VIA Rail The Canadian | Vancouver to Banff… The Lost Route

[@gdijkema]

Trav when your hockey career inevitably comes to an end, I think you've still got a future on KZbin catering to train nerds. Excellent video!

[@trav4oilers]

I was thinking the same, but maybe something more for travel focused

[@lethalpeaches5431]

I love this series that you have started about rail…a series like this overseas or even just NA would be cool

[@gr-612a9]

I’ve travelled the current CN route from Toronto to Vancouver, as well as the CP route from Portage La Prairie to Vancouver. The CP route is more scenic by far, it is more in the mountains, where as the CN mountain route is more in a valley. I believe the CN route was chosen, because at the time CN was a Crown corporation, where as CP was private, and probably harder for Via to deal with. The CN route also provides transportation to Northern Ontario vs the CP route which is better served by highways. The equipment was improved in the early 90s, with a new electrical system, electric heat which replaced steam heat which was unreliable, and a high maintenance issue.

[@trav4oilers]

It made sense in some elements but if you dont have a vehicle, you're screwed. Thanks for watching the video man :)

[@suddenlysolo2170]

I rode the Canadian on the Banff route from Vancouver to Calgary in 1986. I'm hoping to take it from Edmonton to Toronto over Christmas this year.

[@trav4oilers]

I'm jealous. What a beautiful time for rail travel!

[@RossJohnsonVIA1]

Thanks for the shoutout and yes I’m doing my 137th trip next week on the Canadian

[@trav4oilers]

Thanks for the ticket and can't wait to hear about your record setting trip!

[@RossJohnsonVIA1]

@@trav4oilers this is not it I broke the record back ion 2019 when did my 100th and met the past president in person which I always wanted to do

[@mahiejain55]

Going for the Canadian journey for the first time starting Vancouver in a month! Your video is amazing!

[@Goalier95]

Awesome video and history of The Canadian Trav! You should do more travel videos of Canada - super informative and just a beautiful country!

[@trav4oilers]

I'm gonna do one on halifax to Montreal this summer and a full 7 days by Train across canada video! thanks for watching brother :)

[@mikemiskiman4743]

I’m old enough and lucky enough to have travelled many times on the original Canadian , but believe we are so lucky to still have this beautiful train The stainless steel beauty will be gone someday ,I will remember with fondness every ri de I got to take .booked again for September can’t wait

[@trav4oilers]

Hope it can stay in service as long as possible . What a beauty she is. Thanks for watching mike!

[@jaedynnewton3628]

i literally discovered the train yesterday and had tons of questions, i wake up and trav answers them, classic

[@trav4oilers]

Wow! Well welcome back to the channel and I hope this video answered all of them :)

[@tysonwildeboer42]

Trav my man you look great and the vids are not disappointing one bit honesty love you man

[@trav4oilers]

I know it's not the hockey videos you come for but thank you for watching :)

[@rossmontreal4570]

Great job Trav hope you getting healthy and ready for the season. Mr Johnson thanks for giving Trav the chance for him to show us this. 💚💚💚🇨🇦

[@trav4oilers]

Another Ross! Thanks for the love brother!

[@roninsilva4434]

Love watching this video. Learned a lot. Once you retire you should become a Chef on the Canadian rail.

[@trav4oilers]

Or maybe a full time travel vlogger :)

[@barberjeff67]

Great memories for me. My grandparents took my brother and I from Montréal to Vancouver, then back to Montréal in the early 80s. I did go with them to Lake Louise before this trip. I remember one of the cars we were on was Sibley Park. The food was amazing! I never liked vegetable soup until I had it on the train! As for coffee, Kicking Horse coffee, Three sisters blend is my favorite! I was enjoying a cup while watching this! I hope to ride again! Thanks for a great video!

[@trav4oilers]

Kicking horse is amazing coffee! I'm jealous. What an amazing journey that must have been

[@brianaikens7282]

Some good stories and memories there. I worked on the Canadian in the late 70's in the summers and winters while going to school. Thanks for the flashback.

[@trav4oilers]

What was it like?

[@brianaikens7282]

@@trav4oilers It was a learning experience for sure. Meeting and looking after people from around the world. Finding out about the culture of being a porter....there were certainly some characters that had been working the rails for decades. Working with little sleep, as I recall we only got one 4 hour break between Van and Winnipeg (the western crew terminus)...then I think it was 18hrs off before we headed back to Van.

[@Matfast32]

Happy you got a free pass on The Canadian, thank you for letting us know more and more about it. The food definitely looked great, gonna have to try it ! Take care bud.

[@trav4oilers]

The food is in another world!

