It is just before 1:00 PM and we have just made a brief stop in Gogama - which by my calculations means that we are running about four hours late. I have lost count of the number of freight trains that we have had to stop for - I stopped counting after six trains passed us. It seemed as if many of the car were travelling west empty. While I can understand that loaded freight cars contain more valuable items than do passenger cars but I must confess that I take some insult at being less important than an empty freight car!
The car that I am is full by Via’s standards. That is, in the car that I am in, at least one seat out of two is filled. While some are getting off in edmonton or Jasper, there are quite of few who are going all of the way the Vancouver.
Just stopped at Foleyet - the good news is that we have not lost any time - we are just about as late as we were two hours ago.
As have noted on other train trips, entertainers get to travel from Vancouver to Toronto for free if they give three performances a day - one in each of the three types of sleeping cars (or in my case economy which stands for sleeping while sitting up). This trip’s entertainment is a singer songwriter who has some skill with lyrics although his guitar playing is a bit weak. A nice guy who tried to engage the ten or so people who were there - even going to the point of handing out a list of 60 or so songs that he could sing and encouraging us to pick one. Unfortunately there was a woman who maybe had had too many drinks or perhaps she was always loud, rude and obnoxious. She insisted on talking to some young travellers throughout his singing. I think a couple of people left because of her. He wasn’t the best singer I have heard but he would have just fine for a rather dull grey day on the train…..she made it hard for him to perform and hard for those of us who wanted to hear what he had to say - pity.
We finally got to Hornepayne at 7:25. We were suppose to be here by 2:20. We seem to have lost an hour somehow. It is, of course dark, it is snowing and I suspect it is fairly cold outside. I have been here before - I have no need to get out and walk around the parking lot. However for the those who smoke, I think this is the first stop today. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for those who have a serious addiction to nicotine.
I have spent the day reading a little it, listening to music and napping. I can’t believe how tired I am - but then reading and napping is what the train is well suited for.
At 8:45 AM stopped at Reddit, Ontario….should have been here by 3:30 AM - which means that we are just over five hours late…. That means a very short stop in Winnipeg which means that I won’t have time to shop for food…..pity. But I guess I was getting fat anyway.
If it is a very short stop in Winnipeg, w could make up up to three of those missing hours - which would be nice.
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