Eastern Canada by Rail (with pics)

[k-c-p]

Hiho,

as I was in the mood for Winter, so I spent three weeks in Canada and toured the Northeast by train. I started in Toronto and went on to Niagara Falls, London, Windsor, Kingston, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City and Halifax.

In the first 24 hours I had a pretty bad feeling on how the trip would be, as several things went wrong: My train to the airport ran 30 minutes late, I had to wait at airport security for half an hour because they were pretty overwhelmed by the number of passenger who wanted to travel that day. Due to bad weather in the UK the night before, my flight left with a delay of over an hour as we had to wait for the flight plan for the alternate route. Arriving in Toronto the train from the airport to downtown was running with 30 minutes headways instead of the usual 15 minutes (in the morning the control centre of the Canadian National Railway went offline and halted trains across Eastern Canada) and finally, the hotel wanted to charge my for breakfast even though I had booked a rate that had a complimentary breakfast (a paper copy of my booking confirmation helped to get this sorted out). Luckily, everything turned for the better at this point and I spent a great vacation .

So lets get right to it, with some impressions from Toronto (no winter there when I arrived but 12°C and mostly sunny skies). From Toronto Island (just a short ferry trip away), you can enjoy the skyline of Toronto with its most remarkable landmark: The CN Tower.

Railways

Right next to the CN Tower you can take a peak at trains running to and from Union Station. A train of the Union Pearson Express that connects Union Station and the airport. (One-way fare is 12 CAN-$).

Train of Canadian state-owned carrier Via Rail (with a special paint job as Canada celebrate its 150th birthday this year). In the background a Go Transit commuter train (the consists of 10 or more bi-level cars are quite an impressive sight)

Go Transit cab car

Just short walk further along the line: A Go diesel engine

Tram in the background and Go cars with different types of green paint jobs

Rather small compared to the Go Trains: Via Rail engine with four cars

Go train sets waiting for the evening rush hour

Go campaign about safety at rail crossings

I like the design of the GE Genesis locomotives

The workhorse of the Via fleet are the GMD F40PH

Street Car

Toronto has a wide street car network with different types of rolling stock. The older trams have a vintage vibe (in the background the Anglican Cathedral)

Tramway in the night, ...

Longer version of the old tram (or red tram meets red building)

On the old tram, you have to board at the front and put your fare token in the collection box next to the driver. In the newer trams, there is machine that will accept the token and print a receipt as proof of payment (POP). TTC is in the process of moving tram line to POP when new rolling stock is introduced. Additionally, in the subway you have to take a transfer ticket as POP when you pay by token.

New tram meets classic architecture (and a lot of catenary wiring)

Apart from token other payment methods are Presto Smartcard and day passes (either on paper or as App). In the paper version, you scratch the date you want to use the pass. On the left an unused pass, on the right a used one and in the back the App (I used the App on my first day to avoid the ticket queue). With pass and App you cannot use the turnstiles (they are Presto and token only) but have to pass by the control booth and show the pass/App. In the tram you can board at any door as pass/App count as POP.

Controls were quite frequent at Union station in the tunnel that connect the tram and the subway, as you can access the subway this way without using the turnstiles

Subway

The subway runs above and below the ground. The newer rolling stock is called "Toronto Rocket". A rocket at "Davisville" station

A depot is located next to the station. Train in shunting manoeuvre

View unto the depot tracks

This train heading to downtown will go underground

Inbound and outbound train meet (line 1 near "Davisville")

The announcements on the trains repeated the name of the station: "The next station is Queen (pause) Queen Station". Inside the rocket

Pillars at "Museum" station

The Museum itself (the "Royal Ontario Museums") is quite an eyecatcher.

Line 2 uses older rolling stock. Train approaching "Warden"

Side note: The subway and street car in Toronto do not uses standard gauge but 1495 mm gauge.

Line 2 connects with the "Scarborough Rapid Transit" line (RT for short). The RT runs on an elevated structure that is is a real eyesore. Some trains were painted in blue

For years there are discussions about what to do with the RT. Its capacity does not meet the requirements any more, but Bombardier does not produce the used rolling stock any more, so the amount of trains run cannot be increased. The successor models would require massive changes to the station. Additionally, the RTs technology is incompatible with the rest of the subway network (according to a Wikipedia article I read the decision about the RTs technology was driven by political rather than operating perspectives). The current plan is to extend subway line 2 to Scarborough. This project has a Billion-$ price tag. Past plans for street cars in Scarborough were killed by the infamous, cocaine consuming major Rob Ford.

