Canadian Museum of Rail Travel

The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook, BC. recently received a large donation of $125,000 from the Prestige Inns chain, headquartered in Kelowna. This is spread over 7 years, and represents the largest private sector donation ever received by the Museum and it is also the largest donation made by the Hotel chain.

The 4 1/2 star "Rocky Mountain Resort & Convention Centre" was built in 1999 on one end of the "Railway Museum Development Zone" of the City of Cranbrook as a "railway theme" hotel, with access to trackage behind it for excursions trains. It chose this location due to the long-range vision shown by the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, which was just begining to build in the Zone. The City of Cranbrook had taken 12 years (1987 - 1999) to assemble the land in the 1-likometre long zone which is located between the BC arterial highway 3.95 and the active tracks and yard of Canadian Pacific Railwa. It is also adjacent to the downtown area, so the location is strategic.

The donation will greatly assist a current museum expansion project to provide a larger gift shop, a hallway to the excursion tracks at the back of the Museum's Main Entrance Hall, an Historical Archives, storage areas, and future expansion space for addtional offices and meeting rooms as the museum grows. This $300,000 addition is being assisted by a 50% subsidy from the "Softwood Industry Commuity Economic Adjustment Initiative" (or SICEAI). The Museum had its Grand Opening of the new site and facilities in Sept/04 and has increased its paid attendance for tours of the restored luxurious railcars by 100% this year over 2003.

The "Royal Alexandra Hall" also opened this year as the centrepiece "Special Events Room" of the new museum, and is very popular for rentals for dinners (up to 184) and concerts and meetings (up to 280). The Hall use has added thousands more to the total attendance this year. The Hall was the former Grand Cafe from the famous "Royal Alexandra Hotel", built in 1906 in Winnipeg, and pride of the Canadian Pacific Railway until its demolition in 1971. The hundreds of pieces of the room were saved from destruction and stored in a semi-trailer - and mostly forgotten for 25 years. The Museum purchased the contents in 1999, and through various Millennium and other progrms built a new shell and installed the restored room inside. Other large public rooms were built around the Hall for proper functioning. Together with the historic Freight Shed (1898), these now provide a 23,000 square-foot facility for visitor services and displays. This is additional to the 25,000 square-feet of space in the restored railcar collection representing some of the greatest passenger trains to run in Canada between 1886 and 1955.

Holiday Train chugs into towns across North America

The first months of the new year can be lean ones for Winnipeg Harvest and the people who rely on it, making Christmas donations to the food bank critical. "A lot of the food we collect now carries us through January and February, when the need is really great," said Harvest spokeswoman Diane Poulin. Friday night, the Holiday Train stopped in Winnipeg thrilling a waiting crowd of 3,000 people. The train rolled into Brandon Saturday evening where about 1,000 people were waiting. Samaritan House Ministries chairman Jack Moes said supplies were running short before the train helped to replenish stocks, explaining requests for hampers have recently gone from 700 per month to 900 per month. In Brandon, the CPR kicked in $4,000 to Samaritan House and Brandon members of the Canadian Teamsters Rail Conference donated another $500. Last year, the event took in about 315 kilograms of goods for Samaritan House and, judging by the crowd, that total may be beat this year. The train was even better than Madonna McMurdo's kids had imagined. "I was bugging my mom," said eight-year-old Carter, accompanied by his sister Taylor, 6. "I wanted to see it because I thought it would be cool. I never knew it would be like this." And close to 2,000 people turned out to welcome the train in Regina last night. The train will be in Swift Current at today at noon. It will be in Calgary on Wednesday night, and arrives in Kamloops next Saturday evening.

The train's stop in Cambridge, ON, last Sunday was very successful reports the local newspaper. Hundreds of people turned out to see the train and the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank collected 3,100 pounds of food and $1,200 in cash. A few days after the train's visit, however, thieves entered the food bank and stole $4,000 worth of toys waiting to be distributed to needy children in the area. The train rolled into Parry Sound, ON, about two hours late last Tuesday. Usually more than 1,000 people show up to see the train, but only about 100 braved the weather this year. Harvest Share manager Gail MacDonald said donations were down substantially, "We put about a month's worth of work into the arrival of the Holiday Train and letting the community know what it was all about. And, unfortunately, you can't fight the weather. We did not get the food we were expecting. I think we got probably half of what we were hoping for. So, we're really hoping the community pulls through, and those who would have normally donated will."

Scores of people gathered in the drizzle Thursday night to watch the Holiday Train chug into Sturtevant, WI, - and to donate about US$1,000 and 2,100 pounds of food to the Racine County Food Bank. "See why this is so great?" Village president Steve Jansen said. "The whole community comes out to support the food bank and, really, each other, too." And hundreds of people lined the platform at Winona, MN's, Amtrak station Saturday night, awaiting the Holiday Train's arrival. The 10 Days of Giving program helped collect food for the area's needy. Angie Modjeski, one of the co-chairs for the 10 Days of Giving, said the turnout was one of the biggest she's ever seen. Meanwhile, St. Paul Park, Newport, Cottage Grove and the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce collected about $13,000 and 6,000 pounds of food for local food shelves through the Holiday Train program last year. Organizers were hoping to exceed that mark this year when the train stopped in town last night. Mary Slusser, community coordinator for the Cottage Grove stop, said she was expecting about 8,000 people to show up for the event this year; last year, the train drew about 5,000, outnumbering crowds in St. Paul and elsewhere.

(Cambridge Times 041209, 041210, Winnipeg Free Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Watertown Daily Times, Parry Sound North Star 041211, St. Paul Pioneer Press 041211, 041213, Winona Daily News MN, Winnipeg Sun, Brandon Sun, Calgary Herald, Kamloops This Week 041212, Regina Leader-Post, SwiftCurrentOnline.com 041213)

This is the sixth year that CPR's Holiday Train will be taking the rails to raise cash, food and awareness for hunger relief efforts in North America. This December, two freight trains, each decorated with thousands of festive lights, will visit more than 25 locations in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest and 50 Canadian communities.

www.cpr.ca

December 1, 2004

GREAT CANADIAN RAILTOUR COMPANY PURCHASES THE THOMPSON HOTEL IN KAMLOOPS, B.C.

Latest acquisition signifies the company's entry into the western Canadian hotel market

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Great Canadian Railtour Company (GCRC), owners and operators of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations and the world-renowned Rocky Mountaineer train, announced today that it has purchased the Thompson Hotel in Kamloops, B.C. The announcement comes at the end of a year of new acquisitions and record growth for the privately-held British Columbia based company.

Kamloops, B.C. serves as the mid-point for all guests travelling onboard the acclaimed two-day all daylight train trip between Vancouver, B.C. and the Canadian Rockies resort towns of Jasper, Banff and Calgary, AB. "In 2004, we hosted over 77,000 guests from around the world, which means we currently purchase in excess of 40,000 hotel room nights in Kamloops alone. We are experiencing a significant increase in our luxury GoldLeaf Service and this property will help us meet our growing demand for high quality hotel rooms once planned renovations are completed," said Peter Armstrong, GCRC President and CEO. "We are excited about our investment in Kamloops' growing year-round hospitality sector and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners in the community."

The 98-room hotel is located in the heart of downtown Kamloops. Due to its size and location, the Thompson Hotel is one of the most popular properties for Rocky Mountaineer guests. Originally built in 1963, the two-and-a-half storey structure that includes a licensed restaurant/lounge, full service pool and fitness facility, as well as
meeting space, has undergone extensive renovations over the years. GCRC plans to invest in excess of $1 million in additional renovations beginning in October 2005 in preparation for the start of the 2006 season.

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations offers year-round vacation packages to the most unique regions of Canada including the acclaimed two-day, all-daylight Rocky Mountaineer rail journey. From mid-April to mid-October (with select December departures) the Rocky Mountaineer travels between the coastal city of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Rocky Mountain destinations of Jasper, Banff and Calgary, Alberta. A portfolio of land tours, under the umbrella of Spectacular Canada, is offered year-round. Headquartered in Vancouver, Great Canadian Railtour Company (owner and operator of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations) was recently awarded the rights to operate on two new tourist rail routes in British Columbia and Alberta, the Whistler Mountaineer and the Fraser Discovery Route, both to commence service in 2006.

December 1, 2004

GO Transit Ridership up by More Than One Million
Transit Improvements Showing Results

TORONTO, Dec. 1 /CNW/ - The Ontario government and GO Transit announced today that GO ridership has increased by over one million customers - or 6.5 per cent - during the first six months of 2004. Since 2000, ridership has increased on average, by about 3.5 per cent annually. "Our investments are paying off," said Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar. "We're making GO Transit more convenient and reliable. These are the kind of improvements that are making transit the first choice for more commuters."

Improvements that are attracting more GO riders include:
- Adding 11 new passenger railcars with over 1,400 additional seats
- Adding 22 new buses to make room for 4,600 more riders every day
- Adding 43 new wheelchair accessible buses to GO Transit's fleet to accommodate growing ridership and increase accessibility
- Adding 500 new parking spaces to the system - bringing the total to about 43,000 parking spaces

In 2004-05 Ontario's commitment to GO Transit is approximately $258 million. This will help to fund the operating and capital needs of GO
Transit. "Transit really is the only way to go," said GO Transit Chairman Dr. Gordon Chong. "GO Transit's increase in ridership shows that commuters
recognize and appreciate the convenience of transit and are making it their vehicle of choice. "Traffic congestion slows our economy and the daily commute for thousands of drivers," Takhar added. "These improvements are making transit an excellent option for commuters." GO Transit carries more than 45 million riders annually, and ridership is expected to double within the next 20 to 30 years. A safe and efficient transit system is key to building strong communities in Ontario.

November 21, 2004

Royal Hudson could be back on the tracks

North Shore News

This time next year steam train enthusiasts and tourists may be sitting aboard a vintage coach as the Royal Hudson steams its way up to Squamish from North Vancouver and back again. Thanks to a federal grant of $210,000 to the West Coast Railway Association, Royal Hudson-class steam locomotive 2860 may be able to get the repairs necessary to put it back on the tracks. Of the $210,000 grant from Western Economics Diversification, a federal department mandated to support economic diversification in communities across Western Canada, $110,000 is going directly toward the Royal Hudson repair project, WCRA executive director Dan Evans said from Toronto Friday. The remainder of the grant will allow the WCRA to acquire some coaches for operating the vintage excursion train. The main goal for the WCRA is to have the "world-recognized tourism icon" up and rolling next year. The locomotive was put away indefinitely after a charter trip in 1999 as it was deemed unfit for further service until a rebuild could be done.

November 20, 2004

Holiday Train transports us all to special place

Calgary Herald

Calgary Herald columnist John Gradon takes a trip down memory lane, back five years and more than 5,000 kilometres to the year the Holiday Train first made a cross-country journey in support of food banks. The Holiday Train has, literally, come a long way since his first encounter with it in the St. Luc rail yard on Dec. 15, 1999. That was the day that the train began its inaugural journey across Canada - and Gradon had been asked to be the only Canadian journalist to travel on it during its Montreal to Calgary leg. Gradon recounts one particular stop in White River, ON, where an 85-year-old lady had walked a kilometre and a half from her seniors home to see the train. When she learned there was a request to bring food, she climbed back up the hill and collected a can of soup, bringing it back to the station. She refused cab fare home and as the train left White River, could be seen heading home up the hill. Gradon says in addition to the warmth of giving to those in need, and the entertainment, the greatest gift of the Holiday Train is the reflection of thousands of lights in children's eyes open wide with wonder. Coquitlam Now encourages readers to greet the train on Sunday, December 19 at 7:30pm in Port Moody.

Monday, November 15, 2004

21st annual Santa Claus Express rolls into town with food bank donations

TREVOR TERFLOTH

Local News - KIRKLAND LAKE – Over 700 children boarded the 21st annual Santa Claus Express for a good cause last weekend. The Salvation Army’s food bank benefited in a big way as each child brought a non-perishable donation to receive a boarding pass. The Ontario Northland Railway donates its train and crew each year for the Santa Claus Express, which runs from Swastika to Kirkland Lake and back. “The ONR had been gracious enough to offer it to us, and we’ve been doing it ever since,” said Brian Culhane, a volunteer firefighter and organizer of the event. There was a firefighter in each car to make sure the trip was a safe one. The weather was cooperative with the white stuff adding to the atmosphere. “The snow usually makes the difference for the kids and helps them get into the Christmas spirit.” Nancy Taylor “It’s really nice to have the snow,” said volunteer Nancy Taylor. “The snow usually makes the difference for the kids and helps them get into the Christmas spirit.” Once the children and bags of food were loaded into the cars, the fun began. There was caroling, face painting, balloon animals and over 25 costumed characters making their rounds. Kids had the opportunity to see Garfield, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Bananas in Pyjamas and Sparky the Fire Dog. However, the star of the show was definitely the Man in Red. Santa Claus was happy to take the time out of his hectic schedule to help out the needy in the Kirkland Lake area.“This is what Christmas is all about,” he said. “There’s nothing but love on this train and you can see it on the faces of these kids.” Some kids were torn as to what their favourite part of the afternoon was. “I liked when Santa gave us treats,” said Madison Lambert, 5. But six-year-old Abby Lafreniere was quick to disagree with her travelling companion. “Sponge Bob! Sponge Bob!” She exclaimed. Although he enjoyed the train ride, Santa still prefers his usual mode of transportation. “The sleigh is smooth,” he said. “The train is rougher."

October 28, 2004

Ridership numbers increase on KVR

Cariboo Press

As the Kettle Valley Steam Railway's regular season chugged to a close, figures indicate an increase in ridership compared to last year. Debbie Kinvig, gm of the railway, says this season they have had 17,761 riders to date on the train. She explains that the increase comes due to last year's closure of the train during the heightened fire hazard risk. Even though the regular season train runs have now come to an end, there are still a few special runs planned. The next train rides scheduled for the KVR will be Dec. 18 and 19 at 1:30pm.

