Yes, I know that is the name of a book and a movie. Actually I’m not talking about robbing trains. Rather the disappointment of a train ride. I love trains. I love the lonesome sound of the whistle as it moves down the track. I had always wanted to take a train ride where we actually stayed in a passenger compartment overnight. When my husband proposed taking the Via Rail Canada from Toronto to Vancouver, I was elated. With high expectations, we flew to Toronto and amidst the rubble of the Union Station overhaul, found the waiting room for the train. We got there about 8:30 pm and anticipated boarding the train at 10 pm so we could see the Rockies in the daytime, the Rockies being my husband’s reason for the trip. Our first inkling that things may not be as we hoped was the delay. We boarded the train at almost 3 am in the morning. At least we were under way, howbeit, behind schedule. Then, as we cruised along, the train came to a stop. It seems the freight trains had the right of way. There were many and we had to wait on a side rail until they passed. My husband counted almost 160 cars on one. This was the norm for the trip. Go lickety split and then cruise to a halt for a freight train. Sometimes we had to wait 45 minutes or more for it to arrive and pass. In all, we got 11 hours behind schedule. We passed through the Rockies in the middle of the night when we were sleeping. We were supposed to arrive in Vancouver at 9:40 in the morning and didn’t arrive until after 6:30 pm. By the time we arrived at our hotel it was almost 7:30 pm. There went our one day in Vancouver. Thankfully we had been there before and so had seen some of the sights . The one redeeming quality on the train was the gracious staff who remained cheerful and upbeat amidst the grumbling, and the marvelous gourmet meals. Everything was delicious. Surprisingly enough I boarded the train again. This time a trip of a few hours to Simi Valley to visit my son and his family. It was four hours, but I could get up and walk around, sit by a nice window to view the scenery passing by, especially the ocean. Will I take the train again? Most likely. It’s still a pleasant way to get to your destination!
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