On the inside the RT

Sightseeing

Worth every cent: The CN Tower. From up there, there is a lot to see. Sky scrapers

Go Train

Trams running along the Harbour Front

The glass floor section was not my cup of tea

This panel about the glass did not help to ease my mind

Next to the tower are an old turntable and train shed. Some rolling stock is shown and on the inside there is a little museum showing photos, dining car dinnerware and a simulator (compared to the rail museum I visited in Montréal later pretty unimpressive)

As a lot of construction is going on in Union Station at the moment, no photos from there. In the Great Hall not much to see except for scaffolding and canvas covers. The arrival screen shows that the Canadian will be a bit delayed today

A few days later: The Canadian on the departure board. The fact that boarding times are listed give an idea that train travel in Canada is different than in our parts (more about that later)

In Canada (especially in Ontario) quite delicious wine is produced. Wine is not sold in supermarkets (at least in Ontario), but you have to go to the LCBO stores (run by and quite a money maker for the province of Ontario). The purchase is packed into nice, brown paper bags

If you have money, you can build something like this: The "Casa Loma"

The new "City Hall"

Reflection of the old "City Hall" in a nearby skyscraper

Toronto is the seat of Ontarios Provincial Parliament. I took part in a guided tour

Pretty nice on the inside

At the end of the tour I went to the visitor galleries for "Question Period". When I left the security guard asked my, if I liked it. When I told him he did, he responded: "There is nothing more entertaining than watching politicians shouting at each other for an hour". Amen to that .

Here ends my little wrap up of 5 days in Toronto. Next stop (if you like): Niagara Falls.

So long
Charly

 

[k-c-p]

Next up impressions from Niagara Falls, London and Windsor.

Niagara Falls

As Niagara Falls is about two hours away from Toronto by train, I went there for a day trip. Via Rail runs one train to and from Niagara Falls each day: The "Maple Leaf". The train is operated in cooperation with Amtrak and runs further along to NYC. In the summer Go Transit runs trains to Niagara Falls on the weekend. I could have use a combination of a Go Train and then a Go Bus, but I opted for the train only trip. While waiting for the "Maple Leaf" in the evening, I spotted this Go Bus

In Tornto I had to queue here to board the train. Access to the platform was allowed about 15min prior to departure. While I waited the tickets were checked (for the first time). If you had large bags, Via rail staff came by with a portable scale to weight it. As with airlines, Via has a free baggage allowance, if you exceed it, you have to pay extra

On the train there was another round of ticket checks. As Canada is bi-lingual (on the federal level) all announcements were given in English and Frensh.

The "Maple Leaf" is formed of Amtrak rolling stock. After the arrival in Niagara Falls the Amtrak GE Genesis and the Armfleet cars may take a little sun bath while the passengers go through customs and immigration controls (scheduled stop for this is over an hour). For the controls everybody has to leave the train and take all their belongings with them. The landing cards were distributed on the train earlier, so that the passengers could complete them already. I was quite happy, that I could skip this "fun" because I stayed on the Canadian side.

The train consists of 5 cars, but only the Business class and one Economy class car were open to passengers. There were about 10 people in Economy in the morning (on the way back in the evening there were about two dozen people). The train stopped twice in Niagara Falls: For the first time on the outskirts of the station to pick up the Amtrak crew and a second time for passenger to get off. Why you need two stops for that remains a mystery to me.

Inside an Armfleet Car

These security cards always make me smile.

If you have a seat at a window with one of these little hammers, the situation gets a little odd, because you will get a "in case of emergency please use the hammer to break the glass"-briefing from the train crew. The briefing is documented by putting a little sticker above your seat.

As a rail passenger in Canada you get a lot of pampering: The crew opens the doors (because depending on the height of the platform, they have to put cover panels in place). For your own safety, you are asked to remain seated until the train has come to a complete stop in the station. Usually, you cannot access the platform until the train has arrived. When the train stops in a siding to let another train pass, there is an annoucement that informs the passengers that "this is normal procedure".

