Trip Reports by our Clients:
GREAT TRIP FROM MONTREAL TO HALIFAX ON VIA RAIL CANADA'S "OCEAN"
Sylvia:
Judy and I and Bill and Mary Ann Darnaby had a great trip on the
"Ocean." We usually had front-row seats in the dome, and we often had
the entire lounge area to ourselves. The food ranged from good
(breakfast) to excellent (dinner) -- great local wines, too -- and we
were very pleased with the trip. Riding in an all-stainless consist
was the goal, and we were delighted that we made it in time. Easterly
class is the only way to make this trip. Both hotels were also first-rate.
The Easterly class seemed to be a step above the other sleeper class; the latter had access to the diner and mid-train dome in the train but not the Park car. Nor did the other sleeper class have two comp meals as part of the ticket. Since our main objective was to ride in the dome and lounge area of the obs, Easterly class was the ONLY way we could have done it. We also enjoyed the "education director's" commentary, a wine tasting of Nova Scotian wines, etc. It felt like "first class."
We saw a Park car on the other "Ocean" consist, which we met when we were eastbound about an hour out of Halifax. It looked silly towering above the Renaissance cars. The tour guides on the train said they prefer the ride of the old stainless equipment over the new cars, even though the new cars have showers in the bedrooms, as I recall. I'm glad we got a double bedroom, as a section or duplex ("single bedroom" or whatever they call it) would have been much less desirable. The Park cars also have a triple bedroom ("A"), but this is now reserved for the education director to store his or her stuff.
I understand that the stainless equipment may all head west next year. If you get any reports on this, let us know, please. I have heard that there are no domes on VIA trains through the Rockies now, which sounds incredible -- criminal, even. (I also dislike Amtrak Super Liners because of the lack of forward visibility afforded by the classic domes, but at least they have good side vision in the lounge cars.)
Also, you may want to advise clients to plan to spend a couple of days in Halifax, as there is a lot to do -- visit the Citadel fort, harbor cruises, drive out to the cemetery where Titanic victims were buried, etc. You can recommend they eat at Salty's on the waterfront, as a native did. Halifax is a much nicer and more modern city than we imagined. But we couldn't have "everything" and still caught the stainless equipment back to Montreal unless we spent quite a few days there. Many clients probably wouldn't care about a change of consist from old to new, however.
We greatly underestimated the attractions in Halifax and will have to
go back there when we have more time.
Thanks again for your expert guidance. We have already recommended
you and the "Ocean" trip to other friends.
Tony & Judy Koester
(Tony is editor of Model Railroad Magazine and a writer for Kalmbach
Publications)
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