Canadian Railroads > Turning the Rocky Mountaineer

The weekly southbound RMR train into North Vancouver arrives on Friday evenings, and a new overpass affords a different perspective on the proceedings.
1. RMR 8012 south pulls up to the unloading platform--there's no station--to release its passengers.
2. After getting the word that everyone's off, 8012 pulls eastward.
3. Now on a different track, backing the five-car train toward the wye.

Loleta Fernbridge

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4. 8012 backs the train around the wye that winds through the large Kinder Morgan facility, where KM takes copper concentrate and sulfur from CN and loads it onto ships.
5. The train backs past the old BC Rail yard tower, downtown Vancouver in the distance.
6. Coming forwards again to park the train until Sunday morning, when it departs northward for Whistler and Jasper.

- L.F.

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Nice!
That new bridge works!
611

Posted from iPhone

The sun is out!

PT

Great set of photos!

Rich

Wye the P-train. I do this four shifts a week with at least two trains per night, usually with some switching after it's turned. One of those things most people don't think about, let alone photograph. Thanks for taking the time to document it with images.

At first I thought "5 cars?" but then realised this is the one that comes off of the BCR.  They advertise the Rocky Mountaineer all the time here in Australia.  From what I hear the Banff or Jasper service see's longer trains than five cars.  Is it kind of unusual for that length even if it is on a route which doesn't actually go through the Rockies?

Rick

rschonfelder Wrote:
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> At first I thought "5 cars?" but then realised
> this is the one that comes off of the BCR.  They
> advertise the Rocky Mountaineer all the time here
> in Australia.  From what I hear the Banff or
> Jasper service see's longer trains than five
> cars.  Is it kind of unusual for that length even
> if it is on a route which doesn't actually go
> through the Rockies?
>
> Rick


And since the first car is a baggage and/or power car, it's really only four cars. I'd be curious to know how many passengers the train can handle, how many it typically gets, and whether it's doing well enough to continue in future seasons. After all, the five-day-per-week day trip to Whistler and return didn't last.

- L.F.

rschonfelder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> At first I thought "5 cars?" but then realised
> this is the one that comes off of the BCR.  They
> advertise the Rocky Mountaineer all the time here
> in Australia.  From what I hear the Banff or
> Jasper service see's longer trains than five
> cars.  Is it kind of unusual for that length even
> if it is on a route which doesn't actually go
> through the Rockies?

It does go through the Rockies, albeit briefly. The passengers get to see Mount Robson, the highest in the Canadian Rockies.


 

loleta Wrote:
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> And since the first car is a baggage and/or power
> car, it's really only four cars. I'd be curious to
> know how many passengers the train can handle, how
> many it typically gets, and whether it's doing
> well enough to continue in future seasons. After
> all, the five-day-per-week day trip to Whistler
> and return didn't last.

It might actually be three cars of passenger accommodation. One of the cars might be for crew use when off-duty. Trains on the other routes have such a car.

One factor in this train's future success or failure is the price. It's the longest Rocky trip by duration, with two nights in a hotel, and thus the priciest. The cheapest fare late in the season is $2,349 Canadian, compared with $1,699 for the Banff route.  That said, there is some spectacular scenery on the BC Rail route and there's no other way of riding it.

 

railsmith Wrote:
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> rschonfelder Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > At first I thought "5 cars?" but then realised
> > this is the one that comes off of the BCR. 
> They
> > advertise the Rocky Mountaineer all the time
> here
> > in Australia.  From what I hear the Banff or
> > Jasper service see's longer trains than five
> > cars.  Is it kind of unusual for that length
> even
> > if it is on a route which doesn't actually go
> > through the Rockies?
>
> It does go through the Rockies, albeit briefly.
> The passengers get to see Mount Robson, the
> highest in the Canadian Rockies.
>
>
>

I thought this ran from Prince George to North Van.  Does it come out of Jasper via Prince George then?  If so, my mistake, it does go through the Rockies.

Rick  

The train goes from North Vancouver to Whistler (overnight) to Quesnel (overnight) and then onto the CN main SOUTH of Prince George. So the Rocky Mountaineer skirts the southeast side of Prince George never going near the Prince George station.

Actually in this consist there is one Silver Leaf Coach and one Gold Leaf Coach. At one time they were operating a single level "lounge car" on this route. Not sure if that is the car in between the Silver Leaf and Gold Leaf cars or not. First car is for HEP, second is likely for crew (and former Red Leaf car?), then Silver Leaf, then a single level lounge or coach, and then a Gold Leaf (bi-level).

I've been on this train route when it was absolutely packed (travelling North Vancouver to Jasper), and I've been on it when there was only about 8 people in Gold Leaf (travelling Jasper to North Vancouver). When it was packed, it actually had two Gold Leaf bi-level domes.

However, this is the shortest consist I have ever seen for this train on this route. But remember, Rocky has dropped Red Leaf Service and not sure if this route is having any transitional issues with trying to get people to upgrade to the Silver Leaf service.   

The scenery is SPECTACULAR and one of my favorite routes.

Here's an Ariel view of the wye and balloon track at the North Van yard. Taken 15 Aug, 2015. The recent arch bridge overpass was not yet constructed. 

Mike N.

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