Anecdotes from Trips with Dad

As I mentioned at the end of my version of The Day I Became a Railfan, I wished I paid more attention, took more notes and photos. Well, ditto for all subsequent trips as they all have become a bit of a blur. I have attempted to jot down some anecdotes here of those subsequent trips.

After dad and my initial trip in 1989 (The Day I Became a Railfan), there was another quick followup trip. We had only been back a few weeks when dad said he regretted missing a couple of east coast train rides. So, mid October, we were headed east again, this time by car. Day one, we drove all the way to Edmundston, NB. Day 2, we boarded the #626 RDC train for Moncton, arriving late morning. It was, I believe, the same RDCs were then scheduled to head for a round trip to Saint John (unknown train number). We boarded and were told that there would be a bustitution from Sussex to Saint John and back due to trackwork. So be it. Still got a hour or two in Saint John, bus and RDC back to Moncton and then #625 RDC (in the dark) back to Edmundston. Day 3 was trip home. Did some rusty railfanning (abandoned Edmundston to Riviere du Loup), stopped in at the Maritime Museum of Quebec and back to Montreal where we visited and stayed thie night with dad's aunt Norma, Day 4 was home.

Other trips become a bit of a blur. Dad and I did try to take an annual or semi annual trip over the coming years, pretty much exclusively in early fall after the tourist season and some deals could be had but touristy places hadn't shut down for season. Some trips can be nailed down due to discontinuance or notable events that occurred. I believe I had about 12 or 13 trips with dad, with maybe 3 or 4 to Gaspe and the rest to Halifax or Moncton, plus two trips east without dad. Without promising anything is in chronological order, here are some anecdotes.

There was a last ride on the Atlantic shortly before it ended (likely 1994). The Atlantic cut across southern Quebec, Maine and NB. My only confirmed memory of that trip was when I invited myself up to the cab of the lead locomotive, a F-40, in Moncton on the way home. My recollection is, with the engine running flat out for HEP, how much the cab shook, like being in one of those weight loss vibrating belts.

Dad and I did an Annapolis Valley trip as well. Took the train to Moncton, rented car, out to the Salem and Hillsborough, Hopewell Rocks, Alma, Fundy Park, Saint John. Dad sent me out for dinner to McDonalds as he wanted a McLobster, which was a standard menu item then in the east. Next day we took the ferry from Saint John to Digby. From there we followed the Annapolis Valley and looked at the scant remnants of the railway that we had ridden in 1989, just a few years before. Stopped in Middleton to look for some family graves and looked at the remaining stations in the Annapolis Valley and toured a railway museum in one of them (Middleton?).

At some point, made our first visit to the Train Station Inn in Tatamagouche. My friend Susan joined us on that one. Dad and Susan took rooms in the station, I got a caboose to myself. After Tatamagouche and back through Truro, headed across country to Windsor and to Kentville before turning south to Lunenburg (Museum of the Atlantic) and Oak Island causeway.

In the mid 90s, mom, dad, Uncle Mike and Aunt Bette all made the trip to Gaspe. We met up in Montreal and boarded the Chaleur. That was my first experience with a Skyline dome to Gaspe as, in our previous trip, it was all blue equipment and a 700 series cafe lounge. We stayed at the new Bakers hotel, had lunch at the Brise Bise, again checked out the remains of Fort Ramsay (Commanders house was still there then and dad and Mike peaked through the windows), toured the Gaspesie Museum, went through Forillon, right around to Cap Rosier, to Perce Rock, etc.

