the top of Mount Robson. We were told it is nearly always shrouded in cloud, as indeed it was when we passed it. Like you I loved every minute of my trip on The Canadian, even the long haul across the prairies. I had the dome car more or less to myself that day and immersed myself in the enormity of the planet. Big country and even bigger skies. Who'd have thought that with the magnificence of the Canadian Shield before and the utterly stunning vistas of the Rockies after, I'd get so much enjoyment out of the flatlands of the Canadian Prairie? As for when to go, I suspect every season has its appeal. I went in Autumn and caught the first snows of the Canadian Shield yet a virtually snow-free Rockies. I got sensory overload with the autumnal colours, especially in the first few hours of the journey. The downside was there was less daylight to enjoy the views. It was still dark as we pulled into Jasper so there wasn't much point in getting up at 5am to grab early views of the Rockies. 6pm sunsets too left you wondering just what you might be missing. I'll just have to do it again in the summer in the other direction!
I just did this trip, arriving in Vancouver on June 1st. I travelled solo in Sleeper Berth Plus in a lower berth and I was super comfortable. I highly recommend it! The window is huge and you have it all to yourself all night long! Super comfortable bed and duvet, pillows, etc., all very nice quality and clean. Perfect privacy with curtains drawn. Bathroom just a few steps away if you need to get up in the night. Big towels with soap and shampoo provided and all you have to do is ask for more if you need them. You didn't say a lot about the food. I thought the meals were very good, the variety was excellent and the portions were adequate. Every lunch and dinner offered a choice of soup or salad, a choice of 4 different entrees (which changed every day! lots of variety to choose from and always including a vegetarian option), and then usually a choice of 2 desserts! It's actually fine dining with menu and waiter service, and I ate my meals with people from all over the world! It was absolutely wonderful. I chose my departure with a few things in mind -- I wanted long daylight hours, but not summer temperatures, crowds and prices. I selected the last departure before the 'high' season kicked into gear (when all the prices went up by $150. right across every category.)
I consider that I got an absolute steal. Now, I am a senior, so there was a 10% discount involved. But, my lower Sleeper Berth Plus cost me $1,312. (including the taxes)! My menus were identical and all my perks were the same as those for people in the cabins and roomettes, not including Prestige Class, of course. Just for information purposes, the upper Sleeper Berths do not have a window, which is an important difference. As well, you need to use a ladder to get up there. For these reasons, the lower Berth is priced a little higher than the upper one. Having that window is worth millions, though! And like I said, it's HUGE. I really think you have better views in the area of the berths as opposed to the cabins, it was one thing I noticed in particular.
I am Canadian. I am absolutely thrilled that I did this trip and I've been raving about it to everyone who will listen ever since! What an amazing journey. I plan to do it again. I'd love to do it in both directions. I want to do it in winter, but the problem with that is the shorter daylight hours, so you would see less landscapes. I'd love to see it covered in snow, though! Time will tell.
Thanks for your terrific videos - I watched Part I as well. They allowed me to re-live my trip! I hope you return to Canada again and again, after all, there's so much to see!
Hi Paul, Thanks for sharing this spectacular journey.
2002 took the canadaian vancouver to toronto, nothing like jasper station with snow all over, and time to walk around, winnipeg was downright cold, but still got into a small part of the town. the scenery is magnificent in the winter, really beautiful. the food was outstanding, as was the service. and everything in the old cars worked. via does a great job.
In 1977 after finishing A Levels I travelled from Halifax to Vancouver on CN via Montreal. Slightly different route but brings back memories and another trip added to my bucket list!
To put the size of Canada into perspective, you can fit the UK inside it 41 times
I once had breakfast in Munich, lunch in Innsbruck and dinner in Venice. The Winnipeg-Churchill train (both places in the same province) takes 2 days of travel.
@David Lisowski Same thing to get out of Ontario too
Thank you, Paul, for showing me the country I've called home since 1967. Maybe one day I'll take the train again east from Vancouver, which is now my home. Thankfully, I could see from your video that little has changed on board in the past 50-odd years, apart from route alterations and more modern locomotives. That's quite remarkable really in this day and age. Cheers, Rupert. 👍🇨🇦
It is truly amazing, even for a Canadian, to spend a whole day seeing the same landscape, going to bed, and waking up again, and seeing: no change. And then spending the day seeing: no change. Shows how huge Canada is.
