48hrs on VIA Rail's MOST NORTHERN TRAIN in Canada

oh it's cold this is the most north i have ever been this is the polar bear capital of the world this is churchill manitoba and i got here by sitting on this train for two days this is via rail's most northern route starting in winnipeg and heading straight north for over a thousand kilometers across the prairies until we cross into the permafrost region of the tundra 48 hours later where did everyone go arriving in the remote town of churchill manitoba best known as the polar bear capital of the world not only will i show you one of via rail's least known adventure routes and what two days aboard this train is like but also how a small city of 800 people managed to stay safe while along the migratory path of 800 polar bears and yes that's a one-to-one ratio of people to polar bears it's been one of the most memorable trips to date and i'm glad i got to do it all with my dad the channel is downey live i'm michael let's get this one started so to start we booked our tickets and jumped onto a plane from vancouver to winnipeg where this train trip begins if you look at my dad it looks like we're backpacking across europe we're just taking one train so our trip starts here in winnipeg we are at the intersection of maine and portage which if you're canadian you know it's the windiest intersection in canada and the fact that it's minus five degrees doesn't make it any more enjoyable well it couldn't be any more fitting as we leave winnipeg that is starting to snow i'm in front of the station right here taking my big last breath of fresh air because once i step inside this building and on the train the mask has to be on the entire time that means my mask is on at all times for the next 48 hours hence the standing in the snow ah all right let's do this and this is winnipeg union station very nice very quiet so we actually have a little bit of time until our train leaves so inside the station here is the winnipeg railway museum just up these stairs they're actually on tracks one and two that they've covered and blocked off for use of the museum but it's still on the actual tracks this steam locomotive is exactly what you expect when you think of an old-fashioned steam locomotive it was made in 1872 cpr number one this is the first train by cpr well that was a very surprising and impressive little addition here to the station that i didn't know about so if you're here in winnipeg highly recommend the train museum here along with the railway museum there are historic photographs depicting the station's importance in history and why it has been designated as a national historic site in canada and with that it's time to board one two three four at least five cars long what do you think uh it's exciting very exciting [Music] and there we are quick and easy check in leaving winnipeg canada's seventh most populated city is not the most scenic route in canada but it is perhaps one of the most important as it is at the center of canada making it a transportation hub often called the gateway to the west all right here we go but in today's case it's our gateway to the north normally a dining car and a sleeping car are available but due to covet 19 they're all closed so the only option for us is to remain seated in these very seats for the next 48 hours and with that it's time to get comfortable just like that we're out of the city and it's probably gonna look a lot like this for the next two days flat and snowy if you want to travel like a pro you gotta up your foot game so because the train is so long and there are very few menu options on the train we opted to bring our own food for at least today we stopped and got a falafel before boarding the train so i can have that for lunch and the only time you can take your mask off on the train is when you're eating or drinking so time for lunch i'm gonna have my falafel now i hope i don't feel awful afterwards trains certainly feel nice and peaceful but i have to say this it is the basics this is about as basic as you can get not luxury not luxury but very relaxing literally nothing to do for the next 48 hours has not taken him long to be rocked to sleep with most of southern and central manitoba being prairie farmland i spent the next few hours looking out at farm after farm roll past until i started to just film the gravel roads that would cross the tracks from time to time as they became the most interesting things in sight so after the excitement of rolling through a small town we're quickly back to empty fields again and it feels like the right time to ask my dad why he decided to come on this trip in the first place because you invited me yeah and i never say no yeah it's a good attitude to have i've learned as you get older in life never say no opportunities come along and there's not that much time on the other side to say i'll do it later even if that means sleeping in a chair for two nights ask me in two nights yeah this train which currently only runs once a week is the only dryland connection to the town of churchill which doesn't have a road in or out making this train a vital and the most affordable way for locals and tourists alike to access this remote town if i'm still awake while the train stops on the station i try to get off at each one because they're all different in their own way and honestly you never know when you're gonna get to stretch your legs again and the first stop of this trip is this is dolphin station made by the canadian national railway here in 1912. so we've got to stop here fresh air break in dauphin manitoba as they're loading a few people but it's given us a good chance to get out and see the train we're riding on it has two locomotives a baggage car two economy class cars one lounge car which is closed and one sleeping car for staff and whatnot at the very back where did everyone go there's no one else on the platform i think i gotta get back oh i rolled my ankle sun's getting ready to set set the mood lighting in the train we're gonna have uh our dinner and i'll be off to bed in no time i'm sure we'd be off to bed if we had a bit of rice right [Music] as night quickly fell and my dad got into his book we started to smell something burning but then quickly realized it was just the floor heaters from the 1960s turning on as the outdoor temperatures dropped well it's been uh steady peaceful and we've met some very