The train was over four hours late getting into Winnipeg. What was most frustrating was the fact that about 30 minutes outside of Winnipeg, we had to wait for almost a hour due to "traffic congestion"! I had gotten up fairly early and was all packed and ready to go. So I sat there with my socks and shoes on, and my MP3 player and tablet put away. If I had known how long we were going to be stuck there, I would have at least listened to some music.
While I didn't knock over any old ladies in my rush to get out of the train station, anyone who looked me in the eye knew that they had better get out of my way. I think I may have been the first passenger to disembark and be out of the front door. That was certainly my goal.
The Winnipeg bus system worked as efficiently as every other time. At every bus stop in the down town core they have digital displays that tells exactly when the next bus is expected. It is a nice system. Unfortunately due to the amount of construction, the bus trip felt extra long. Of course because of the lateness of the train, any bus trip no matter how fast or how short, would have felt too long. I got out at my usual spot, walked past the used car dealership where, everytime I walk by it, I wonder what I am doing and if it would not be easier to just buy a car; crossed over the multitude of entrance and exit ramps that lead to and from the ring road and finally got to my spot. It is always a bit tricky to cross these entrances and exits. The traffic is going too fast, I run too slowly and with the pack on it is sometimes hard to turn my head around far enough to see the cars coming at me. Crossing these parts of the highway is the most dangerous part of the trip.
There are a set of lights at the entrance to the Flying J truck stop. It use to be that I got my rides around there, but gradually over the years the amount of traffic has increased and it has become harder for cars to see me, let alone stop. But I had to try. After twenty minutes of standing there with my sign, I decided to walk another quarter of a mile to just past the next set of lights in the hopes that the cars would be better spread out and therefore have a chance to see me and stop.
A word about my signs..... I carried three signs with me. One said "Calgary" on one side and "Nanaimo" on the other; the second one said "Pacific Ocean" and "Ferry", while the third had "Duncan" and "Victoria". My original thought was the first two signs would work all of the way to the West Coast. While "Calgary" seemed, as a destination, quite clear - when I was past Calgary no one ever stopped for me when I had the "Nanaimo" side showing. I had much better luck with the "Pacific Ocean" sign. If nothing else, I could see that it got people smiling as they past me by.
After being at both the spotsoutside of Winnipeg for a total of forty or so minutes, I got my first ride.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Friday, July 3, 2015
On the Road Again 2015 #4
6:30 AM - somewhere between Souix Lookout and Winnipeg. What a night!!!!
I went to "bed" shortly before 11:00. While we were still running a few hours late, I assumed/hoped that we could make up the time during the night. I was wrong.
Things are a bit blurry as to the timing and the sequence of events as I was trying really hard to stay asleep but at one point a dozen or so of the young folks paraded by my seat waiting for the train to stop. While it would have been less disruptive to the other passengers to disembark through a door closer to their seats, they had a lot of baggage in the baggage car, it was dark and I suppose it was easier to let the teens out close to where their stuff was. They all got off - they all got back on. it was the wrong spot. Teens went back to their seats, the large fishing party lined up, paraded past my seat and got off.
A few miles down the road, the train stopped and the teens got off. This time they stayed off. As the train left them there I noticed there were eight or nine small tents set up by the side of the road. I am guessing that they are on some sort of wilderness adventure. I was not envious
A number of people got on and then appear to have gotten off the train at various points throughout the night. Some of them were quite talkative considering that it was 2:00 in the morning and that people were trying to sleep.. I was tempted to get up and join one of the conversations. It was an interesting one between an older and younger man. The younger guy was enthusiastic about his 60 day rail pass that for a $1,000 allowed him to travel anywhere in Canada. The older one had lots of information about Churchill and the demise of the grain shipping industry up there. He was also telling stories about bears and how dangerous they could be; the younger guy was bemoaning the fact that he had not seen any wild life during his trip (I did think of yelling out "that's because you talk too much and too loudly but good manners prevailed and I didn't). I didn't join the conversation in part because I could hear every word they said in spite of the fact that they were eight rows up from me! They were far too loud for 2:00 in the morning.
I think people felt okay talking loudly because the conductor had a very loud voice and made no attempt to modulate it. Everyone just followed her behaviour.
The train continued to make stops throughout the night, waiting for space on the main track. At one point the conductor told us we would be stuck for thirty minutes on a siding due to traffic congestion. I can understand traffic congestion on major routes near big cities but on the tracks?? Maybe they need help drawing up or following it.
