Rocky I
Rocky Mountaineer engine
Rocky Mountaineer
gold leaf car
Another day, another train. This time it was the Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver via a stop over in Kamloops.
The train has two 'classes' of service and we'd upgraded to the Gold Leaf as it gave us the opportunity to sit in the 'bubble' observation cars and get loads of food and drink - in case we'd missed that over the last few days!!!
Already an hour late before we even started which was a good sign! Our coach CB05 was only around 1/3 full which was great as we could wander around, take piccies, sit where we wanted and get very good service from our two attendants.
The food and service on the train was excellent and the train itself was fantastic - unlike the Canadian you could stand outside and get some fresh air and take in the views without windows getting in the way. It was also a great place to stand to wake up after loads of food and drink!
Some of the views that we got as we climbed through the Rockies were amazing. We passed through the Spiral Tunnels, snow sheds and deep canyons which made this an excellent trip.
The day ended with us passing through an area of semi-arid ground which was a huge contrast to the snow capped Rockies of only hours before. Here ranching and fields dominated the landscape all irrigated from the mighty Thompson River.
We were also traveling on a different set of rails to the first trip. The Canadian ran on the Canadian National Railroad, this train was on the Canadian Pacific. CP stopped passenger traffic on this route so the Rocky Mountaineer is a private train and isn't allowed to run overnight.
Therefore we stop at the city of Kamloops. However due to our late arrival (over four hours!) we missed our meal and the evenings entertainment. Not the best advert for Gold Leaf service but still, at least the bed was comfortable and the coffee in the room was good!