October 27, 2004

Tour Train Potential Assessed

Fernie Free Press

With a toot and a holler, staff of the Great Canadian Railtour Company's Rocky Mountaineer assisted a crowd of media, various chamber of commerce members and local dignitaries on board their train for an inaugural trip to Nelson, BC Wednesday morning from Cranbrook. The eight hour invitation-only excursion was to explore the potential for tourism rail within the Kootenay region. Since beginning operations back in 1990 more than 700,000 guests have travelled onboard the Rocky Mountaineer. It's current tour between Vancouver, Jasper, Banff and Calgary has been up and running for several years and plans for 2006 include the introduction of the Whistler Mountaineer that will operate between North Vancouver and Whistler and a Rocky Mountaineer expansion from Whistler to Jasper, via an overnight in Prince George. It's hoped the Kootenay tour will be added in 2007. Kootenay-Columbia Member of Parliament Jim Abbott, says this is project could also be of huge benefit to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Quoting recent company statistics Abbott says for ever $1 spent to be on the train, people will spend an additional $4 over and above in the area around the train. While Abbott fully supports the train, he does admit there are some issues that have to be worked out. "Number one is the capacity of CP Rail to be able to allow a passenger train on the track. It is a coal line and they're adding sulfur, potash, wheat to the unit trains coming down line. It's something that can be manageable, but it is a concern. Second is capacity of them being able to make sure enough cars are available for this run."

September 9, 2004

Railway Days

By Staff
Winnipeg Sun

Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Union Station

The iron horse keeps on running.

For more than 125 years, trains have transported people and goods from coast to coast in Canada, defying predictions that the invention of the automobile would render the locomotive useless. In Winnipeg, the members of the Midwestern Rail Association are doing their best to keep the historical significance of the train's role in building the country alive at the Winnipeg Railway Museum, the site of this weekend's seventh annual Railway Days."Most of us are so passionate about trains we want to get other people involved. The train is what brought our country together and we want to keep the memories alive," says spokesman Ken Praymak.On Saturday and Sunday, thousands of train fanatics -- would they be trainiacs? -- will gather at Union Station on Main Street to showcase and view historical and modern artifacts, including vintage steam locomotives and new VIA passenger cars. Other displays include model railways, the Operation Lifesaver safety course, art, collectibles and various other rail memorabilia."Some people have never been on a train in their life, but if people rode the trains a lot more than they did I think they would appreciate them a lot more," Praymak says.Railway Days usually attracts about 3,000 people over the weekend. They can get up close to the displays and ask questions from experts about any aspect of trains, which started coast-to-coast trips in 1886.The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tracks 1 & 2 at Union Station , located at Main Street and Broadway. Admission is free, but donations are accepted for the non-profit organization.

August 27, 2004

RAC acting president, ceo speaks at Exporail opening

In a speech at EXPORAIL's official opening in Saint-Constant, QC, Railway Association of Canada acting president and ceo Bruce Burrows noted that "EXPORAIL pays tribute to the proud history of railways, the very active role that rail plays today in Canada, and recognizes the great potential for freight and passenger rail in the future." The railway industry, he said, "has also done a remarkable job in re-inventing itself through innovation, through technology, through leadership, and through the dedicated men and women who make it all work." Speaking about today's railway industry, he noted that CN and CPR are leaders in the North American industry -- with the best safety records of all, and the best operating ratios of their peers, a sign of their ability to move more traffic with a smaller, technologically smarter, better paid workforce. Burrows also paid tribute to RAC's achievements noting that the association helped launch the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame, Canada by Rail, Direction 2006 and Operation Lifesaver public safety special initiatives. RAC works closely with its members to ensure continental standards are in place and respected, that professional, technical services required are available, and that industry rules and regulations reflect reality. The association's Institute for Railway Technology is also working closely with community colleges to bring qualified young people into the workforce. And, RAC is doing its part to help spread the message about the economic and social benefits of rail and to share its experience with the international community through its involvement in the organization and planning for two international conferences coming to Montreal in 2006: The 7th World Congress on Railway Research and a worldwide conference to discuss highway/railway crossing safety and efforts to reduce trespassing on railway lands. Burrows concluded by stating that the bottom line for RAC is to see all governments include rail and intermodal solutions as part of their publicly funded infrastructure projects, and be prepared to partner with the private sector to make this happen. RAC in July named Bruce Burrows acting president and ceo after Bill Rowat retired from the association.

August 26, 2004

Rail fest in S.F. on weekend

By TRACEY TONG
Staff Writer

SMITHS FALLS -- Just one month after the third annual Smiths Falls Chocolate and Railway Festival, volunteers are presenting an event especially for rail fans. And there are a lot of them in the area, said Howie Reynolds, the vice-president of the Smiths Falls Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario. Reynolds expects that people from "all over eastern Ontario" will attend Railfest 2004, which will be held this weekend at the museum. "This is the first event of this magnitude that we've had here," Reynolds said. "We've had rail events at the museum before, but this is something special for all rail fans and people who are just developing an interest in rail history," he said. Train buffs will be able to take a regular museum tour, as well as examine layouts in popular gauges, a huge Meccano display and model and toy trains in a number of scales. A number of vendors will be selling toy and model train accessories, rail collectibles and model and railway books, videos and DVDs.A real treat for true rail fans will be the opportunity to take a ride on a 100-year-old rail handcar - something that doesn't come up too often due to the "exorbitant cost of insurance," said Reynolds.The diesel engine will also be going, which will allow visitors to experience the ambiance of the railway back in the day, said Reynolds. Like the rail handcar, the diesel engine is very expensive to operate.The museum's holdings also include the restored Canadian Northern railway station, stock passenger cars, wooden box cars, cabooses, colonial cars, Otis Ore cars and a 1947 Cadillac driven by the president of the CNR (which runs on rails, of course) and the only dental car in existence."We think the car is very unique - it was used in the northern part of the province to supply the needs of its residents," he said.Reynolds is also hoping that the event will draw some new volunteers.The event runs Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on both days. Admission is $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and teenagers and $1.50 for children under 12. There are also family admission rates available.

August 25, 2004

Train steams way to better financial shape

Robert Koopmans
Kamloops Daily News

Loads of tourists helped steam engine 2141 chug its way to improved financial health this season.Howard Grieve, the operations manager for the Kamloops Heritage Railway, said Tuesday the organization is in good financial shape.He said all business projections for the season were met and, in some cases, exceeded. The society had the opportunity to stage runs up the North Thompson to McLure and is still in the hunt for a day run to Armstrong.Grieve said pre-booked trips were up, as were numbers of last-minute passengers. In fact, the railway broke its previous one-season passenger record Monday -- 10,595 people have boarded 2141 so far -- and there's still a couple of weeks to go."We did excellent, we had a spectacular year," said Grieve. "We did what we thought we could and far beyond. It really has worked."Grieve was at city council in March, looking for an emergency grant of more than $87,000 in emergency funding to get 2141 on the rails this season.Increased insurance costs -- the organization faced a 208 per cent hike in rates in one year -- nearly derailed the train. Councillors reluctantly handed over the emergency money, along with a warning there may be no more emergency grants in the future.The city provides the society an annual grant of $60,000.Grieve told council all 2141 needed was a good season without the kind of obstacles faced in 2003. This year gave the society what it hoped for, he said -- a chance to prove the train is financially viable.That doesn't mean the society won't be back at city council seeking more funds. Nor does it mean the society will be able to repay its debts to the city.Grieve said the society has plans for expansion -- it will be up to city council to decide how best to manage the taxpayers' investment in the historic train.And increased insurance and fuel costs have dramatically altered financial outlooks, suggesting the society may not be able to pay back emergency funds granted in the past anytime soon."We still intend to pay it back, but what was possible three years ago may not be possible now," he added.He expects to be back in front of city council in October, with an up-to-date financial picture and a new plan for the future."Will we require additional money? It depends on what future council and the city see for us," said Grieve.The steam engine will make its last trip of the season Sept. 12, although a few additional runs are planned for Railway Days in early October, as well as at Christmas.

August 23, 2004

Rail tour could be boon to tourism: Great Canadian Rail Tour Company proceeding with test run that ends in Nelson

Kathy Kiel
Nelson Daily News

The Kootenays may see a boost in tourism if passenger rail tours through the area become a reality."I think this could actually be a defining moment for the tourism industry in Nelson," said Nelson and District Chamber executive director Roy Heuckendorff. "It's a very exciting initiative." Last week, Southern Interior MP Jim Gouk announced a run for a tourism test train scheduled for mid-October. The Great Canadian Rail Tour Company operates the Rocky Mountaineer that runs between Alberta and British Columbia. The test run will take place October 19-21 starting in Golden, winding its way through Cranbrook to Creston and ending in Nelson. Gouk feels if rail tours are scheduled to run through the area, it will benefit local hotels, restaurants, recreation and tourism attractions as well as stores and services."This is a very exciting thing for our area because there's so much potential and there's so much benefit that can come out of it," Gouk said. At present, The Rocky Mountaineer offers a two-day trip through the Rockies to Banff and Calgary or through the Yellowhead to Jasper and carries 70,000 passengers a year. Prior to the Great Canadian Rail Tour Company's purchase of VIA Rail in 1989, only 4,500 passengers a year rode the rails on that route. Gouk believes there's "no downside" to the test run nor the possibility of the region hosting the tours on a regular basis. "This is just an incredible thing and we've got to make sure we sell our communities well and get this as a permanent operation," he said. The Great Canadian Rail Tour Company has really done their homework and knows what opportunities the area has to offer. He said there's a good chance the region could see the tours on a permanent basis if all goes well. "This is costing a lot of money to do and they're not doing it on a whim. They're doing it because they think this thing has the potential to go ahead." The increased utilization of the railbed could also help to reduce the incremental cost of using the railbed in the area that, at present, is only used by the Kootenay Valley Railway to haul freight. "It will help to ensure that we preserve freight rail in this area," Gouk explained. Heuckendorff, who will be on the test run, said he to can't see any cons in bringing rail tours through the Kootenays. "There's absolutely no downside to this. In fact, among the many upsides to it would be sprucing up the end of town... the old train station at the foot of Baker," he said. "It's just getting back to the old rail mode of transportation for visitors. It's something that I think has been lacking and we clearly have the infrastructure for it. We should be utilizing it."Heuckendorff said a group of local business owners and tourism operators will be on the October test run. He said it's up to them to sell the train company on the Kootenay run. "I believe if we pull together and put on our best face, because I know Nelson does that very well, as well as the other communities along the rail, I believe we have a good shot at it. We have to do our best to convince the owners of the company that this is going to work out for them and for us. It could be a win-win situation. I'm very excited. I'm ecstatic"

Sunday, July 18, 2004

See Canada's fall colors by train

By SHANNON FROMMA, Staff writer


In the age of airplanes and automobiles, it is still possible to hop aboard a train. Rail Travel Tours out of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada, is offering the "Superior Colours of Ontario" tour, a rail package that begins and ends in Albany, Wednesday, Sept. 29, to Tuesday, Oct. 5. For $895, per person based on double occupancy, passengers will experience Ontario's fall colors while traveling round-trip on Amtrak Albany to Toronto, and VIA Rail Canada's Northern Ontario rail services. Leaving Albany on Sept. 29, passengers will travel to Toronto and overnight at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The next morning, the train travels northwest through the scenic Muskoka Lakes region before arriving in Capreol, Ontario. The tour then heads to Sudbury, Ontario, for two nights. The group will then travel VIA Rail's Lake Superior service. The route travels through a beautiful and rugged area of the Canadian Shield before arriving at White River, Ontario. Sunday, the group will backtrack to Sudbury and then to Toronto before ending in Albany on Tuesday, Oct. 5. For further details or reservations, contact Rail Travel Tours toll free at (866) 704-3528. Booking deadline is Aug. 1. Hop a train in Catskills: While touring the Catskills this summer, don't forget to take a ride on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. The line's Esopus Creek Shuttle provides passenger service along the Catskill's scenic Esopus Creek. Enjoy the 6-mile trip from a flatcar as the train travels west from Mt. Pleasant. At Phoenicia, experience life in the Catskills, both past and present, by visiting the village merchants as well as the historic 1900-era railroad station. The shuttle operates on weekends and holidays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 6. Adult fares are $5 one way, $8 round-trip. Children (ages 4-11) ride for $5, and children younger than 4 ride for free. For more information, call (845) 688-7400 or log on to http://www.catskillmtrailroad.com.

Tracking fall foliage: Like it or not, the leaves will be changing color before we know it. The Upper Hudson River Railroad offers one of the most spectacular ways to view to fall foliage each September and October.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, Sept. 11-30, and Wednesday-Mondays, Oct. 1-11, enjoy the display of colors along the Hudson River on a rail coach as it winds through the southern Adirondacks.

Tickets are $14 for adults; $13 for seniors; $9 for children ages 3-11; children 2 and younger ride free.

To make a reservation, call 251-5334 or visit http://www.uhrr.biz.

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Halifax train marks historic journey

HALIFAX -- Train passengers leaving Halifax Saturday were making a historic journey, but most didn't know it until they got to the station. They were scheduled aboard the VIA passenger train, The Ocean. The train has been making the same Halifax to Montreal trek for exactly 100 years. Over that time the Ocean has seen many changes.In 1904 the Ocean had Victorian-style wooden cars pulled by a steam locomotive. Fifty years later it was the first of Canada's trains to use diesel engines, and eventually became a stainless steel travelling bed and breakfast. Lifetime railway enthusiast Tom Savio travelled from California to give the "highball'' -- that's train talk for when the conductor yells "all aboard''. The name comes from when a large ball-shaped bell called passengers to the tracks.The Ocean makes the trip one-thousand-346-kilometre journey to Montreal in 22 hours.

