Seat 2A

November 6, 2005
Winnipeg to Churchill
ViaRail Canada First Class
“The Hudson Bay” Car 120, Berth 3
845p-845a +2 Travel Time: 36 Hours

Winnipeg’s train station is a grand old building that was designed by the same architects that designed New York’s Grand Central Station. Winnipeg’s station was completed in 1911 and is one of the largest railroad stations in western Canada.

The bus dropped me off right across the street from the station. It was dusk and I paused briefly to take a picture of the grand old building before heading across the street and approaching the row of double glass doors at the station’s entryway.

Once inside, I found myself in a huge antechamber dominated from above by a magnificent rose colored rotunda. The room was entirely open space save for a small café with tables on one side and the station security office on the other. Double doorways led off each side towards other parts of the building. Straight ahead through a wide entryway was access to the rest of the station – mainly, the ticket counter and waiting rooms. The time was about 5:30pm, three hours before departure time, and the station was virtually deserted save for the two ViaRail clerks and a girl sitting alone behind the security desk. The cafe was closed.

This is a rail trip I’ve wanted to take since I first became aware of this train back in the early eighties. I’ve always been attracted to these “End of the line” type destinations and Churchill is indeed that. Even the road doesn’t make it from southern Manitoba. The only transportation options to Churchill are via plane, train or ship.

I had reserved an Economy Class seat aboard ViaRail’s Hudson Bay up to Churchill and back. The total cost for the thirty-six hour, 1,100-mile journey was $130.00 USD each way - $260.00 round trip. Back when I made this reservation, I really wanted to purchase a bed onboard. A bed means First Class and on most of ViaRail’s long-distance trains that means a private lounge and complimentary meals. Unfortunately, on the Hudson Bay it meant only a bed, and an upper berth at that. I decided it wasn’t good value for money and opted for the economy seat.

Now however, I was having second thoughts. Man… it sure would be fine to sleep in a nice soft bed topped with those large, warm duvets that ViaRail provides. Snow was in the forecast and I could already see myself laying back in that wonderful warm bed with a good book while outside my window snow flurried and Northern Lights danced. So uh, how much more would that berth be?

That would be $179.00 CAD each way, sir. However, did you know you could purchase the berths onboard after 10:00pm for just $40.00 CAD per night? You’ll have to vacate them in the morning and return to your seat, but it’s a good deal if you want to go that route, eh?

Oh, you betcha! That’s a great deal! The risk of course was that there might not be very many, if any berths available and other passengers might beat you out. Had this been the case, I might well have paid the $179.00 extra but after verifying that only two out of twelve berths had been sold for tonight’s train, I decided to take my chances onboard.

I purchased my coach tickets, left my pack with the ladies behind the counter (no charge) and headed out into downtown Winnipeg to look for a bite to eat. I still had over two hours before train time and all I’d had to eat since breakfast were those complimentary WestJet cookies.

I walked about ten blocks and handed out about $1.50 in change to panhandlers before ultimately ending up at a place called The Keg Steakhouse, located just two blocks from the station. What money I’d saved by taking the bus from the airport went towards a fairly decent steak dinner.

MAP OF MANITOBA

So – why build a railroad to Churchill? Grain shipments. Grain from Canada’s heartlands was traditionally shipped to European ports via Thunder Bay on Lake Superior. From there, it traveled the length of the Great Lakes, up the St. Laurence Seaway and across the Atlantic to Europe. Alternatively, it was hauled by rail to ports on the East Coast and sent out from there.

It was decided in 1910 that shipping grain to Europe would be faster and more efficiently accomplished via the Hudson Bay. Never mind that due to ice in the bay the navigation season only lasts about two months out of the year. Tracks had already been built up to The Pas and, following the completion of a bridge across the Saskatchewan River, construction of the Hudson Bay Railway began in 1913.

Northern Manitoba may not be mountainous, but it’s a very difficult place to build a railroad. Permafrost and large rock outcroppings from the Canadian Shield coupled with the twin demons of political interference and inadequate financing led to many construction delays. Although initial plans called for the rail terminus to be Port Nelson, it was decided in 1926 that Churchill would be better suited as a port. Three years later, the tracks reached Churchill.

