Go West!

By Heather Brazier

After nearly five months of great anticipation and what I thought to be impeccable planning, October 20, 1994, was finally here. My aunt and I were about to embark on what I would call the quintessential Canadian adventure! We had first-class tickets for The Canadian, the only VIA Rail train that travels between Toronto and Vancouver.

I had arranged for an accessible taxi to get us to Union Station in Toronto an hour before our 12:45 p.m. departure. I had also arranged to have personnel from Medigas meet me at the station with two large liquid oxygen tanks and all the necessary tubing I would need to get through the three time zones, covering 4,467 kilometres over 70 hours. I require supplemental oxygen 24 hours a day for restrictive lung disease and asthma.

I had to check my scooter into baggage, which was easily done with the assistance of many helpful porters and other VIA Rail employees.

We were escorted up to the platform where the blue and silver train sat waiting to welcome us aboard. However, panic set in when we were taken to what I had been led to believe was a bedroom with twin beds and chairs. This room was to be large enough for not only the regular paraphernalia that one takes on a long trip but also one of the 55 kilogram tanks of oxygen, as well as a machine that delivers compressed air for my asthma treatments. The on-board manager had greeted us with a look of skepticism. This look was duplicated on the faces of the porters, my cousin, a friend and my aunt. When I finally saw what they saw, I was dumbfounded. I was looking into a tiny bedroom that had two armchairs, a bathroom ensuite with a 15-inch-wide door, a sink that was carefully hidden under a little table, and a lovely, large picture window.

We had to make a choice: either we could travel in this room or our baggage could -- there wasn’t room for both. I couldn’t believe it. I had made two trips to Union Station during the summer to speak to VIA Rail representatives about my needs. One of the most important points, which I had reiterated several times, was my need to have a bed available to me at all times. With my spina bifida and scoliosis, lying down on a bed of pillows several times a day is necessary for me. I had been assured there would be enough room for me to stretch out and for my aunt to sit in one of the reclining chairs. So much for the most carefully made plans.

Our on-board manager quickly went into action to try and resolve this space problem -- or lack thereof. He assured us that something would be done but that he would have to do some careful shuffling. By the time we hit Barrie, Ontario, about one hour into the trip, he came to us with a very generous offer. He would give up his larger bedroom suite and he would take our smaller room.

While the second room was in fact bigger, it was still a very tight fit. Picture this: I was on the bottom bunk all night and day; my aunt sat sideways at the window in a chair; and the oxygen tank sat wedged between the bedroom door and the bathroom door. It was cozy. At bedtime, a porter pulled the upper bunk out of the ceiling for my aunt.

I absolutely loved the train trip from the time we got settled until we hit Vancouver. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I got very little sleep because I was afraid of missing something out the window. Even at night we had the light of a full moon all the way. The scenery was breathtaking, from the beautiful colours of the autumn leaves in northern Ontario to the vastness of the prairies, with endless brown fields having just yielded the year’s wheat and other grains, to the majestic Rocky Mountains that really cannot be adequately described with words, to the tunnels and passes that wound in and out of mountains and the raging waters of the Fraser and Thompson rivers.

During our trip westward, we made many stops along the way. Sometimes these stops were only a quick five minutes while one or two passengers got off -- sometimes in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. We spent an hour in the Winnipeg station, where we picked up a new train crew and the train itself was cleaned inside and out. Winnipeg is the halfway point of the Great Train Adventure. Another hour was spent in Jasper, Alberta, where the spectacular Rockies surrounded us and the main street was a sea of boutiques, "tacky tourist shops" (my favourite), and lovely restaurants and cafes. The hour went by very quickly.

One of the other highlights of this beautiful train was its dining car. Breakfast was served between 6:30 and 10:30 a.m. and lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. There were three dinner sittings, at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., for which reservations had to be made every day. The dining car, like the rest of the train, was a roomy refurbished car from the 1950s. It was decorated in pink and grey with the most fabulous etched-glass partitions depicting birds native to Canada. The tables sat four and were set with fine china and silverware, tableclothes and cloth napkins. Fresh pink and white carnations adorned each table.

The menu offered a choice of three entrees which all came with an appetizer, dessert and tea or coffee. While certainly not cheap, the meals were definitely worth their price tag. I have severe allergies to monosodium glutamate, sulphites, nuts and seafood. I gave our waiter a card with my allergies on it and was assured by the chef that he would see to it all of my meals would be safe for me to eat. He also assured me that he would pass the message along to the chef who would be on board from Winnipeg onward. Such individual attention and concern is greatly appreciated.

In addition to its dining car, the train also had a coffee shop where we had our breakfasts. It was less formal and a bit less expensive. They served the same scrambled eggs and toast as in the dining car, but for three dollars less.

Eating my meals was not a problem. Getting to them, however, proved more difficult. While I can walk reasonably well on solid ground, trying to get from my bedroom to the dining car seven cars away was challenging. Not only did I have trouble keeping my balance on the constantly swaying train, but trying to manoeuvre my portable tank of oxygen in a cart behind me while my aunt tackled the doors between cars was an exercise in frustration. For these reasons, on our return trip from Vancouver to Toronto the porters suggested that they bring my meals to me. This was a much better solution. I could enjoy my meals without being out of breath and exhausted.

Another feature of The Canadian was the observation cars with glass-domed roofs. I did not find the dome cars to be very satisfactory for me, however, as one had to tackle a very steep staircase while the train was in motion. And when I finally got up there to a seat, I sat too low to be able to see out the windows. I was much happier on my bottom bunk.

While I thoroughly enjoyed my round trip on The Canadian, I am not sure if I would recommend it to wheelchair users. There was no way someone could get a wheelchair, even a small manual one, up and down the narrow aisles. This would mean that persons in wheelchairs would have to remain in one place throughout the trip, either in a coach seat or on a lower bunk. Being stuck in a bedroom would not be bad; I did just that on my way home, as my aunt and I had separate rooms and, with meals coming to me, I had no reason to leave my little room.

VIA Rail offers free travel to the escort of a passenger with a disability. Whatever accommodation the person with a disability chooses, the escort will be given the equivalent arrangement without charge. A letter from a primary-care physician outlining the needs of the person with a disability and giving them the OK to travel must be given to a VIA Rail employee at the time that tickets are purchased.

The Canadian leaves Toronto every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 12:45 p.m., arriving in Vancouver at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. It leaves Vancouver at 8:00 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Toronto at 9:00 p.m. Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday. Prices vary according to the type of accommodation selected and the time of year. For peak-season travel, bedroom accommodation must be booked several months in advance.

Current fares are $345 for a coach seat; $566 or $646 for an upper or lower berth; $746 for a "roomette"; and $1,491 for a bedroom. There are discounts for seniors and young people as well as the special fares for the escorts of passengers with disabilities. For more information, call VIA Rail at (416) 366-8411.

I wish everyone could take this trip. It really demonstrates how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country, each province with its unique character. We are truly blessed to be Canadian.

(Heather Brazier is a freelance writer living in Toronto. In 1992, Harper Collins published her book of statistics of average Canadians, "Which Do You Prefer, Chunky or Smooth?" A sequel to this book, "Would You Lend Your Toothbrush?," is soon to be released.)