Train to Toronto

Day 32 Sunday 17 October – Edmonton

A fairly rough night with a midnight stop at Edmonton. Up at 6 for a shower and then breakfast. Back to the 'dome' car for some spectacular sunrise photos. With frequent stops and starts we arrive in Saskatoon before lunch time. We are travelling through extensive cropping country and some irrigated fodder paddocks.

Despite having breakfast as early as possible we had advanced the clock another hour before lunch thereby reducing the time between meals. Breakfast is served on a first in first served basis. Lunch and diner have two seating, early and late which you have to select the day before. So today we decide if we want late or early tomorrow. There is about an hour and a half between sittings.

There is a considerable amount of water about and a local informed us that they've had a bad season, rain about planting time so the crops were sown late. Then they had rain at about harvest time and either couldn't get the crop off or it was damaged. There were huge flocks of Snow Geese and Canadian Geese dining out on the remnants. By evening we had entered grazing country and arriving at Winnipeg about 8.
We got off briefly and although we were there for three hours we had to be back on the train by 9 or stay off until boarding at 11. With all the service traffic on the platform and repositioning of the train they didn't want us wandering on and off and getting in the way. There is a total crew change here so a whole lot of new faces.

Day 33 Monday 18 October – Ontario

After a much better night's sleep we had breakfast and looked out on a totally different landscape. We have entered a vast area of very thin trees, many lakes but not much in the way of human occupation. The sunrise is more subdued, lacking the deep colours of yesterday. Clocks are advanced another hour we are now on Eastern Time.

Stops today are at Sioux Lookout and Homepayne, these stops are to change the engineers who have a limit on the number of hours they can stay on duty.

I've seen a number of log landings serviced by railway tracks. I'm informed that they are seasonal and only used during the winter when the marshes freeze over and they can harvest the trees for pulp wood.

Day 34 Tuesday 19 October – Arrive in Toronto

The train is on schedule and we are now travelling through some better looking country. Lakes and a variety of houses from fishing shacks to grand mansions. There are now also some more roads and increasing signs of industry.

As we approach Toronto there are trees with their coloured leaves. It augers well for some interesting images.

Will send a report on Toronto in the next few days.