Sun, July 4, 2004

Train trek tops
Give rail adventure a whirl

By Laurie Mustard -- Winnipeg Sun
ALL ABOARD!
Thanks to Daryl Adair of Rail Travel Tours, Marly and I got to experience Canada Day on a train, Via Rail's Canadian of course, and re-discovered just how much fun train travel can be. What an adventure. We were also pleased to overnight at Sioux Lookout, Ont., where they couldn't have been more hospitable, then hop the train back to the 'Peg Friday morning.
Wonderful trip. Let's begin with our trip east, to a town named Sioux ...
After embarking from the Via Station, travel time was about six hours, during which we did nothing but visit with other travellers, admire the spectacular Canadian Shield from the Dome Car, dine on delicious meals in the dining car and enjoy some of the best service there is to be had from the Via crew -- particularly the highly entertaining Laura Hazlitt, activity car co-ordinator.
Those of us used to travelling by car or plane, quickly noticed the upside of train travel. The scenery of course, and if you're tired of sitting ... walk around, go for a drink, a sandwich, or simply put your seat back and doze the kilometres away. Most entertaining, always relaxing.
Then, upon our arrival in Sioux Lookout (northeast of Kenora) the adventure continues with a whirlwind tour of the amenities and attractions there, hosted to perfection by our guides Nancy Roy, Danielle Flynn, Ifka Filipovich and Ralph Ireland. Beautiful community set in gorgeous lake country offering "beaches, sunshine, boating and fishing in summer; snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, curling and ice fishing -- all within minutes of home, all winter."
Nancy Roy, by the way, just happens to be the proud mom of Moose star Jimmy Roy. Stop in for a coffee at her very own "Roy Lane" latte bar next time you're in town. Just like going home.
About 11 p.m. Nancy, hubby Jack, Marly and I enjoy the annual Canada Day town fireworks display from the Roy Lane patio, then turn in a for a welcome rest.
Next morning, breakfast at 6:45 a.m., hosted by Danielle, Ralph, Ifka, along with a pair of newlyweds, Michelle Castle -- President of the Sioux Lookout Chamber of Commerce -- and hubby Al Coleman. They were married the DAY BEFORE, and spent their first honeymoon morning entertaining out-of-town guests -- us -- but that's the commitment of the Sioux Lookout Chamber and Tourism people to their terrific town.
Nine-thirty, we're back on the train, and enjoy a superb trip home, arriving mid-afternoon.
Folks, if you haven't been on a train for a while, and you'd like to experience all of the above, including sipping cappuccino at Nancy's latte bar, book now for the Rail Travel Tours N.W. Ontario's Fall Colours excursion, coming up Thursday, Sept. 23 to Sunday, Sept. 26.
Along with overnighting in Sioux Lookout, you'll visit some really beautiful and interesting sites, chow down at a fish fry and so much more. Further info available by calling Daryl at Rail Travel Tours, 897-9551. Don't dally, the deadline for booking is July 21.
Excellent Canada Day adventure Mr. Adair. Where are we going next year?

June 16, 2004

Tiny train locomotive ready to go

Prince George Citizen
Bernice Trick

Probably the smallest locomotive ever seen by most Prince George residents has arrived to start pulling the new miniature passenger train around the boundaries of the Prince George Rail and Forestry Museum. The mini-railway, located near Cottonwood Island Park, will fittingly be named Cottonwood Railway. The name was submitted by Stu Blacklaw of Prince George, who wins the opportunity to have the first ride on the train during an invitation hospitality event on June 27. The railway officially opens to the public on July 1.

The gas-powered engine comes complete with a computer sound system "that makes it sound just like a real locomotive," said John Armstrong, a CN Rail supervisor and advocate, who's been instrumental in spearheading the building of the railway. Volunteers are busy building the 7 1/2 inch gauge track travelling over a miniature bridge spanning a gully, and winding through the beehive burner on site. The train will offer four passenger cars, which are straddled by riders, plus a car for wheelchairs. Rides will cost $2. The engine, valued at about $18,000, was donated by Carl and Margaret Vanderspek of Vancouver, who, during visits here, told Armstrong the project would be a great tourist attraction.

The railway has been built by donations of materials and labour from the community. CN Rail lead the way with donations of equipment, transportation and delivery of 600 cubic feet of ballast for the track from its Giscome quarry. KJM Sales supplied 300 steel rail joints, Brink Forest Products gave lumber to fashion 10,000 spruce ties pressure treated by Stella-Jones and P.G. Mill Supplies offered lumber for the station platforms. Acklands-Grainger supplied the nuts and bolts, Canfor gave ongoing support and members of Nechako Rotary Club are volunteering time and labour. Three cars are sponsored, at $2,500 each, by Ken Goss, Forest Expo and Medichair Northern BC

Illustration: • Colour Photo: Dave Milne, The Citizen / Jen Smolik, left, visitor service officer at the Forestry and Rail Museum, and general manager Laura Williams show a working scale model of a locomotive that will power the new mini-railroad that will travel a one-kilometre route around the site, starting Canada Day.

May 29, 2004

Superior colours
Trip aboard Budd car the highlight of tour

Stops made at isolated northern communities Rail passengers get to visit isol
CATHERINE GEORGE
ASSOCIATE TRAVEL EDITOR

SUDBURY—All aboard folks, we're making tracks for the autumn forests of northern Ontario. And, though it's impossible to predict the whims of Mother Nature, with the right conditions, this year's foliage might just be the prettiest we've seen in years. A group of 38 of us made the five-day rail trip to the Near North last October. Themed "Superior Colours of Ontario" the annual tour is offered by Winnipeg-based Rail Travel Tours whose owner, Daryl T. Adair, has had a passion for trains since he was knee-high to a hopper. And, despite the hassles of operating a rail tour company for the past four years, his fascination with trains has never waned. In fact, he rates them right up there with his other big passion, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. By 1997, Daryl had saved enough to travel around the world by rail. Since then he has authored the Guide to Canada's Railway Heritage, Museums, Excursions and Attractions.
Once our tour group, mostly from southern Ontario, got to know each other, we found we were a mixed bag — rail buffs who knew all there is to know about engines and the mechanically-challenged tagalongs like myself, simply looking for an excuse to escape the city. But, regardless of who knew a locomotive from a caboose, we all agreed that we enjoy train travel.
Our itinerary called for us to do the Toronto-Capreol segment aboard VIA Rail's sleek silver and blue Canadian, which makes the transcontinental trip between Toronto and Vancouver three times a week. Between Sudbury and White River, we travelled on VIA's two-car train 185, known as the Lake Superior service, and better known locally as the "Budd car" after the Budd Co. that built it. Mother Nature didn't provide the leaf peepers in the group with the best of colour shows but most felt the two days aboard the Budd were the highlight.
But, first things first:
We boarded the Canadian at Toronto's Union Station on a crisp October morning. Rolling past the green farmland of southern Ontario, the Canadian quietly wound its way north, rounding the eastern edge of Lake Simcoe. The first signs of Ontario's autumn glory became evident as we passed through the forests and skirted the lakes of Muskoka where maple, birch and sumac had made the transformation from subtle summer greens to the brilliant reds, fiery oranges and golds of autumn, a Technicolor show that many passengers watched from the glass-domed viewing car against a backdrop of cobalt-blue lakes and the rugged grey of the Canadian Shield.
It was just after 4 p.m. when we disembarked at the town of Capreol, a railroad hub and home to the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre. Its extensive collection is housed in Prescott Park and is dedicated to the settlement and the historical impact of the railroad on the region. On exhibit outside the museum includes an historical wooden caboose and CN steam locomotive 6077. A visit to the museum is all part of the package on the annual "Superior Colours" tour.
After a turkey dinner with all the trimmings at Capreol's M&R Grill, we were bused the 40 km to Sudbury. A two-night stay afforded us plenty of time to explore the Big Nickel, as Sudbury is known. An attractive city, it's site of the much-touted Science North and the new Dynamic Earth exhibit, which takes visitors on an underground tour of the Inco Chasm.
An evening highlight of the Sudbury visit was an historical presentation by James Cockburn who serves as conductor on VIA's Lake Superior service (the Budd) and who has been around railroads for most of his life. Jimmy is full of stories, particularly of the days when Sudbury was a major passenger hub on the Canadian Pacific mainline.
We joined Jimmy on the Budd car next morning for the full-day excursion to White River. The Budd does the return trip three times a week, following the Spanish River, and can literally stop on a dime, picking up passengers who flag it down — fishermen with canoes, hunters with a week's worth of supplies, local residents like Sally and Joe transporting their pet turtle to town for the winter.
The 380-metre tall Inco smokestack dominates the skyline as the train passes through the Sudbury basin, 100 km wide and 15 km deep. The crater was formed about two billion years ago when a massive asteroid slammed into Earth's crust, creating one of the world's richest deposits of nickel. On the outer edge of the basin, engineer Phillip Morin slows the Budd so that we can photograph High Falls on the Onaping River.
We drop off two hunters at Windy Lake Provincial Park and, to our amazement, out of the bush comes a World War II amphibious duck vehicle to transport them across the lake. We make a stop at Biscotasing General Store that stocks everything from beer to bullets. The former fur trading point was once home to Archie Belaney, better known as Grey Owl.
We roll on past old lumbering communities like Sultan, Kormak, Cartier and Nemegos, whose claim to fame is being the site of Canada's most remote phone booth.
Jimmy has been on the Sudbury-White River run for 30 years now and knows every inch of every mile of the route (yes, it's still miles in railroad language). And, the stories he can tell.
At Mile 107, known as the Bermuda Triangle to railroaders, Jimmy tells a story that's been on the "cold case files" since 1957 when a locomotive engineer and two railroaders were dropped off at a camp never to be seen again. Another unsolved mystery of the Triangle involved an engineer whose camp was set afire in the 1940s. Investigators found him dead from a bullet to the head.
By 2:30 p.m. we're at Chapleau, exploring Centennial Park with its historic steam locomotive No. 5433. The world's largest nature reserve, the 81,000-hectare Chapleau Game Reserve, is on the outskirts of the town. Now, who knew that?
We pass through forests of tamarack, pine, poplar and birch and enjoy the passing scenery — lovely Lake Windermere, named by an Englishman homesick for his favourite English lake.
We arrive late at White River, the end of the line. At the halfway point between Toronto and Winnipeg, the town's most famous citizen is Winnie the Pooh. Mayor Angelo Bazzoni is waiting at the station to greet us and transport us to the community centre where the ladies of the local Harmony Club have kept a hot supper waiting.
Where, but in the North, could you find hospitality like that?

This year's Superior Colours of Northern Ontario tour departs Sept. 30. Cost from Toronto is $695 per person, based on double occupancy.
Rail Travel Tours, Box 44, 123 Main St., Winnipeg, Man. R3C 1A3, call 204-897-9551, toll-free 1-866-704-3528, http://www.railtraveltours.com.

Leader of the Packages: VIA Rail Canada Teams with Top Tour Operators to Provide Enthralling Canadian Vacations Excursions Combining VIA's Premium Services with Canada's Most Exciting Cities, Destinations and Natural Beauty Available Spring through Fall

MONTREAL, June 14 /CNW/ - The buddy system really does work. VIA Rail Canada, the nation's passenger rail network continues to partner with leading tour operators to create exciting, multi-destination Canadian vacations. A wide variety of tours are available on a year-round basis, some showcasing the history of a particular region, with others providing an appreciation of how
immense and spectacular Canada truly is. Daylight touring in Nova Scotia and northern British Columbia, a land cruise across northern Ontario and the prairies through the stunning Canadian Rockies, and in-depth excursions that explore the rich cultures of Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa are all readily available. Tour operators throughout 2004 are offering both independent and escorted group packages. Some tours combine daytrips via motor coach or rental car, allowing visitors to explore every nook and cranny of their chosen region. Others take travelers via boat up the mighty St. Lawrence River. Despite their wide range of featured activities, however, the vacations all have one thing in common: they all go VIA Rail, leaving travelers privy to VIA's premium services coast to coast. Amenities such as fine regional cuisine and access to plush lounge cars, as well as cozy sleeping compartments with comfortable
bedding and private washrooms, are featured and included in the prices of these packages. Following is a brief sampling of packages incorporating travel on VIA Rail Canada as part of a total vacation experience. For all listed prices, taxes are additional unless otherwise indicated.

Independent Tour Packages:
--------------------------

History loves company, and John Steel Rail Tours is offering an independent tour showcasing the seafaring past of Canada's Maritimes. Its 6-day/5-night "Nova Scotia Treasures" package starts with two nights in historic Halifax, a city where 19th-Century privateer warehouses have been transformed into rustic specialty shops. While in town, enjoy the Historic Halifax Tour that visits the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, and the Public Gardens, a seventeen-acre tribute to Victorian elegance. The next day features a relaxing, ten-hour daylight touring trip aboard VIA Rail's Bras d'Or service to Sydney. The Bras d'Or features panoramic domed cars to take in the region's glistening lakes and rolling hills, and its crew dresses in Celtic garb and points out sites of interest along the route. After a night in Sydney, return to Halifax aboard the Bras d'Or once more. On Day Five, tour the landmark lighthouse at Peggy's Cove and the centuries-old port town of Lunenburg. The tour concludes with another night in Halifax. Available June 1 - October 21, 2004, the package is priced from CAD $1,429 per person for double occupancy. All meals on the train included, as are select other meals and sightseeing activities. Most transfers are also included. For reservations, call 800-988-5778 or visit www.johnsteel.com. Explore the rich cultural history of New France on Brewster Vacations' 6-day/5-night "Flavour of Quebec from Montreal" package. The package starts with three nights in wonderful Montreal, where a morning tour is provided of the Pointe-a-Calliere and the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. The rest of the time is free to roam the charming, narrow streets of Old Montreal and sizzling nightlife along hotspots like Crescent Street. Day Three brings a full-day boating expedition featuring a guided tour of the Old Port. The next day, a motor coach journey along the mighty St. Lawrence River brings travelers to historic Quebec for a two-night stay. Here, explore the quaint shops and sidewalks cafés in this 400-year-old city. The tour's final day features a journey back to Montreal on VIA Rail's Corridor service in premier VIA 1 Class, where passengers are treated to a delicious meal at their spacious seats and have access to the relaxing Renaissance Lounge. Available
May 1 - October - 12, 2004, the package is priced from $859 CAD per person for double occupancy. For reservations, call 800-661-1152 or visit www.brewster.ca.

