>>>>SNIP
>>>>>
>>>>>OTOH I'd simply love to visit Vancouver some day. It looks like a wonderful city, with a pleasant climate.
>>>>
>>>>Vancouver (and Victoria too, I'd say) is indeed a beautiful city with lots to offer.
>>>>But my first trip there was by rail across Canada, and the Rockies just knocked my socks off - rugged and positively BEAUTIFUL with wildlife everywhere - making Vancouver ho-hum by comparison.
>>>
>>>Oh, I've always wanted to do the trans-Rockies trip, on one of those big trains with the obs. waggon, dining car, sleeper compartment, spacious dining room, the whole 9 yds. One day I'll be able to afford it :-) (remember I've got to pay to get over there first too!)
>>
>>Well I did it the whole 9 yards way, but it was very cheap compared to today's prices. Plus the fact that I was an employee and so had a pass (self and wife) for the basic transport part. The roomette was extra but it included meals and snacks in the dining car, and it was a real dining car with food prepared right there for all meals (as opposed to microwaved stuff). I ate prime rib every evening, and tipping decently assured that I got nice helpings and best quality. Still ranks as the best trip I ever made, comfort/enjoyment wise.
>>
>>Couldn't get same arrangements for homeward trip, so wife and I flew back from Vancouver. Doing it standby, with family discount and student discount we paid $99.00 total for the one-way trip home.
>>Pricng is a little different today all around < s >
>
>Was that the old CN was it?, that went bust about 10+ years ago? They still have such trips but different train lines and prohibitively expensive as I understand it. As for your trip, I'd've though a 1-way would have sufficed anyway - don't wanna see the whole thing again backwards. If on holiday then it gives you time then to do other sightseeing.

Yes, it was CN. But they never went bust. Just got out of the passenger business, a crown corporation taking it over (and CP's too). CN went private and is very profitable.
Indeed the same today (still not sure they actually cook meals on the trains) is prohibitively expensive and very infrequent as I understand.
The real "problem" I had with the trip was that the moon landing happened the day after arriving Vancouver, so I was glued to the TV and wife wanted to do the sightseeing thing. < s >