Early on, poor track conditions resulting from frost upheavals made the going slow and unreliable. For years, the Canadian National hauled the grain in 40-foot boxcars since conventional grain hoppers were thought to be too heavy for the tracks. Add to this the limited shipping season and the Port of Churchill has never really handled great volumes. I was told that only nineteen ships sailed from Churchill this year.

It’s worth noting that from 1997 the tracks north of The Pas have been owned and operated by an American company called Omnitrax. Although the foreign ownership was initially controversial, Omnitrax (now doing business as The Hudson Bay Railway) has made considerable improvements to the tracks and the line is much more reliable as a result.

Limited grain shipments notwithstanding, the Hudson Bay Railroad serves as a vital link to the communities of Northern Manitoba, many of which have no other transportation options. Air service is available to The Pas, Thompson and Churchill but it is very expensive. A one way airline ticket from Winnipeg to Churchill costs over $600.00 CAD whereas a coach seat on the train can be had for about $150.00 CAD.


***** ***** *****

The call to board came without fanfare at 8:35pm – just ten minutes before departure. A ViaRail conductor simply walked over to Door Four, opened it and called out “All Aboard” loud enough for anyone within twenty feet to hear him. Access to the train parked above us was via an escalator, followed by a short walk down the platform. There were only about fifty passengers boarding out of Winnipeg this evening, so the ten-minute advance call was more than sufficient.

Tonight’s train consisted of a baggage car, two unnamed coaches, the dining car “Princess” and sleepers “Chateau Vercherres” and “Chateau Varennes”. All of the cars were stainless steel flat tops built by the Budd Company for the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the 1950s. Unfortunately, no dome cars graced this train. A pair of big F40-PH engines sporting ViaRail’s silver, blue and yellow colors provided our locomotive power.

I was greeted at the door serving both coaches by train attendant Joe Hebert who directed myself and all other independent travelers into the car on the right. The car on the left was reserved for a tour group of thirty. Each coach seated 68 passengers in a comfortable 2-2 configuration. Seat pitch was about 55” – far more generous than anything I encountered on Australian trains. Each seat came equipped with a footrest, a fold out leg rest and a decent recline. Paintings from Canadian artists decorated the front and rear bulkheads of each car. Unfortunately, that 1950s predilection towards pale green interiors for railroad cars had not been improved upon, but the seats were comfortable and, with only about ten people in my car, there was plenty of room to spread out.

At 8:45pm on the dot, the doors were shut, the engineer gave a couple short toots with his horn and dialed up the power in his lead F-40. Two of these big engines combine to generate 6000 horsepower and are a bit of an overkill for only six half-filled passenger cars. Needless to say, we powered out of the Winnipeg yards with considerable alacrity.

The conductor soon came through the car to collect tickets and I asked him about the procedure for upgrading to a berth. He explained that I'd have to check in the dining car with Daniel (French pronunciation) the Service Manager. Given the French pronunciation, I wasn’t sure if I was dealing with a Daniel or a Danielle, but as the dining car was right behind me, I wasted no time in heading back there. As it turned out, Daniel was a very nice guy of Quebec origin now living in Winnipeg with his beautiful wife and five-month-old daughter. He had a few pictures of them both mounted in the window along one of the dining car tables - his makeshift office.

I was told that things looked very good for getting a berth but that I’d need to check back with him in about half an hour when he’d know for sure. If available, a lower berth would cost me $44.00 CAD or about $37.00 USD. Excellent! I grabbed a Sprite and headed back to my seat where I chatted briefly with two Japanese girls sat across the aisle from me. They had managed to get the seats in front of them turned around and now had a very comfortable seating arrangement allowing them to put their feet and legs up and stretch out quite a bit more comfortably. Our conversation was kept to a minimum because it was easy to see that they were a bit self-conscious about their rudimentary English skills and somewhat uncomfortable about getting into anything more than basic greetings. I bid them an enjoyable trip and returned to my seat.

