Passenger Trains > Slow Roll-by of VIA “Canadian” Departing Jasper, AB, Canada

Shot May 14th, 2025 at 2:18 pm while spending a few days in Jasper between Rocky Mountaineer legs.
What a beautiful train! I hope to ride it someday with Mrs. Squatch.

Tom - Seattle

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Great video! Thank you for posting!!

(Old) engines and (old) cars, still wonderfully maintained.  The Canadians know how.

Beautiful train and a great ride, but its utility with the current SLOW schedule has been greatly diminished. Yet, it still runs with a full load of passengers with 9 Manor Sleepers and two Prestige Sleepers (ex-Chateau cars). The exterior blue bands at the top of the cars are getting a bit warned out!!! Still worth the ride - ride it while you can!!!

Great video !   How many times a week does the "Canadian "  operate ?

Here's the consist and info boards that were posted in Jasper Station.

​• Tom-Seattle

Edit: I wanted to mention the photos of the consist boards were taken by Mrs. Squatch, my wonderful railfan wife, who shot them while I was outside doing the video.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/25 15:47 by Sasquatch.

---

---

---

I notice several of the sleepers have no names on their name boards. Is this a change to the normal?

Art House

Perfect treat!  Thank you.  I love the information board with the car names and locations.  Classic throwback to when passenger travel was the show,

Ride it while you still can.  It's a fantastic four night trip across Canada.  

Many no mistake, tho, this is a tourist train.  Prestige class is CA 7500 per person toronto to vancouver in the summer. 
It only operated 2 day a week IIRC, and is frequently many hours off the schedule. 

IMHO, its a great ride into the past, but i see no comparison between this and the current amtk,  operating 7 days a week.
I think it would be nice if amtk LD services were operated by a cruise line, as amtk is just a govt bureacracy whose mission is nothing more than to maintain the status quo, if that.
 

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Many no mistake, tho, this is a tourist train. 
> Prestige class is CA 7500 per person toronto to
> vancouver in the summer. 
> It only operated 2 day a week IIRC, and is
> frequently many hours off the schedule. 
>
> IMHO, its a great ride into the past, but i see no
> comparison between this and the current amtk, 
> operating 7 days a week.
> I think it would be nice if amtk LD services were
> operated by a cruise line, as amtk is just a govt
> bureacracy whose mission is nothing more than to
> maintain the status quo, if that.

I agree that this train lost any utility it did have left after revising the schedule 1) to operate only twice a week and 2) adding another day of travel into the schedule. Yet, Prestige class is sold out for next year - through October 2026. And Sleeper Plus is even EXTREMELY limited. Not helpful that the Ocean had to take back the ex-CP Budd sleepers due to the "early" retirement of the Renaissance cars. 

Great roll-by...thanks for posting !

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I agree that this train lost any utility it did
> have left after revising the schedule 1) to
> operate only twice a week and 2) adding another
> day of travel into the schedule. Yet, Prestige
> class is sold out for next year - through October
> 2026. And Sleeper Plus is even EXTREMELY limited.
> Not helpful that the Ocean had to take back the
> ex-CP Budd sleepers due to the "early" retirement
> of the Renaissance cars. 

Except for a crew sleeper, Chateau sleepers in revenue service are operated on the Ocean in peak seasons.  The standard consist has four Renaissance sleepers, as the train has at present.  The Christmas season starts on the 17th of December (#14) and the 19th (#15) with two Chateau sleepers.added.  By 7th January the consist is back to four Ren. sleepers.

DrawingroomA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > I agree that this train lost any utility it did
> > have left after revising the schedule 1) to
> > operate only twice a week and 2) adding another
> > day of travel into the schedule. Yet, Prestige
> > class is sold out for next year - through
> October
> > 2026. And Sleeper Plus is even EXTREMELY
> limited.
> > Not helpful that the Ocean had to take back the
> > ex-CP Budd sleepers due to the "early"
> retirement
> > of the Renaissance cars. 
>
> Except for a crew sleeper, Chateau sleepers in
> revenue service are operated on the Ocean in peak
> seasons.  The standard consist has four
> Renaissance sleepers, as the train has at
> present.  The Christmas season starts on the 17th
> of December (#14) and the 19th (#15) with two
> Chateau sleepers.added.  By 7th January the
> consist is back to four Ren. sleepers.

Thanks! There should be more Chateau sleepers around then. Wish they would use them as the crew cars on the Canadian and add a Manor Sleeper to the Canadian!!! Four sleepers on the Ocean seems REALLY light to "what was!" 

Anyone know if the VIA mgmt has any idea that the high ridership these days is because ppl want to ride  the classic cars on this train.
I wouldnt be surprised if ridership falls off after the new cars come in to service.
Just wondering if VIA mgmt has a clue.

Great memories for me of a bucket list item.  Thank you for posting your video.  Back in the 1990s, a rail tour company sponsored a cross-Canada trip starting in Vancouver with Rocky Mountaineer.  Transferred via bus to Jasper.  After touring the Banff area, we boarded the Canadian in Jasper and continued to Toronto, and completed the tour with a bus ride to Montreal.  The cleanliness of the sleeper cars set a high standard that Amtrak passengers can only dream about. Thanks again.

redberan4449 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great memories for me of a bucket list item. 
> Thank you for posting your video.  Back in the
> 1990s, a rail tour company sponsored a
> cross-Canada trip starting in Vancouver with Rocky
> Mountaineer.  Transferred via bus to Jasper. 
> After touring the Banff area, we boarded the
> Canadian in Jasper and continued to Toronto, and
> completed the tour with a bus ride to Montreal. 
> The cleanliness of the sleeper cars set a high
> standard that Amtrak passengers can only dream
> about. Thanks again.

In general, the VIA Rail Canadian cars are kept pretty clean and maintained (minus the Chateau regular sleepers) when comparing against anything Amtrak operates. The Diners and Skyline Domes were recently put through a refresh program and look GREAT! VIA Rail Canada shifted ALL ex-CP Budd stainless steel sleepers to the Canadian after the Ocean was converted to Renaissance cars in the early 2000's and this really helped to grow capacity and ridership on the Canadian to meet demand. VIA's Prestige Sleeper and Park Car renovation program was genius to capture a high end "touring" market when they were first put in operation. VIA's annual reports were quick to note how the Prestige revenue/earnings helped to bring down the overall "loss" to operate the Canadian. VIA will also press into service practically all the sleepers they have to meet demand.....Now it can be said the Canadian is more of a "tourist train" with schedule and frequency changes, with Prestige Sleepers still raking it in - booked up already for 2026 for most if not all departures Toronto to Vancouver at least. By 2035 VIA would either need new equipment or they'd have to rebuild the ex-CP Budd stainless steel cars and VIA's maintenance departmen is wary of the latter......Hence, the banking on new equipment!!! 

My guess is that the name has just been allowed to fade away.

There's no ex about it, they are still considered Chateau sleepers. Just a few were upgraded to a Presitge configuration. The dark band around the top indicates that they are Presitge Chateaus.