Last Gaspe trip was likely 2000. Train must have been ontime as Dad and I had a couple hours in Gaspe and took a cab to the Legion, got the tour, and the big picture in the stairwell was of my grandfather. Noted that Commanders house at Fort Ramsay was now gone leaving virtually no remnants of the WW2 base. Leaving Gaspe, it was mid November as I learned about F40 traction control, if the wheels start slipping, the engine backs off power until it effectively stalls. As we left Gaspe, near freezing temperatures and fall leaves on the rails, the traction stalled. The train simply couldn't climb hills. Several runs at hills were needed before the rails were clear enough and dry enough to continue. This continued for most of the afternoon and into the evening. When dinner time rolled around we headed for the Skyline diner. Had a good meal and were just hanging out. I think the dinner joke became (with all the runs at hills followed by backing up for another run) to be "Oh, we are in Port Daniel".... Oh, look, Port Daniel again", "Oh, it is Port Daniel again", Yeah... Port Daniel again.." There was a point where we glanced out the the window and saw two youngsters, with focused gaze, each had a firm grip on a stone, locked and loaded. They let those stones fly, shattering the outside pane of of one the Skyline dining car windows. Train screeched to a halt, crew jumped off, no sign of the young offenders. Likely a $2k piece of glass, you brats. As I ended my evening that night, by now 10pm+, the coach was on the rear end and the vestibule on the very tail end. While officially not allowed out there I spent a good hour out there in the cold rain/wet snow, just listening to the clickety clack, smelling the brakes, etc. Every so often, I would see a shadow behind me, just the conductor making sure I hadn't fallen off or anything, never bugged me or gave me grief. Great trip, one of my most favorites.

2002ish? Interesting trip as mom came along. She flew to Halifax and met dad and I there as we took the Ocean. On that trip, we drove to Cape Breton with stops in Tatamagouche, we took a caboose and mom had the cold lobster (she still says the best lobster she ever had) in the dining car at Tatamagouche. Next day, off to Inverness, Bras D'or Lake and Sydney, staying at a hotel that had a view of the harbour with cruise ships and ferries, do recall hanging out with a bunch of people in the hot tub while cooling off with the tunnel slides into the pool. Next day, to Louisbourg and Glace Bay. Took the Bras D'or train back to Halifax. Mom had a blast, certainly recall her sitting in the dome with me sipping wine saying how it was one of her best experiences in life. At Orangedale museum, the train stopped with tours, live entertainment and dancing, Mom was dancing. The next day in Halifax, mom flew back to TO and I was tasked with getting a bottle of scotch for dad for Happy Hour on the ride home on the Ocean. It was a good hike to the nearest liquor store at the downtown mall. (There is now a liquor store right outside the station in Halifax). In the mall I spotted Sue Johannsen (Sex with Sue) just sitting on a bench. Said hello. What is interesting is after we all got home, mom shrieked at dad and I saying it was one of the worst experiences of her life!? I distinctly remember mom and I, in the dome, glass of wine, and mom saying how wonderful this is. Mom will never be a train fan.

One non dad trip east was in the early 2000s. This was with Richard, Lucie, and Americans Jim and Doug. We met up in Montreal. I was really short on money at that point in time and had bought a discount ticket flushed out with some Airmiles. My ticket was for "Sleeper Plus" (at that time, was a coach seat with sleeping car priviledges) but, was told upon boarding, such service had been discontinued a few weeks before and, despite what my ticket said, I was simply in coach. My travel mates were all in sleeper including Marc, who also only had a coach ticket (Marc rode out to St Hyancinth so he could get back to Montreal that night). Richard came up to coach to invite me back when we were stopped by Service Manager Vince, who said I was not allowed back in the sleeper cars. I appealed my case saying I should have had Sleeper Plus status but to no avail. Another attempt to join my friends was caught by Vince who threatened to have me thrown off the train. Finally, about 10 pm, long after cocktails, dinner or any other common courtesy, I was summoned to Vince's office. He spent a long time explaining how awful his job was, how awful his day was... he reviewed my ticket, admitted there was a mistake, sold me a rommette upgrade and allowed me to rejoin my friends. HOLY SHIT. I wasn't going anywhere, doing anything weird. He could have said - hang out with you friends, I know where to find you. WOW!! Big shift on that story was a few hours later we were all sitting in the Park Car. You are not allowed to bring personal booze into public spaces but I filled my clear water bottle with Southern Comfort (pretty obvious) and we were sitting in the Park Lounge. A guy comes up up to me and says "I hear you had an issue with your ticket". I tell him the story, while taking sips of my obviously not water, he listens, says nothing about that, then says, "when are you coming back"? I tell him, he says he is a VIA executive and not to worry about my trip home. As far as the trip goes, we arrived in Moncton, rented a car. I had booked the group tickets for the Salem and Hillborough for their Thanksgiving Dinner Train. They had equipment issues, mostly caused by clueless volunteers, and the train left late, pretty much after dark. I think a key indicator was when Richard asked, after many failed brake tests was, "when did you last do a COT&S?" to which the reply was "what is that?" (Basic brake service and test, btw). My other recollection was the lounge cars had been set up with lengthwise seating down both sides, like a doctors waiting room, everybody uncomfortably waiting, no groupings or talking. After awhile, we were called for dinner, Still don't think train had left station at at that point. After the train ride, it was a late night dash to Tatamagouche where Jimmie had thankfully pre-assigned us rooms. I got the box car, or half box car (box car Jimmie), my favourite room thus far at Tatamagouche. A derailment in Northern NB meant we were detoured up the National Transcontinental line, hadn't done that since the Edmudnston RDC in 1989. The VIA executive had kept his word and I got a free upgrade to a roomette on the way home.

