The Sleeper Car Experience

When Audrey and I planned our return trip from Churchill in July, we had initially planned to do the entire 14-hour drive from Thompson in one go, so we booked a sleeper cabin to ensure we were well rested. 

Tragically, this alone did not grant us the additional endurance required for such marathon travelling, but hey, you don't know unless you try, right? And sleeping in an actual bed, in a private room, on a moving train, was a very cool experience.

I want to say it was a little more than double the price, so two economy tickets (in a reclining seat, with a plug-in for my CPAP) would have been about $200, while a cabin for two made that part of the trip about $470 or so.

After loading our larger luggage onto the baggage car, we boarded the sleeper car directly from the rear of the train and our delightful attendant (porter? concierge? I'm not even sure), Val, showed us to our tiny cabin. And to be sure, claustrophobes need not apply - I never thought to try but am pretty sure I could touch all four walls without moving my feet from the center of the room. 

She showed us the features and amenities of the room (which included a wall-mounted fan) and advised we would need to let her know when we wanted the beds put out for sleeping, which we asked her to do at 11:00.

When she left and closed the door, we were left with a space about 5' x 7' with two relatively comfy reclining seats (albeit without the footrests of Economy class), a sink and mirror, and our own (tiny) washroom. We eventually figured out we could stow our two carry-ons in the 'attic' above the washroom which made our sitting area feel a bit more spacious and the sink had a little hinged cover we could set my iPad on to watch a movie later. 

We got ourselves situated pretty quickly and decided to go spend a little time in the observation car while it was still light outside.

On our way, we discovered that our car actually did have a shared shower we could use (although the rocking motion might make you rethink shaving with a blade). If you were travelling to Churchill from Winnipeg ( a 40+ hour endeavour) I am certain this amenity would be greatly appreciated!

And we also passed the car full of sleeping berths - small couches that face each other during the day and which convert to curtained bunks for sleeping at night, a la Star Trek: Lower Decks.

The domed car is usually a bit cool, so it is a good idea to bring a sweater. The very first seat is rear-facing, with a table between it and the next seat which makes it very popular with people who want to share a meal or play cards while enjoying the scenery. The remaining seats with their airline-style tray-tables provided a great space for me to sit and write my blog the next morning so I could post it on-schedule once we got back into wi-fi country.

There is also a small dining area in the area just below the dome, and a small canteen with coffee and light meals directly below it.

It had been a long day though, so we retired to our cabin to watch a movie on my iPad - Bullet Train, ironically, which I had downloaded from Netflix. Tragically I had not realized that my new iPad, purchase two months ago, did not have a headphone jack so we were unable to use my splitter. Luckily I was able to set my Bluetooth speaker on a suitcase between us so we could hear everything clearly enough over the ambient train nose and track clacking (but turned subtitles on anyways).

Shortly after the movie wrapped up, our porter (not Val) came by to convert our room, so we headed back up to the dome care for a few minutes while he did so. When we came back, he was wrapping up, but before leaving, asked if we wanted a knock on the door if the aurora borealis was visible that night. Audrey said yes without a moment's hesitation, and I thought this was a tremendous service to offer.

The beds do not leave a lot of room in the cabin once they are deployed, but are spacious and comfortable. There was a plug-in for my CPAP and room for it to rest near me at the head of the bed, as well as a shelf for my eyeglasses and a pouch I could tuck my iPad behind once I went to sleep.

Each bunk has its own reading lamp, and the upper one even has some sturdy nylon webbing to keep a sleeper safely in place if the train should experience excessive deceleration.

Now, the Churchill train is slow, peaking around 50 km/h, but not necessarily steady, proceeding as it does over muskeg and ground tormented by frost heaves. I worried that this would make it difficult to sleep, but in truth, the rocking back and forth is kind of soothing, and we both slept soundly through the night.

The next morning we hung the "Please make up our room" sign on the door (a first for me I believe) and headed to the canteen. We got two microwaved English muffin breakfast sandwiches and two coffees ($19) and ate them in the dome car.

When we returned to our room, the beds had been stowed and chairs replaced, and it was somewhat liberating being able to brush our teeth in our own sink without worrying that someone else was waiting to use the toilet. I doubt people on the Orient Express think about things like this, but having travelled this route seven times prior, it was a notable perk.

We arrived safe and sound in Thompson around noon, caught the shuttle to the campground where we had parked it (although the train station parking lot is apparently much safer than it used to be), and began the long drive home.

In the final analysis, can we say the Via Rail Cabin for Two was worth the money we paid for it? Well, certainly, for the experience, if nothing else. I have grown up seeing people sleep on trains in the movies and reading about it books since I was a kid, so getting to do it myself for once was extremely cool. And if a person valued their privacy, or required their own washroom, or preferred to isolate from other passengers for health reasons, this is certainly a good way to do it.

Would I pay the extra $135/person (each way) the next time Audrey and I make our northern pilgrimage? I am honestly not sure. I don't find the recliners that bad for sleeping and I would prefer to spend that money on dinner and drinks at the Tundra Pub, but if the budget allowed for it, I would certainly consider travelling by sleeper car in the future.

(And while eating breakfast in the dome car, I also learned from the conductor that Via Rail has one of the few corporate logos that is exactly the same when viewed upside down.)