I get the sense that some folks may think I’m one of those people who will just strike up a conversation with anyone. I reckon I can, but that doesn’t mean I do. In fact, when I fly, short of issuing an initial greeting to my seatmate, I won’t generally pursue further conversation unless he or she initiates it. Not everyone is comfortable talking with a complete stranger, even if they are sat next to one for a couple of hours. Many frequent flyers live in fear of getting stuck next to an overly talkative seatmate. Others cherish the opportunity for a little peace and quiet after a long day. Talking with and meeting fellow travelers is all well and good, but forcing the issue is not. I’m perfectly comfortable with using my travel time to read, write, sleep or listen to music. In fact, I rather prefer it on the quiet side.

As it turned out, a lower birth was indeed available and I was assigned lower 3 in the 120 car, Chateau Vercherres, located just behind the diner. Since I had to return to my coach seat the next morning, I left most of my stuff back at the seat except for my daypack and a change of clothes.

During the day, berth accommodations consist of two couchettes facing eachother. At night, the couches lower and slide together to become a flat surface. A mattress is then placed on top of that, creating the lower berth. The upper berth is folded into the upper wall during the day and lowered for nighttime use. A ladder is attached for access. Heavy curtains afford complete privacy. Toilets can be found at the end of the car and a spacious shower is located just around the corner from the berths.

I arrived to find my bed had been nicely made up and the sheets turned down. The bedding included a big thick duvet and two pillows. In the corner just above and behind me was a reading light that provided both high and low settings. Nearby was an adjustable airflow vent that allowed nice cool air into my area. And finally, running half the length of the bed was a big picture window - very nice on this lightly snowy night.

There’s something about sleeping on a train that for me at least makes for a very nice sleep. Perhaps it’s the gentle rocking of the car or the clickity-clack of the tracks rushing by below. Whatever it is, I love it. Some say you haven’t truly traveled until you’ve slept in a bed on a train.

I awoke the next morning at about 8:00am – late for me, but then it was 6:00am where I’d come from the day before. At the end of my berth hung a bag with two large towels, a washcloth, soap, shampoo and body lotion. At this late hour, most of my fellow sleeping car passengers had already showered and headed in to breakfast. I was hopeful that there’d still be hot water in the shower. Thankfully, there was. Plenty of it! Water drains straight out onto the tracks, which you can see and hear through the drain on the shower floor.

Last Call for Breakfast was announced just as I was pulling on my jeans. Although seating is generally communal in the diner, there were only eight other people present, and they filled up two separate tables. I had a table to myself. Here’s the breakfast menu:


BREAKFAST

Two Egg Breakfast
Two eggs prepared any style, served with your choice of bacon, ham or sausage and hashbrowns, toast or a muffin. $7.50

Western Scrambler
Three eggs lightly scrambled with ham and green onions. Served with hashbrowns, toast or a muffin. $8.25

Full Consist
Three fluffy pancakes served with two farm eggs prepared any style, two strips of bacon, a slice of ham and toast. $ 9.00

Continental
Chilled fruit juice, hot or cold cereal, toast or muffin and coffee, tea or milk. $6.00


Also on the this menu (and subsequent transcripts) but not listed are all the usual secondary items like a side of toast, a fruit bowl, soup, a side salad, etc. I chose the Western Scrambler and received a generous portion of eggs accompanied by crispy hashbrowns and really good toast. The choices for bread were “Brown or White” and though I’d expected the “brown” to be simple wheat bread, I was pleasantly surprised when I received a plate of perfectly toasted multi-grain toast. The meal was served on real plates (as opposed to the Styrofoam plates often used by a certain railroad to the south) and the crew did a good job of keeping my coffee cup topped off.

One of the nicest things about dining aboard a train is the accompanying scenery. Where else can you relax and enjoy a fine meal, service and company while being able to take in nature’s beauty at eye-level rather than from 30,000 feet overhead? One moment you’re sipping coffee while rolling through a beautiful valley, the next you’re crossing a big river as breakfast is served.

