The Ocean 🇨🇦 VIA Rail, Halifax to Montreal

hello and welcome to another video and welcome aboard the ocean one of the world's great train Journeys we're traveling between Halifax and Montreal in the heart of French Canada it's over 800 M and I'm traveling in this unique 1950s park car it's a fantastic trip come with me and enjoy the video Halifax is the most easterly terminous station in North America and has been on this site since 1928 although Railways have been in Halifax since the 1850s Halifax now just serves one train the ocean which runs 3 days a week to Montreal the ocean is the oldest named passenger train still running in North America having started operation in 1904 it's difficult to tell now but Halifax Station was once significantly more important than it is today being built alongside the ocean liner terminal to provide the rail connection into the economic Center of Canada in the days before flying to Toronto and Montreal was possible from Europe the station even boasted its own hotel which is still connected to it via a walkway although the hotel is now owned by Marriott a small Lounge is available within it for Sleeper Car passengers it's probably worth mentioning two things at this point the train is mostly empty this video was filmed with when the pandemic was serious in East Asia but not an emerging issue in North America and multiple tour group bookings from the Far East had cancelled also for several weeks a pipeline dispute between the Canadian authorities and First Nations leaders had led to line blockades and train cancellations this was actually the first week of the train resuming service and it had come back suddenly so bookings were very light I got my dining car reservation from the podium and my bag was checked through to Montreal and and shortly before departure it was time to board at the rear of our train is the asabin park car a passenger Lounge Carriage dating from 1954 we'll explore this fantastic car in some detail later the regular sleeper cars are Renaissance train sets these are actually British built in the 1990s in Birmingham that's fine thank you perfect these carriages were originally intended to operate sleeper trains from Brit through the channel tunnel to Amsterdam cologne and Frankfurt that project fell through for a number of reasons and in 2002 viia rail bought the Redundant carriages our train is 14 cars long today including the service cars a transition car we'll see later and the dining car there are also some seated cars intended for the budget traveler which are at the front of the train sleeper cabins can convey a maximum of two people and there is host service to help you convert your room and for anything else you'll need along the way good afternoon on behalf of VL Canada we'd like to welcome you on board train number 15 the ocean we invite you to sit back relax and enjoy your journey with us we'll soon be coming around for Ticket validation so please have your passes ready thank you and have a pleasant trip we depart at exactly 1:00 p.m. and restaurant reservation in hand it's time to check out the dining car it's kind of sad to think these trains never connected Britain with Europe International sleepers are something sorely missing from Britain's otherwise multifaceted rail network anyway this is one of the lounge cars or service cars as viia rail car calls them there's a small bar in here and a TV neither of which were operating as there was hardly anybody on the train and some cozy seating in this car only there's free Wi-Fi too but try not to use it and immerse yourself in the train [Music] instead there's nothing so civilized as a dining car and the one on the ocean is pretty quirky food is delivered from the service car next door and the Full Table service for Sleeper Car passengers soft drinks and three course meals are included in your ticket although it's good manners to tip cash regardless of whether you pay up front in the ticket cost or are in the cheaper seats and pay for meals as you [Music] go eating on the Move gives you a chance to relax and reflect on the significance of this Railway line about a million immigrants from Europe and Beyond entered Canada through Pier 21 in Halifax and would have taken this very train route to a new life in Canada food on the train is mostly pre-prepared and VI rail are careful not to Bill it as fine dining but in any case it's pretty good and there's no chance of going hungry as a Sleeper Car passenger after lunch a quick walk through the train this is an unused accessible sleeper and viewers of my channel who've seen my Amtrak videos will recognize the less than ideal curtain arrangement for the accessible toilet this is the transition car the second to last car on the train whose sole purpose is to act as a way of coupling the otherwise incompatible Renaissance sleepers to the Heritage Park car on the back of the train as well as hosting a display in the empty space of historic Canadian flags there's a full passenger Rail map on the wall too our route is highlighted here in blue the real highlight of the train is the asabin park car this stainless steel beauty is a real work of art a small Lounge can be found at the front sporting cozy tables and a small bar while at the rear is is one of two Splendid features you'll find aboard the bullet Lounge which offers superb views straight out the back of the train eagley viewers at the start of the video will also have noticed the upstairs observation Dome a marvelous way to experience the scenery riding right on top of the train these Park cars from the 1950s retain most of their original features and it is incredible they're still running I was very very lucky to be able to ride this train before covid hit the ocean is indefinitely suspended although it'll surely come back as a fixture both of Canadian history and as the significance of the train in connecting the Eastern portion of VI rail's Mammoth transcontinental route oh and here's something for the Jeff Marshall fans yes the ainin park car passes the Marshall elbow test so the park car is the best place to spend your time between meals if you're a sleeper passenger there's unlimited free coffee and tea on hand plus lots of snacks and