A close look beyond the soothing colors on this envelope reveals an odd combination of flat graphics and photographs. One of the photos shows the Lake Louise train station, which VIA stopped serving in 1990. An apparent date code inside … Continue reading
The front of this brochure advertises the Jasper-routed Canadian. Unusually for this series of brochures, the back is divided into three panels advertising the Skeena to Prince Rupert (with an overnight stay in Prince George aimed at allowing passengers to … Continue reading
Here’s another VIA brochure that is not laid out in a panel format. It is focused on Eastern trains, but apparently that mainly meant the Ocean from Montreal to Halifax. Except for the Chaleur, most of VIA’s other eastern trains … Continue reading
Like the Alaska Railroad, many Canadian trains will–on advance notice–stop anywhere, not just at designated stations. This brochure advertises that the trains will carry bicycles, skis, and canoes and drop people off in an “area that may be so isolated … Continue reading
Due to several rounds of budget cuts, VIA’s system timetable had shrunk from 68 pages in 1988 to 48 pages in 1996. The Canadian still ran, but on CN’s route through Jasper rather than CP’s route through Banff. CP’s Atlantic … Continue reading
I didn’t use a CanRailPass for my 1996 trip on the Chaleur, but I may have considered a longer trip as I picked up this brochure about the pass. The pass was more restricted that the original VIA rail pass, … Continue reading
This menu is a huge upgrade from those used in 1989. Not only is the appearance far better, but the choice of foods is far greater and includes both table d’hôte and a la carte items. This menu includes meals … Continue reading
The train to Gaspé is one of the few routes I did not take in 1978, so when I was in Montreal in 1996, I took a few days to ride this train, which was supposed to be one of … Continue reading
In the final day of our journey through VIA’s 1989 dinner menus, we have a choice of chicken and pork ribs in barbeque sauce or rainbow trout. These came with cream of mushroom soup, but like the first menu they … Continue reading
On the third day of our journey through VIA’s 1989 dining car on the Canadian, the menu offers a choice of roast beef or fillet of sole. These come with vegetable soup, oven-browned potatoes, oriental vegetables, and cheese cake with … Continue reading