The number of stops made during the night to let people on and off seemed higher than normal. Because the train was already late, some of those folks had to embark or disembark in the dark. That slowed the process down. I heard a conductor say that the confusion as to who was getting off where was the engineer's fault as they were new to the job. I think the chronic lateness has far more to do with the fact that Via Rail, given the single track and its inability to negotiate a system where passengers are seen as priority freight, will never control its schedule. Perhaps they should just stop pretending that it can.
Oh yes - it is raining.
I went to "bed" shortly before 11:00. While we were still running a few hours late, I assumed/hoped that we could make up the time during the night. I was wrong.
Things are a bit blurry as to the timing and the sequence of events as I was trying really hard to stay asleep but at one point a dozen or so of the young folks paraded by my seat waiting for the train to stop. While it would have been less disruptive to the other passengers to disembark through a door closer to their seats, they had a lot of baggage in the baggage car, it was dark and I suppose it was easier to let the teens out close to where their stuff was. They all got off - they all got back on. it was the wrong spot. Teens went back to their seats, the large fishing party lined up, paraded past my seat and got off.
A few miles down the road, the train stopped and the teens got off. This time they stayed off. As the train left them there I noticed there were eight or nine small tents set up by the side of the road. I am guessing that they are on some sort of wilderness adventure. I was not envious
A number of people got on and then appear to have gotten off the train at various points throughout the night. Some of them were quite talkative considering that it was 2:00 in the morning and that people were trying to sleep.. I was tempted to get up and join one of the conversations. It was an interesting one between an older and younger man. The younger guy was enthusiastic about his 60 day rail pass that for a $1,000 allowed him to travel anywhere in Canada. The older one had lots of information about Churchill and the demise of the grain shipping industry up there. He was also telling stories about bears and how dangerous they could be; the younger guy was bemoaning the fact that he had not seen any wild life during his trip (I did think of yelling out "that's because you talk too much and too loudly but good manners prevailed and I didn't). I didn't join the conversation in part because I could hear every word they said in spite of the fact that they were eight rows up from me! They were far too loud for 2:00 in the morning.
I think people felt okay talking loudly because the conductor had a very loud voice and made no attempt to modulate it. Everyone just followed her behaviour.
The train continued to make stops throughout the night, waiting for space on the main track. At one point the conductor told us we would be stuck for thirty minutes on a siding due to traffic congestion. I can understand traffic congestion on major routes near big cities but on the tracks?? Maybe they need help drawing up or following it.
The number of stops made during the night to let people on and off seemed higher than normal. Because the train was already late, some of those folks had to embark or disembark in the dark. That slowed the process down. I heard a conductor say that the confusion as to who was getting off where was the engineer's fault as they were new to the job. I think the chronic lateness has far more to do with the fact that Via Rail, given the single track and its inability to negotiate a system where passengers are seen as priority freight, will never control its schedule. Perhaps they should just stop pretending that it can.
Oh yes - it is raining.
On the Road Again 2015 #3
The first time I took the train out west - the conductor said to me - "don't sit in the first car - it is the noisiest r as people are always getting on and off that one". Generally I have followed his direction. This morning however, I got on the first car, there were seats - so I stayed. I am really glad I did. The next two cars are either full of young people or middle aged men going fishing. As opposed to the car I am in which has quite a few empty seats, the next two are crowded with no extra room. They are not particularly noisy but they both seem really messy with bits and pieces of clothing and sleeping bags scattered about. Maybe it is fun - but I don't think I would find it so.
I went down to the dome car for a concert. There was a blues guitar player (I can't remember his name but someone said he had won a Juno) playing. The dome car is not set up for a concert but he did a pretty good job for thirty minutes or so. The upper part of the dome car looked really crowded and there was more drinking than I have ever seen before. No overwhelming rowdiness but certainly a bit more shouting than usual. I am not too sure if all of the people who had a beer in their hands were of legal age. The conductors are also turning a blind eye to people sitting in their seats drinking. Usually the beer is confined to the dome car.
It is a different sort of train trip. I suspect that if there were not the young folks travelling to wherever, there would be one less car on the train and the dome car would be much emptier. I am quite glad that I have my quiet car to be in.
The last time I checked, we were three hours behind schedule. I feel sorry for the fishermen and the teens who, I suspect, are going to get off in the dark.
I went down to the dome car for a concert. There was a blues guitar player (I can't remember his name but someone said he had won a Juno) playing. The dome car is not set up for a concert but he did a pretty good job for thirty minutes or so. The upper part of the dome car looked really crowded and there was more drinking than I have ever seen before. No overwhelming rowdiness but certainly a bit more shouting than usual. I am not too sure if all of the people who had a beer in their hands were of legal age. The conductors are also turning a blind eye to people sitting in their seats drinking. Usually the beer is confined to the dome car.