Hello Paul, Yes. Wires break or bend --the tension on the wires activates a tension switch. Plus, --If the wire does break-the tension gets release and activates the signal to red. These types of rock rail systems all all over the American and Canadian West. Next.....Railroad Maintenance of Way personnel are not that far away from the location. Need to get the railroad open ASAP.
The Canadian is just about the most perfect train. Absolutely deserving of it legendary status. Warm frendly and engaging crews, great scenery, supurb dining car service,, and of course let us not forget those wonderful Budd streamliner cars. Even the Railway Stations are magnificent, notably, Toronto Union, Winnipeg Union and Pacific Central Station. All constructed in the heyday of transcontinental rail travel.
Thoroughly enjoyed the video. Spectacular scenery! Looking forward to our trip in June. 👏👍😍
I took the Rocky Mountaineer train (which runs a bit south of your trains route starting in Calgary and ending in Vancouver) on my Honeymoon in June of 1991…absolutely stunning for the first six hours, then pouring rain for the final twenty hours of the trip (sadly!)
The section through the Fraser River canyon is done during the night. It's beautiful as well.
My first time taking the Canadian was from Vancouver to Jasper in the Winter. I woke up in the middle of the night while going through a snow covered valley in the mountains with a full moon reflecting the light. I was hooked at that moment.
Hey Paul, loove your train reviews most of all. Commented on part one, as an Aussie, we love our trains, but North America really takes the cake. Keep the reviews coming my friend!
Yes those wires will detect a rock slide and when they break a red signal will be signaled for the part of the line with the rock slide
Paul, as an American who’s living in Canada currently, the size of this amazing country still amazes me! You aren’t alone there in your shock! Happy to see you traverse Canada, come back soon! Greetings from Winnipeg!
Dude, America isn’t THAT much smaller than Canada…
Are you serious?
@@congresssux9766 Although Canada's area isn't much more than the USA, with a population of only about 10% of the USA it can seem even bigger than it is.
Awesome! Thanks for all your great and hard work. I've been watching you for a year or so now and love the channel! I've pretty much watched all your videos expect for the early days with no sound. It's been a treat to see how you went from your early days to present :)
Awesome! Thank you!
I rode the Canadian from my home ,Toronto , to Vancouver in January 1966 at the age of 14 . I can still remember how I was so glad to finally get of that train . I have crossed Canada many times , before and since but always by car . At 72 I have not flown anywhere within Canada , you miss too much ! I've also been to the East Coast by train including through Newfoundland on the "Newfie Bullet".
Thank you! I took this trip 20 years ago. What a wonderful trip down memory lane.
Oh snap.....The last shot of your cell phone showed the location of Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster BC......which oddly enough is where I watched your video. Been stuck here eight months now and thankfully they have great and free wifi. and great staff as well
I traveled on the Canadian back in 2013 from Toronto Vancouver. I was with a group and we traveled in March. Going through the rockies it was snowing!
What a fantastic travel. A lot of nice scenes in this video get me a lot fascinated. Thanks for sharing.😀👍👍
What a stunning, beautiful journey! This was an amazing video that I really enjoyed.
The Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver is outstanding and HIGHLY recommended!
Your question about a Canadian winter is too general to be answered. I'm afraid the parameters must be narrowed to a regional perspective. As you have so accurately conveyed, Canada is a large, geographically diverse country. I was raised in Halifax, where the winters are cold, but not that cold. Winters are a strange kind of damp that chills your bones and never really lets you warm up. I have lived in Vancouver, where it doesn't snow often, but it rains all winter, and you can go weeks at a time without seeing the sun. Manitoba winters are deadly cold, but often clear and sunny. I found them to be beautiful. Ontario winters (outside of Toronto and the Niagara region, for some strange reason) get an unbelievable amount of snow, and by March, you're wondering if you'll ever see summer again.
The large amount of snow in Ontario is due to lake effect snowfall.
100% correct, @rowauthority. Parts of Ontario get a lot of "lake effect" snow, thanks to NW winds over Lakes Superior & Huron.
Oh, I know. I lived two years in Port Elgin.
@@watson956 Painfully aware. I spent two years in Port Elgin.
Thanks for visiting, Paul! ❤️🇨🇦
Wainwright is in Alberta, not SK.
You are so fortunate to have been able to see the top of Mount Robson! I’ve driven past it many times and have only been able to see the peak once or twice. It is usually covered by clouds so Mother Nature really rolled out the welcome mat for you!
