On the Road Again 2014 #8

 As the train got busier, so did the Dome Car. In fact it got so crowded after Edmonton that there was no room for me. After using it occasional, but whenever I wanted for a day and a half as a second place to sit, it was a bit irritating for folks to "hog" it for hours on end. As one of the long term "residents" of the train it felt as if I should have had some sort primary resident rights.

As soon as I got back on the train after our stop at Jasper (where I bought a 12 inch sub that would last me for both lunch and supper - I would have loved to buy a few apples but couldn't find a grocery store) I got to the Dome car right away and shamelessly hogged the last seat available for 2-3 hours. The first view of Rockies is always exciting and I did not want to miss it. Initially there was a problem with the coupling of one of the cars and we were stuck just outside of town for half an hour with no air conditioning. It was pretty hot in the glassed in Dome car. For awhile I had visions of the problem being not fixable and that we would get stuck in Jasper over night. However whatever the problem was - it got fixed. Once we got going there was lots to see and to admire. I was hoping to see a few animals but other than one bear in the distance I didn't see anything.

The train crew continued to, over the PA, point out the highlights. Unfortunately Mount Robson which is the highest mountain was covered with mist and so we could not see the peak, but there were certainly lots of other snow covered peaks to see. The train also slowed down beside Pyramid Falls so that we could all get a picture of what I think is the highest falls in the Rockies.

Behind me were  couple from Australia who were quite delightful - she a teacher, he an almost retired electrical engineer. We chatted a fair amount in the two-three hours I was in the Dome car. They were a wee bit left of centre politically and so we had a fair amount in common. We talked about (of course) the building of the railroad, nuclear power, railroads (and the lack of them) in both of our countries, the beauty of the Rockies and a thousand other bits and pieces people who are of an age and a value base can talk about. It was the kind of conversation that if we hadn't lived half a world a part would have made us if not close friends, at least comfortable companions.


One of the things that I learnt was that all of those broken and loose wires that trail alongside the train tracks were not made of copper, but rather steel, and that they were not hydro wires but telegraph wires. All of which explains why no one has bothered to recycle the thousands of miles of wire. With my Australian electrical engineer's help, I was also able to spot the dedicated microwave towers that controlled the switches.


By the time 7:30  or so rolled around I had had enough scenery watching and so I gave up my seat in the Dome car and went back to my regular seat. I was tired. The train was running almost two hours late. I was a bit anxious about the complexities of travelling though Vancouver and was hopeful not to get stuck there overnight. But then sleeping anywhere other than on the train was something to look forward to.