It is a different sort of train trip. I suspect that if there were not the young folks travelling to wherever, there would be one less car on the train and the dome car would be much emptier. I am quite glad that I have my quiet car to be in.
The last time I checked, we were three hours behind schedule. I feel sorry for the fishermen and the teens who, I suspect, are going to get off in the dark.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
On the Road Again 2015 #2
The left side of the train may have slightly more interesting scenery. There are, for example, a few spots along the way where there is some sort of construction happening. There also appears to be more lakes on the left side, but unfortunately that is also where the sun is. The bright sun makes it a bit difficult to seen the tablet screen. As the day proceeded, I ended up sitting as far away as I could from the window. While the temperature in the car as a whole is quite comfortable, it is a bit too warm for me sitting in the sun. On the right hand side of the car, out of the direct sun, the window looks clean. I suspect that one could take some decent pictures. It might be impossible to take a decent picture out of the left side of the window due to the glare of the sun.
This may be the noisiest train I have ever been on. One of the brakes on my car make a rather loud squawking/grinding noise every time they are used. It is a most annoying noise. Maybe I am also be over sensitive but it feels as if the train is rocking more than normal.
In spite of the fact that it feels as if the train has not pulled over to let freight trains go by nearly as frequently or for as long as usual, we are still running late. We only stopped for ten minutes in Hornepayne and that was still not enough to make up our lost time. I suppose the good news is that we have not lost any more additional time. They have announced the bus tour in Winnipeg (which is suppose to be an almost a four hour stop). That feels optimistic to me but perhaps they are planning on making up the time later in the evening. I hope so - I would like to be on the road just west of the ring road as soon as possible after 9:00 AM tomorrow morning.
This may be the noisiest train I have ever been on. One of the brakes on my car make a rather loud squawking/grinding noise every time they are used. It is a most annoying noise. Maybe I am also be over sensitive but it feels as if the train is rocking more than normal.
In spite of the fact that it feels as if the train has not pulled over to let freight trains go by nearly as frequently or for as long as usual, we are still running late. We only stopped for ten minutes in Hornepayne and that was still not enough to make up our lost time. I suppose the good news is that we have not lost any more additional time. They have announced the bus tour in Winnipeg (which is suppose to be an almost a four hour stop). That feels optimistic to me but perhaps they are planning on making up the time later in the evening. I hope so - I would like to be on the road just west of the ring road as soon as possible after 9:00 AM tomorrow morning.
On the Road Again 2015 #1
Here I go again ...another trip already started.
I received an e-mail from Via Rail late last night stating that there was a problem with equipment arriving in Toronto and therefore the train would be leaving an hour late. While the train has been chronically late getting into Sudbury Junction, this was the first time that I have gotten an e-mail warning me. I, none-the-less, was awake and up a 4:00 AM. When I called Via Rail at 4:30, they said that that train would be getting into Sudbury at 7:03. They were bang on the money. We were away from the station by 7:07. In the past my daughter has hung around for awhile - this time she, with a little encouragement, left almost as soon as we arrived. Although she had to come back as I left my my lunch in the fridge. I read for a bit, chatted with one of the passengers and before I knew it the train was here and we were off. I didn't even get the chance to sing (to myself) "sitting in the railroad station......"
The Via Rail station attendant was very quiet. In other years the person has been quite friendly - coming out of the office to give us info on how late the train is going to be, asking if there was any baggage to be checked etc. This year I didn't even know someone was in the office until she went out for a smoke a few minutes before the train arrived. She was younger than some of the other workers that I have met (every year it has been a different worker at the station). Either she was just less comfortable with the customers or was still new enough to the job to be embarrassed because the train was going to be 2 hours late.
The train was quite empty but in the first car there were no seats on the right side (my preferred side as I find it easier to rest my right side and head on the window as I doze) and that had the right window configuration (every second window has a column partially in the way so that it is a bit more difficult to see out of the window) so I sat on the left. I don't think it will really matter and at least the scenery will be different to what I am use to. I suppose I could have walked down to the next car to see if another seat was available but a seat is a seat, and having one to myself with a good window is more important than sitting on the right side. I initially was sitting right behind a family seat with a mon and two young children who were off to see their grandfather. I am sure they were quite cute but their chatter would have been exhausting. Fortunately they got off in Capreol.
I have a sense that the crew are a bit disorganized or else are really busy for reasons that I can not see. No one checked my boarding pass (they trusted me when I said that I was going to Winnipeg). No one came by and asked if I had been on a train before and it spite of the fact that I am sitting by a window that has a little hammer to break the glass if there is a need to escape by the window - no one has given me instruction on how to use the hammer. There are usually a whole set of instructions - where the dining car or the dome car is, wearing shoes when walking between cars, no smoking etc. Perhaps they will do it later. However, the most extraordinary indicator of something being amiss was when stopped in Capreol, a young attendant walked up and down the aisle asking if anyone was getting off in Hornepayne. He actually helped a lady get of the train before someone told him he was announcing the wrong station. It might be an interesting ride!