Having departed Winnipeg well after dark, we were deprived of a chance to view the flat farmland of southern Manitoba. Any disappointment I may have had about this was more than offset by a few entertaining pages from my latest book. This morning, five hundred miles north of Winnipeg, the plains had been replaced by rolling hills dotted by the occasional tarn or small stream. The land was heavily forested by small white spruce and birch trees interspersed with many smaller plants such as willow. Everything was snow covered. Looking into the forest, I could see that despite its diminutive size, it was actually quite dense. Traveling through this area on anything but a rail or a road would have been quite difficult. I thought the land looked very much like the interior of Alaska.

After breakfast, I returned to my coach and consulted the timetable I’d picked up in Winnipeg. Ah… only twenty-three more hours to go. For some people, the prospect of twenty-three more hours rolling through tractless wilderness would be simply unbearable. For those people, there are airplanes.

As much as I enjoy flying, I much prefer overland travel if I have the time. When I consider the lands I’ve seen and the people and places I’ve visited on my overland travels, air travel seems downright impersonal by comparison. One simply steps aboard a climate-controlled flying machine and in just a few short hours is transported across mountains, deserts, forests, great lakes and/or oceans to a place hundreds or even thousands of miles away. In defense of flight, it shaves many hours or even days off a journey that, depending upon the portion of the planet traveled over might have included storms, travel through diseased or lawless lands or endless days surrounded by thousands of miles of ocean. Then again, overland travel might have included travel through beautiful landscapes and interesting towns during which it would have been possible to enjoy a bit of local flavor from both the land and the people that live there.

When I travel by land, I feel like I’ve come to know the country much better than I ever would have had I traveled by air. Even in a plane however, I like to have a window seat so I can see what I’m flying over. Yes, sometimes it’s cloudy or the ocean goes on for hours but even the deep blue sea has a unique beauty from 35,000 feet above it. Yet, on most international flights that I’ve been on, I’ve noticed many people close their window shades, even during the middle of the day. Earlier this year, while flying from Vancouver to Hong Kong on a 2:15pm departure, mine was the only window shade open as we flew past the mountains and glaciers of coastal Alaska. We were only two hours into the flight, with eleven and a half hours to go, so it’s not like everyone was exhausted and trying to sleep. Often times I’ve found the scenery outside my window to be far more entertaining than whatever was showing on the PTV. But – to each their own.

As it is, most people I know don’t want to go to Hawaii, the Great Barrier Reef or Paris. Rather, they just want to be there. Even in this modern world of high-speed inter-city transportation, traveling somewhere is generally viewed as something that must be endured, not enjoyed. Yeah, yeah, I know – most people, especially those traveling on business, simply don’t have the time. It’s also quite true that in this day and age of instant gratification, many people simply won’t take the time, even if they have it.

Now before any of you go getting your knickers in a knot over my comments, understand that I’m not saying everyone should slow down, take the train, drive more often or keep their window shades up during long international flights. Given the numbers of people traveling around the planet these days, it’s a good thing that most of them are aboard airplanes or else getting around by land might be a lot more difficult. What I want to point out are what I see as the benefits of traveling by land and enjoying that land, benefits that many will never get to experience while whisking overhead in their comfortable airplane seats.

A trip on a train is all about slowing down and enjoying the journey. There’s no driving, no pulling off the road in search of gas or food, no seasickness and rarely a storm large enough to give you cause for concern. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

And so I did, reclining my seat while re-reading Bill Bryson’s first great travel book “The Lost Continent”. In between laughs, I’d glance out my window occasionally to take in the passing scenery. Now and then, a small settlement or a road crossing would break the wilderness. Eventually, a gravel road started to parallel the tracks and then some buildings began to appear. We were approaching the town of The Pas. It’s pronounced “The Paw” and is, along with Thompson, the only town of any real size along the route to Churchill.

The timetable indicated we’d be spending about forty minutes in The Pas. It also indicated we’d be arriving about an hour and ten minutes earlier than we actually did. Given our late arrival, it was announced that the stop in The Pas would be limited to just twenty minutes. The train gets refueled and serviced here, so we’d need at least that much time. I watched with amusement as smokers practically leapt from the train, their cigarettes lit almost before their feet hit the ground.

