ROYAL CANADIAN PACIFIC DELIVERS NEAR-PERFECT TOUR
by Eleanor Hardy
Allan Deering of Connecticut, a member of the Society of International Railway Travelers for almost 20 years, stood for hours on an open platform of the Royal Canadian Pacific. The wind raced through his hair. He wore gloves to beat the chill. And he beamed without ceasing. "This is what it's all about," he said.
Allan's delight was typical, but I can't pinpoint any one thing that made The Society's trip on the Royal Canadian Pacific Sept. 19-24 so seamless and joyous. Our circle tour through the Canadian Rockies, beginning and ending in Calgary, was like a magic show. And David Walker, RCP managing director and our train manager, pulled everything together like a master illusionist.
Daily he pulled surprises out of his hat. (I won't spoil it for our next group by naming them.) Every element was tops: equipment, accommodations, food, service, off-train activities, scenery and many extras just for our group.
Royalty, celebrities, politicians and the top brass of the Canadian Pacific Railway (for whom the cars were built) all have ridden this historic train. You couldn't help but drink in the mahogany walls resplendent with marquetry, the sprays of fresh flowers or the rich fabrics on comfortable chairs and sofas throughout the train. You couldn't help but feel a part of history. While I listened to the familiar harmony of Johann Pachelbel's Canon played by a violin and guitar duo, I could practically feel the presence of Sir Winston Churchill in the special nook where I sat. He used to sit there smoking his cigar.
We admired the craggy peaks of the Canadian Rockies and the ever-present waters of the Bow, Kicking Horse and Columbia rivers. The lakes glistened in the full moonlight as we stopped for sleep. We delighted in the lounges and open-air platforms, the same spaces used by Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Chef Pierre Meloche and his assistants amazed us. The breakfast choices covered two pages of menu. It was made to order, and tasty down to the last bite of Canadian bacon.
Roasted garlic-seasoned lobster tail was my favorite lunch. I am ashamed to say I ate everything on my plate. (I was not the only one.) One of my favorite dinners included smoked salmon with corn and wild rice cakes with horseradish cream, wild mushroom soup and rack of lamb encrusted in rosemary. Lemon cheese cake with raspberry coulis was the dessert. I felt a part of the legendary success of the CPR as I dined on vintage china and silverwhen was the last time I used a fish knife or such a tiny coffee spoon?with its beautiful crest.
The accommodations had more cabinets to store personal items than I have seen in any North American train. All the guest rooms have ensuite bathrooms with shower, toilet and sink, outfitted with thick white towels and soap and shampoo. Some have double beds, some have twins. All but one are lower beds. The walls gleam, most with inlaid wood and vaulted ceilings.
The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook, B.C., was one of my favorite off-train tours. We were among the first to see the newly moved museum. Garry W. Anderson, executive director, has devoted almost 25 years to the museum, and a visit there is inspiring.
Several things stand out: the huge carved-oak fireplace and stunning 1906 café of Winnipeg's Royal Hotel Alexandra. These serve as a centerpiece for the new museum. An elderly couple thought it such a shame that these gems of Edwardian railway architecture would be lost when the hotel was demolished. They stored the fireplace and thousands of pieces of the café in a semi-truck trailer for 25 years before it was reinstalled in the railway museum.
The Trans-Canada Limited was another standout. It cost $1 million to build in 1929 and was the fastest, most luxurious train across the continent. The museum has restored car after car, and is working on the rest. These included various types of sleepers, a Solarium-Lounge and dining cars. The 1907 Soo-Spokane Train Deluxe, boasts stained glass windows and domes and "Art Nouveau" marquetry. Also of interest: dishes, fabrics of the day, suitcases and ladies' makeup cases.
Another favorite tour was Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump, a museum tucked into the side of a cliff. It demonstrates with grace and reverence the relationship of the native people to the buffalo and how they coaxed them over the cliff. The entire tribe worked together in order to survive.
I also enjoyed Fort Steele Heritage Town, a lively, living museum; Lake Louise with its blue-green waters and Spruce Meadows, a top show-jumping facility.