In the three weeks I did 10 trips with Via trains. None was on time. The delays varied between 10min and about 90min. The most common reason was that we were stuck behind or freight train or had to let freight trains pass. Via owns about 2% of the network it operates on. The rest is owned by the CN and CP freight railroads who give their own trains higher priority than the trains of their (government enforced) "guest" Via Rail. En route to Niagara we had to follow a freight train and arrived 30min late.

In the evening the "Maple Leaf" crosses the border bridge between the US and Canada (the lower level of bridge has a car lane)

Tanning time for the train while custom checks take place. Eventhough I did have have to go through the controls, I could not board earlier than the other passengers, because the train was off limits until it was cleard by Canadian customs.

On board there was an annoucement that no passengers were listed for several stop along the way, so we would not stop at these stations. So turning up at a station at last minute and hop on a train is quite a gamble in Canada.

Snapshot of freight cars

Niagara Falls station is a few kilometres away from the falls. The Wego tourist bus lines offer a connection to the falls and other sights.

The American Falls

The Horse Shoe Falls

Pretty common sight: rainbows

Apart from the falls, Niagara offers knickknack shops and other "fun" ways to spend your money

The incline railway links the falls to the hotel towers

My take: ok for a day trip, but one day is more than enough.

London

My first impression of London, Ontario? More pubs than anything else. This logo looks familiar

Wow

Pretty big this kraken

Pretty big engine, for a pretty small train

In the morning there are two departures to Toronto: One train starts is run in Windsor, the other one in Sarnia. As both take different routes to Toronto, London is the "hub" for passengers to change between the two

During my stay in London, snow hit for the first time. Signals and snow at dawn (taken during a little walk before breakfast)

A freight yard

Ghosts at work

The Catholic Cathedral

Nice tower at the University

London was nice and relaxing after the bustling metropolis Toronto.

Windsor

I did a daytrip from London to Windsor. Windsor is literally the end of the line. Via has to turn the trainset around: After all passengers left the train, it left the station in reverse and came back about half an hour later (in reverse of course) to be in place for the return trip to Toronto.

Inside a LRC car

Let's turn this thing around

The only noteworthy thing to see in Windsor: The skyline of Destroyed - sorry: Detroit.

Zoom on the Peoplermover that circles downtown Detroit

Time to start Wining

CN steam locomotive on Riverside Walk

If you are out of things to visit and have some time to kill: Churches are always an option. Oftentimes, when I look at the windows I cannot tell what is depicted there. In St. Alphonsus Church the vistor gets some help Bible verses are shown on the window (e.g. Gen 17,10)

My take on Windsor: If you haven't seen it yet, do not bother to go there.

The next stops on my tour: Kingston and Ottawa.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Looking good.

Was that bottom contact third rail on the Toronto subway system?

 

[k-c-p]

Yes, it was bottom contact third rail

 

[northwichcat]

Looks like you were lucky with the weather. When I went to Niagara Falls I wasn't lucky enough to get clear skies and the same applied when I did a boat trip around Thousand Islands Park (near Kingston.) They illuminate the Falls from around 9pm and they look quite impressive illuminated even when it's cloudy.

I stayed in the Westin Harbour hotel in Toronto and got allocated a room on the 30th floor where you get a clear view of the Go Transit trains going in to Union station but personally I think they are a bit ugly!

Last year there was quite a lot of work going on in Ottawa relating to putting a tram line in the city. I don't know if that work is still on going.

 

[Kite159]

Brings back memories of my trip to Canada in 2013, although that was an organised tour so all the trains I did was on the metro, although I did manage to get a helicopter flight over Niagara Falls.

Is it just me or does the Union Pearson Express train in the first picture look like its been cut in half?

 

[k-c-p]

Looks like you were lucky with the weather

Yes, I was. In the three weeks I had two half days of rain (one in Toronto and one in Ottwa), plus two days of snow fall (in London and Québec City). The rest was mostly sunny with blue sky.

Last year there was quite a lot of work going on in Ottawa relating to putting a tram line in the city. I don't know if that work is still on going.

Still in progress. I can show some pic of that, when I get my Kingston and Ottawa pictures sorted out.

Is it just me or does the Union Pearson Express train in the first picture look like its been cut in half?

The UP is running 2 and 3 car trains. I agree that the 2-car trains look a bit chopped .

 

[northwichcat]

If you're boarding the UP at either Toronto Airport or Toronto Union then there's a wall with automatic glass doors between the platform and the track so you don't get a good view of the train.