[@ScotMatheson]

Outstanding Travis. Well done. Thank you

[@trav4oilers]

Thank you for the kind words scot and thank you for your service on VIA :)

[@brianmcleod3691]

I have done the CP route 8 times. There is nothing like it the world. the scenery was awsome.

[@jwcross99]

Well shot video; great scenery and the food looked amazing 👌🏼

[@trav4oilers]

The scenary and food does not get any better :)

[@northstarnick8366]

Great vid! Being a neighbor from Minnesota, I really enjoy stuff on Canadian history since we don’t get too much in the states on it. A train trip in Canada is on my bucket list. The train ride from Thompson Manitoba to Churchill to see the polar bears is a dream trip for me. Hopefully I’ll get around to doing it some day!

[@trav4oilers]

Hope you do too! let me know if you do :)

[@dumpster_bear_goalie]

Love those Chilliwack / Abbotsford shots and Valemount is one of the best spots on earth!

[@trav4oilers]

Never been to valemont but considering the scenary around it, I could see why. The Chilliwack parts are awesome!

[@lilithnox1]

Came here for hockey, left with plans to ride The Canadian rail. I love rail travel for a scenic, relaxing, slow paced adventure.

[@trav4oilers]

Thanks for watching my friend, i hope your experience is as amazing as mine was :)

[@TheGoGoGamble]

Crazy you passed through Jasper with clear blue skies! Always been cloudy when I've visited!

[@trav4oilers]

I had my return trip with the same weather. It was crazy!

[@joedauginas84]

a wonderfully narrated journey, thanks Trav.

[@trav4oilers]

Thanks for watching Joe :) appreciate the kind words

[@debbee18]

Incredible! Seems lucky is your middle name too getting to do that for free. Just added that train trip to my bucket list. You must try the train from Milan, Italy to Geneva, Switzerland and hopefully arrive in Geneva as the sun sets over Lake Geneva like I did in 2013.

[@trav4oilers]

I'd love to try all the eoprean trains

[@jaygatz4335]

I took the original CP Canadian between Ottawa and Vancouver (via Calgary) in 1959. In those days, the train joined up with the Montreal section in Sudbury. I took it again in 2017 (Vancouver to Toronto via Edmonton). I agree that the sleeping compartment (over the wheels) was quite noisy.

[@trav4oilers]

OH that must have been amazing. There were no showers on the train?

[@jaygatz4335]

@@trav4oilers You're right: no showers in 1959, and the toilet flushed directly onto the tracks!

[@trav4oilers]

@@jaygatz4335 that’s awesome

[@rivenlikemakar]

as someone who has never been to Canada i actually really enjoyed this video! Excited for the next bro

[@trav4oilers]

Thats awesome, the train is an incredible experience if you come to canada. thank you for watching :)

[@rivenlikemakar]

@@trav4oilers Hell yeah man! Also been loving the hockey cards you sent, gave my dad a set as well. Much love brother!

[@merc340sr]

Lucky guy! Your enthousiasm is contagious! I wish they would restore the Thunder Bay Ontario to Sudbury Ontario CP line. Great views on the north shore of Lake Superior. Cliffs, tunnels, sunsets...

[@trav4oilers]

I wish they could too cause I'd do it! thanks for watching brotehr

[@dr.donchristie7093]

Not only to Sudbury, merc, but eastward to North Bay, Mattawa, Deep River, Pembroke, Ottawa, and Montreal, then farther east across Maine and on to New Brunswick! They took up the tracks on much of the Ottawa Valley portion and really downgraded the route east of Montreal. Lac Megantic catastrophe, anyone?

[@merc340sr]

@@dr.donchristie7093 Yup. Mattawa, Deep River Pembroke train tracks have all been removed. What a shame...

[@edgdeslauriers2315]

Hey Trav wassup with Levi being 6ft 😂 I thaught that nobody wanted a goalie under 6ft2

[@trav4oilers]

What about the other 60 goalies in the league?

[@MrMitch5656]

Awesome video Trav! you should definitely contact Mike Downie for a collab!

[@trav4oilers]

Met Mike a few times!

[@TheJhn924]

The cars may be 70 years old but the wheels and suspensions are changed out regularly... steel wheels grinding along steel track is just the normal sound of rail travel.

[@trav4oilers]

So there is no way to make it quiet?