nice people along the way yeah we luckily sat behind italia now every time the train stops and i get off i discover another part of the country that i've never seen before we've now been on the train for eight and a half hours and we are in saskatchewan look at this little speeder all lit up how cute is that with the lights there i love what these little towns do to make them cute they're great i wish i could stay here tonight i'll add it to the list gotta come back now it's time to sleep and my dad has pulled down his tooth to cover his eyes and is using his parka like a sleeping bag whereas i on the other hand managed to fall asleep with a lot less but i woke up three hours later when we came to our next stop where we met brittany in lapa manitoba so dad thoughts it's four a.m four a.m it's uh very cold oh here's the station manager [Music] on youtube yeah cool i want to be in it you do sure you want to tell me what you're doing with the hose what not what are you doing yeah that is awesome what do i say this is brittany a rail car technician hi guys what are we doing um currently 693 came in from winnipeg and we are servicing it putting water on it and checking the engines and making sure they're all good to go up north awesome and that's the water this is the water hose is it freezing it is freezing and it is very cold i do i do love it it's great i love working on the railway and the trains are so cool they're just majestic they are they're very cool that's why we're out here this is my dad are you guys heading to churchill nice i was working up there in july amazing have you ever been there no you guys will just love it it was absolutely breathtaking amazing i just i love it that's awesome that's what we're hoping to it's wonderful brittany i'm so happy i woke up and got off here and now i'm glad that your 4 a.m stop was well worth it in the pool of manitoba come on out and meet brittany bye guys thanks brittany back to our seats for a few more hours of sleep before we're into day two where again our only job is to sit back and enjoy the view along the rails as we roll into the tundra [Music] we're getting more and more into the arctic [Music] now one thing that shocked me is that due to the below freezing temperatures and the permafrost soil constantly freezing and thawing between seasons the rail switches have to be switched manually by the end of the day we've eaten through all of our snacks and we still had about 24 hours left on the train which meant that we're getting pretty hungry and since the dining car was closed and the train had limited meal options available the train service manager had a pretty creative idea for us one 204 204 778. we would like to order a garden special so an interesting turn of events have just occurred we have arrived in thompson manitoba it's 2 30 in the afternoon but they're doing a crew change and boarding passengers for 5 p.m we will not leave the station until 5 pm so we have two and a half hours which means we can order pizza it's for delivered we're on the cn train the via rail train and uh we're at this train station and we'd like it delivered here at 4 30 because that's when they're opening the doors to the train so while we're waiting in thompson we pretty much have the whole train to ourself my dad and then we have our neighbors here says calia and scott who've been sitting in front of us nice young couple from whitehorse originally from australia but been nice and fun to chat with and that's kind of one of the things i like about the train is it's pretty social because you're kind of trapped together for 48 hours so that's a good thing yeah make friends cutting it close supposed to be here at 4 30. we're leaving soon the train is now boarded still no pizza oh i think we're in luck [Music] we got it pizza time oh i think we're going to be okay now 16 hours we're set we're happy oh yeah [Music] well the sun sets in about an hour so i'm gonna watch that and pretty much off to sleep i think and with that we've had our last stop before our arrival in churchill looking out at the sunset i'm thinking about how harsh and remote the north is and how lucky i am to just sit here and enjoy this unique and beautiful landscape from the warmth of this train while in 2017 these very tracks had been washed out during a spring flood stopping the train from running for a year and a half leaving locals stranded and forced to fly in food and goods making life expensive and difficult it's a reminder to get out and experience life when you can because as covet has reminded us all you never know when it'll get cancelled which is why i was so quick to book this trip with my dad while we still could this year is the perfect time to explore your backyard and your country because you never know what wonderful experiences places or people you'll come across but it's always worth the adventure and luckily enough i got to see my first ever aurora borealis also known as the northern lights look at that via rail so important to canada it's on our 10 bill breakfast time breakfast in the north and once the sun came up we were pulling into churchill the polar bear capital of the world pretty much right on time at 9 00 a.m which means the train trip is over but the rest of our trip is just getting started thank you very much that was a wonderful trip [Music] well after two days on this thing i think i'm ready to get off and continue the adventure we are in the polar bear capital of the world i'm here to see some polar bears i'm traveling with my dad i'm mike the channel's down here live i don't know where i'm going next but i know i want you there with me so you can subscribe by clicking on my face right here or you can watch my last video right here don't forget to stick around because i want to show you the polar bears

Channel: DownieLive

Views: 1,331,214

Keywords: downielive, via rail, via rail canada, via rail prestige class, via rail winnipeg to churchill, via rail winter, via rail canada winter, via rail canada winnipeg to churchill, the canadian, amtrak, train, trains, canada, british columbia, travel vlog, winnipeg, winnipeg manitoba, winnipeg manitoba canada, churchill, churchill manitoba, train to churchill, train to churchill manitoba, northern canada, trains in canada, trains in snow, train vlog

Id: h28Cb3b9gqk

Length: 14min 32sec (872 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 28 2020