by Russell T. Sharp/photos by the author
Why did I want to go to Churchill, the northern Manitoba outpost that describes itself as the “Polar Bear Capital of the World?” An EMD retiree buddy had gone there more than 40 years ago on VIA Rail Canada, and he wanted to see if there were any changes after all that time. So I got to thinking that, for me, joining him for the trip on VIA to Churchill would add to my rare mileage, and might provide a chance to see one or more polar bears.
The Journey Begins
On Sunday, October 15, 2023, at 4:27AM, Uber took me from my home in La Grange Park, Ill., to the Chicago Tran-sit Authority Pink Line station at 54th and Cermak in Cicero. A Pink Line train took me to Clinton station in Chicago (North Clinton Street and West Lake Street). I then walked to Chicago Union Station and boarded Amtrak Wolverine Train 350, a mix of Horizon and Siemens Venture cars, to Detroit. We departed Union Station at 6:45AM and arrived in Detroit at 1:25PM, on time from start to finish.
Following lunch at White Castle (right across the street from the Detroit Amtrak station), I took the QLine streetcar from the stop on Woodward Avenue, adjacent to the Amtrak station, south to the end of the line at West Larned Street (the Congress Street stop). The 3.3-mile QLine opened on May 12, 2017, and there is no charge to ride it. I then walked the six or so blocks to the entrance of the Detroit–Windsor tunnel under the Detroit River, and caught the tunnel bus to Windsor, Ont. The bus fare was $10. (That bus, operated by the city of Windsor, has since been discontinued due to low ridership. It has been replaced by a service provided by a private operator.)
ABOVE: The station at Thompson, Man., was built by CN in 1960.
Early the next morning, a 10-minute taxi ride from my riverfront hotel took me to VIA’s Windsor (Walkerville) station, where I boarded Train 70 (nine LRC cars) to Toronto. We departed at 5:51AM rather than the scheduled 5:40AM because our engineer had to get his paperwork in order. We arrived at Toronto Union Station on time at 10:10AM. The fare was C$122.04.
I then rode a Union Pearson Express diesel multiple-unit train from Toronto Union Station to Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Cost was C$6.20. My buddy had elected to travel to Winnipeg, Man., in style on VIA Train 1, the Canadian. I was in money-saving mode, and chose to fly to Winnipeg on Porter Airlines. My round-trip air fare, Toronto–Winnipeg–Toronto, was C$323.58. Flight PD437 departed Pearson airport at 3:50PM (Eastern Time), arriving Winnipeg at 5:26PM (Central Time). Our plane was an Embraer E195-E2 twin-engine jet. This was my first time flying with Porter, and I was quite impressed with the service. Complimentary beer and wine were available, and the attendant served wine in a real glass.
ABOVE: Two F40PH-2Ds in VIA’s standard green, gray, and yellow livery led Trains 693 and 692 on the author’s trip. This is southbound Train 692 at Thompson.
After arriving at the Winnipeg airport (YWG), I caught a Winnipeg Transit Route 15 bus to Vaughn Street, a half block from Portage Avenue, then a Route 14 bus onward to the corner of Saint Mary Avenue and Main Street. The senior fare was C$3.15. I was pleasantly surprised by the large number of passengers on the Winnipeg Transit buses. When I ride PACE buses in the western suburbs of Chicago, many times I’m the only passenger. Meeting up after our separate arrivals in Winnipeg, my buddy and I stayed downtown at the Humphry Inn and Suites, only three blocks from Winnipeg Union Station.
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
In the morning, we walked the short distance along Main Street from the hotel to Union Station, a Beaux-Arts facility opened in 1911. At its mid-20th century peak, it served trains operated by Canadian National, Great Northern, and Northern Pacific. In 1976, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada/Heritage Railway Station and has been recently restored. Passing through the Main Street entrance, the station’s beautiful domed rotunda comes into view. Sadly, today there are only eight trains per week calling here: two VIA Canadians in each direction (Trains 1 and 2 between Toronto and Vancouver); VIA Train 692, Churchill to Winnipeg twice per week; and VIA Train 693, Winnipeg to Churchill twice per week.
ABOVE: Train 691 from The Pas, behind F40PH-2D 6458, and the author’s Train 692 meet at Thompson on October 20, 2023.
Because Train 693’s only sleeping car was sold out when I booked, I settled for a coach ticket, Winnipeg to Churchill. To my surprise, when I presented it to the agent at Winnipeg Union Station he said, “You’re going in an open-section upper berth in our sleeping car.” It turned out that a good friend in the Montreal area, who had worked for Canadian National as a locomotive engineer and conductor and had many VIA Preference loyalty points, had purchased the sleeping car ticket for me! My coach ticket had been free, using my own VIA Preference points, which were restored to my account for future use.
Our Churchill-bound Train 693 was led by F40PH-2D locomotives 6457 and 6441, hauling a classic Budd-built consist: baggage car 8606 (once a baggage-dorm), coaches 8101 and 8113, Skyline dome lounge 8511, and the sleeping car Chateau Bienville. Built in the mid-1950s for Canadian Pacific, these cars once graced The Canadian, The Dominion, and other premier trains.
ABOVE: On VIA’s Winnipeg–Churchill run, the trains’ baggage car — built for CP in the mid-1950s and originally configured for baggage and crew-dormitory use — carries passengers’ checked luggage as well as commercial shipments and provisions for residents at stations along the route. Crew members load baggage car 8606 prior to Train 692’s departure from Churchill on October 19, 2023.
We departed Winnipeg Union Station on time at 12:05PM. Soon thereafter, the crew introduced themselves. Service Manager Mario had 26 years with VIA. Senior Service Attendant Vaughn was assigned to the Skyline car. I recognized Attendant Natalie, who had been a dome-observation car attendant on one of my trips on VIA’s Canadian.
I immediately took a liking to the crew. If I had a question, they immediately got me the answer. Departing Winnipeg, Natalie happily allowed me to look out the rear vestibule window, taking photos and videos for my YouTube channel. We had a total of 38 passengers out of Winnipeg, including 18 in the sleeping car.
Meal service was provided in the Skyline dome-lounge car, fitted with table seating in one end. The menu — micro-waved food only, plus beer and wine — was handwritten on a white paper plate. We headed west on CN’s Rivers Subdivision main line for 52 miles to Portage la Prairie, Man., where we entered CN’s Gladstone Subdivision. It was slow running on the prairies, although the maximum speed was 61 mph. While enjoying the dome car I met another train buff who was also heading to Churchill, as well as a German crew filming a documentary on the VIA trains operating between Winnipeg and Churchill, and on Churchill itself…