 

[k-c-p]

The next stops on the tour: Kingston and Ottawa.

Kingston

On the way from London to Kingston I had to make a transfer in Toronto. As my train to Toronto had to follow a freight train only about 10 minutes were left of my 45 minutes layover.

Snapshots taken en route

Kingston station is several kilometres from downtown, so I used the bus to get to my hotel. In a country were you pay with your plastic cards all the time, public transportation seems to be the last cash heavy business. In Kingston tickets were available on board the bus only and had to be paid in cash (coins only). As the driver does to carry change, you either have the coins for the exact fare or you give a donation to the local transport authority.

The ride to downtown was about 20 minutes. Kingston was the coldest part of the trip. The temperature was at -15° with some wind chill on top. But sun and blue sky made the freezing worthwhile. The ice on the St Lawrence river

Steam engine at the waterfront at dawn. The old station houses the tourist information now

Morning has broken

Inside Kingston Via Rail station. The ticket counters

The waiting area

This train has just departed Kingston

In the morning there is a train from Toronto that consists of two train sets that will be separated later on (one set will continue to Montréal, the other one to Ottawa). I used this train a few days later when I went to Ottawa

To ease finding your coach on the correct train the platform has different marked sections. The announcenment mentioned which car will stop in the sections and two Vai Rail employees were on the platform asking each passenger the car number and giving directions.

CN advertising

The ferry to "Wolfe Island"

"deer crossing"

Movable bridge

In summer or autumn Kingston is more impressive as you can do boat trip to the "Thousand Islands". I used this part of the trip for relaxing walks along the waterfront and enjoying a pint or two in a little brewery.

Ottawa

The ride to the Canadian capital Ottawa was in a refurbished LRC train set

When strolling through the city you notice that every other building has a "Government of Canada" and "Gouvernement du Canada" sign. Ottawa takes bilingualism seriously:

Ottawas most famous landmark: The tower of the Parliament building

When you walk over to the other side of the Parliament building, you understand why the area is called "Parliament Hill". The church-like building is the parliamentary library.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera when a took a parliament tour. A can recommend a tour of the building. The architecture this great and the library alone is worth going through the security check hassle.

View from "Parliament Hill" unto "Pont Alexandria Bridge"

Night view from "Parliament Hill": On the left the "National Gallery" (were I spent a rainy afternoon), in the middle the Catholic Cathedral and on the right the US embassy

I liked the blue ceiling of the cathedral

Light reflections on a pillar

Bilingualism in church: The mass roster indicated whether the service will be held in English or French. In preparation for Montréal I went to French mass. My take: The Canadian-French takes some getting used to (I understood about 50% of the sermon )

Public transportation on Ottawa consists of several bus lines and the O-Train

In the beginning Talent train sets (German class 643) were used. They have been replaced by Coradia LINT. Train at "Bayview" terminal

Here we go. Trains run every 12 minutes.

The original O-Train line is now called "Trillium Line" because a light rail line (the "Confederation Line") is under construction. In the future O-Train will be the catch all term for both lines. At "Bayview" you will be able to change between the two lines. The light rail is scheduled to be put into service in 2018. There is some work to do until then - the future line near "Bayview".

In downtown the line will run in a tunnel. The fences at the construction side inform about the future line (in English and French of course)

The "Confederation Line" will connect the railway station to downtown. The future stop next to the station. In this area some rails had been put into place already

Nice window in the Anglican Cathedral

Fire escape

Who would have guessed: Green candles for St. Patrick .

The map called this "Rideau Falls". I had expected some more

Running water meets ice

That's all from Kingston and Ottawa. Next stop/Prochain arrêt: Montréal.

 

[k-c-p]

Montréal was the main reason for trip. I spent Christmas there in 2004 with a lot of snow and freezing temperatures. I always wanted to go back again in Winter. Let's start with impressions from the Métro.