2004 trip is one I can nail and only because it was the week Christopher Reeve died (now idea why that is relevant). Dad started in Toronto and I joined him in Belleville as I moved to Tweed in the spring of 2004. Dad and I went to Moncton. We went down to the Salem and Hillsborough, hung out with Art Clowes a bit, went up to Richibucto and some rusty railfanning. I wanted to go to Kouchibouguac National Park, which we did and did the dunes and raised bog walks. I believe we headed back to a S&H dinner that night before taking the train home the next day.

The 2005 trip is another one I can nail. It was the last trip dad and I took. At the time I was working in Peterborough and I joined dad on the train in Cobourg. We travelled through to Halifax, stayed the night and, after renting a car, headed east through Dartmouth and beyond. We stopped at the Musquoidoboit railway museum, on to Sherbrooke (at a point I stopped and bought a used lobster trap for $25), toured Sherbrooke, up to Stellarton and museum. We continued on to Tatamagouche for the night and then back to Halifax the next day for the trip home. My lobster trap got checked in the baggage car and got transferred in Montreal and made it back to Cobourg.

Oak Island. Has always been a special place for me since reading that Readers Digest story back in the mid 60s. I likely read it in the late 60s at my doctor's office, waiting for my weekly allergy shot. Anyway, since the late 60s, always wanted to go to Oak Island. Not sure when I first got there. While, dad and my first trip down east was 1989, schedule would not have allowed it. Subsequent years are more vague leading me to assume my first visit was in 90 or 91. Those trips are ill-defined in memory. We did rent a car in Halifax and did Peggy's Cove, Chester, Oak Island (just to the causeway) and Lunenbourg. There were dinners at McKelvies, visiting the amazing Sam the Record Man, the Public Gardens, Historic Properties, Keith's Brewery and Tatamagouche,

On one of the trips, we were sitting our opposite roomettes and during cocktails there was a crew procession headendwards moving at blur speed. Then the train came to a stop. It was likely hour or two before the train moved again and, from talking to the crew, we got what happened. Apparently, various pets had been booked into the baggage car. A Pit Bull dog chewed its way out of its cage and and killed a cat in a neighbouring cage. It was working on the another cat cage when the crew noticed and took action. (this incident made the papers). I feel horrible for the deceased cats owner. My brother's cat was a VIA regular (in the baggage car) from Toronto to Belleville with never a problem.

Last trip was in Feb 2008 and went with friend Kristen. We left from Belleville, to Montreal and Ocean to Halifax. One funny moment was walking up to the check in counter at Central Station, Service Manager was Kenny Kearns and when he saw me, said "Hello Lesley, where are you off to this time?" Kristen freaked saying, "Oh my god they all really do know you!" Went down on HEP equipment and back on Rennaissance. Rented a car in Halifax and did Peggy's Cove, Oak Island causeway and Lunenburg. We hit at least 3 pubs a night in Halifax over our two nights there. It was quite the party.