Group Escorted Tour Packages:
-----------------------------

Tauck World Discovery's "French Canada and Gaspé Peninsula by Rail" package takes travelers through one of Canada's most romantic regions. The 8-day/7-night excursion starts with one night in enchanting Montreal. Next, take an overnight journey in Easterly Class aboard VIA Rail's Chaleur service to the lovely village of Percé. While in Easterly Class, enjoy the train's quaint dining cars and lounges and watch the scenery roll by from a cozy private bedroom. The tour continues by motor coach to enjoy such destinations as Forillon National Park and St. Lawrence. The group arrives in Quebec City on Day Six, where they'll have two nights to enjoy the narrow streets, quaint shops and charming sidewalk cafés in this fascinating French-Canadian city before returning by motor coach to Montreal. This package is available June 12 - September 25, 2004, and includes some meals. Priced from USD $1,850 (approx. $2,512 CAD) per person for double occupancy. For reservations, call 800-788-7885 or visit www.tauck.com. For a broader selection of touring programs featuring VIA Rail's services, please visit VIA's packages website located at www.viarail.ca/packages. The site uses a multi-faceted search engine that allows consumers and travel planners, after identifying their country of origin, to find vacation packages based on such categories as the VIA Rail service involved (such as the Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver), the potential dates of travel, and the price level of the overall vacation. Once visitors find a travel package that interests them, one click brings them to a complete product overview of that vacation, as well as a direct link to the providing tour operator. Following this description, the consumer or travel planner is provided with a contact form that allows them to communicate directly with the tour operator, who will respond to their requests. For a step-by-step overview explaining the functionality of this website in more detail, please visit http://www.travelsalesrep.com/tour_bookings_2.htm. For further information on VIA Rail's 2004 products, services and fares,
contact VIA Rail Canada at 888-842-7245 or visit VIA on the Internet at www.viarail.ca.

For further information: Media Contacts: Seychelle Harding, VIA Rail Canada, Public Affairs, (514) 871-6119; Catherine Kaloutsky, VIA Rail Canada, Public Affairs, (416) 956-7683

Vintage luxury train hosts sleepover in city

Virginia McDonald

Local train buffs rallied to greet American tourists riding in style, as one of the world's finest vintage luxury trains pulled into Guelph Saturday night. Hauled by vintage diesel units painted in 1960s Canadian Pacific livery and hauling restored private business cars, some 80 years old, the Royal Canadian Pacific land-cruise train pulled in at 8 p.m. on the old CPR line in front of River Run Centre. The train stopped rather coincidentally at the site of the city's first railroad station, The Priory, built by city founder John Galt in 1827. "It's a very high end service and high end train," said Canadian Pacific Railway's director of passenger rail Don Heron, a Calgary CPR executive heading the tour."There's a few trains like this in the world, and this is one of the few fine trains in the world." The arrival, greeted by at least 25 train enthusiasts, marked the first Canadian Pacific passenger train on the old CPR line in likely 30 years, since the last steam tour in the 1970s, estimates Guelph Historical Railway Association president Steve Host. The restored train now provides train travel experience for business clients. The tourists, from all over the US, including California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Montana, each paid $7,000 to travel for five days on southern Ontario railway lines on what's called a rare mileage charter tour. Canadian Pacific, the railway that introduced the Trans Canada Limited in 1929 and the Canadian Domeliner in 1956, handed over its passenger service to VIA Rail in 1976. But it kept a fleet of sleeper-observation-lounge cars for corporate use that now comprises the land-cruise train launched in 2001. With private rooms and bathrooms, gourmet dining, fine crystal and silver, the train offers travellers train exclusive service and elegance from decades past. Members of Guelph Junction Railway and Guelph Historical Railway Association were on hand to photograph the train and chat with travellers. The tourists strolled downtown and slept on board before making tracks Sunday morning.

Heron said the group was "just entranced by Guelph" and by the "gracious and warm welcome" from residents who met the train on the banks of the Speed River.However, at 2:30 a.m., a group of neighbours went to the train to complain about engine and generator noise, so the crew moved it just south of Victoria Road. When CP moved into Guelph in 1888, the Priory was used as the CPR passenger station until a replacement station was built adjacent to Eramosa Road around 1911, said Host. Nobody on the train had seen Guelph before, said Heron, but they were impressed with downtown and saw "enough to entice people to come back."He also praised Guelph Junction Railway's help, including from Brad Joliffe.

(Guelph Tribune 040608)

Historic train to pass through Fort Erie

FORT ERIE - A blast from the past is headed this way.

Sometime Sunday, a 74-year-old Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotive known as The Empress is scheduled to pass through Fort Erie on its way to Buffalo. Its passage through town precedes what's being billed as the United States debut of the rare vintage engine, which was restored several years ago by CP. Though CP schedules weren't available Friday, according to several websites maintained by railway enthusiasts The Empress is en route from Toronto and will arrive in Welland late this afternoon. Sunday, it'll depart Welland, passing through Stevensville and Fort Erie on its way to Buffalo to begin its stateside tour. The Empress, also known as Number 2816, is one of only 48 surviving steam engines of its era known to exist in North America. Most are static museum displays.The engine, a coal-fired Hudson-class locomotive, was built in Montreal in 1930. It was decommissioned in November, 1960 after 30 years of service. For close to 40 years, The Empress was on display in various US museums until it again came into the ownership of CP.It serves as the company's roving ambassador, for public appearances.

(Niagara Falls Review 040612)

Literacy is right on track with steam engine trip

Daniel Nolan

A heralded Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., steam engine will return to the city this weekend and operate on tracks that likely haven't seen a steam engine in decades. The CPR Empress will visit the city this afternoon to help raise awareness and funds for the Breakfast for Learning program which provides a morning meal for needy children in about 150 schools in Hamilton-Niagara. The company's only remaining operating steam engine in North America visited Hamilton a year ago as part of a Breakfast for Learning promotion and was mobbed by hundreds at the CPR yard in west Hamilton.This year's visit, however, will be a little different -- 100 lucky people will get the chance to experience The Empress' power when they ride behind it in some 1950 heritage cars on a trip between Hamilton and Welland. This could be the first steam powered passenger train to run on the former Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway line -- now part of the CPR -- in 50 years. The last TH&B passenger train pulled by a steam locomotive ran March 23, 1954. CPR and Canadian National Railway Co., ceased using steam engines in 1960. Rail passenger service between Hamilton and Welland stopped in 1981. The CPR Empress, built in Montreal in 1930, is scheduled to arrive from Milton at the CPR yard on Studholme Road at about 3 p.m. It will remain for about 30 minutes to pick up its passengers before heading to Welland. It will pass through such communities as Stoney Creek, Vinemount, Grassie, and St. Anns before arriving at about 4:30 p.m., at the CPR yard on O'Reilly's Road in Wainfleet. Train passengers will attend a fundraising barbecue. Tickets to ride the train sold out quickly, allowing the Hamilton and Niagara chapters of the Breakfast for Learning programs to share $2,500 in proceeds.
dnolan@thespec.com
905-526-3351

May 5, 2004

Spot the Spider-Man(R) Train this summer across the VIA Rail network to win great prizes
- This is one web you will want to be caught in -

TORONTO, May 5 /CNW/ - This summer, parents from coast to coast will be bombarded with pleading cries from their children "but, I just gotta see it!" and they won't just be referring to the highly-anticipated release of Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios' action adventure Spider-Man(R) 2. They will also be talking about VIA Rail's Spider-Man Train. For a limited time, six VIA Rail engines will be transformed into high-impact larger-than-life-images of Spider-Man! And spotting that train can have benefits for the entire family. From May 14 - July 15, 2004, when you 'Spot the Spider-Man Train', go to www.viarail.ca and tell us where and when you saw it, and enter the "Spot the Spider-Man Train" contest. VIA Rail is pleased to partner with Sony Electronics and Zellers on this promotion. For full contest details including how to enter and a list of all the prizes - including a trip for four in Silver & Blue Class on board VIA's Canadian to Jasper, AB - you can also visit www.sony.ca and www.zellers.ca. "Summer is a special time for families, and the train is a great way for families to travel," said Pierre Santoni, VIA Rail's Regional Director, Southwestern Ontario. "Being involved in promoting the film across our 14,000 km network in this manner is exciting and is sure to bring out the kid in us all." Throughout the summer months, every child traveling on-board will receive a Spider-Man 2 Activity Book, full of activities, valuable coupons and hours of entertainment during VIA's popular "Kids Travel Free" program which runs from May 29 - August 29, 2004. Anyone over the age of 18 who purchases a senior, student, or adult-fare ticket in Comfort Class(R) (Economy) can bring a child aged 11 or under along for free. Catch the Spider-Man VIA Rail train and Columbia Pictures Spider-Man 2 in theaters this summer - your winning ticket to fun and adventure for the entire family!

VIA Rail Canada is the national passenger rail service, connecting some 450 communities from coast to coast. Demand for VIA's services is continuing to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a hassle-free, cost-efficient alternative to congested roads and airports. For a complete listing of train departures, on-board services as well as fare plans, visit VIA's website at www.viarail.ca. Passengers can book their tickets by calling 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245), at kiosks in major Corridor stations or through their travel agents.

SPIDER-MAN(R) 2 BACKGROUNDER
In Spider-Man(R) 2, two years have passed since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) walked away from his longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and decided to take the road to responsibility as Spider-Man. Peter must face new challenges as he struggles to cope with "the gift and the curse" of his powers while balancing his dual identities as the elusive superhero Spider-Man and life as a college student. The relationships Peter holds most dear are now in danger of unraveling as he clashes with the powerful, multi-tentacled villain "Doc Ock" (Alfred Molina). Spider-Man(R) 2 reunites the cast and filmmakers from the first adventure, including Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Rosemary
Harris and J.K. Simmons, under the leadership of director Sam Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Marvel's Avi Arad. Joining the ensemble cast are Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius ("Doc Ock"), Daniel Gillies as John
Jameson, Vanessa Ferlito as Louise, Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Connors and Donna Murphy as Rosalie Octavius. Columbia Pictures Presents A Marvel Enterprises/Laura Ziskin Production Spider-Man(R) 2 starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy and J.K. Simmons. The film is directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, The Evil Dead). The screenplay is by two-time Oscar(R) winner Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People, Unfaithful) based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The screen story is by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon. The producers are Laura Ziskin (Spider-Man, Pretty Woman) and Avi Arad (X-Men, Daredevil, Hulk).

For further information: Catherine Kaloutsky, VIA Rail Canada, Public Affairs, (416) 956-7683; Elaine McCulloch, VIA Rail Canada, Marketing, (416) 253-2433; Natalie Amaral/Grant Sturgeon, Columbia Pictures, Publicity, (416) 922-8230

Saturday, May 1 2004

Homeward bound
Rail journey retraces route immigrants took from Halifax's Pier 21 to Prairies

PAUL PIHICHYN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Percé Rock, with Bonaventure Island in the background, viewed from a hill above the village of Percé in Québec's Gaspé.


HALIFAX -- It began as a different way to see the country; it ended as a very personal journey, retracing the route that first brought me to Winnipeg and leading back to the place where I landed on Canadian soil at a time I was too young to remember.
Between 1928 and 1971, more than a million immigrants arrived in Halifax to begin a new life in Canada. They all passed through Pier 21, a massive structure on the Halifax waterfront that was known, in its day, as the Immigration Shed.

Before the days of mass transatlantic passenger flight, most newcomers to Canada arrived by ship, and virtually all of those ships docked at Pier 21. Each of those arrivals was recorded, their passenger manifests logged and archived.

It was in those archives that I found the entry I was looking for. On June 16, 1951, the French ship Europa, which had sailed from Southampton in England six days earlier, arrived at Pier 21. Among the passengers listed were Peter and Doreen Pihichyn and a child, Paul.

I stood at the gangway doors of the "shed" and looked out at Halifax harbour and tried to imagine what it must have been like that day more than a half-century ago.

Today, Pier 21 is a National Historic Site, maintained by the Pier 21 Foundation. The foundation estimates that one in five Canadians has a direct link to Pier 21. It was not only the entry point for those one million immigrants; 500,000 Canadian troops left Canada for Europe from here during the Second World War. For some, it was the last time they saw this country.

Riding the rails

Getting there
This was an 11-day, 10-night journey from Winnipeg to Halifax and back. Because there is no single Via Rail train that runs from Winnipeg to Halifax, there are overnight stops along the way in Toronto and Montreal, Matapedia, Que., and Halifax.

The connections
Day 1 - The Canadian departs Winnipeg at 12:25 p.m.. Overnight on the train.
Day 2 - The Canadian arrives in Toronto at 8 p.m. Train 50 - the overnighter from Toronto to Montreal -- departs at 11:30 p.m.
Day 3 - Train 50 arrives in Montreal at 8:10 a.m. Overnight in Montreal.
Day 4 - The Ocean and The Chaleur leave Montreal at 7 p.m., overnight on the train.
Day 5 - The Chaleur splits from The Ocean and Matapedia and arrives in Percé at 10:40 a.m. The Chaleur arrives in Barachois at 3:27 p.m. It arrives in Matapedia at 9:55 p.m. Overnight in Matapedia or continue on to Rimouski, and catch the eastbound Ocean at 2:46 a.m.
Day 6 - The Ocean leaves Matapedia at 5:12 a.m., arriving in Halifax at 4:10 p.m. Overnight in Halifax.
Day 7 - Had enough of the train? Fly back to Winnipeg. You will be home in six hours. Real train buffs will stay another night in Halifax and explore the city.
Day 8 - The Ocean departs Halifax at 1:05 p.m. Overnight on the train.
Day 9 - The Ocean arrives in Montreal at 8 a.m. Train 57 departs Montreal at 9:40 a.m., arriving in Toronto at 3:09 p.m. Overnight in Toronto.
Day 10 - The Canadian leaves Toronto at 9 a.m. Overnight on the train.
Day 11 - The Canadian arrives in Winnipeg at 3:45 p.m. Home at last.