Meanwhile, the high level of service on the train is unrivaled in North America, many Society members said. The young, carefully trained staff has that special, cheery, just-right-friendly but efficient Canadian style of service. Directed by Mr. Walker and Chef Meloche, this tiny staff made a winning team: senior attendants Dena Ross and Julie Vaillancourt, along with Pam Benson, Leann Burroughs, Eric Maheux, and Shelly White. They did everything from tidying rooms to assisting with food preparation, and serving cocktails and dinner-always with two kinds of wines. Rick Wigmore, road manager, made sure the train ran safely and on time. They made it all look so easy and fun. And their good cheer and charming manner spread throughout the train.
Daily, Mr. Meloche waited for us by the track after our off-train tour with a hearty welcome, a handshake and a help up the steps to the platform. Misses Ross and Vaillancourt stood at the ready with silver trays of hot chocolate and Bailey's Irish Cream one day, piña coladas another. One afternoon we were met with a lemonade cocktail with blue curaçao. Did they intend to match my sweater? It did. Perfectly. Then, it was time to choose: should I wait for Mr. Meloche to pass the scrumptious hors d'oeuvres? Or should I head to Strathcona #3 for a nap? Naps lost.
While we were sightseeing, the rooms were tidied; even the toilet paper was folded into a V shape. At night, the bed was turned down. Don't think I'm used to toilet paper being folded just so. But it's just a small example of how far this staff goes to keep the train tidy and beautiful.
Mr. Walker entertained us with stories about the train, the route and the future of the Royal Canadian Pacific, not to mention his steady stream of surprises. And Mr. Wigmore, who has worked for the CPR for more than 35 years, happily chatted about the challenges of keeping this museum on wheels safely rolling along.
A major element of the success of the trip, however, was my fellow passengers. This was a dynamic and fascinating, friendly and charming group of rail-travel lovers: 23 members of The Society of International Railway Travelers. Most of them had traveled far and wide with The Society. These include IRT journeys across Siberia, Southern Africa, all of Europe, the U.S. and Canada. It would be easier to list the places this group has not been and the trains which they have not ridden. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
Happy vignettes abounded: Smiling Allan Deering at his post on the platform. Peter Bretz of California and Keith White of Illinois celebrating their newly obtained rare mileage. The David Brody (of California) story hour in the dining room. Ladies swapping stories and admiring handiwork and genealogy research in the Mount Stephen lounge car. Jim Hodges of South Carolina, stretching his legs in the setting sun on the back platform, the picture of peace and contentment.
And David Minnerly of Texas, who has traveled thousands of miles on trains, beaming throughout.
Almost 20 years ago, IRT Society founder and Publisher Owen Hardy dreamed of an association of rail travel lovers whose journeys together would amplify the experience and lift train travel to another plane. It was great to witness the fulfillment of that dream so often on this trip.
I headed back to IRT Society headquarters in Louisville, KY, with a happy heart. I have to confess: getting back to the real world-and my cooking-has been tough. Mr. Meloche: do you share your recipes?
(Eleanor Hardy is president of The Society of International Railway Travelers.)
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The Royal Canadian Pacific has many dates and tours next season, including special golf, culinary and fly-fishing departures. For more information, call (800) 478-4881 or e-mail us.
The Society of International Railway Travelers will host a group aboard the Royal Canadian Pacific Sept. 11-16, 2005. The price-$5,100 per person, double occupancy, plus tax-covers everything, including meals, drinks, transfers and gratuities. It will be led by Karl Zimmermann, rail lecturer, photographer and historian.
RCP to the Kentucky Derby: The Society is co-sponsoring the "Royal Derby Train." The RCP will follow the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to Chicago and then to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Dates: April 30-May 6, 2003. Cost: $5,450 per person, double occupancy.
Trans-Canada by Steam! The Trans-Canadian Steam Express, with locomotive #2816 pulling the Royal Canadian Pacific, will run Vancouver-Montreal May 9-25, 2004. The cost will be about $25,000 U.S. per person. Bookings have already begun. Call or e-mail the Tour Desk to express interest.
The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel is open seven days a week from April through mid-October; Tues.-Sat. during the winter. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. during July and August. Costs vary, depending on the complexity of your tour, from $6 CAD for a small tour to $12 CAD for a deluxe tour with tea and scones in the dining car. For details, call (250) 489-3918. Web: www.trainsdeluxe.com.
Please call us with questions, bookings:
800-478-4881 or 502-454-0277
www.irtsociety.com
