posted
Dear fellow railbuffs, my brother and I are going from Toronto to Montreal, round trip on October 1st. We travelled the same route last Christmas and enjoyed it tremendously. The food is top notch, the VIA personnel are very helpful and polite, all in all, the trip was a blast :-) I'm posting to ask a few questions, here they come:
- tips: what is the general rule for tipping wagon attendants in Via 1 class. We tipped during our last trip and the wagon attendant acted shocked, like it was the first time she ever received such a thing.
- is there a website to check what consists VIA will be running in the future. Reason I ask is, our Montreal run was pulled by a P42 and the ride was so smooth but our Toronto run was pulled by a F59PH2 and you could smell the diesel exhaust every so often in the wagon. No biggie btw. Still love those trains :-0
- what are the rules for bringing a frequency scanner onboard. We will be using earphones of course.
posted
I travel Via frequently, usually in sleepers of Via 1 class, so I will share my experiences.
On the subject of tipping, it seems that most passengers in Via 1 class (especially business travellers) equate the train with a plane and don't tip. Those of us who have been around a while usually do. I also have had some shocked "thank yous" when I offered a tip. Many of the more experienced attendants don't seem surprised, but they offer a heart-felt thank you. Unless the service is poor (which rarely is the case) I usually tip $5 to the person who served me the most (there are usually two attendants per car in Via 1) or $5 or more to each depending on the number of people I'm travelling with. On the long-distance trains, tips for dining car and sleeping car attendants are given by almost all passengers.
I'm glad you found the food in Via 1 to be top notch. I find it to be inconsistent: some meals are definitely top notch, but some are barely edible. In my experience, I recommend you avoid the red meat. Although I have occasionally had a piece of beef tenderloin that has not been cooked beyond recognition, I find that chicken, pasta and fish re-heats better. Compared with our national airline, the meal service on Via is much superior. There are three choices at each meal and if you see something you might really enjoy on the menu (available on Via's Web site) you can phone the reservation office and request that your favourite be held for you. There is supposed to be some major revamping of Via 1 service this autumn. Already the white napkins have been replaced with burgundy ones and the little wine glasses have been crested with the new Via 1 logo.
There seems to be no way to determine whether or not a given train will be hauled by a new P-42 or an older F-40. The expresses (1700 departure) between Toronto and Montreal have always been hauled by a P-42 in my experience. The slow trains (#60, ex Toronto at 1130 and #57, ex Montreal at 0940) always have an F-40 or two. The overnight "Enterprise", despite carrying the new British-built Renaissance equipment, is always hauled by an F-40.
Finally, scanners are not a problem anywhere on Via. It will, of course, give you away as being an enthusiast to some of the crew, but railfans who actually travel by train are treated well by Via personnel.
[This message has been edited by David (edited 09-02-2002).]
[This message has been edited by David (edited 09-02-2002).]
posted
Wow, nice reply, thanks David. I remember us having a discussion about Via Rail on this same message board last year. I was forced to change my nickname due to me losing my login info :-( Our last trip was a blast, we did have 2 attendants, they do serve quite a bit of alcoholic drinks, don't they :-) I personally was tipsy when we reached Montreal (2 beers, 3 wines, 2 cognac). I said no thanks but they don't listen hehe, their response was always, "it's the holidays, we're gonna have some too". For all you folks still pondering whether to go by train, I highly recommend it. Oops my mistake, they are F40's not F59's, thanks for the correction. By the way, I recently bought two Cobra handhelds which I was told were frequency scanners but to my surprise, they are actually CB Radios. Would those be any good on a train, I don't think so? I'm looking for a place where I can trade them in for a cheapy scanner, might you know a place?
quote:Originally posted by linuxop1977: ...I'm looking for a place where I can trade them in for a cheapy scanner, might you know a place?...
linuxop1977,
I can't help with a trade but I can share my experience. I have an ICOM IC-R2 that I purchased for a trip that we took earlier this year. What is really nice about this scanner is that it is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket or pants pocket. I carried it in my pants pocket and used an ear bud for privacy. I have seen this radio advertised for around $150-$160 (US).
Enjoy your trip,
Mark
Posts: 102 | From: Fort Worth,TX,USA | Registered: Dec 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hello mho357, thank you for the reply. I'll keep an eye out for that type of model, I really don't feel like carrying a 25 lbs "handheld" scanner :-(
quote:Originally posted by linuxop1977: Hello mho357, thank you for the reply. I'll keep an eye out for that type of model, I really don't feel like carrying a 25 lbs "handheld" scanner :-(
posted
mho357, thanks for the link. Got scared there for a sec thinking that model was only available in the U.S. I finally got their Canadian website and found two dealers near me and will be checking them out pretty soon.
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