My wife is excited that she is going for a train ride.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I've been coast to coast on the train. I love it, take it whenever/where ever I can.

I once had a relative I stayed with in Ontario tell me he'd just rather fly as it's so much quicker (don't get me wrong I adore flying) but I told him that I liked the time to unwind and relax.

The following summer he came to visit us here. He was supposed to leave the day of the blackout through Southern Ontario/North Eastern United States. So he showed up 3 days after he was supposed to arrive. I'll never forget pointing out to him it would have been quicker to take the train!

That said I remember when my girlfriend was so excited to get on a ferry for the first time ever. We all thought she was nuts. In retrospect she thinks the same way as this was our ferry ride:

[CaptainCrunch]

Make her watch Risky Business before you go.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

Did you at least spring for first class tickets? Then you get free beer on the way!

Nope. I bought the cheap $39 economy tickets. I guess we'll be forced to brown bag it on the sly.

[JohnnyFlame]

Originally Posted by Locke

I remember taking the train from London to Brussels and my friend thinking: "This will be so cool, we'll be going under the English channel, and we'll see the ocean and the fish and everything!!"

Its not plexiglass....its just a tunnel. Its dark for 40 minutes till you hit France...yee-ha!!

Try being in the squatty as the train goes around some corner on what feels like one rail. There is some excitement for ya. Did that many a time on some overnight train in China.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFlame

Try being in the squatty as the train goes around some corner on what feels like one rail. There is some excitement for ya. Did that many a time on some overnight train in China.

Haha...I didnt have to worry about that, London to Brussels is a 3 hour ride. Sweet!

[FlamesAddiction]

I caught the train from Vancouver to Toronto and back a few years ago. It was an awesome experience.

[MelBridgeman]

Not even the train at heritage park?

[kipperfan]

First train rides are always fun. For my first I did an overnight train out of Paris into Venice the next morning. I was travelling alone, in a berth with 3 Italians, none of whom spoke a word of English, and scared as hell I would somehow miss Venice, so every time the train stopped throughout the nigh I would wake up and frantically look outside until I was satisfied we were not yet in Venice! And that was only half my worry, as we were crossing borders overnight the crew kept everyone's passports as we slept and I could not stop thinking about them losing my passport and my being stranded, alone, without a passport nor any other way to prove my identity. It was a stressful night! First time jitters aside, trains are awesome, greatest form of travel IMO.

[Bill Bumface]

I love trains. Whenever I go to Europe I thoroughly enjoy my train rides. Sleep off the hangover, listen to some music, crack a beer, stretch out.... it doesn't get much better.

When I fly I can't even put my meal tray down, and if the guy in front of me attempts a recline, I have to glue the fragments of my knee caps back together.

Go trains!

Night trains are horrible however. I'm too tall for the births, we had a 20 year old French girl with vicious BO who was talking on her cell phone at 1 in the morning and wouldn't shut up despite me snapping my fingers in front of her face. We bought a case of beer for every single night train ride and would pound it in the hallway so that we could pass out for as long as possible.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Dion

I'd love to do the Rocky Mountaineer to Vancouver someday.

http://www.rockymountaineer.com/

Fer sure. That's on my bucket list. It's probably the easiest item to stroke off my bucket list too, so it will likely be one of the last I get around to.

[BuzzardsWife]

bellville is such a pretty town~the whole area is gorgeous

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Rerun

So would I but unfortunately its a little out of my price range for a trip from Calgary to Vancouver for 2 plus airfare back to Calgary.

Maybe some day we will go to Edmonton and catch the Via Rail train out of there to Vancouver. That is a little more reasonably priced.

I also am intrigued by the Rocky Mountaineer. I was actually watching Regis & Kelly this morning () and someone won a Rocky Mountaineer trip on the show. I think it was 7 nights/8 days and they said it was worth $6,000. Ouch!

[Puppet Guy]

Rail is the best way to see the country. Ground level at a decent speed and you can see pretty well everything.

my best train trip was in February '96: Moncton NB to Montreal so's I could go see one of the last games in the Forum...against the Flames! Overnight rail trip through New Brunswick and Quebec through a snowstorm in order to see a hockey game. It doesn't get any more Canadian than that unless Stompin' Tom's singing about it.

[kermitology]

what does this have to do with Meat Loaf?

[Vulcan]

I'm a long time train fan. One of my first jobs was with the CPR where I learned to hop freights to go home on weekends. It was okay with the company at the time, though I did use this skill? to travel from White River to Winnipeg when hitchhiking failed me.
I took the trip from Edmonton to Vancouver (paid this time) and it's a great trip and a lot more comfortable. One time after working in N. Manitoba I took one of the last passenger trains from Winnipeg to Calgary instead of flying as I knew it's days were numbered. Great way to travel.

There were a lot of protests when they stopped the southern route through Calgary as it's the best and most scenic route but Edmonton won the political battle, and the owners of the Rocky Mountaineer cashed in on political favours.

[tvp2003]

I would love to do the Rocky Mountaineer, but it's price prohibitive for me right now.

Has anyone taken the train from Vancouver to Seattle? I heard that's a pretty nice trip, and very affordable

[csnarpy]

I'd never let my wife have a train ride....can't believe your actually thinking of this...



oh wait.

[Pokerface]

Originally Posted by Rerun

She thinks so. She was really disappointed when the Via Engineers went on strike last Friday. She's glad the strike is over.

The engineers went on strike before my trip, now they've gone back to work.

my life is average.

[Shawnski]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Fly out to Toronto tonight and we catch a train (Via Rail) tomorrow from Toronto to Belleville which is about a 2 hour trip.

My wife is excited about the train trip as she has never been on a train before.... in her mind the C-train really doesn't count.

Growing up in Belleville Ontario, I've taken the train plenty of times to Toronto or Montreal, so its no big deal to me. She however has never lived anywhere there has been passenger train service so she is looking forward to it.

Just remind her it isn't easy catching a train in high heels. She might want to wear runners.... catching one of those on the fly is a lot of work. And beware the hobos in whatever boxcar she may find herself in. She should carry some protection... and I DON'T mean rubbers.

And what is her exit strategy? The usual jump, bump and roll can be very painful.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

I love trains. Whenever I go to Europe I thoroughly enjoy my train rides. Sleep off the hangover, listen to some music, crack a beer, stretch out.... it doesn't get much better.

When I fly I can't even put my meal tray down, and if the guy in front of me attempts a recline, I have to glue the fragments of my knee caps back together.

Go trains!

Night trains are horrible however. I'm too tall for the births, we had a 20 year old French girl with vicious BO who was talking on her cell phone at 1 in the morning and wouldn't shut up despite me snapping my fingers in front of her face. We bought a case of beer for every single night train ride and would pound it in the hallway so that we could pass out for as long as possible.

Yeah, f*** night trains. I am 19, and had to share one with three 40+ year old guys. It was one of my worst nights, the other in Greece. The one Indian guy was snoring the ENTIRE night, and so loudly I couldn't fall asleep. The guy below him was nice enoughto hit the bed above him, and he gave me some earplugs. But it didn't work. I am 6'3 so the "beds" are uncomfortable, but I can manage. I almost missed the bloody train too, I got on and it literally pulled away 3 seconds after I stepped on, I was that close!


Trains through Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Amsterdam, were nice though.