Trip Report: December 20 & 21, 2001
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
ROCKY MOUNTAIN RAILTOUR'S
WHITE CHRISTMAS IN WESTERN CANADA
December 20, 2001: Vancouver, British Columbia
There is only one way to get to Banff by rail, and that's from Vancouver BC on a privately-owned tour train. It travels by day, so you won't miss any of the spectacular scenery. Now in its twelfth year of operations, Rocky Mountaineer Railtour's regular season is between mid-April and mid-October. But four years ago, the railroad began offering selected holiday departures in December.
A Rocky Mountaineer journey requires an overnight stay at both end points (Vancouver and Banff or Calgary, where the train terminates) as well as a hotel in Kamloops, the halfway point, where the train is stabled overnight.
This, our fifth trip on the Rocky Mountaineer, began with an overnight at the elegant and traditional Hotel Vancouver. Rocky Mountaineer, with meticulous attention to detail, provides a bus transfer for passengers. Basically, all one has to do is show up and Rocky Mountaineer takes care of the rest. You are pampered and well fed, and you and your luggage are transferred wherever you need to be.
Arriving the next morning at the Pacific Central Station before sunrise, a festive spirit greeted us. The beautifully restored building was decorated with swaths of seasonal greenery, and singers in Victorian costume regaled the casually-dressed crowd of passengers with Christmas carols. We check our luggage, which is tagged for the hotel we'll be staying at tonight, and also our ultimate destination. (Some passengers will take the train all the way into Calgary.)
A pair of GM diesel hood units pull two power cars, five single-level Red Leaf coaches (former VIA Rail Daynighters with reclining seats and large windows), and three made-over ex-Canadian National carriages, two of them lounges. One was used as a Children's Activity car; the other contained a cash bar -- dispensing such delicacies as hot mulled wine -- an open area with a dance floor and a jazz duo, a Christmas tree suspended from the ceiling that rocked and rolled, and booths and tables for passengers wishing to sing along with the combo. The third former CN car was used for food and equipment storage and a crew dining area hidden by a screen from passengers going through the car.
Three double-level Gold Leaf Dome cars brought up the rear. Only two were used for seating passengers; the extra was brought along "just in case", our car attendant Janice told us, since the equipment hasn't run since the regular season ended in October and if any problems arise due to the cold weather, it's a backup.
The Gold Leaf Domes were built to order by Colorado Rail Car (formerly Rader Rail Car) and have a full-length glass-topped seating area on the upper level. Comfy seats recline and have high backs. On the lower level is a dining area and galley as well as an open vestibule.
Gold Leaf car attendant Janice pours orange juice and champagne and we raise our glasses in a toast to "The Most Spectacular Train Trip in the World". After a solid month of rain, the sun smiles on us today as it begins to guild the snow-covered mountains east of the city with a startling peach-colored glow while we, at a lower altitude, are still in complete darkness.
Soon after our departure, the tracks make a 45-degree turn to the left as we cross the Fraser River. It is now light enough to see our engines and the single-level cars up ahead.
The downstairs dining room has eight booths for four people and two booths for two. We are traveling with Peter L., a long-time client from New York who we have just met in person for the first time. The three of us are joined by an English tourist making her first visit to Canada. Menu selections include Eggs Benedict, Alberta steak, a salmon omelet, waffles, and several other options. The food is delicious. Janice says there are three chefs at work in our galley.
As we roll through the green fields of the Fraser River Valley, Mount Baker's rugged volcanic profile catches the morning sun. The landscape changes rapidly, with too many mountain ranges to remember - among them are the Coast, Selkirks, and Percells . An arid desert scene comes next as we skirt the Fraser River.
Rocky Mountaineer doesn't own the tracks, but pays for the privilege of traveling over those owned by VIA Rail Canada (within a mile of the Vancouver station), a short segment of BNSF, then Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific. The latter two have parallel tracks on each side of the river, and have a cooperative arrangement to handle heavy traffic through British Columbia. Thus until trains reach Basque, eastbound traffic uses the CP and westbound uses the CN. We observe many coal and grain freight trains on the opposite side of the river.
Rocky Mountaineer runs over the CP today, on this first day's segment, but will utilize the CN tracks on its return journey.
Children, rarely entranced by scenery for an entire day, do not ordinarily ride Rocky Mountaineer during the summer season. However, the winter, Christmas-themed trips are promoted to families. A Children's Specialty Car, along with a director of kid's activities, are added in December. There are about 18 kids aboard today, some of them from Australia. Many passengers are aboard to experience a white Christmas, and we hear accents of other warmer-weather locations such as Mexico, Italy, Tennessee, and Texas.
Janice keeps us informed about the historic aspects of our route, such as the Continental Divide and the spot where the last spike on the CP line was driven, where there is now the Last Spike Gift Shop, and also points out wildlife such as mountain goats and elk.
Darkness descends as Rocky Mountaineer glides past a lake and into Kamloops, where we find busses (painted to match the train's cream, blue, and violet livery) waiting to take us to the Coast Canadian Hotel where our luggage is already in our rooms.
A lively dinner theatre called "Two River Junction" is next. After a lavish buffet, we turn our attention to a humorous musical dramatization based on two real-life Kamloops residents of the past - a train robber named Billy Miner and the town photographer, Mary Spencer. The walls are decorated with actual photos taken by Spencer in the town's wild-west days.
We end the evening with Christmas Carols, and so to sleep.
Continue to Next Page
