Trans-Canada Rail Guide

Melissa Graham grew up only yards from a railway line, in Sunderland in the north of England. She claims to be a direct descendant of George Stephenson, the Father of Railways.

INTRODUCTION PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP Routes Route options 9 - Breaking your journey 10 Services and fares 10 The Canadian 12 - The other trains (The Ocean p17, The Corridor p18, The Skeena p18, The Hudson Bay p19, The Rocky Mountaineer p20) Overall costs Package tours 23 When to go 23 Making a booking With a tour or on your own? 24 - Making a booking in Britain and Ireland 25 - VIA Rail international sales agents 27 Making a booking in Canada and the USA 27 Visas and insurance Visas 28 - Health and travel insurance 29 What to take Clothes 29 - Medical supplies 30 - Money 30 Background reading 30 PART 2: CANADA Facts about the country Background (climate, transport and communications, landscape zones) 33 - Historical outline 36 - The Quebec issue 40 Twenty-first century Canada 40 - Economy 41 - The people 42 Government 43 - Education and social welfare 43 - Religion 44 Practical information for the visitor Documents 44 - Arriving in Canada 45 - Hotels 45 - Local transport 46 - Electricity 47 - Time 47 - Money 48 - Post, internet and phone calls 49 - Newspapers 51 - Holidays 51 Festivals 52 - Food 52 - Drink 53 - What to do in the evening 53 Shopping 54 - Taxes 54 - Crime 55 PART 3: RAILWAY HISTORY Building the first trans-Canada railway Canada before the railway 56 - The Pacific scandal 58 The railway under the Liberals 59 - Over to the CPR 59 Dangers and difficulties 61 - On the verge of bankruptcy 62 Completion of the railway 64 - Early railway service 64 Into the 20th century: CNR and VIA Rail Two more transcontinental lines 66 - The CNR takes over 67 PART 4: CITY GUIDES AND PLANS Halifax 69 - Quebec City 81 - Montreal 93 - Toronto 110 Winnipeg 127 - Edmonton 138 - Jasper 147 Calgary 155 - Vancouver 165 - Churchill 182 PART 5: ROUTE GUIDES AND MAPS Using this guide Railway subdivisions, mile markers, station names, stops, time zones 187 The Ocean: Halifax to Montreal Halifax 189 - Charny (for Quebec City) 194 - Montreal 195 The Corridor route: Montreal to Toronto Montreal 196 - Toronto 199 The Canadian: Toronto to Vancouver Toronto 199 - Winnipeg 203 - Saskatoon 205 - Edmonton 208 Jasper 210 - Kamloops 213 The Skeena: Jasper to Prince Rupert Jasper 214 - Prince George 216 - Prince Rupert 220 The Hudson Bay: Winnipeg to Churchill Winnipeg 221 - Churchill 227 The Rocky Mountaineer First Passage to the West: Calgary to Vancouver 228 Journey Through the Clouds: Jasper to Vancouver 234 Rainforest to Goldrush: Whistler to Jasper 234 Whistler from Sea to Sky Climb: Vancouver to Whistler 236 APPENDICES A Timetables 238 B French words and phrases 244 C Bibliography 247 D Town plan key 247 INDEX 248