Not long after we’d departed The Pas, the first call for lunch was made. Having taken a late breakfast, I decided to await the second call, about forty-five minutes later. Joining me at a table for four were Grant – a tour guide from Toronto, and Susan, one of his charges. Grant’s was one of two tour groups aboard the train, but his group was only twelve people and they were all traveling in the sleepers. The tour had started in Toronto aboard The Canadian, although some people had joined the group in Winnipeg. Susan was one of these, having flown up from Coral Gables, Florida.

“Hey! I was in Homestead just a few days ago!”
“No way! That’s just down the road!”

And from Grant: “I visited the Everglades last winter.”

As we exchanged travel stories, Daniel appeared with menus while Joe brought water. Remember that Daniel was the Service Manager while Joe was boarding coach passengers in Winnipeg. At another table, Michelle, who I’d earlier seen re-assembling berths and bedrooms for daytime occupancy, was taking meal orders. It was truly a team effort for these ViaRail employees. Here’s what was for lunch:


LUNCH

Caesar Salad
Tossed romaine lettuce, croutons, creamy dressing and Asiago cheese.
Served with garlic toast. $6.50

Club Sandwich
Smoked turkey, bacon, crisp lettuce and tomato piled high on your choice of bread, finished with creamy mayonnaise. $7.00

Smoked Beef on Rye
Warm smoked beef thinly sliced and served on Winnipeg rye bread with tangy mustard. $7.50

Beef Burger
A lean 4-oz beef patty, grilled to perfection and topped with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and sliced onion. Served on a toasted bun. $7.25


Michelle took our orders – green pea soup and a Caesar Salad for Susan and Club Sandwiches for Grant and I. The sandwiches were accompanied by a tasty coleslaw and a small side of wax bean salad which I did my best to ignore. Meanwhile we had a great time talking over adventures past, present and future. Grant said that later this summer he’d be leading a tour through Alaska, but only the southeast. They’d fly into Whitehorse, visit Dawson City and Inuvik by bus, then fly back to Whitehorse and take the White Pass Railroad down to Skagway, Alaska. From there, they’d cruise back down to Vancouver.

Susan was happy just to escape the heat and hurricanes of south Florida. She’d combined a visit to relatives living outside of Winnipeg with this trip up to Churchill. Riding out on to the tundra to see Polar Bears sounded like a lot of fun and, like me, she enjoyed travel to those end of the line type places.

After lunch, I returned to my seat in the coach car. We’d picked up almost forty passengers out of The Pas and I was lucky to still have a set of seats to myself. Trains are great places to read books, but the fold down table off the seat in front of me also made a nice place to set up my laptop and put in some work on this trip report.

Occasionally, the train would stop in the middle of nowhere to pick up or drop off a passenger or two. There are lots of flag stops on the run up to Churchill, much like the Alaska RR. That is to say the railroad will pick up or drop off anywhere along the line, not just the big towns. Looking at the timetable, I’d see names of what I initially assumed to be towns or villages located every few miles along the way, but in fact these names represented nothing more than signs along the railroad, with no evidence of civilization anywhere nearby.

In Wabowden, I watched as people left the train and ran into a nearby store to use the ATM. These were the same folks who’d boarded out the boonies where no ticket agent was available. They were withdrawing money from the ATM to pay for their train tickets onboard the train.

At about 6:30pm, I decided it was beer:30 and headed up to the diner to see what was on tap. In the absence of a true lounge car, the rear four tables of the diner are kept open for passengers to have a place to sit and enjoy a drink or play a game of cards. And that’s exactly what was going on at two of the tables. Bridge, in this case. I shelled out $4.75 for a cold Labatt’s and retired to an empty table where I remained without company to drink all by myself without adult supervision for the next half hour.

Earlier in the day, I’d signed up for the second dinner seating. This was supposed to happen about 7:30pm, after we’d left Thompson. Unfortunately, by the time 7:30 rolled around, we were still an hour and a half out of Thompson. The second call went out as scheduled however. Here’s the dinner menu:


DINNER

Beef Burger
A lean 4-oz beef patty, grilled to perfection and topped with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato and sliced onion. Served on a toasted bun. $7.25
Add cheese for $1.25 more.