Métro

The Métro uses rubber-tired rolling stock. The network consists of 4 lines and is completely underground. Not two stations look alike as each one has art in some form or another. In "McGill" station there is glass art

"Bonaventure" station offers a connection to Via- and AMT trains from "Gare Centrale". View from an overpass unto a Métro train

Side view of the old rolling stock

Apart from the old MR-63 (dating back to the opening of the network) and MR-73 series rolling stock, the first trains of the new MPM-10 series (called "Azur") have entered service. The interior of the old trains has a classic 60s/70s vibe

A huge contrast: Inside the Azur. The Azur trains allow passenger to pass from one car to another

Azur side view

At present, the Azur trains are only running on the orange line. Even though, the majority of the service is still run using the old rolling stock. Old train at "Plamondon"

In January the STM had to take the whole Azur fleet out of service, because the contact shoe of a train damaged signalling equipment and shutdown Orange line services. Following this incident one train with equipped with cameras to monitor the shoe during test runs. The tests revealed, that shoes of the Azur trains wear and tear faster than the shoes of the older rolling stock. After changes to the maintenance regime, the trains went back into service. The whole Azur procurement is plagued by delays due to technical and political obstacles. The MPM-10 Wikipedia article side summarzies the "highlights"

Trains at terminal "Henri Bourassa"

The Yellow line takes you to "Île St Hélène" and "Île Notre-Dame". Sight for Formular 1 fans: The "Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve". Another sight: The "Biosphère" - this thing is leftover from a worlds fair in the 60s

At station "Lionel-Groulx" the Orange and the Green line meet. The station has two levels. To ease transfers the outbound tracks of both line meet on one level on both side of an island platform, the inbound tracks on the other level. This increases the chance for passengers that they can transfer by just walking over to the other side of the platform

On the platform, panels like this give information on the next stations and approximate travel times

At station "McGill" which has a lot of stairs and exits, the signs will even tell you, where you are on the platform

At "Square Victoria" new signage was in use. Each exit has a letter assigned and these letters are shown on signposts too

One entrance to "Square Victoria" has this present from Paris

No relation to Edward S - this is a district of Montréal and the terminus of the Blue line

Two Métro tickets: On the right "L'Occasionelle" (=The Occasional) is a 3 day pass. This is a NFC card that can be used with the reader on top of the turnstiles. The Solo ticket for a single ride must be put into the slot of the turnstile - it is returned with a validation time stamp printed on it

As with the PATH in Toronto, Montréal has a underground city too. It is called "Reso" (short for "Réseau piétonnier souterrain de Montréal") and allows to walk from office tower to office tower and shopping mall to shopping mall and access to several metro stations.

AMT

The "Agence métropolitaine de transport" (AMT) runs commuter trains to several suburbs. AMT trains terminate at two different stations. Some lines run to the main station "Gare Centrale", other lines to "Gare Lucien-L'Allier". "Gare Lucien-L'Allier" offered the possibility to catch the trains in daylight. AMT diesel power

And a Diesel-Electric-Hybrid locomotive (Bombardier ALP-45DP)

The departure board shows that train service is pretty limited outside rush hour

I took a "Candiac" line train to the "Exporail" rail museum. The seat layout was a bit unorthodox

A door for high and low platforms

No Comment

Right next door to "Gare Lycien L'Allier" is the building of the "Gare Windsor" station. This is the former station of the CP.

Exporail

The "Exporail" museum is located a short walk from "St Constante" station on the AMT-Candiac-Line. It is really worth a visit. Going their by train, requires some planning, as you travel in the opposite direction of the commuters, which limits the number of trains offered. The trip takes about 25 minutes

Two pictures from the balcony into the hall

Rail inspection vehicle

Panoramic tramway car

On the outside different types of rolling stock are shown and in the summer tram ride are offered. Rolling stocks from Vias past

Box on track

The museum is worth the 18$ admission (plus 14$ for the train). A must see, if you are in the area.

Via

At "Gare Centrale" there is not much chance taking train pictures as you cannot access the platforms whithout a ticket (but not much of a loss, as they are pretty dark anyway). You may catch the trains when they leave the station building

Nice motive: The bridge crossing the "Canal Lanchine"

I will end the Montréal part with some sight seeing impressions. A significant landmark is the tower of the Olympic Stadium

View from "Mont Royal" unto Downtown

The way up "Mont Royal" was icy and slick. I got that even without this hint

The Catholic Cathedral "Notre-Dame" charges a 6$ admission. It think its worth it (even though, I did not pay it directly, because I went to mass and put my bucks into the offering)

In the "Basilique Marie Reine du monde" I enjoyed the drawings of the Evangelists (each shown with his heraldic animal): John with the eagle

and Luke with the bull

That is all from Montréal. Next and final stop / Prochaine arrêt et terminus: Québec City and/et Halifax.

