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Has anyone taken this train from Winnipeg up to Churchill? What does the train have in terms of a lounge car? What's the scenery like? Lastly, how long do you have to stay in Churchill before catching a train back? thanks so much, Scott
Posts: 171 | Registered: May 2002
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This train runs tri weekly and the equipment turns the same day in churchill...arrival 8:30 am departure 8:30 pm. Last time I rode it was a combination diner/lounge car. The scenery desreases as you go further north but Churchill has several polar bear excursions available in the town. The whole town is walkable, with motels and restaurants, a couple of each, walkable from the train station.
Posts: 332 | From: Long Island, NY USA | Registered: Jan 2004
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I took the trip a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. The only negative is getting there. It takes a full day to get to Churchill and a full day back. I garentee that there isn't much to do or see. However, if you like to read, bring one or two books and you'll be fine. The scenery is boring, just forest the whole way, with no interesting formations and very few towns. Also, you're pretty much refined to your own car, and the diner (believe me, you don't wan't to go into the coaches, hint, hint). The food, I remember was just as good as any other Via train. Overall, if you can stand two days of nothing, I highly recomend the trip. Churchill is a very interesting town. Depedning on the time of year (I went during the summer), you can take various tours. I believe the polar bear tours are during the winter, and I took a whale watching tour, which was great. The tour went in the Hudson Bay, where we saw tons of Boluga Whales and then ended with a visit to a fort on an island. If you aren't going to take a tour, I don't know if the trip would be worth it. The train gets into Churchill in the morning and leaves at ten or ten thirty, and there is not much else to do. The food situation was fine, there were a few restaurants and an IGA. Also, I'd recomend booking a hotelfor the day, ours was very resonable and comfortable and gives you a place to rest/nap before the train. Luggage also isn't a problem as all the places are near eachother (one main road, unpaved) and there is actually a cab company. Overall, if you want to ad some railmiles, travel north of the Artic Circle, and explore the north on a tour, I would say that you should absolutely go.
Posts: 82 | Registered: Aug 2004
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