Where to stay
The great legacy of the rail era was the hotels the CPR and CNR built across the country to accommodate its passengers. Toronto, Montreal and Halifax all boast hotels attached to their train stations -- the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal and the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax. Watch for profiles of these historic railway hotels in the Travel section soon. In Matapedia, the Motel Restigouche is the only option. It's a five-minute walk from the train station.

More information

Rail Travel Tours, a Winnipeg travel company specializing in train travel, offers this journey in its Ocean's Explorer package - which includes train tickets, sleeping car accommodations, overnight hotels and air options back to Winnipeg. Call 897-9551 or toll-free outside Winnipeg, 1-866-704-3528 ; e-mail railtraveltours@mts.net; website www.railtraveltours.com

Canadian Railway Museum -- www.exporail.org
--Paul Pihichyn

In 1951, the only practical way for immigrants to travel halfway across the continent, from Halifax to Winnipeg, was by rail. After processing at Pier 21, most immigrants boarded a CPR passenger train and headed west.

The railway station in Halifax is still there, a short walk from Pier 21, but gone are the CPR trains. Via Rail Canada carries the passengers now. But there is still a very real link with history.

Via's The Ocean travels between Halifax and Montreal. It leaves Halifax each afternoon, six times a week, arriving in Montreal at 8 a.m. the next morning. Some days The Ocean is made of modern Renaissance passenger cars; other days, it still has the classic 1950s-era passenger cars, refurbished and updated, on its run to Montreal.

This year, The Ocean is marking its centennial. For 100 years, a train called The Ocean has made this run -- the oldest named train route in North America.

For part of the journey between Montreal and Halifax, The Ocean has a companion. Three times a week, the cars of The Chaleur are attached to the back of The Ocean. At Matapedia, Quebéc, the trains part company -- The Ocean travels on to Halifax, The Chaleur heads up into the Gaspé, hugging the shoreline on a day-long, 310-kilometre trip to the town of Gaspé at the tip of the peninsula.

In this unique and historic region of Quebéc, where French and English cultures still exist side-by-side, The Chaleur passes through towns and villages that reflect their diverse past -- New Richmond, Caplan, New Carlisle, Grande-Rivière and tiny Percé, home of one of Canada's most familiar landmarks. This village of 250 people welcomes more than 400,000 visitors each year. Mostly, they come to gaze at Roch Percé, the massive slab of limestone, with its famous hole worn through the rock by eons of water and wind, sitting just off the shore in the Bay of Chaleur.

The first glimpse of Roch Percé comes at the crest of a hill approaching the village from the west.

"We call it 'Surprise Hill'," says Percé tourism director Marie Leblanc.

In summer, at low tide, visitors can actually walk out to the rock. In early April, with ice still clawing at its base, this is not an option.

"It is nice to have a spectacular landmark, but we want you to know we have much more here," Leblanc says as we stand on the village pier taking in the beauty of the rock.

She points to her right, over to Bonaventure Island, once inhabited by fishing families, but now a protected bird sanctuary and home to 75,000 nesting pairs of gannets, the second largest colony of these seabirds in the world -- and the most accessible. In summer, boat excursions to the island are offered. There is also great whale-watching in the bay.

Percé has established itself as something of an artists' colony. Leblanc says there are 15 to 20 galleries in the area offering everything from local crafts to fine works of art. One of these is owned by noted Canadian artist John Wiseman, originally from Barrie, Ont., who has been living in Percé for 30 years.

Wiseman's watercolour landscapes of Roch Percé and the surrounding countryside command prices up to $50,000. As well as his own works, Wiseman sells paintings and sculptures by other local artists, as well as fine jewelry made from local semi-precious stones -- agate and jaspar -- found on the beach.

This stay in Percé is all too brief -- a short four hours before catching The Chaleur as it heads back to Matapedia to meet The Ocean. Leblanc says most visitors who come by train arrive on Monday and leave on Thursday. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are very busy during the summer -- ironically, the weekends are quieter. August is the busiest month, although the weather is still good in September, she says. In summer, advance reservations are a must, she warns. We reboard The Chaleur at Barachois, a station 23 kilometres east of Percé, and head back.

To catch the eastbound Ocean, travellers are faced with an overnight stop in Matapedia. It is a short night's sleep, with The Chaleur arriving at 10 p.m. and The Ocean pulling out just after 5 a.m. Most travellers have a short sleep at the Restigouche Motel, adjacent to the Matapedia train station.

However, the conductor on The Chaleur offers another option. You can stay on to Rimouski, Que., arriving about 1:30 a.m. An hour later, the eastbound Ocean arrives. Of course, this all depends on the trains running on time and not everyone will be up to changing trains in the middle of the night.

Anyone accustomed to the sleepy atmosphere of Winnipeg's Union Station -- where the only trains are The Canadian heading east and west and the Hudson Bay going up to Churchill three times a week -- is in for a shock at Montreal's Central Station.

This train station in Montreal (along with Toronto's) is the busiest in the country. In this part of the country, people actually take the train with regularity. At 8 a.m. on a weekday, there is a constant buzz of activity. Commuters are arriving from Montreal's outlying suburbs, overnight trains are coming in from Toronto. Other trains arrive from Quebéc City and Ottawa. Amtrak, the American passenger service, has daily departures to New York. The place is a sea of humanity.

On that first train journey across Canada many years ago, I would have stopped at Windsor Station, the old CPR station a few block from Central Station, the former CN station, in downtown Montreal. Trains don't stop at Windsor anymore, although there is a commuter train stop nearby.

Any rail aficionado who lands in Montreal will want to visit the Canadian Railway Museum -- ExpoRail -- in suburban Saint-Constant, about 30 minutes from downtown Montreal. On summer weekends, you can catch a train to the museum from the commuter stop near Windsor Station; otherwise you will need a car or face a $40 taxi ride.

Kevin Robinson is a self-described train nut. He is the driving force behind ExpoRail. The museum houses the largest collection of railway rolling stock in the country. It was founded in 1961 and is about to reopen in June following a massive $1.2-million renovation.

Among its collection of more than 160 rail cars and engines is a private business car used by Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, a CPR school car that used to travel the rails of rural Canada, carrying a teacher and a rolling classroom to remote communities, a1873 British-built steam locomotive and the CPR's No. 144, an 1886 steam engine that was the first to roll across Canada from coast-to-coast. There is a collection of old Montreal street railway cars, including a horse-drawn streetcar that plied the rails along the avenues of the city between 1850 and 1860 and marked the start of urban mass transit in this country.

Robinson and a staff of 80 volunteers welcome about 80,000 visitors a year to ExpoRail. The main pavilion features 12 tracks -- two more than Windsor Station had, Robinson boasts -- that trace the history of railroading in Canada.

There was a time when passengers could take The Canadian from Winnipeg to Montreal. In fact, both the CPR and CN offered passenger service here. Today, Via's Canadian ends its journey in Toronto. But going between Toronto and Montreal is the easiest train trip in the country.

Eastbound, I took the night train -- No. 50 -- between the two cities. This is a popular train with business travellers, who take a sleeper for the 11:30 p.m. departure from Toronto, arriving in Montreal at 8:10 a.m. the next morning. The trip really doesn't take more than eight hours, but for the sake of convenience, it pulls onto a siding outside Kingston and stops for a few hours while passengers sleep, to avoid a very early arrival. Sleeping car passengers can enjoy a night cap before retiring to their bedroom for the night. The train has shower facilities and a complimentary breakfast is served prior to arrival in Montreal. It's a very civilized way to travel on Via's newer Renaissance cars.

During the day, Via's offers a first-class service -- Via 1 -- that rivals air travel in both time and fare between Montreal and Toronto. Train 57 leaves Montreal at 9:40 a.m. daily and makes the 539-kilometre trip in just over five hours. Considering it is downtown to downtown, with no long commutes from the airports, many find it more convenient than flying.

Via 1 onboard service is better, by far, than what airline passengers receive, even in business class. The assigned seats are big and comfortable, with lots of leg room. You get a great view of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the north shore of Lake Ontario.

There is complimentary bar service, breakfast and lunch -- with a choice of entrées -- and you can use your laptop and cellphone throughout the journey. And no one makes you take your shoes and belt off, like they do at airports these days.

Heading west, there will usually be an overnight stop in Toronto before catching The Canadian on the final leg of the journey back to Winnipeg.

The Canadian, with its sleek 1955-vintage carriages and scenic dome cars, begins its journey west three times a week from Toronto, departing at 9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. You begin to feel like you are almost home as soon as your step onboard because crew members are all based in Winnipeg and make the day-and-a-half trip three or four times a month.

As The Canadian rolls out of Toronto's Union Station, it passes all the city's great landmarks: The impressive downtown skyline -- how can you tell someone is from Manitoba? They are always looking up -- SkyDome and the CN Towers (world's tallest freestanding structure) and the madness they laughingly call the Gardner Expressway, where traffic crawls at a snail's pace into the city.

Soon, The Canadian is heading north through Toronto's sprawling suburbs. Even here, where people like to think they are the height of sophistication, they stop and wave as the shiny Canadian passes by.

Two hours later, the Big Smoke left far behind, The Canadian skirts the shores of Lake Simcoe and hits cottage country, Muskoka and the station stop at Washago. Next is Parry Sound -- made famous as the birthplace of hockey legend Bobby Orr. The barren moonscape of Sudbury, with its towering smoke stacks and Inco mine shaft come into view.

Capreol is actually part of Sudbury now, but in its heyday, this railway community was a major junction. It was here, back in the old days, that The Canadian would split -- one section going south to Toronto, the other heading east to Montreal.

I would have been here, back in 1951, I discover. Then, the CPR hugged the shores of the Great Lakes, going east toward White River. Today's Canadian follows the CN mainline, much further north -- although Via still operates a service from Sudbury to White River along the CPR tracks.

The train passes tiny whistle stops with names like McKee's Camp and Gogama and spends the night travelling through Hornepayne and Armstrong, moving through the heart of the Canadian Shield.

Dinner is served in the dining car. For sleeping car passengers, meals are included with the fare; a decent selection of Canadian wines is extra. Later, they gather in the Park car at the end of the train and watch daylight fade into night.

Accommodations -- I have a single person roomette -- are cramped, but the bed is comfortable. There are showers in the sleeping car and the turndown service includes a chocolate on the pillow. Nice touch. When it is down, the bed sits on top of the in-room biffy, which can be somewhat problematic during the night. As morning breaks, this Canadian makes a longer than expected stop at Sioux Lookout in Northwestern Ontario. It is a welcome break as passengers stream off the train and get their first breath of fresh air since leaving Toronto 24 hours earlier. This trip includes a large group of tourists from Britain, heading for Vancouver. For many, it is their first look at the wide open space of Canada. Cameras click furiously as I tell one couple to wait until they see the Prairies if they want to see open space.

Lunch is served and soon we are passing Minaki and Malachi and approaching the Manitoba border. The trees and lakes of the Whiteshell melt into the prairie landscape east of Elma as the Canadian rushes toward Winnipeg, making up time on the flatland. We will be late arriving, but not that late.

It is almost 5 p.m., just over an hour behind schedule, when the Canadian crosses the Red River, offering an awesome view of the new Louis Riel foot bridge and CanWest Global Park. It is an impressive entry into downtown that makes me proud as other passengers who have not seen it before gush about what a beautiful city Winnipeg is.

My first arrival in Winnipeg in 1951 was at the old CPR station at Higgins and Main. Just like at Montreal's Windsor Station, the trains don't go there anymore. But that doesn't matter. You can come still home again.

April 24, 2004

Top 10 train trips in Canada (well, mostly)


The Ottawa Citizen
Via Rail's The Canadian

This is the classic Canadian railway experience -- the kind that makes you want to hum Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy and helps you understand a good chunk of Canadian history. Leaving from Toronto, the Canadian crosses the rugged Canadian Shield, the endless prairies and the majestic Rockies en route to the Pacific. The trip takes three days and three nights and exposes you to more Canadian diversity than you knew existed. You travel through Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper and Kamloops on your way to Vancouver.

When: Leaves Toronto Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; leaves Vancouver Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

Cost: Variable, depending on class, age and other factors. Via Rail says it's possible to get an economy return ticket from Toronto to Vancouver for $862.

Contacts: www.viarail.ca or 1-888-842-7245

Via Rail's The Hudson Bay

Look up -- look waaaaaay up -- from Winnipeg, and you will see the town of Churchill on the cold shores of Hudson Bay, 1,700 kilometres away. On the way there, you'll pass through Manitoba prairie -- even a bit of Saskatchewan -- before chugging through the seemingly endless boreal forest. The Hudson Bay is the only overland transportation serving many communities along the route. In fact, if you want to try real wilderness camping, it's possible to get off the train anywhere along the route by simply requesting a stop. In season, Churchill is a popular destination for people who want to see polar bears up close and personal. Do the tracks seem uneven? Blame it on frost heave.

When: Leaves Winnipeg Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; leaves Churchill Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Cost: The basic economy return fare from Winnipeg to Churchill is $312; sleepers are available for more.

Contacts: www.viarail.ca or 1-888-842-7245

Algoma Central Railway's Agawa Canyon Tour

The Algoma Central Railway runs a rail line between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, through the heart of Northern Ontario's wilderness. This one-day excursion from Sault Ste. Marie -- one of the most popular in North America -- takes visitors 180 kilometres north over trestles and past the rocks and forest of the Canadian Shield to picturesque Agawa Canyon, where there is a two-hour stopover for walks and picnicking.

When: Mid-June to mid-October

Cost: Fares range from $59 to $131 for the day, depending on the type of seat and the season (highest in fall when the leaves are in colour).