I'm 60 now, but I still remember that Jasper train station when I was 7 as we stopped on the way to Montreal aboard a Canadian Pacific Rail train (pre Via Rail). Another thing that sticks out is the vastness of the prairies.
Would have been Canadian National through Jasper. CP goes through Banff.
I enjoyed both parts of the videos, and I found the commentary fun and helpful. I took Train #2 to Toronto in June of this year, spent a week there and then returned on Train #1. I found the staff to be very friendly and courteous, and the food was excellent. I had an upper berth east bound and a roomette on the return journey. It was definitely a bucket list trip, the eastbound journey we were a few minutes early, however on the westbound journey we arrived 6 hours late. I don't find this a problem on the contrary I believe that I got even more value for my money. VIA looked after us and we had breakfast and an extra lunch on the train. I am Canadian and have now seen parts of my country that I wouldn't have any other way. I would highly recommend Via Rail's Canadian to anyone considering it, you won't be disappointed.
Absolutely beautifully filmed, Paul. Looks like an amazing experience and you met some great people on board… right, I need to win the lottery!
I'm riding the "Canadian" from Jasper to Vancouver next week and your video helps me to get the maximum bang for my bucks. Thank you.😃✌
One of the greatest trips you've ever done.
Fantastic content as always.
Keep it up.
Well I'll be - Canadian here , it kind looks like an electric Anderson piano! We tend to to build rock slide and avalanche covers instead! Never noticed those in Canada before
Alternatively it could just be a bunch of telephone or power lines merging - some had insulators but others ran right through the poles 🤷♂️🤷♂️
13:33 that is exactly what that is. I'm glad you enjoyed our little slice of heaven called the Rockies
2 fantastic videos. Epic journey and epic scenery. Thanks very much for sharing this with us.
Great video I'm glad you enjoyed Canada. I'm riding the Canadian from Edmonto to Toronto over Christmas. I've done Vancouver to Calgary nearly 40 years ago - time to finish the trip! I chose the winter because it was considerably less expensive and I chose Christmas just to say that I've spent Christmas on a train!
your Rosetta Stone ad is one of the most thoughtfully injected in any youtube video I have ever seen. kudos
Thanks Paul! Definitely a bucket list trip.
Excellent video and commentary as usual Paul!
What a great trip, and another great scenery and landscape as going to the west.
Thanks for taking us along on your journey Paul. As usual it's a great visual representation. Hope you will come back and take in more of the sights in Canada.
Great video Paul. Canada is amazing
Absolutely loved this trip! So pleased you came to Canada 🇨🇦 🍁
I took the Vancouver to Toronto train and I loved the prairies. I grew up near Mount Robson so the BC section was not new for me. I had taken the train from Jasper to Van but only in coach class which was super uncomfortable to sleep in. I wasn't board for the entire 4 day journey and would definitely take the cross country trip again.
Definitely one I was hoping to do this year in winter but that is going to be impossible. Great scenery and upload, thanks.
Well worth the wait for pt2 absolutely beautiful scenery!
Must go to Canada an make this epic train!❤🧘♂️
Thank you for this. I just bumped this train up my bucket list!
I saw people ski doo up to the train. Others were ice fishing. Winter is fun
Certainly one the world's epic trains. Nicely made video Paul.
My g/f and I at the time, 1993 & 1995 rode Canadian twice from Toronto to Vancouver and back in December and then once in January in the dead of winter. That was an amazing journey. All the scenery and snow capped mountains and rivers. Yes it was a bit cold but we loved it ! It was minus -35 o F in Sioux Lookout ON. The first trip we were only 2 of 6 people in Silver & Blue (aka Sleeper Class back then) . At times we had the dome in the wrap around Bullet Car all to ourselves. The only complaint we had were two older folks complaining to the car attendant we had blue jeans on in first class ! We called them Thurston and Lovey from Gilligan’s Island, the 1960s tv show. They sounded just like them. I got up at 0430 and went upstairs to the dome to enjoy the passing night time scenery of all the towns and rail yards lit up and watching the signals get knocked down to red as we passed them. It was so cool seeing the freight trains coming at us on the other track. We met the nicest people from all over the world who came to Canada just to ride the Canadian like us.
Thanks, a great two videos Paul. I really must do this, and take my wife along too!
I watched this video when it came out. Don't know if I commented, but the provincial capital of Saskatchewan is Regina!
I can recommend the Rocky Mountaineer. I travelled from Vancouver to Banff on it in 2007. A lot of this video has brought back memories of the trip
My wife and I did the trip west to east, great trip, did The Ocean too, both ways.