Turkey Schnitzel
A tender breaded turkey cutlet grilled to perfection and finished with fresh lemon and dill. $8.50

Grilled Salmon
Tender salmon grilled with garlic and seasoning, finished with fresh lemon, accompanied by vegetables of the day and your choice of rice pilaf or mashed potatoes. $11.50

Baby Back Ribs
Delicious baby back ribs barbecued to perfection and served with vegetables of the day and your choice of rice pilaf or mashed potatoes. $11.50

Vegetarian Chile
An excellent blend of vegetables, herbs and spices, stewed in a rich tomato sauce, served with your choice of mashed potato or rice pilaf. $8.00


I shared tonight’s dinner table with three ladies from a family of five who were all traveling up to Churchill to go see Polar Bears and experience a weekend in the subarctic. The group consisted of the mother, three daughters and a cousin. Everybody except the cousin was from the Chicago area. All five of them were wearing ghastly pink and white shirts that some well-meaning relative had made for them. The shirts were festooned with polar bears and snowflakes and cut in the same style as Hawaiian print shirts. Clothing notwithstanding, these ladies were veterans of many trips together. The matriarch in particular had traveled to just about everywhere except Antarctica. For Christmas, the entire family was taking a ten-day cruise from New York to the Caribbean.

We all ordered the salmon, to which I also added a bowl of halfway decent clam chowder. I measure all clam chowders against a bowl I once enjoyed in the Portland, Maine airport café. That was, per my tastes, the perfect bowl of clam chowder with just the right mix of clams, potatoes, bacon, clam stock… awesome stuff. I’ve sampled a lot of clam chowders since but have never managed a return to that little airport café in Portland, Maine.

The salmon was excellent by the way, accompanied by buttery rice and a tasty vegetable medley. Dessert was a choice of Three Berry pie, vanilla ice cream, or a combination of both. The soup and main course had left me more than full, so I passed on dessert but hung out with the gals awhile longer as they plotted activities for their three day stay in Churchill.

We stopped very briefly in Thicket Portage, a small town about half an hour out of Thompson. Joe was our server this evening and he mentioned that this town had an interesting history with the railroad. For many years, it was a crew tradition to throw scraps of food to the village dogs in Thicket Portage. Naturally, it wasn’t long before the dogs came to associate the whistle of the approaching train with food, and so they’d all rush down to the tracks in anticipation of their next meal. Joe mentioned he’d seen close to twenty dogs out by the tracks before. Unfortunately, over time some of the dogs began to behave a bit too aggressively around people with food regardless of whether the train was in town or not. At the request of the town council, the practice of throwing food to the dogs was scrapped.

After dinner, I returned to my coach car and fired up the laptop. Two days earlier in Kelowna, I’d established an account at a video rental shop and rented the following movies:

 The Sting
 Scent of A Woman
 Payback
 M.A.S.H.

An eclectic selection to be sure, but I finally settled on The Sting. I love the soundtrack almost as much as the story. Just about the time that Doyle Lonnigan (Robert Shaw) was lamenting the prospect of accusing Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) of cheating even better than him during the poker game on the train, we pulled out of Thompson and I went back to check with Daniel about the possibility of procuring another berth for the night. $44.00 later, I had my old berth back. I watched the rest of The Sting back at my seat before heading back to sleeper Chateau Vercherres for a good night’s sleep.

The next morning I awoke surprisingly early and so, following a shower, plugged in my kettle and whipped up a cup of my special blend coffee. I like my coffee full bodied and flavorful, so with my current batch I started with a base of Sumatran and Verona and then added just a hint of Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Good stuff.

Breakfast was another serving of the Western Scrambler, after which there was just enough time to repack my belongings and prepare to detrain. We’d made up a good bit of time on the new and improved tracks north of Thompson and would now be arriving at Churchill just thirty minutes late.

Located at latitude 58.47, Churchill is far enough north that this time of year the sun doesn’t rise until about 8:30am, which was right about the time of our arrival. Unfortunately, the day was cloudy with snow flurries and a slight breeze. Still, the conditions seemed quite fitting for this subarctic environment and I stepped off the train looking forward to an adventurous day here at the “end of the line”.