12:00 - It has been very quiet. The car is two thirds empty and it would appear as if most are sleeping. Went for a walk to get some juice. There are three cars (including the one I am in) before the dome car. One car is a bit more crowded than this one. The third car has almost every seat filled. Most of the passengers look to be 15-17 year old teenagers, more boys than girls. The air in the car has a slight body oder to it as if some of them were playing touch foot ball during the wee hours of the morning. Given the fact that all but a few appear to to be the same age, one has to make the assumption that they are getting off at the same place. The only question is are they about-to-be tree planters or kids working at a camp? I did notice a large container of bagels in the corner - which sort of confirms my thoughts that they are travelling as a group and the bagels are their lunch. It will be interesting to see where they get off.
The left side of the training may have slightly more interesting scenery. There is for example a few spots along to way where there is some sort of construction happening and there appears to be more lakes on the left side, but it is also where the sun is. The bright sun makes it a bit difficult to seen the tablet screen.
I received an e-mail from Via Rail late last night stating that there was a problem with equipment arriving in Toronto and therefore the train would be leaving an hour late. While the train has been chronically late getting into Sudbury Junction, this was the first time that I have gotten an e-mail warning me. I, none-the-less, was awake and up a 4:00 AM. When I called Via Rail at 4:30, they said that that train would be getting into Sudbury at 7:03. They were bang on the money. We were away from the station by 7:07. In the past my daughter has hung around for awhile - this time she, with a little encouragement, left almost as soon as we arrived. Although she had to come back as I left my my lunch in the fridge. I read for a bit, chatted with one of the passengers and before I knew it the train was here and we were off. I didn't even get the chance to sing (to myself) "sitting in the railroad station......"
The Via Rail station attendant was very quiet. In other years the person has been quite friendly - coming out of the office to give us info on how late the train is going to be, asking if there was any baggage to be checked etc. This year I didn't even know someone was in the office until she went out for a smoke a few minutes before the train arrived. She was younger than some of the other workers that I have met (every year it has been a different worker at the station). Either she was just less comfortable with the customers or was still new enough to the job to be embarrassed because the train was going to be 2 hours late.
The train was quite empty but in the first car there were no seats on the right side (my preferred side as I find it easier to rest my right side and head on the window as I doze) and that had the right window configuration (every second window has a column partially in the way so that it is a bit more difficult to see out of the window) so I sat on the left. I don't think it will really matter and at least the scenery will be different to what I am use to. I suppose I could have walked down to the next car to see if another seat was available but a seat is a seat, and having one to myself with a good window is more important than sitting on the right side. I initially was sitting right behind a family seat with a mon and two young children who were off to see their grandfather. I am sure they were quite cute but their chatter would have been exhausting. Fortunately they got off in Capreol.
I have a sense that the crew are a bit disorganized or else are really busy for reasons that I can not see. No one checked my boarding pass (they trusted me when I said that I was going to Winnipeg). No one came by and asked if I had been on a train before and it spite of the fact that I am sitting by a window that has a little hammer to break the glass if there is a need to escape by the window - no one has given me instruction on how to use the hammer. There are usually a whole set of instructions - where the dining car or the dome car is, wearing shoes when walking between cars, no smoking etc. Perhaps they will do it later. However, the most extraordinary indicator of something being amiss was when stopped in Capreol, a young attendant walked up and down the aisle asking if anyone was getting off in Hornepayne. He actually helped a lady get of the train before someone told him he was announcing the wrong station. It might be an interesting ride!
12:00 - It has been very quiet. The car is two thirds empty and it would appear as if most are sleeping. Went for a walk to get some juice. There are three cars (including the one I am in) before the dome car. One car is a bit more crowded than this one. The third car has almost every seat filled. Most of the passengers look to be 15-17 year old teenagers, more boys than girls. The air in the car has a slight body oder to it as if some of them were playing touch foot ball during the wee hours of the morning. Given the fact that all but a few appear to to be the same age, one has to make the assumption that they are getting off at the same place. The only question is are they about-to-be tree planters or kids working at a camp? I did notice a large container of bagels in the corner - which sort of confirms my thoughts that they are travelling as a group and the bagels are their lunch. It will be interesting to see where they get off.
The left side of the training may have slightly more interesting scenery. There is for example a few spots along to way where there is some sort of construction happening and there appears to be more lakes on the left side, but it is also where the sun is. The bright sun makes it a bit difficult to seen the tablet screen.
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