The clogging done, we returned to Toronto to prepare for our epic train journey on The Canadian across the country. This gave us a chance to rest our feet, get our washing done, explore the city a bit more, and figure out how to pack for the journey, given that we had to check-in most of our luggage.
Graffiti Alley in Toronto is a snub to the previous mayor who tried to eradicate graffiti from the city.
Incredible 2004 extension to the Ontario College of Art and Design.
The CN Tower on a cloudy but moonlit night.
Originally criticised because it was "too American", the Ontario parliament sits in Queens Park.
Dramatic staue of King Edward VII was originally installed in Delhi, India in 1919, but gifted and relocated to Toronto in 1969.
The Canadian is run by VIA Rail and travels two or three times weekly between Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia, a modest distance of just under 4,500km, and taking 3.5 days. The train runs on tracks owned by Canadian National (CN) which makes a lot more money from freight, so (it was explained to us repeatedly) passenger trains have low priority, and often have to wait for goods trains, meaning late arrivals and fictional schedules.
Much of the CN way across the nation is single track, with frequent sidings allowing trains to pass each other. By definition, any train arriving at a siding has to wait for one or more still coming from the opposite direction. This applies whether or not the train is passenger or freight, and we did not see that the priority system affected us in any way. Sometimes we waited, sometimes the other train waited, depending on who got there first. Sometimes the waits were as long as an hour. But the waits did add up, and we never seemed to be on schedule.
Like so many other Union Stations, this Toronto landmark (1925) is an opulent building housing a subway and numerous intercity railways, inclding VIA Rail.
We rarely got to see the engines of The Canadian, but here they are during a brief stop in Sioux Lookout.
It's easy to criticise these freight trains, but how much better they are than transporting the same cargo by road! These trains are mammoth, up to 3.2km long and with hundreds of cars. And they are frequent too - we often saw them back to back on huge sidings. If only Australia had learned how to use its railways effectively, but instead we overload our mediocre roads with great transport lorries. Shortsighted politicians again!
The Canadian speeds by countless marshy scenes like this.
At the start of its journey, The Canadian spends almost two days in Ontario before crossing province boundaries into Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and finally British Columbia. Stops where passengers can stretch their legs and get a breath of fresh air are very infrequent, and (partly because the train is always late) very brief.
Out in the middle of nowhere in western Ontario, our westbound train #1 passes it's eastbound counterpart #2.
Through the endless marshes of Ontario, we were allowed out in Capreol and Sioux Lookout, remote stations in remote towns. Finally, we crossed the border and straggled into Winnipeg in the middle of the night over two hours late, but there were extenuating circumstances beyond the freight train issue. Manitoba was suffering a freakish, early winter storm, depositing heavy layers of slushy snow, and bringing down power lines, one of which, apparently, fell across our tracks. A state of emergency was later declared.
An expert on The Canadian told us that these are the only pine trees which drop their needles but are still considered evergreens.
We enjoyed our only longer stop at Winnipeg because a three hour changeover was scheduled there anyway, but it was comical to see the staff struggling with 200mm of slush on unprotected platforms as they tried to reprovision the train. The Canadian attempts to inject some credibility into its timetable by scheduling long stops at key stations - this allows the train to leave close to time even if it arrived very late.
Our late arrival in Winnipeg, Manitoba was partly due to a freak early snowstorm which caused havoc.
We had a sleeper cabin on The Canadian - a tiny cubicle in which two foldupable lounge chairs are replaced by two spacious and comfortable bunk beds in the evening. We both loved sleeping in thse beds, being rocked to sleep by the motion of the train. Our cabin had a tiny loo and washbasin, with a shared shower down the corridor. We were provided three meals a day of good quality, and there were lounge areas where we could mix or play games with the other passengers, and a tall dome car which was great for relaxing and watching the country-side fly by. Dinner was held in three settings, and it was difficult to get your preferred time-slot.
Every day, the train was refueled, often in a remote location, but it gave us a chance to enjoy a brief burst of fresh air.
The staff on board were excellent. They worked hard for long hours and were cheerful and helpful and knowlegible too about where we were passing. We enjoyed short talks on various subjects, and a young couple played live music. The entire crew changed over at Winnipeg.
Remote town building as seen from the train zipping through Leross, Saskatchewan.
We met many fellow travellers, mostly in the dining car at mealtimes where you are always seated in fours. They were from Australia (of course), Denmark, France, UK, USA, Korea, China and some even from Canada! We met Canadians who like to avoid air travel and use this train regularly. The Canadian services local communities and lets passengers off and on at about 60 tiny whistle-stop towns, but you have to arrange this two days in advance, otherwise the train will just roar through.
The colours of autumn so evident in this snap from the speeding train through western Ontario.
Huge flock of snow geese, maybe raised by the roar of The Canadian thundering by, in Tate Saskatchewan.
Canada is a wide country. From what we saw (daylight hours only, of course) Ontario is mostly forest and marshes, and we were amazed at how many (some very substantial) lakes there were, all contributing to Canada holding of 20% of the world's fresh water. Canada has almost 32,000 lakes over three square kilometers, and uncounted smaller lakes. By Saskatchewan, we were looking at vast flat prairies now mostly devoted to agriculture with wheat being the most common crop. Grain handling facilities and silos were everwhere, but we also saw what we think were potash mines, the province being the world's largest exporter of the mineral. We were granted another brief leg-stretch at the dry and dusty (well out of town) Saskatoon station which had a modest but decent station building and a huge goods yard. Everything in the whole province must come through here. Moving east in Saskatchewan, flat prairies seemed to turn to rolling hills. We missed most of Alberta in darkness, and arrived at Jasper in the Rocky Mountains at our third dawn (and pretty well on time!).
Waterskier on one of Canada's myriad of lakes which collectively hold 20% of the world's fresh water.
The Canadian was doing maybe 120km/hr, but only just fast enough to pass this ute on a dirt road near Watrous Saskatchewan.
Hay bales waiting collection were everywhere, these ones near Perdue Saskatchewan.
Toronto to Jasper is about 80% of The Canadian's cross country journey, and we got off here to a cold but clear morning, and a spectacular sunrise over the mountains.
The Canadian takes a curve through the endless prairie east of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan.
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