Contacts: www.agawacanyontourtrain.com or 1-800-242-9287

Ontario Northland's Polar Bear Express

This is the easiest way for anyone in central Canada to get to the Arctic tidewaters of James Bay. The day-long excursion goes from Cochrane, Ont., to Moosonee and back -- a distance of 300 kilometres each way. At Moosonee, visitors can cross by boat to Moose Factory -- on an island in the Moose River and within sight of James Bay -- and learn about Cree culture. Real polar bears, by the way, will be more easily found in Churchill, Man.; this trip provides you with a fascinating look at Native culture, an appreciation for the wilderness and the isolation of the north and a peek into our fur-trading history. You are also likely to encounter mosquitoes and black flies: Ontario Northland warns you to be prepared by bringing insect repellent.

When: Daily except Mondays from the end of June until early September.

Cost: Adults: $95.99; children two to 11: $48. Discounts and packages available.

Contacts: www.polarbearexpress.ca or 1-800-268-9281

Via Rail's The Ocean

This East Coast classic rail route is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. This 1,346-kilometre trip takes you from Montreal to Halifax through the heart of Quebec and across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia along the route of the old Intercolonial Railway, the old line linking central and Atlantic Canada. You'll see the mighty St. Lawrence, the majestic Bay of Chaleur, the two branches of the Miramichi and farthest inland reaches of the tides of the Bay of Fundy before reaching Bedford Basin and Halifax Harbour. But the highlight may well be the people you meet -- Quebecers and Maritimers -- who use the train like city people use the bus. The whole trip takes about 20 hours.

When: Every day but Tuesday.

Cost: Via Rail says a return trip from Montreal to Halifax and back can be had for $242. You'll pay more for a sleeper or any upgrade.

Contacts: www.viarail.ca or 1-888-842-7245

Royal Canadian Pacific's Royal Canadian Rockies Experience

Royal Canadian Pacific runs a number of high-end train trips out of Calgary. Their Royal Canadian Rockies Experience 1,000-kilometre luxury tour is not something you do on a whim. But if you like trains and you can afford to be pampered, this six-day trip will take your breath away as you travel past some of the most spectacular scenery on the continent. Starting from Calgary, the train first travels to Golden, B.C., through Banff, Lake Louise and Kicking Horse Pass; it then returns to Calgary via a southerly route that takes it through Radium Hot Springs, Crowsnest Pass and Lethbridge. There are side trips by motor coach, onboard dinners to the accompaniment of classical guitar and violin, and high-end hotel accommodation when you aren't staying on the train -- among other things.

When: The trip is run six times during the summer. Call for details.

Cost: $6,895 (double occupancy)

Contacts: www.cprtours.com or 1-877-665-3044

Royal Canadian Pacific's Royal Culinary, Wine and Music Experience

Eat and drink your way across the Rockies and back with breathtaking mountain scenery to aid the digestion. This luxury rail tour from Calgary to Vancouver and back offers gourmet food at every meal, tours of B.C.'s top Okanagan wineries and even a yacht cruise in Vancouver. But the focus is on the meals -- and the port, and the ice wines, and the hors d'oeuvres, and the pastries and the cooking demonstrations. Not for people who are counting calories.

When: June 28 to July 3 and Oct. 7 to 12

Cost: $5,550 (double occupancy)

Contacts: www.cprtours.com or 1-877-665-3044

White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad

White Pass Summit Excursion

Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow-gauge railroad is an international historic civil engineering landmark. It heads from the port of Skagway, Alaska, up the mountains toward the Klondike. The railroad offers several tours. Its most accessible is the White Pass Summit Excursion, which takes passengers from sea level up over White Pass (elevation: 2,865 feet) and back. The round-trip distance is only 60 kilometres, and takes just over three hours, but the scenery is spectacular. Other options include doing the longer Lake Bennett Excursion, which runs less frequently, or going on to Whitehorse, Yukon, through a combination train-bus route. Hikers who have completed the arduous Chilkoot Trail can use the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad to return to Skagway.

When: The White Pass Summit Excursion runs twice daily from May 10 to Sept. 23, at 8:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., with additional 4:30 p.m. departures Monday through Thursday from May 10 to Sept. 9.

Cost: Adults, $89 U.S., children under 12 half-price.

Contacts: www.wpyr.com/ or 1-800-343-7373.

Rocky Mountaineer's Four-Day Classic

One of the trends in train trips through the mountains is to make overnight stops in hotels along the way -- thereby avoiding travel at night, when you'd miss the views. Vancouver-based Rocky Mountaineer runs a variety of excursions running from two to 17 days. The four-day Classic Rail Tour to Banff is the quintessential Rockies rail experience: From Vancouver, the train stops in Kamloops after one day on the rails, and Banff the next night. Along the way, in addition to the mountains, glaciers and tunnels, passengers see the Fraser Canyon, the Okanagan and Craigellachie -- where, in 1885, the last spike was hammered in on Canada's first trans-continental railroad.

When: Departs Vancouver every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from April 17 to Oct. 11, and Banff every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from April 19 to Oct. 13.

Cost: Variable, depending on class, season and type of hotel. The cheapest in high season is $989 per person, based on double occupancy. Meal plans are extra.

Contacts: www.rockymountaineer.com or 1-877-460-3200.

Via Rail's The Bras d'Or

This is a tourist train, run only during the summer, providing a rail link to scenic Cape Breton Island and a glimpse of the island's unique culture. Leaving from Halifax, the train stops in Truro and Port Hawkesbury on its way to Sydney and offers lovely views of the shores of Bras d'Or Lake with Celtic music on board. Meals are included, and there's an option to return to Truro by bus.

When: June 1 to Oct. 13: Departing Halifax every Tuesday and Sydney every Wednesday.

Cost: One-way fare is $239, and includes breakfast, lunch and activities on and off the train. There's a 25-per-cent discount for return travellers.

Contacts: www.viarail.ca or 1-888-842-7245

© The Ottawa Citizen 2004

April 24, 2004

Making tracks: Train travel is riding a wave of popularity as more people choose to take the relaxing route

Daniel Drolet
Citizen Special
Taking a shower on board a moving train was weird, but not as weird as I had feared.

Yes, I had to deal with the pitching and rolling of the train -- the same pitching and rolling that had lulled me to sleep the night before in my tiny roomette. So things sloshed around a little bit. But I had a small private change room, with a clean shower stall, fresh towels, little soaps and shampoos like you'd find in a hotel and enough hot water to do the job.

I didn't linger in the shower -- they discourage lingering by making you press a button every few minutes to start the flow of water again -- but I did come out feeling refreshed, presentable and ready to tackle the day. Which is not something I had expected to feel after a night on the train.

Like many Canadians, I suspect, most of my train travel in recent years has involved day trips -- in my case, from Ottawa to Montreal or Toronto. When I have taken the train at all, that is. This trip was different. It was a package organized by Rail Travel Tours, a Winnipeg-based tour company -- one of many companies now offering rail tours all over the country (see Top 10 train trips, page K3) -- that had me travelling on two of Via Rail's most well-known East Coast trains: the Chaleur, which runs from Montreal to Gaspe, and the Ocean, whose Montreal-to-Halifax passenger run is 100 years old this summer. The Rail Travel Tours package involves a night in Montreal, one night on the train, one night in Matapedia, Que. to make an early-morning connection, and two nights in Halifax.

In many ways, the six-day trip was a throwback to Canada's past, to a time before jet-setting. In this world -- the train's world -- getting there is part of the process. It's slower, more leisurely, and you meet interesting people along the way. Leisurely is a good word to describe life on board the train.

From Montreal to Perce, where I got off on the first leg of my journey, is a distance of almost 1,000 kilometres. You leave Montreal at 7 p.m. and arrive at Perce about 11 the next morning. The next leg, from Perce to Matapedia, takes five hours. From Matapedia to Halifax takes 10 hours. (These two parts of the trip are in coach, since they are during the daytime.)

That's a lot of time spent on the train, but I wasn't bored. Not for one minute.

On the way out, I ate meals in the dining car -- good meals, with salads and soups and hot entrees served with Quebec wines. I could have a drink in the lounge car, read, or work on my laptop in my roomette or the coach, or sit in the dome car and take in the scenery which, along the Gaspe coast of the Bay of Chaleur, is beautiful.

Smokers couldn't smoke on the train, though: Consequently, at every longer station stop there would be a rush of people going out on the platform to puff. Because of the pace, I met -- and had time to chat with -- a mix of people.

There was a woman going home to Gaspe after a stay in Montreal. ("My folks come from Nantucket," she said, adding by way of explanation that they'd moved to the Gaspe as United Empire Loyalists more than two centuries ago.)

There was a businessman going to a meeting, a sculptor going to the opening of an exhibit of his work, a couple who live in a historic old house near Saint John, N.B., and three New Brunswick sisters in matching T-shirts going to Halifax to party.

I watched in fascination as an older English-speaking man with a passion for country songs and a shock of white hair chatted up a young, francophone single mother across the aisle. Will she really listen to the cassette tape of country songs he gave her -- songs he said he recorded?

I heard a young man break out into song in an attempt to impress a rather annoyed young woman, and listened to a baby practise howling, whining, whimpering and screeching for a good four hours a few seats ahead of me.

Oh, there can be down sides to this slice-of-life stuff. Who ever said travel was all sweetness and light? But I'll tell you this: On a bus or a plane, I wouldn't have the option of escaping by going to the dome car, or the lounge, or the dining car -- all of which I did on various occasions.

And I could escape into my own world on the portion of the trip when I had the roomette. (There are larger rooms for couples or families, as well as berths.)

I'd first spent a night on board a train when, as an excited nine-year-old, I took an overnight trip to Toronto. I remember quite distinctly the roomette, with its bed that came down out of the wall, and I could have sworn I was in the same roomette on this trip. I may well have been. Via's guest services directory for the Chaleur and the Ocean says the stainless steel, art deco sleeping cars on the line attracted world-wide attention when they were built -- in the 1950s.

"These are the same cars you're riding in today, still showcasing their classic styling and interiors, painstakingly updated to provide all the technology and comforts required for present-day train travel," says Via.

They are a half-century old, but they have worn well. The sink that folds into the wall, the pull-out bed, the tiny toilet and the other bells and whistles, including the plugs for your cellphone or laptop, all made for fascinating compact accommodation. They also made me glad I'm only five-foot-six. Even at that, using the facilities at night is a feat best left to a gymnast. (The shower down the hall, by the way, is a new addition to the trains: It was not part of the original plan.) Given the size of the sleeping accommodation, it is obvious why Via limits the size of carry-on baggage; any oversized luggage can be checked. Travelling with sleeping accommodations meant pampering by the Via staff, who were friendly and helpful.

On a Rail Travel Tours trip, you don't spend your whole time on the train. There's a night at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, an elegant hotel that has recently been given a very chic facelift, and a chance to explore Montreal. Though the Chaleur goes all the way to Gaspe, Rail Travel Tours has you get off in Perce, where you have five hours before catching the Chaleur again as it chugs in the opposite direction.

Five hours gives you just enough time to get a taste of Perce, a charming village whose core is home to 250 permanent residents, many of them artists whose work is exhibited in the summer. During an average summer, 400,000 tourists see Perce and its famous pierced rock. And an even more impressive 750,000 birds -- including the second-largest gannet colony in the world -- nest on nearby Bonaventure Island, a short boat ride away.

If you come by train, say hello to William Lambert, who runs Perce Taxi, the only service in town. You'll need his help, since the station is 12 kilometres from the village.

"If they come by train, I'm the one they see," says Lambert, who can either take you on a tour himself or point you in the direction of one. Or he can just take you into town and let you amble about.

No need for a taxi, though, in Halifax: The train drops you quite literally right at your hotel: Just like the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, the Westin Nova Scotian is directly linked to the train station. Which is very convenient -- particularly so since both hotels are downtown and, once you are there, you can walk most places.

Like the Queen Elizabeth, the Nova Scotian too has been given a facelift. Its showers, I quickly discovered, don't pitch and roll. And much as I enjoyed the train trip, I was secretly glad about that.

Daniel Drolet is an Ottawa freelance writer.

- - -

If You Go

The tour: Winnipeg-based Rail Travel Tours offers a six-day, five-night self-guided tour that includes train fare and accommodation: one night in Montreal, one in Matapedia, Que., and two in Halifax, as well as one night on the train. The package, called Oceans Explorer, also includes information about things to see and do along the way.

Cost: Depending on the season, $995 to $1,295 per person, based on double occupancy. All meals are extra. The package does not include the Ottawa-Montreal portion of the trip, nor does it include the trip back from Halifax.

Rail Travel Tours: www.railtraveltours.com or 1-866-704-3528

Other options: You could book your travel independently through Via Rail: www.viarail.ca or 1-888-842-7245. In high season, a round-trip for two from Montreal to Halifax, with sleeping accommodation, costs about $1,300, plus tax.

Seeing Perce: The Rail Travel Tour allows only five hours in Perce, so it pays to plan ahead. See www.perce.info, e-mail infotour@globetrotter.qc.ca, or call the tourist office at 1-418-782-5448.

Seeing Halifax: The city has many attractions, from the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic to the Citadel and nearby Peggys Cove. See www.destinationhalifax.com or call 1-877-422-9334.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2004

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Get on track: Go to www.canadabyrail.ca

Daniel Drolet
Citizen Special

Want to take a train holiday but don't know where to begin? Holidays on the rails have been taking off in Canada in the last few years and information about them has recently been pulled together by a new organization.

Formed in 2002, Canada by Rail is jointly funded by the Canadian Tourism Commission and The Rail Association of Canada. It sees its mandate as providing "one-stop shopping" for people looking for rail-related travel or tourist attractions. The group's website, www.canadabyrail.ca, offers direct links to more than 50 tour operators, 200 historic rail stations and 36 rail excursion companies across the country.

"This is all new," said Peg Herbert, Canada by Rail's manager. Until she began compiling the material for the website, "there's no one who knew there were that many rail opportunities out there."

