The next morning, my itinerary calls for a train ride back through Montreal and on to Toronto. As VIA Rail’s Train #23 departs the Quebec station, we pass a long row of huge grain elevators. Grain brought from Western Canada is stored here, then shipped out the St. Lawrence river and across the Atlantic to…
My itinerary calls for me to double back to the east with a three-hour ride to Quebec City and early next morning finds me in the Montreal station gliding down a long escalator from the main hall to a lower-level platform where my train is already waiting. We depart precisely on time and within minutes…
It’s morning, and I awake to find clear skies and a splash of yellow sunlight on the forward wall of my compartment. The Ocean has made its loop over the top of Maine during the night and now, with the St. Lawrence Seaway off to the right, is heading southwest toward Montreal. We’re still in…
The Ocean arrives in Moncton just after 5:00 and the 20-minute stop gives the smokers on board a chance to step off the train for a cigarette. VIA Rail has a large facility here, including the people who handle their reservations system. Underway again, the train is moving fast now – 80 mph over straight…