Canadian Railroads > The Canadian - the latest order of sleeper line numbers

VIA has changed the order of sleeping car line numbers since I saw the train earlier this month.
 
Train #1 departed Toronto this morning about 10 minutes late. The first three Manor sleepers were #20, 21, 22. After the Panorama car and first diner the six Manor sleepers had numbers 10 through 15.  As usual, the two Prestige Château sleepers were 30 and 31 and the Park car was 39.
 
The passenger load was good. All cabins for 2 and Prestige cabins were sold out.
 

DrawingroomA Wrote:
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> VIA has changed the order of sleeping car line
> numbers since I saw the train earlier this month.
>  
> Train #1 departed Toronto this morning about 10
> minutes late. The first three Manor sleepers were
> #20, 21, 22. After the Panorama car and first
> diner the six Manor sleepers had numbers 10
> through 15.  As usual, the two Prestige Château
> sleepers were 30 and 31 and the Park car was 39.
>  
> The passenger load was good. All cabins for 2 and
> Prestige cabins were sold out.
>  

With this consist having the Panorama Car out of Toronto, leads me to believe VIA has all three Panorama cars operating on the full Vancouver to Toronto route, no switching in/out at Edmonton. Only three consists needed for two day a week Canadian route service. VIA only has three Panorama cars. Whether the Prince Rupert train gets shafted with no Panorama Car for its Touring class will be interesting to see in a month or so. I think they may have taken it off! Loved the Panorama Car on the train to Prince Rupertt! More fitting than than having it on the Canadian......

jp1822 Wrote:
>...
> With this consist having the Panorama Car out of
> Toronto, leads me to believe VIA has all three
> Panorama cars operating on the full Vancouver to
> Toronto route, no switching in/out at Edmonton.
> Only three consists needed for two day a week
> Canadian route service. VIA only has three
> Panorama cars. Whether the Prince Rupert train
> gets shafted with no Panorama Car for its Touring
> class will be interesting to see in a month or so.
> I think they may have taken it off! Loved the
> Panorama Car on the train to Prince Rupertt! More
> fitting than than having it on the Canadian......

Reservia shows the first day of Touring Class ex-Jasper as the 16th of June. It will be interesting to see what they use for that class if they don't get the Panorama cars back.

What is Touring Class?  I've only been in a Panorama car once. Didn't spend much time there. The high back seats eliminate any viewing other than out the window you are seated next to. Far inferior to the domes with no forward view in my opinion. But the tour groups seem to love them. 

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> What is Touring Class?  I've only been in a
> Panorama car once. Didn't spend much time there.
> The high back seats eliminate any viewing other
> than out the window you are seated next to. Far
> inferior to the domes with no forward view in my
> opinion. But the tour groups seem to love them. 

Touring Class (formerly known as Totem Class) is the upgraded class of service on the train formerly known as the Skeena. This service operates only in the peak season and, because of the shortage of Panorama cars, only on every second train.

https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/regional-trains/jasper-prince-rupert/classes

When I took the Skeena shortly after it became a day trip with stopover in Prince George, the upgraded service was provided in a VIA 1 car.  Park car access is restricted to Touring Class passengers. Of course, when the Touring Class is not operated any passenger can use the Park car.

I am also unimpressed with the Panorama car. I sat in one for a while on only one trip on the Canadian.

Touring Class replaced “Totem” and “Totem Deluxe” class on the train to Prince Rupert during peak season. It’s an upgraded coach class to make the day long journey from Jasper to Prince George and Prince George to Prince Rupert more enjoyable. You get to have a seat in the Panorama Car (as opposed to regular coach class seating), access to the Park Dome Car, an attendant at your beckon call that serves hot meals and beverage service (at your seat), and more. Check out the “features” under Train to Prince Rupert for further details. The meals were always VERY good. They even gave snacks and appetizers along the way. Originally the Panorama Cars were purchased for the Prince Rupert train and the amenities offered in answer to what Rocky Mountaineer was offering. It was VIA’s way to try and boost patronage on the train to Prince Rupert by offering these additional amenities largely for tourists. They even operated the Prince Rupert train four days a week when the cars were first purchased and VIA dumped a boat load of money into advertising these services. VIA lobbied to CN in order to get the Prince Rupert train extended back to Edmonton, as it was felt by doing so, it would get to a major populated terminus, not a relatively small Canadian Rocky Mountain hamlet. Terminal in Jasper was felt to be limiting for this train. VIA had also, at the same time, wanted six days a week between Jasper and Vancouver in the summer. It only operated for two years at most at four days a week, before VIA cut it back to three days a week once again and got denied by CN in trying to bring the train to Edmonton. Eventually the Panorama Cars were all transferred to the Canadian (Edmonton to Vancouver), but then the spare car was brought back to the Prince Rupert train and services restored partially to when it was first launched on the line.