 

[Techniquest]

WOW! Just wow. What an epic trip report that was, I have now bumped Toronto WAY up my Bucket List.

Loved the detail such as ticketing options, an incredibly useful thing to know. The photos were very useful too, and I want to visit the CN Tower and ride those trains!

 

[k-c-p]

I am glad you liked it. Toronto is worth a visit

 

[k-c-p]

To wrap my little trip report impressions from the last two stops: Québec City and Halifax.

Québec City

The journey from Montréal to Québec City through snow covered landscape

Passing by some trucks on the highway

Trains approaching the "Gare du Palais" at the outskirts of downtown Québec

The station is hiding in the snow

The most visible landmark of Qubéc City: The "Château Frontenac"

It resides in the upper part of town

Night view from the lower part of the city

View from the station to the upper city: The tower of the Château (left) and the "Édifice Price" (the green thingy on the right)

Québec City has a lot of beautiful houses and small alleyways with restaurants and knickknack shops

The "Funiculaire" connects the lower and the upper part of town

View from the "Terasse Dufferin" in front of the Château unto the lower city

In the evening lots of houses were illuminated

St Patricks day was looming

The Cathedral Notre Dame

A bit too much gold for my taste

A different type of snow cannon

A US east coast blizzard brought some snow to Canada as well. On Canadian TV there was an interview with a woman from Toronto who was on vacation in NYC. Her take on the state of emergency on NY (where the subways did run in underground parts of the networks only and the mayor asked people to stay home): "For NY its state of emergency, for Toronto its just Tuesday".

The blizzard brought about a meter of snow to Québec and life just went on. The janitor of the hotel used a snow blower to clean the parking lot and the city put several snowploughs on the road. The plough moved the snow to the side, later on an excavator loaded the snow unto a truck and it was driven away.

Nonetheless, you might plan for some shoveling in the morning

Small snow plough for cleaning the pavement

When I had enough of the snow, I went back to my hotel and enjoyed the pool on the roof. There is nothing more relaxing that sitting in 30°C water while the wind blows snowflake around your head

I did a tour of Québecs Parliament. A view into the Chamber

Canada is bilingual - on the Federal level. Each province has an official language. In most provinces its English - in Québec (quelle surprise) its French. All deliberations in Parliament are in French, but at the end the laws will be published in French and English.

Window in Parliament

Workers were preparing a ski slope for a FIS event

Underpass for visitors

Icy slide

Nice

My train to Halifax did not depart from the "Gare du Palais", but from "Ste Foy" station in a suburb of Québec. Via offered a taxi van shuttle between "Gare du Palais" and "Ste Foy". While I waited for my train, a Québec bound train stopped at "Ste Foy"

After boarding my train left "Ste Foy" in reverse. We crossed the "Pont de Québec Bridge" before joining the main line and proceeding east.

Halifax

The last trip was 19 hours on the Océan-/Ocean-Train to Halifax. As there were not that many passengers in Economy class, I could occupy four seats. An Economy class ticket costs about 100$. Tickets for a birth in the sleeping car started at about 350$ (the sleeping car fare includes breakfast and lunch). I had packed my own provisions (cheese, some sausages, bread and brownies). In the morning, I went to the service car to get a coffee and use the wifi.

The rolling stock of the Ocean consists of coaches that were build for the "Nightstar" overnight trains through the Eurotunnel. When the Nightstar project fell apart Viarail was able to buy the cars at a discount.

At the end of the 19h journey, the train was about 30min delayed. Not that bad considering I had worse delays on shorter trips

Impressions of the landscape we passed

Stop at a crossing in the night

We had stopped in a siding to let a freight train pass. Then my train backed out of the siding in reverse back to the main line. When we passed the siding I saw that not all of it had been snow ploughed. Especially, the switch back to main track was still covered in snow.

After the arrival a look at the three locomotives that had pulled the train.