Superb video Paul - I only did the journey from Vancouver to Edmonton in autumn 2019 but I enjoyed every second of it, including the first dumping of snow of the season near Jasper! The -10C temp in Jasper was a shock as well.
One hint: anyone wanting to go, get on VIA rail's mailing list. They send an email out every Tue (Discount Tuesdays) and that's where I got 20% off my fare (about £150 at the time). That kind of offer does come round every now and again, so worth waiting for.
I do love your train videos, Paul. And in one of my favourite places in the world!
Paul, I am surprised there were no animals to see!
I drove through the Canadian Rockies in May over 20 years ago. Still heaps of snow even in Jasper and less crowded on the glacier. I had a hotel room with the view of a mountain just outside in Jasper. And it wasn't a high season so the hotel room was inexpensive but very well furnished. Lake Louise was still frozen and I walked on another frozen lake for the first time in my life. Incredible experience. Train trip is good except many parts are not seen during overnight movement. I think to appreciate the Canadian Rockies, it's better done in a car. But I would definitely do part of this train service myself.
Great videos!! Loved your commentary and the electrical storm. I have traveled this route from Edmonton to Vancouver several times which is a beautiful leg of the journey indeed! I If you get a change travel in the winter, simply magical.
what a shame the Canadian passes through the Thompson River Canyon in the Dark, seeing the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways lines hugging each side of the river canyon as they snake racing to coast through the Rockies from Kamloops, places like Napa & Basque or the Cisco Crossings, beautiful place to Trainspot, well you can't really complain with the journey that the Canadian does as a whole! loved watching both videos!
Hi Paul,
A really great review with some tremendous video footage of outstanding scenary.
Kind regards
DS
Well worth the wait for part 2. Two great videos. Cheers Paul 🍺
Wow!!! I gotta try out VIA rail long distance one day especially onboard the Budd cars before they’re replaced!!! Amazing video you put together. Glad you had a fun time
Will be doing this trip (with a 4-day stopover in Edmonton) in July 2024! The anticipation is the difficult part at this point!
Well done, Paul. Nothing like a continental train journey to enable one to at least begin to comprehend the scale of either Canada or the USA.
I travelled mid-May from Vancouver to Jasper and back a week later. There was still some snow and frozen lakes in the approach to Jasper at that time of the year (spring). On the return leg, a sunny day, with full views of Mt. Robson and the sunset on Kamloops Lake.
So glad you enjoyed the Canadian, Paul. It's on my bucket list!!
As much as I would like to go in the summer (plus if I had the money for it), I need to go when I can schedule time off from work and summer is the busiest time for me.
So I will be taking advantage of any deals I find and going either in the late winter or late autumn months, either November or March roughly.
I love that you did this... As a Canadian, this is a bucket list train for me!
Thanks for posting these videos, what an amazing experience and a top quality video as always
Another interesting fact for you. The Canadian #1 is on the back of the Canadian $10 bill. Taken in Late June 2010 just where the train enters British Columbia. I know this as I was actually aboard the train. Myself
Little sad you didn’t get a pic of the CN Tower in Edmonton with the animated CN logo at the top since it was the train station from the 60’s through the 80’s. Also have a few former train stations similar to the 2 you showed in Saskatoon near Whyte ave.
I was watching for it too lol. When it was built, the Edmonton CN tower was the tallest skyscraper in Western Canada. I miss that train station, it was amazing and quite bustling.
the CN tower is in Toronto , not Edmonton .
@@northlander4370 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower_(Edmonton)
I'll be doing Kamloops to Toronto at the beginning of June and I can't wait
Great video Paul. I think you’ve inspired me to do a travel vlog on the Canadian next month to cover that former route and it’s lost stations
Closest I've come to this one is hearing about it from my parents and watching Mike Downie's video earlier this year where he rode from Jasper to Vancouver in winter.
What a wonderful ending for this trip.
Back in '73 I did a stint on a tie gang on the CN route. You might call ties sleepers. Anyway, we lived in bunk cars on a siding for quite a while at the foot of Mount Robson. Stunning country!
Great video Paul. Hope to see more train journeys on your channel in the future.
An amazing train journey
Hope you enjoyed my city, Vancouver, while you were here! :)
Good views, scenery just amazing
Great 2 parter across Canada by rail.
So happy you enjoyed your trip across the Prairies. You've now seen more of Canada than many Cdns! Our Rockies are pretty special! 🍁