fruit in normal times there'd also be a lot of company in here too although I was happy to shoot the breeze with the attendant about life on the rails if Halifax Station was architecturally interesting Truro is not an insipid gray shell but it is the absolute most easterly station in North America and the curve to the left as you leave it is the furthest East any passenger train will find itself on the whole [Music] continent so you'll want to look at the sleeper birth and here it is it's a good size for two people and very spacious if there's just one of you traveling during the day the seats will be folded out along with a console table and during the evening the attendant will fold down the seats to reveal a ready-made bunk there's lots of storage space under the bed for bags but remember you'll be able to check through your bigger suitcases opposite the seats stands a storage unit which has more than enough storage you need for a one night trip and also contains a couple of PowerPoints which are useful for charging your devices the sleepers on the ocean are on suite and come with a powerful shower and toilet which are all in one wet room towers are provided and there's a haird dryer too and also some laundry bags for your dirty clothes if you really want to spend the daytime in your cabin you can and there's a table for you to put your things on finally in the room there are controls for the lights and temperature remember these trains were built for British Winters not Canadian ones so they can get a bit cold unlike many European sleepers these cabins lock with the use of an old-fashioned Ving card this is a 22-hour journey covering 836 M so the average speed of this train including stops is just 38 mph there's a lot of freight on Canada's Railways and there will be several stops to let these huge trains pass and you can feel pretty lucky to sit with a hot coffee and watch the crew work in some pretty horrible conditions I have no idea what this train was carrying but a double decker freight train isn't something I can see back in England e [Music] dinner was served as we approached monton New Brunswick with the weather closing in I was pretty happy to get a nice warm tomato soup and a teriaki pork along with a delicious chocolate cake for dessert [Music] [Music] we stop for 15 minutes at monton no smoking is allowed on board so smokers can Al light here to light up this is also a service stop so checked bags are loaded from passengers boarding here and the Train's water is refilled normally this train is hauled by two EMD 450 pH locomotives but I noted we actually had three on the front which may or may not have had anything to do with the cold and icy weather conditions with it being 10° below zero outside and the night drawing in it it was time to get some sleep and the attendant had made my bed which was very comfortable and came with a substantial pillow which made for a great night's sleep it's worth noting there's a small table for your morning coffee if you want to take it in bed and the second bunk is above although of course this one is not folded down as there's just me in the room today [Music] [Music] okay back in my happy place this morning it's really surreal to be up here and there's nobody around again [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] breakfast is the last meal on board the ocean and is served not long before we arrive in San Foy for Quebec city we're about an hour late which is no bad thing really as it means I'm up and about to witness us passing over a bridge with a history which deserves telling this is the third attempt at a bridge on this site the first attempt collapsed under construction in 1907 in disputed circumstances what isn't in dispute is the loss of over 80 men including dozens from the local Mohawk reservation the cemetery those men are intered in is at kowak and features a memorial cross made from remnants of the first Bridge a further 13 workers were killed in 1916 during the second attempt after the central Spanish failed while being lifted into position finally in 1919 the bridge was completed over 30 years after it was first conceived to this day the Quebec City Bridge still has the longest Calver Bridge Span in the world originally the kbec city Bridge was just a Railway Bridge but over time space has been seeded to Highway Lanes which at one time also carried a street car line there is also a pedestrian walkway next to the road the Quebec City Bridge is a designated Canadian National Historic Site for its engineering uniqueness its association with Quebec City and because it remains one of the most important and significant Bridges ever built in Canada our stop in s Foy is around 10 minutes but it's only the first few carriages platformed here we're soon reversing all 14 carriages back the way we came over the bridge with the aid of a pilot man it's definitely a novelty to be in the park car when it's at the front of the train [Music] we end up back in the yards at joffre a suburb named after the French field Marshal and commander-in-chief of French forces at the start of World War I from here it's a fairly straight run through to Montreal and there's time to kick back and relax for the last few hours [Music] [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so here we are arriving into Montreal about 11:00 a.m. so that's about an hour late it's been over 800 mil two time zones and a fantastic Journey I've had the place all to myself as well I really hope you enjoyed this video and we'll consider subscribing for more content just like this in the future [Music]

Channel: Wingin’ It! Paul Lucas

Views: 532,675

Keywords: ocean train, via rail Halifax to montreal, via rail sleeper, canadian train, Paul lucas, via rail the ocean, halifax montreal train, via rail high speed, via rail crew, via rail park car, the Canadian train, via rail canada, via rail near miss, via rail sleeper cabin, via rail sleeper cabin for 2, renaissance sleeper, sleeper train, via rail review, trip report, slow tv, long distance train, via rail first class, Montreal to halifax train, halifax to toronto train

Id: TJpvoLEFQ3U

Length: 22min 33sec (1353 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 05 2020