A train journey like no other!

I arrived at Jasper station, to be personally greeted, and after a short wait was transported to my cabin. All my luggage had been dealt with. Karina explained the general procedures, most of which I knew already from my first trip. Then we were provided with lunch with sparkling wine to celebrate!

The food was superb but far too much, given that our only exercise was walking the length of the train, 32 cars. I did this one one occasion, gettimg acquainted with other passengers along the way.  I met a lady embroidering, her accommodation was a sustained bunk on the corridor with all other facilities at the end of the car. Others were smallncabins with doors, and a washbasin, converting from a bunk to a seat.  There were different eating arrangements for economy passengers, but clearly you could bring food and prepare yourself too.  My other exercise was getting off at the occasional stops. So I took to limiting my courses at meals and eating a light breakfast in the lounge car.  We had three stops between Jasper and Toronto, when we could get out, Melville, Winnipeg, which was a long stop and Hornpayne.  Other stops for example Sioux Lookout  and Saskatoon, happened at 6am, or during the night, when I awoke to see a water truck outside my window. We had been warned not to be in the shower at this time. Otherwise we would have bern interrupted mid flow! My biggest crisis was the last day when the light on my loo flashed red and stopped flushing. But it was sorted in  minutes!

   

At Winnipeg, we could leave the station whilst the train was serviced. In fact we had to decide whetger to stsy on or leave as they said tbe doors would be locked. So I joined a couple from Vancouver Island and explored the station and visited a  rather nice piano bar, great but we were checking our watches so as to ensure we didn't get left behind! It all felt quite an adventure!

The station was rather interesting, a bit like Central Station New York.

The other stops were just trackside. Well that's what most of the station a are. There are no platforms, just steps to get off and a litle additional portable step they put out.

Getting used to sleeping was a challenge with the squeaks, creaks, stops and starts. The first night I slept the other way round and looked out of the window when I awoke. The other two nights I used a pillow over my head to dull out more of the noise, and it did make a difference. But having said that a little after lunch snooze and lots of sitting around, I had adequate sleep.  I could have requested free drinks from morning to night, but I wanted to see the scenery, so saved myself for mealtimes and a bit of a celebration on the last night. I managed a few bits of embroidery en route. 

I met some lovely people, English, Australians, Canadians and Americans. And two from Partridge Green, just down the road! Some I exchanged details with and some were interested in my project. One was an embroiderer so we had plenty in common. All were travellers with different stories, so we had a shared interest and being on a train for several days brought us all closer together! Of course, you always meet the odd ones, so the couple who didn't want anyone on their table at mealtimes were left to be unsociable!

The journey was interesting, in that the it presented the vastness off the country and the absolute isolation of communities on lakesides with few roads. I imagine many of these needed to be self sufficient in many ways and were miles away from medical facilities of any significance.

We passed many large lakes with beautiful sunset views. We quickly left behind the mountains after Jasper.

We passed through the prairies with grain silos on the side of the rails amd little communitues where we might briefly pass through a small pocket of mobile phone signal! Everyone grabbed their phones but often in seconds it was gone!

We passed miles and miles of forest with swampland and lakes with little habitation. 

We had numerous stops for freight trains, sometimes waiting for three, all these long trains of several kilometres. They have priority on the rails. And we saw the train going in the other direction to Vancouver!  The timetables are very flexible and the night before Toronto, we were running  3 hrs late, but somehow arrived an hour early. Apparently the train has been known to be 30 hours late especially possible in winter. The points have big propane heaters, everything geared to keeping things moving in low temperatures. 

As we passed through Ontario we saw more fields of crops, many many lakes and the changing colours of the trees.  And suddenly we were there in the station, and it was the long walk along the track to the station and baggage collection. Magically Patrick appeared and we caught the train out of the city to where he had left his car.  We had a little drive around the area, stopping at Tim Horton's, a national institution,   before arriving in Minilakes, my home for a few days.

Patrick, had gardened and cleaned and washed, in preparation for my  visit. I think his daughters had given him instructions!