Saturday, October 20, 2012

ViaRail Sleeper Train to Halifax

After Mum & Dad took the ViaRail “The Canadian'” service from Toronto to Vancouver last year we were interested to try the sleeper train for ourselves and so they suggested this option as a means for getting from Montreal to Halifax.

You don’t take the train because it’s faster or cheaper than flying from A to B it is however a much more enjoyable experience and allows a feature of the journey rather than just a means of transport.  It’s also a great way to soak up some of the local scenery without any effort.

Thanks for the treat, Mum & Dad !

This route from Montreal to Halifax is called “The Ocean”

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When booking a private sleeping cabin you get access to the Park Car which has a lounge with refreshments downstairs and then an upper floor with glass domed roof allowing good views.

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Each Park Car in the ViaRail fleet has it’s own name, ours being Strathcona Park

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Inside the Park Car, this is the downstairs lounge area

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A short steep flight of stairs lead up from the lounge

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To the Upper Lounge with lots of seating and the glass domed roof.

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Lots of old detailing reflect the fact that all of these Park Cars date back to the 1950’s

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The four of us at one of the brief station stops

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We had a private cabin which by day was made up with a sofa and table.  In the evenings the cabin crew come around and make the room up into bunk beds.

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The private bathroom in the cabin offered a shower, toilet and washbasin.  Compact but it was all there and everything worked great !

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There weren’t a lot of view photos while on the journey from Montreal to Halifax, due in large part to very wet rainy weather on our second day.  However, we got a couple of pics on our first evening as we were departing Montreal.

Views from the upstairs lounge of the Park Car

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David in the Park Car with the Montreal skyline behind as we depart the city.

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Views from the Park Car as we cross the Saint Lawrence river on the Victoria Bridge.

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