The flagship of Canada's railways is "The Canadian", a weekly express service from Toronto to Vancouver and back. The journey of some 4500km / 2796 mi is completed in three days and three nights. From Toronto the train heads north-west through the seemingly endless forests of Ontario via Sudbury to the prairie town of Winnipeg.
The journey across Canada aboard the "Canadian" on its historically fascinating and spectacularly scenic route, remains an overwhelming experience.
On such a journey the contrast between the densely populated Anglo-Canadian cultural landscape of Lake Ontario, and the untamed wildness of the Canadian Shield where the mining country around Sudbury is typical of many mining towns in north Ontario, is very marked. Beyond Kenora there is a sudden transition in scenery from the rugged hills of the Canadian Shield to the flat agricultural plain near the former Lake Agassiz, before the train at last reaches Winnipeg.
A stopover in this intriguing city should definitely include visits to the Museum of Man and Nature, the old cultural center of St Boniface, and the neighboring Mennonite settlements.
A stretch of flat, monotonous country leads on to Saskatoon, a town of many bridges with a European feel. Next comes a belt of park-like scenery on the edge of the prairies, then the prairies themselves, a landscape of vast farms and massive grain elevators, the "cathedrals of the prairies". Edmonton, capital of Alberta, stands high above the North Saskatchewan River and justifies a stopover of one or more days, in particular on account of its Legislature Building and newly redeveloped government quarter, the modern high-rise architecture of its city center, the old Fort Edmonton and - in stark contrast - Canada's biggest shopping mall.
Ahead on the next stage of the journey lie the Rocky Mountains and the magnificent Jasper National Park. Jasper on the CN line, together with Banff on the CP line further south, is the most popular tourist destination in the Rocky Mountains. Continuing, there is a panoramic view of Mount Robson (3954m /12,977ft), the highest summit in this section of the Rockies, before the descent through the impressive gorges of the Thompson and Fraser rivers on the final lap of the journey to Vancouver on the Pacific coast of British Columbia.
The "Canadian" is made up of carriages from the legendary "Silver and Blue Class" trains. Manufactured originally in the 1950s, these offer the ultimate in luxury, a virtual hotel on wheels. There are comfortable sleepers and couchettes with showers and toilets, as well as saloon and dining-cars. Each train is equipped with two "dome cars" affording superb all-round vistas of the scenic grandeur.
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