The next morning the Océan departed for the return trip to Montréal. It runs three times a week in both directions. There were times, when it ran daily, but as the Canadian Government has to pay about two dollar subsidy for every buck that Via makes, the service offered depends on the budget

The train stopped, the engineer left the locomotive to operate the switch

The dome car at the end of the train

A goodies for freight train enthusiats: Shunting operations in the morning

Halifax station

A got a private tour of Halifax Cathedral. I went there in the morning, when there not many people. When I took some photos someone came up to me and we got talk. When he heard that I came from Germany, he was proud to me show me his church because the windows were made by a German company

St Mary above the alter

Jona and the whale

The windows show a pair of correlated scene from the Old and New Testament. For instance: On top the birth of Christ, below the creation of man

The windows are replicates because the original one were destroyed in the "Halifax Explosion" in 1917: A ship loaded with explosives collided with another vessel and blew up. About 2000 people were killed, thousands more wounded are parts of downtown Halifax massively destroyed. The "Halifax Explosion" is one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in the history of man kind

When the Cathedral wanted to have replacements for the destroyed windows installed, the faced the problem, that in 1944 the archives of the glass company in Munich were destroyed during bombing. Luckily, some of the original order papers were still kept in the NY subsidiary of the company. In the end, there was enough information to produce the new/old windows.

I hopped on the ferry to Dartmouth to enjoy the view of the skyline of Halifax (like the busses, the ferry requires exact fare but luckily, there was change machine in the terminal).

Freight cars near the Dartmouth ferry terminal

A rail line runs along the water front

The "MacDonald-Bridge" connects Halifax and Dartmouth.

The bridge is undergoing maintenance for several years which causes havoc to traffic and results in frequent changes to the bus network and schedules. As I was totally confused, if and when the bus to the airport would run, I went to the tourist information for help. The ladies were sympathetic to my trouble: "This is going on for 2 years now and we are starting to get the schedules". Worked out fine in the end: The bus was on time and the driver were helpful

In the foreground the "Clock Tower", in the background high rises in downtown Halifax

The dark stones give the Anglican Cathedral a nice touch

Go fish

I will abide to these rules

In my hotel signs like these, encouraged guests to use the stairs

This broad back memories of my trip to New England

One mans electrical installation is another mans canvas (I saw quite a lot of artwork like this in Halifax)

The "Public Garden" was closed, but worth a peak over the fence

Halifax has a large base of the Canadian Navy

Time to say good bye to my loyal companions: Viarail ticket and the (bilingual) Viarail time table

Sunrise on my last day. After morning mass and a nice steak lunch I hopped on the bus to the airport and went back home.

This concludes this little series on my Viarail adventures. It was a great vacation with a lot to see and great conversations with a lot of nice people (especially after mass I ended up chatting with parishioners as someone who is not part of the usual crowd makes people curious )..

I hope you liked it. Looking forward to your feedback.

Bye, Bye / Au revoir
Charly

 

[Techniquest]

Some beautiful scenes there, I would love to go and see some of those for myself. Perhaps not in the depth of winter mind!

Many thanks for sharing that!

 

[Kite159]

I is jealous

Sounded like an amazing trip

 

[87electric]

Great report and photos.
I'm currently on a 7 week trip in the USA and I have Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in the mix as well so your informative info I will find very useful.

 

[northwichcat]

Regarding Casa Loma in Toronto - a lot of Canadians will tell you if your from Britain it's not worth visiting as it's not as old and grand as many of the Stately Homes we have. However, it's worth noting that there's a number of classic cars dating from the 1920s that you can see if you do decide to visit.

The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Montreal gets illuminated at night using a mix of blue and white light and looks very impressive. It's also a good time to take photos as the square outside it isn't crowded with tourists like it can be in the afternoon. Having seen Cathedral of Marie-Reine-du-Monde in Montreal I personally don't think it's worth visiting if you've seen St Peter's in Rome - it's literally a smaller copy of it. If you're interested in Catholic places of worship there is also Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica just outside Trois-Rivières but it doesn't still have a railway station so it requires a trip by road to get to.

 

[ac6000cw]

Great report and photos - Canada is such a nice place to visit!

The only time I've been in Quebec City it was deep in snow (in January), with ice flows on the river. Great for winter sports though

In the background a Go Transit commuter train (the consists of 10 or more bi-level cars are quite an impressive sight)

Yes, 50-60 tonnes per car - hauled by some of the most powerful diesel passenger locos on the continent, mostly MPI 4000hp MP40s, due to be joined by 16 twin-engined 5400hp MP54ACs (on order from MPI)

 

[deltic]

Great photos - my son has applied to McGill university so very interested in the photos of McGill metro station!

 

[EssexGonzo]

Fantastic report and photos. I adore Canada but I doubt I'll ever persuade my wife to go in the winter!