The site is a resource for travel agents as well as the travelling public.

"There's a lot of interest in rail," said Herbert. "It allows people to discover things they didn't know about before."

The site is a treasure trove of information for rail buffs of all kinds. Even Ottawa's O-Train is listed. Its claim to fame?

"The O-Train is the only passenger rail service under federal jurisdiction on this continent operating with only one person, and the first to use Bombardier Talent Diesel Multiple Units," says Canada by Rail.

More common are excursions such as the Gatineau-to-Wakefield steam train. There are day-trip excursions such as this one all over the country and Canada by Rail is a useful resource for people planning a trip anywhere in the country. For example, in the Yukon, adventurous people can follow the path of Klondike gold seekers and take the White Pass and Yukon Route between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse.

The site also provides information on museums all across Canada with trains on display -- Ottawa's Science and Technology Museum and the Smiths Falls Railway Museum, for example -- as well as historic train stations and even clubs.

In Ontario, there are 18 rail excursions and tours listed, 13 museums and eight rail historical sites and societies. And there's news of new tours or excursions being offered, whether by Via Rail or smaller rail companies.

"In the past two decades, tourism railway operations have become a growing trend well beyond that offered by Canada's traditional railways," says a profile of the railway industry prepared for Industry Canada in 2002.

"In 2000, there were more than 25 entries in the market. Tourism products take three main forms: the short-distance, heritage railway; the day excursion developed by, or in conjunction with, a new short-line railway; or the long-distance excursion aimed at the high-end market."

(An example of a high-end trip is the Royal Canadian Rockies Experience, a six-day, five-night trip that loops from Calgary, through the southern Alberta prairie, into the Rockies and Banff before returning to Calgary. The cost: $6,895 based on double occupancy.)

In 2000, Canadian railways carried about 4.2 million inter-city passengers, about 95 per cent of whom travelled on Via. There are no exact figures on how many people travelled specifically on tour trains, says the Industry Canada report, "although total ridership approaching 500,000 passengers may not be unreasonable."

© The Ottawa Citizen 2004

April 21, 2004

Fairmont City to Vineyard Express

All aboard the Fairmont City to Vineyard Express!

The Fairmont Royal York will bring tourists by rail to some of Ontario's greatest vineyards to experience a pleasurable day of wine-tasting. Return by rail to a fine dinner of wine-pairing at EPIC Restaurant with Sommelier, David Smuck, and retire in luxury on the Fairmont Gold floor. No two destinations could be more lavish than a day by rail with stops at the vineyards of Niagara's Wine Country, and a return to a Toronto city night at The Fairmont Royal York.

Please Note:
Reservations can only be made through City Sprint Vacations at 1(866) 642-2241.

Package Includes:

One night in a Fairmont Gold room
Continental breakfast for two in the exclusive Fairmont Gold lounge
Ice Wine evening turndown
VQA Wine-pairing dinner for two in EPIC (on evening of arrival or departure)
VIA Rail return transportation for two (daily 9:40 a.m. departure from Union Station, 5:45 p.m. return from Niagara train station. Travel time one way is approximately two hours)
Niagara Airbus winery tour including return transportation from Niagara train station
Wine Tasting and self-guided tour of Inniskillin Winery
Wine Tasting and guided tour of Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estates Winery
Wine Tasting at Chateau des Charmes Winery
Wine Tasting at Reif Estate Winery
Availability:
This package is available daily from May 01, 2004 to October 31, 2004, subject to the availability of rooms allocated to this program.
Reservations must be made 72-hours in advance. Reservation agents require dining time preferences and will call guests back to confirm the dining time.

Rates:
This package is $799 CAD per pair (approximately $610 USD.)

April 17, 2004

Hudson Bay Whodunit; murder on the Bay Line

FORGET Murder on the Orient Express. In June you can experience a made-in-Manitoba murder mystery on the rails. Rail Travel Tours of Winnipeg is offering the mystery experience June 3 to 7 aboard Via Rail Canada's Hudson Bay train to Churchill. The characters you will meet before departing Winnipeg, along the route, on the train and in Churchill could all be suspects in the murder. Passengers will try to solve the mystery in a unique and fun adventure, using clues uncovered along the way.
The cost is $955, per person, double occupancy, and includes a pre-departure dinner and ghost tour at the Fort Garry Hotel, departure reception on board in Northern Spirit Class, four nights sleeping car accommodations, a Churchill tour, with lunch at Gypsy's Bakery and dinner at the Seaport Hotel. Then, it's back on the train and more sleuthing to solve the mystery.

For information or reservations, call 897-9551 or 1-866-704-3528. See www.railtraveltours.com

February 21, 2004.

Rail travel is a relaxing way to explore Canada
Catherine George
Toronto Star

Rail travel, always a major means of travel in Europe, was out of favour in North America for decades, possibly owing to the introduction of cheap charter flights and super highways. In the last decade, however, there's been a revival and now you can book rail holidays ranging from one-day budget trips to luxury tours complete with vintage cars and silver dining service. Daryl Adair, a rail buff since childhood, operates a company called Rail Travel Tours out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. His trips focus on Canada and some of them are unusual, visiting places you wouldn't ordinarily get to on regularly scheduled rail services. For example, the five-day Superior Colours of Ontario tour (Sept. 30-Oct. 4) is timed to take in the fall foliage in northern Ontario. Passengers travel aboard VIA's Canadian from Toronto to Capreol, transfer to Sudbury for an overnight stay and sightseeing, then travel on VIA's westbound Lake Superior service to White River, which, incidentally, is home of Winnie the Pooh. Or, you can take in the autumn colours of northwestern Ontario on a four-day (Sept. 23-26) tour out of Winnipeg. It involves a trip on The Canadian to Sioux Lookout and a two-day visit to Kenora. Both trips are priced at $695. Rail Travel Tours' independent eight-day Across Canada trip aboard The Canadian, from Toronto to Vancouver, can be booked on regular departures throughout the year. Or you can do it in reverse from Vancouver to Toronto. It includes a full day and overnight in Jasper or Winnipeg. Rates range from $1,824 per person, double, to $2,724 depending on travel dates. New this year is the six-day Oceans Explorer trip from Montreal to Perce, Quebec on the Chaleur and Ocean service. It then travels to Matapedia and east to Halifax. Rates are $995 to $1,295.

In February, 2005 you can book a trip to the Northern Manitoba Trapper's Festival. VIA's Hudson Bay train departs Winnipeg Feb. 17 for The Pas. Price from Winnipeg is $895.
Or you might opt for the nine-day Northern Manitoba Explorer departing July 19. Cost is $1,895 from Winnipeg and travel is aboard the Hudson Bay to Churchill. Another trip, themed Spring on the Skeena, takes passengers from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert, B.C. It's a 12-day itinerary priced at $2,645 with rail travel on the Canadian and Skeena, sightseeing and overnight accommodation in Winnipeg, Jasper, Prince George and Prince Rupert. For further details, contact Rail Travel Tours, Box 44, 123 Main St., Winnipeg, Man. R3C 1A3, Call toll-free 1-866-704-3528. E-mail railtraveltours@mts.net or browse http://www.railtraveltours.com.

February 18, 2004

A Taste of Québec comes to the Great Hall of Toronto's Union Station
An invitation to discover Québec

TORONTO, Feb. 18 /CNW/ - VIA Rail Canada, Tourisme Québec and Travel Partners invite you to come and learn about tour packages, city getaways and 1-day adventures to the beautiful province of Québec. Whether you are looking for a romantic weekend getaway, winter escape or a holiday adventure, representatives from VIA Rail Canada and Tourisme Québec will be on hand to help you plan your trip. Choose from a number of exciting destinations including Montréal, Québec City, the Laurentians, Gaspésie or
Charlevoix region. A number of tour operators will also be on hand to describe the various Québec offerings available through their offices. Stop in during your lunch hour or on your way home at the end of a busy day and learn about how VIA Rail and their travel partners can create a wonderful holiday package to any area of Québec. Fill out a ballot at the VIA Rail booth for a chance to win Two-VIA 1 First Class tickets, valid for travel from Toronto to Montréal or Québec City.

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 7: 30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2004

Location: Toronto, Union Station
Great Hall (Front St. entrance)
65 Front St. West

For your listening pleasure, live jazz will be presented from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For further information: Roberta Hamilton, VIA Rail Canada, Marketing,
Tel: (416) 253-2414; Catherine Kaloutsky, VIA Rail Canada, Public Affairs,
(416) 956-7683; Heather Fernandez, Tourisme Québec, (416) 203-8835

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Area mayors demand passenger rail input

Prince George Citizen
GORDON HOEKSTRA

B.C. Interior mayors and tourism operators are concerned their communities may be shut out of passenger rail service as the deadline on bids closed on Monday.
A final decision on a private operator for passenger tourist services on the B.C. Rail line is expected to be made in the next two months.However, community leaders and tourist operators from Quesnel, 100 Mile House and Williams Lake say they have not been consulted about restoring passenger rail service, which was terminated by the B.C. Liberal government in the fall of 2002.Interior communities and tourism operators were even more alarmed to learn the province would not be playing an active role in the decision, Williams Lake mayor Scott Nelson said Monday. That decision falls to a two-person committee that includes B.C. Rail vice-president Paul Brent and CN Rail executive Francois Lemay. CN was the winning bidder to take over B.C. Rail freight services in a $1-billion deal announced last November.Nelson said the provincial government should be consulting with communities, living up to their call to revitalize the rural heartlands."It's extraordinarily frustrating," said Nelson. "Communities have been hard-hit in the heartlands. And you can come up with all the huge strategies and fancy titles, but the bottom line is if you don't consult with the people that live in those communities it makes it tough to move forward on issues like this. All we said is we want open lines of communication."Several communities are concerned that while the request-for-proposal documents say bids must demonstrate how specific communities will benefit, the communities are not named. A map which is part of the 19-page RFP document names only Vancouver, Whistler, Prince George, Prince Rupert and Jasper on the passenger tourist train corridor.Quesnel mayor Nate Bello said the economic well-being of Interior communities must be a priority. "The passenger tourist trains have to stop at Lillooet, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Quesnel before they get to Prince George," he said.

Tourist operator Pat Corbett of the Hills Health Ranch in 100 Mile House, Lillooet mayor Greg Kamenka and Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association executive director Mark Nichiporuk last week presented the communities' view on how the bids should be evaluated to the Vancouver-based InterVISTAS Consulting, which is managing the RFP process.The "Report Card" sets out a number of conditions for comparing the bids, including year-round scheduled service, stop-offs in all communities with train stations and price options on shorter travel distances.Corbett spoke to Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon last week but was told the government will not be involved in the decision. "To (Falcon) it's a simple matter of this is going to be CN's decision, not ours," said Corbett."We have every reason to be filled with paranoia," he added. "We're not on the map, nobody's talking to us, the government won't be involved and CN's going to make the decision."

Interior community leaders also believe they have been misled by the province. "My understanding was that Judith Reid (the former Transportation Minister) has told us that when it came right down to it, the government would make the final decision on this," said Kamenka.Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley was surprised to learn that the Interior communities were not being consulted. The issue had been raised in January, and city council supported a motion calling on the province include representatives from Interior communities and tourist industry to help select a winning bidder.Since then, Kinsley said he's had discussions with Premier Gordon Campbell on the issue. "We're of the position, we needed to be at the table to ensure those concerns were being heard," said Kinsley.

Thursday, January 29, 2004

VIA Rail announces the return of the Toronto to Montreal "Gourmet Train" package
Four weekends to choose from for your Winter Weekend Getaway

A romantic weekend starts with a romantic dinner, and for those looking for a weekend getaway this season, why not enjoy your entrees, en route? VIA Rail Canada's "Gourmet Train" package returns by popular demand. Travellers dine on an exquisite, five-course meal, while watching the magical winter scenery roll past as they journey from Toronto to Montreal. Once in Montreal, travellers can experience the charm of Montréal with a two-night stay before returning to Toronto in VIA 1 Class service. Four Gourmet Train excursions - February 20 and 27; March 5 and 12 -- are currently available, each beginning on a Friday as passengers board the train at Toronto's Union Station for a 6:10 PM departure. Guests enjoy pre-dinner cocktails in a tastefully decorated car arranged specially for the excursion. Then it's off to the dining car, where they are served the first of five spectacular courses prepared by a chef from the acclaimed Institut de Tourisme et d'Hôtellerie du Quebec. The featured menu includes:

Hors d'oeuvres
- Blini with Abitibi Sturgeon Caviar
- Oysters in Dilled Jelly
- Sweetbreads on a Skewer with Mustard Sauce
- Ferme Tournevent Goat Cheese, with Hazelnuts
- Smoked Salmon Barquette

Served Courses
- Gulf of St. Lawrence Scallops Smoked Three Ways
- with Emulsion of Scallop Jus and Almond Milk
- Cream of Fiddlehead Soup
- Potato-crusted Salmon Fillet with Lobster Sauce
- Quail Stuffed with Wild Rice
- Extra-fine Haricots Verts and Mini-carrots
- Warmed, Creamy Chevalier Mailloux (dessert)

Upon arrival in Montreal, travellers check in to either the Hyatt Regency Montreal or Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth for the first of a two-night stay. Why not follow up fine food with fine art? The Gourmet Train package provides complimentary passes to the famous Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Exhibits on display during this package's timeframe include Global Village, an in-depth look at major cultural trends in the 1960s. The exhibition explores this
unforgettable era's "global consciousness" through some 250 pieces sampling the decade's art, design, fashion, and even advertising. For more information on the museum, visit www.mbam.qc.ca/en/expositions.
On Saturday, the second day of the trip, those staying in either of the two available hotels have the option of a traditional High Tea at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel for an additional CAD $28. This option should be
coordinated with the tour operator prior to the trip. Travellers may choose from one of five scheduled Sunday departures (morning, afternoon, evening) that best suits their itinerary for a return
trip to Toronto in VIA 1 Class. VIA Rail's "Gourmet Train" package is available through both Hillcrest Vacations and Alio. The offer includes pre-dinner cocktails and gourmet meal on the train, complimentary admission to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, two nights' accommodations in Montreal at either the Hyatt Regency Montreal or Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel, and return trip to Toronto in VIA 1 Class. The package is priced from CAD $649 per person, exclusive of tax and based on double occupancy. Please note that space is limited for this package. For further information on this package or to make reservations, please contact Hillcrest Vacations at 800-268-3820, www.hillcrestvacations.com; or Alio at 866-333-6106, www.alio.ca. With the cold winter temperatures upon us, and highways covered with snow, VIA's got the warmest seat in the house to a relaxing and delicious winter getaway. So sit back and leave the driving to VIA, we'll get you there safely and in comfort.