[@shanielcabral]

Unreal scenes, some of them look like painting

[@trav4oilers]

It's literally out of a painting

[@JuanSanchezGuerra]

The riding near Jasper and Evansburg was represented by the incredibly powerful Joe Clarke. He said that his constituents would take any service they got, whereas the MP for Calgary publicly stated that he did not care if he never again saw the passenger train. Back in the 1960s/70s, the route through Jasper and Sioux Lookout was run by the Canadian National as the Super Continental and the Panorama. CN made a major effort to attract passengers through their Red White and Blue program, offering refurbished equipment with smart paint scheme, likely offering better service than the CP was on the Canadian in those days, which only kept diners and sleepers due to a government mandate. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2Kkaa1qaLGdsMk

[@trav4oilers]

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing it Juan :) Its a shame, wish they would have kept it

[@JuanSanchezGuerra]

@@trav4oilers What's more is that it worked. It attracted loads of off-season passengers and made the trains worth riding again. CN even toyed with buying Budd Hi-Level cars, but Ottawa bureaucrats killed that idea and effective rail passenger transportation.

[@davidlisowski5245]

Nice video. I’ve heard the theory before about the politicians wanting the train on their route but I’ve also heard a theory that they moved it to the less populated route so that lower passenger numbers might lead them to cancel the train altogether and save money.

[@trav4oilers]

I've heard both theories and they may in fact be onto something! Thanks for watching David, hope you enjoy my other via rail videos too!

[@davidjames38589]

Part of it was that the CN route had sections that were essential service. I've also heard that the owners of Rocky Mountaineer (also originally a VIA operation) were donors to the Muloney government - so when they bought it off VIA they didn't want any competition on the best route.

[@JuanSanchezGuerra]

@@davidjames38589 Yes! Despite a VIA report stating that nearly no through-traffic existed on the Capreol-Hornepayne-Sioux Lookout-Winnipeg line, it was folded into the transcontinental to avoid even bigger loser trains such as the ones that rumble through northern Quebec.

[@JuanSanchezGuerra]

Politicians on the CN line actually cared about the train and had high sway, unlike their contemporaries from Calgary. At the time the cuts were announced, the HEP-1 program was put into place. It is a classic case of nobody knowing how the hell to run passenger trains.

[@PeterNGloor]

high quality movie!! And it is right - the loss of passenger service along the CPR route is a disaster. Only in Canada passenger rail is treated in such a lousy way.

[@trav4oilers]

I agree. Canada has to have some of the worst overall passenger service on earth. WOuld be nice to fix it

[@murraymaxwell637]

I would like to give you a correction for your statement. That picture of the Canadian on our Canadian $10 bill was actually taken in June of 2010. Just west of Jasper. . When the picture was taken. I was actually aboard that train

[@trav4oilers]

I stand corrected then! Thank you for watching the full video Murray :)

[@robmausser]

The real reason that The Canadian was moved north on the Edmonton route is because CN railways owns those rails, not CP. In 1990 CN was a government owned railway, and CP wanted a ton of money to continue running the Via Rail Canadian on their tracks. It made sense to move a government run train to government tracks, even if it was far less popular it saved money in the long run. Ironically 5 years later CN itself would be sold off and privatized anyways, but CP has since become very wary of running passenger trains on their tracks.

[@trav4oilers]

Its all a gongshow. Wish the southern route would come back :(

[@roger1818]

Agreed. There is a second reason though. By using the the northern route, it is able to support the Skeena in Jasper, swapping in and out equipment as it needs maintenance, which is done in Vancouver. If the Canadian didn’t go to Jasper, they would have to pay CN to transport it south, at least as far as Kamloops, where the two lines converge

[@juststephanie6955]

Wow! The food looks absolutely amazing! May have to through a cheesecake at you next season in Binghamton. Getting ready for playoffs, hoping for the best possible outcome💪. Took the train from Minnesota to Southern California. Was quite the trip and not as luxurious as your rail ride!

[@trav4oilers]

You took amtrak on which route?

[@juststephanie6955]

@@trav4oilers Minneapolis to LA. Wasn't a bad trip, went through Seattle too.

[@93kronic]

The Canadian Pacific Railway had the better Route. So much more beauty. Even in Ontario. Sad.

[@trav4oilers]

wish they would bring it back!

[@mgrizz2386]

I've been travelling the train since the 60s. CP passenger trains and CN passenger trains, then VIA. I love them all but I do miss the additional stops that CN and CP had , along with having more support crew on the trains. Back then, those were awesome times, the service was impeccable and the passenger trains had the right of way over freight. The bar cars were where smokers would sit. They definitely weren't as crazy expensive as they are now. And the bullet car back then was not on a restricted class schedule. I also miss the dayliner that ran between Calgary and Edmonton from the CP station in Edmonton. I wish they would bring that back but let it run Edmonton, Calgary, Banff. Train travel is definitely not as it use to be, sadly.

