The upper level of my two-level layout is all narrow gauge, depicting a portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Fourth Division line in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
To The Canadian Rockies On The Rocky Mountaineer
- A Railfan's Perspective
In August 2023 we took a long trip on the well-known Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury train ride through the Canadian Rockies. The route we chose was a round trip from Vancouver, BC to the beautiful locations of Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff, Alberta, with overnight hotel stays in Whistler, Quesnel, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, and Kamloops. For the railfan, the train followed Canadian National tracks from North Vancouver to Jasper, and Canadian Pacific / CN rails from Banff back to Vancouver. While much of the scenery was breathtaking, the railfanning was pretty good too.
Click here for more information on the Rocky Mountaineer routes, experience, and railfanning.
To the Canadian Rockies - Day 1
North Vancouver to Whistler
The first leg was short, beginning at the North Vancouver yard with an overnight stay at Whistler, the ski resort used in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The run along the coast and the climb through the rugged Coast Ranges was great; this single track line was the route of the Pacific Great Eastern (PGE), the “railroad from nowhere to nowhere”, later BC Rail, and now part of Canadian National (CN). Traffic was sparse; we met only one westbound freight in our first two days.
To the Canadian Rockies - Day 2
Whistler to Quesnel​
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Day 2 began by having to avoid a nearby forest fire via motor coach the highway, while the train proceeded empty to Lillooet. 2023 was another bad fire season in British Columbia. After reboarding at Lillooet, we followed the Fraser River north to Quesnel.
To the Canadian Rockies - Day 3
Quesnel to Jasper
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On Day 3, we again headed north and passed through Prince George, BC – the home of a locomotive facility, yard, and an eclectic mix of new and old equipment and locos. We leave the former PGE rails here, and within a few miles, we switched directions from heading north to heading southeast, following the Canadian National mainline and the Rocky Mountain Trench toward Yellowhead Pass and Jasper, Alberta.
Gallery - Prince George BC
The Final Miles to Jasper, Alberta
At Prince George, the train left the former BC Rails and turned to the southeast onto the former Grand Trunk Pacific (now CN) and followed the “Rocky Mountain Trench” and the Fraser River, with the beautiful backdrop of the crest of the Rockies, to the Continental Divide at Yellowhead Pass. At the end of Day 3 we arrived in Jasper, Alberta – 17 miles east of Yellowhead Pass.
Unfortunately, the town of Jasper suffered a major wildfire in 2024, and some of the town was burned to the ground. The lodge in the park was spared, But please don't hesitate to take a trip here - they can certainly use your tourist dollars!
In the Canadian Rockies​
While the train travel was great, our other purpose of this trip was to finally see the best of the Canadian Rockies, and do a little hiking. These few photos can give you a glimpse of what is there to see. It is worth the trip!
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There is no direct rail connection between Jasper and Lake Louise, but the spectacular Icefields Parkway Highway more than makes up for the absence. The motorcoach stops at Athabasca Falls, the Columbia Icefield glacier and Skywalk were memorable. For the railfan, the stop at the Spiral Tunnel overlook on the TransCanada Highway was very informative.
Return to Vancouver – Day 1
Banff to Kamloops
After our stay at Lake Louise and Banff, we again boarded the Rocky Mountaineer – this time on Canadian Pacific rails at Banff. The rail traffic increased noticeably this day. There were many rail highlights this day, beginning with crossing Kicking Horse Pass and descending the steep grade to Field via the famous Spiral Tunnels. After descending to the Columbia River, the line climbed to Rogers Pass in the Selkirk Mountains, passing over the famous Stoney Creek bridge and through the Connaught Tunnel (5 miles long) under Mount Macdonald. Later on, we passed through Revelstoke and ended our day at Kamloops, where the CN line from Jasper via Blue River connects.
Return to Vancouver – Day 2
Kamloops to Vancouver
Our final day on the rails was back on Canadian National, from Kamloops to our destination, Vancouver. Both the CN and CP follow this route, the CP being here first and claiming the best alignment along the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Because of the high traffic density, both roads agreed to share trackage and use directional running – the Directional Running Zone (DRZ) – all westbounds use the CN tracks, the eastbounds use the CP. The only line with heavier traffic in North America is the Union Pacific east of North Platte, Nebraska. We saw a LOT of rail traffic, and we were held up 5 hours because of congestion ahead, near Vancouver. A long day, a late night, but it was fun.
Good References:
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Trains Hotspot: Kicking Horse Pass. Trains, November 2019, p 68.
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The DRZ: Where CN and CPKC Cooperate. Trains, May 2024, p.20
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“Mile Post”, the included mile-by-mile guide to the routes of the Rocky Mountaineer
Information on the Rocky Mountaineer
Rocky Mountaineer offers rail cruises on three different routes into the Canadian Rockies. The “Rainforest to Gold Rush” route runs north from North Vancouver to Whistler, Quesnel, and Jasper over 3 days, following the CN. The “Journey Through the Clouds” route runs east from Vancouver to Kamloops then north to Jasper over 2 days, using the CN. Finally, the “First Passage to the West” route runs between Vancouver, Kamloops, and Lake Louise/Banff over 2 days using the CN and CP Many tours include motor coach transit between Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff along the Icefields Parkway Highway. Travel is during daylight hours only, with overnight lodging in hotels – some of them 4 and 5-star hotels. All lodging and meals on board the train are included in the cruise fare; meals off the train are not.
Rocky Mountaineer offers a wide variety of trip options – some only a few days, others as long as two weeks – so one can select the trip to fit one’s taste and budget. Two service levels are offered on all trips – Silver Service (single level cars) and Gold Service (two level cars). We chose the Gold Service, which has coach seating and overhead windows above and dining below. We also chose a circle tour – starting and ending in Vancouver with free days at Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff for sightseeing and hiking. Service on the train was super – a courteous staff, good food, and great scenery. The open platform on the lower level, with standing room at the railing for 6 or more, is great for the photographers.
The upper level interior of the Gold Service bilevel cars gives great views of the Canadian scenery – most of which is undeveloped rivers, lakes, forests and mountains.
For the railfan, the Mile Post guide in newspaper format was very helpful. It included information on both the CN and CP; mile-by-mile guide information, including maps and the railroad subdivisions crossed; historical, geographical and naturalist information; and what sights to see. As expected, the hostesses use the onboard public address system to alert the passengers to what will soon come into view.
The company (Great Canadian Railtours Co Ltd; reporting marks RMRX) own their own locomotives and passenger cars, but not the tracks – those are owned by the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific (now Canadian Pacific Kansas City) railroads. The locomotives are all EMD 3,000 hp GP40-2 models, GP40-2R models (GP40 rebuilds) and GP40-2LW wide cab models. The SilverLeaf Service (single level) passenger cars, originally built in the 1950s for Canadian National, were remodeled into single level domes in 2012. The GoldLeaf Service bi-level domes were custom-built for the Rocky Mountaineer in Fort Lupton CO beginning in 1995, and have been recently remodeled.