As Canada's national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide efficient and cost effective passenger transportation services, both in Canada's busiest corridor and in remote and rural regions of the
country. Serving more than 450 communities across Canada, demand for rail services continues to grow as more Canadians turn to train travel as a safe and convenient travel choice.

For further information: Catherine Kaloutsky, Public Affairs, VIA Rail Canada, (416) 956-7683; Daniel Linteau, Marketing, VIA Rail Canada, (514) 871-6618

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

VIA launches Icewine Train excursions

The Niagara Icewine Train is the newest themed train to be offered by VIA Rail Canada. Every weekend until the end of February, 2004, customers can take an "Ice-Break" during the Niagara region's most breathtaking season. Complete rail, hotel and tour packages are available from Montreal, and hotel/tour only packages are available for those in closer proximity to the region.

Montreal - Niagara Falls train/hotel/winery tour packages

The Ice-Break packages are available for purchase through CAA-Quebec. This package is being offered for seven weekends - from January 16th until February 20th, 2004. Included in this winter getaway is hotel accommodation, breakfast, transfers to/from the hotel and a winery tour featuring Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Vineland Estates and Château des Charmes. Customers can choose from a variety of hotels that suit their budget needs. Packages from Montreal also include round trip transportation to Toronto in
VIA 1 Class, VIA's premier service between the two cities, an overnight stay in Toronto and round trip travel between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Transfers from the station in Niagara Falls to the hotel are also included in the package price. The entire package from Montreal is priced from CAN $850 per person, inclusive of tax and based on double occupancy. For further information on the packages available or to make reservations, please contact CAA-Quebec at 1-877-904-1696.

Other options (Toronto and Southwestern Ontario)

Customers wishing to create their own itinerary for the Icewine festival can choose from a number of daily departures. VIA offers a variety of fares and discounts to travellers. For example, the ten-day advance purchase, round trip, adult fare from Toronto(*) to Niagara Falls is CAN $40.66 (based on availability). And with the cold winter temperatures upon us, and highways covered with snow, VIA's got the warmest seat in the house to get you to the Niagara Icewine Festival (http://www.grapeandwine.com) in Niagara Falls. So sit back and leave the driving to VIA, they'll get you there safely and in comfort. Passengers can prebook winery tours (pickup and transportation included from the station or your hotel) by calling Niagara Airbus at 1-800-268-8111. Train tickets can be booked at 1-888-VIA-Rail (1-888-842-7245), at kiosks in major Corridor stations, at www.viarail.ca or through a travel agent.

-----------------------------------
10-day advance purchase adult
round-trip fares to Niagara Falls
from other cities (CAN$):
- London - $85.60
- Windsor (Detroit) - $115.56
- Kingston - $130.54
- Ottawa - $173.34
-----------------------------------

For further information: Catherine Kaloutsky, Public Affairs, VIA Rail Canada, (416) 956-7683; Joe-Anne Smith, Marketing, VIA Rail Canada, (416) 253-2416

ONR campaign on right track

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Ontario Northland Railway has gone on a campaign to help restore tourism and increase the number of passengers on trains. This week, Guy Lamarche, ONR’s director of marketing, was in Englehart to explain to councillors there what the railway is planning. The visit is part of a series of town hall meetings the railway is planning to create some excitement and provide information on the initiative. Only eight people showed up in Englehart which is the railway town of the district and which has provided jobs in that town for the past century. Yet, the small turnout did not discourage Lamarche who told members of town council that the ONR is looking for a new direction to move – something incorporating a marketing strategy for 2004. Finally, it is time to move on. The SARS outbreak of last year and the high-flying loonie have had an effect on the number of tourists coming into the North, but perhaps the partnership idea has some merit. After all, it is a case of us all being in the same boat – or on the same track – so to speak. Involving municipalities and perhaps businesses in the plan could mean gaining greater access to financing, information and ideas. New markets could develop and greater efficiencies obtained. Lamarche also pointed out partnerships reduce risk and reduce the need for increased staff. This, of course, is important to creating a healthy business, but we also need to look at creating more jobs and this will occur if we can stimulate the economy through other initiatives. Lamarche made some interesting observations about rail service pointing out the need to take a new look at the old passenger service concept. Rail service has, more or less, gone the way of the steam engine. There is still a need for rail passenger service, especially for the elderly or ill who need more room when travelling and who can frequent a washroom when need arises. However, from the strict point of travel, people can move into the south faster by car and by air than they can by rail. But Lamarche talked about “rebranding”. He centered on the idea of making train travel into an outdoor adventure. And that concept isn’t new. The Algoma Central Railway’s fall excursion through the hills and valleys near Sault Ste. Marie has attracted thousands of tourists for many years. If you think it’s not popular, try booking a seat at the height of the autumn season when the leaves are at their most colorful! That is an example of outdoor adventure and something else should be developed in our part of the North. Englehart mayor Dennis Mortson thought the concept was excellent and he voiced disappointment that more business people didn’t attend. And he has a good point. We in the North can’t afford to turn away any opportunity to develop our resources and our economy.

Rail Travel Tours 2004 brochure featuring Canadian rail travel packages now available

Winnipeg, Manitoba January 26, 2004: Rail Travel Tours 2004 tour departure brochure, featuring original travel options to experience the best of Canada by rail is now available. The brochure details Rail Travel Tours independent and group packages, the dates on which the tours are scheduled, what each tour includes and prices. For more details or to receive a brochure contact Rail Travel Tours toll free at 1-866-704-3528, fill out the form at their website www.railtraveltours.com or e-mail railtraveltours@mts.net.

A new travel option in the brochure, offered no where else, is the independent package “Oceans Explorer”, journey packaging up two of VIA Rail Canada’s eastern services The Chaleur and The Ocean (celebrating The Ocean’s 100th 1904-2004 Anniversary of serving passengers). This 6 day 5 night tour starts in Montreal any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday before travelling to Perce and Matapedia, Quebec, Halifax, Nova Scotia, includes transportation on the trains and overnight accommodation onboard, 1 night in Montreal, 1 night in Matapedia and 2 nights in Halifax as well as a detailed itinerary and information package. This tour to the east compliments the popular western travel option Across Canada independent package.

Tours scheduled for 2004 includes popular independent travel option the 8 day - 7 night “Across Canada” a Toronto-Vancouver journey travelling on Canada’s legendary dome observation and sleeping car train The Canadian that includes a two day stop at the trains mid-way point, the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba or Jasper, Alberta in the Canadian Rockies, before continuing on the train to travel to Vancouver, B.C., meals on the train, accommodations on the train and in hotels in the places visited. Group tours include “Spring on the Skeena” travelling from Winnipeg-Prince Rupert, BC with stops in Jasper and Prince George. “Northern Manitoba Explorer” for an eye opening visit to Churchill, Gillam, Thompson, and The Pas, Manitoba. “Fall Colours of N.W. Ontario” and “Superior Colours of Ontario” to view the Canadian Shields fall colours and visit some wonderful heritage, natural attractions and learn about the areas we travel past. As well as “The Trappers Train” travelling by train to visit The Pas Manitoba for the Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival

Rail Travel Tours, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba uses the services of Canada’s rail passenger providers, choice accommodations and attractions to create unique and original tours. For more information, please contact Daryl Adair at Rail Travel Tours at 1-204-897-9551, visit them on the World Wide Web at www.railtraveltours.com, or e-mail railtraveltours@mts.net

Monday, January 26, 2004

Great Canadian Railtour Company announces the launch of "North Coast Explorer" tourism train
Canada's newest passenger tourist train, the "North Coast Explorer", offers 36 departures from Prince Rupert to support Alaskan Cruise Shore Excursion Program

Beginning on May 27th, 2004, Great Canadian Railtour Company (GCRC), will launch Canada's newest passenger tourist train which follows the mystic Skeena River and features the breathtaking scenery of the island town of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. This rail route runs parallel to a road trip the Michelin Guide rates as 5 Star. The three-hour rail trip onboard the North Coast Explorer train will be available as a shore excursion to over 60,000 Alaskan cruise ship passengers from around the world expected to arrive in Prince Rupert this summer. In May 2003, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises scheduled an arrival in Prince Rupert and GCRC ran a test run of the North Coast Explorer which sold out in less than two days. "The guest response to the scenery and service onboard the North Coast Explorer convinced us of the outstanding tourism potential of this region. Past experience tells us many of the travellers will return to explore the area on their own," says Peter Armstrong President and CEO of GCRC.
The North Coast Explorer has been developed in partnership with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA), operators of the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish. "Working in partnership with GCRC has been integral to our strategic plan to develop a thriving cruise ship industry in Prince Rupert and it is rewarding to see the initiative taken by Mr. Armstrong," says Don Krusel, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. "The development of the new North Coast Explorer train excursion strengthens Prince Rupert's appeal as a cruise destination and adds to the opportunities for visitors to experience the spectacular natural setting of the North Coast." GCRC is utilizing two vintage diesel locomotives and an open-air observation car owned by WCRA, and four fully reconditioned passenger rail coaches owned by GCRC. "The combination of vintage rail equipment running along the historic CN mainline with the backdrop of the spectacular North Coastal Mountains is sure to take the cruise ship passengers back in time to the romantic era of train travel," says Don Evans, Executive Director of the WCRA. "It's exciting to be part of this innovative partnership, creating new tourism rail products that British Columbians can be proud of."

Great Canadian Railtour Company, which is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is the premier provider of Canadian travel experiences specializing in rail tours through Canada's West and the Canadian Rockies. As owner and operator of Rocky Mountaineer Railtours, the company offers two-day, all daylight rail tours between Vancouver, British Columbia and Jasper, Banff and Calgary, Alberta, including over 60 independent package tours of the region.

North Coast Explorer Specifications

Locomotives:
The General Motors Diesel Division "F" unit hauled the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and Canadian National Railways (CN) passenger trains of the 1950's and '60's. A few remain in service on various railways up to the present day. The No. 4069, a class DPA-15f developing 1500 HP, was built in London, Ontario and was delivered to the CPR on August 29,1952. The No. 1756 was built the following year.

Open Observation Car:
CPR had a long history of using open observation cars on lines through the Rockies. Generally these were old converted passenger cars and due to their wood construction they had to be handled at the tail end. When The Canadian was introduced in 1955, CPR retired all open observation cars. The car to be used in the North Coast Explorer is very rare and was built in 1914. It was later leased to excursion operators in Oregon before returning to British Columbia to become part of the consist of the Royal Hudson train in
1974. The car served on the train until 2001.

Passenger Coaches:
Canadian Car and Foundry originally built the coaches in the 1950's in Montreal. These classically styled railcars crossed the continent countless times when they were used for Canadian National Railway's transcontinental passenger rail route.

Stay— just a little bit longer.

John Steel Rail Tours invites you to extend your stay in one of Canada’s fascinating cities—and we’ll pick up the tab! We are offering a complimentary additional overnight stay when you book with a travel agent or directly with John Steel Rail Tours, until May 1, 2004.** Guests travelling on a John Steel Independent Holiday with a duration of seven days or more can stay just a little bit longer at the Fairmont Palliser or Delta Calgary Airport Hotel (Calgary, AB), at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver or Crowne Plaza Hotel Georgia (Vancouver, BC), at the Delta Halifax (Halifax, NS) or at the Fairmont Royal York (Toronto, ON).

So now our guests will have more time to take in the coastal beauty of Vancouver, absorb the western flavour of cosmopolitan Calgary, enjoy Toronto’s theatres and world-class restaurants or linger at the fascinating heritage sites and celebrations in scenic Halifax. Plus, see Canada like never before—up close by train!

Contact our Tour Coordinators today at 1-800-988-5778 or info@johnsteel.com for more information on our Stay— just a little bit longer campaign. Also visit our website, www.johnsteel.com for complete descriptions of all our Fully Independent Holidays, Independent Drive Tours and also our great selection of Guided Group Tours.

**The John Steel Rail Tour must be booked by May 1, 2004 for travel before November 30, 2004.

About Our Company: Located near Vancouver, BC, John Steel Rail Tours is in its fourteenth year of creating unique Canadian rail journeys for groups and individuals. We specialize in Canada and take extra care to provide our guests with rail travel expertise and personalized service second to none. Registered by the Government of British Columbia, Canada. BC Reg. #2042-5.

Sherril Foster
Marketing Assistant
sherril@johnsteel.com
John Steel Rail Tours
www.johnsteel.com
Canadian Escapes, Adventures and Rail Journeys

January 8, 2004

Committee seeks heritage status for CPR railway station

Portage La Prairie Daily Graphic

A committee dedicated to saving the historic CPR Station in Portage la Prairie is seeking municipal heritage designation, a status that will allow the group to apply for more money to complete the project. This designation, given by the province's Historic Sites and Monuments Board, would also allow official ownership of the railway station to be turned over to the committee. The station is currently in CPR's possession. The committee has already purchased the site from the CPR but once the group has official ownership, it can apply for a $10,000 grant that would help in repairing damage done by a fire on Nov. 1, 2002. Although the group is lacking municipal heritage status for the station, the committee is part of an organization called Portage Heritage, which allows the station committee to issue tax receipts for donations and helps with its overall credibility as a group.