[@trav4oilers]

I kinda like the idea of the smell of cigaretees in the bar car. Maybe I'm odd haha I wish they would bring it all back!

[@mgrizz2386]

And before the restricted smoking in the bar car, you could smoke anywhere.

[@zachnzilla1846]

when is the warrior g6 video coming out bro?

[@trav4oilers]

prob end of the month, gear should arrive today!

[@he11ange1]

One question I have searched for an answer to without success is how many kilometers shorter is the CP line than the CN line. Obviously I'm speaking only for Toronto-Vancouver (not Montréal-vancouver).

[@trav4oilers]

I couldnt tell you but it's def shorter!

[@trav4oilers]

🌏 Get NordVPN here ➼ NordVPN.com/TRAV4OILERS It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee! The Canadian is the longest running passenger train on earth. It has a dark history behind it and some incredible stories from the Grand Railway Hotels, to it's time as a Canadian Pacific train, and more. New videos every Sunday at 10am eastern! :)

[@bvilleD]

Clutch Ross support 👌🏽

[@trav4oilers]

Ross is the man!

[@michaelbruchas6663]

That Chemex rig would never be allowed on Amtrak. Kinda weird to see it on a VIA train, though…

[@trav4oilers]

I've done it multiple times and never had a problem once. Thanks for watching though, I'm in the middle of a series documenting the grand railway hotels of Canada on this channel. You should check it out, I'd love to hear what you think :)

[@Dan-tx1ch]

Why does it take 9+ hours for this train to travel from vancouver to kamloops? Is it travelling 30kmh

[@trav4oilers]

It literally is, and stopping for freight

[@Dan-tx1ch]

Its a shame, I hope some decent rail transportation comes to western canada ​in the near future @@trav4oilers

[@greencontroller9692]

Why you don't play? Did you retire already? All the best Trav.

[@trav4oilers]

I had hip surgery in January. You havn't been following along?

[@greencontroller9692]

@@trav4oilers I have been following since 2021 or so, but haven't been following a lot for the last couple of months. Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you'll have a full recovery and come back stronger than ever.

[@robotgamerplaynow]

What food do you eat before games and exercise???

[@trav4oilers]

All depends, sometimes I fast, sometimes protein and carbs. It varies

[@robotgamerplaynow]

Thank you it’s my 1 year as a goalie

[@place_desjardins]

Nice video. Must have been nice to travel without all your goalie gear.

[@trav4oilers]

It's a good feeling to travel with gear again :)

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

So whats the average speed of this service

[@trav4oilers]

slow lol Thanks for watching though, I'm in the middle of a series documenting the grand railway hotels of Canada on this channel. You should check it out, I'd love to hear what you think :)

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

@@trav4oilers I definently will - I have more railway channels than any others and becoming aware, and learning the history of these hotels would be cool as heck....

[@TheHat--Man]

When you get injured but you have a YT channel

[@trav4oilers]

I had surgery bro

[@TheJc71693]

When you said dark side of Via Rail, I thought you would've mentioned the Chinese railway workers building most of the tracks and getting mistreated while getting paid hardly anything. I enjoy the video as I'm a rail fan too but I think you missed an important part of the Canadian railway history in this video.

[@trav4oilers]

Maybe I'm mistaken but I feel like most people know that? Maybe thats a history segment for another video

[@qjtvaddict]

Hmmm?? The southern route??

[@trav4oilers]

YES SIR!

[@DavidSmith-vx4sx]

You need to do a lot more research. Eg Mount Robson is not even close to highest peak in North America. The Canadian does not traverse the Okanagan valley

[@trav4oilers]

Hey dave thanks for the feedback, you're correct. Have you watched my other videos on the grand railway hotels?

[@DavidSmith-vx4sx]

You need to Dina lot more research. Eg Mount Robson is not even close to highest peak in North America. The Canadian does not traverse the Okanagan valley.. Union Station in Toronto was not a CP station. It’s was a UNION station ……

[@trav4oilers]

@@DavidSmith-vx4sx did you at least enjoy the video? You should check out my series on the grand railway hotels I’m doing :)

[@DavidSmith-vx4sx]

@@trav4oilers I love historical content like your hotel and Canadian videos - great quality video. I enjoy them but your historical accuracy could be greatly improved…

[@adellis24]

Trav, if you’re interested in making more Train based content I’d suggest reaching out to fellow Vancouverite Michael Downie to collab with.

[@trav4oilers]

Just bumped into Mike in person maybe 2 weeks ago on the seawall!

[@randomuncreditedquotes3609]

1-“As the loser you’re ready for a penalty game, right?” 2-“I don’t remember you saying anything about that.” 1-“Yeah, because I didn’t tell you about it.”