In August 2005, I took some time away from my summer course work and did a quick trip by train to Halifax and back. It was my first time sleeping overnight on a train. It was lots of fun and I met some great people on the way.
I left Toronto in the evening and travelled overnight in coach class to Montreal (this train was cancelled soon afterwards). I then spent the day touring Montreal before catching the train to Halifax.
In the early evening I caught The Ocean east on the 24 hour trip to Halifax. After a three course dinner in the dining car as we headed along the Saint Lawrence River, I settled into the dome car to watch the stars. A fellow passenger and I bought a bottle of wine after dinner and shared it in the dome car as the train travelled through the darkness towards Halifax.
I slept in an upper berth but got up early for the sunrise. The whole next day was spent eating in the dining car and sitting in the dome. The carriage attendant offered commentary and pointed out sights as we passed through the villages and towns.
We arrived in Halifax in the late afternoon.
In Halifax, I discovered that the Halifax Busker Festival was taking place on the waterfront. I spent the night in a hostel. The next morning I walked through the Halifax citadel before catching my noon train to take me home.
Then it was another 24 hours on the train back to Montreal with an early morning arrival. A special moment was when the train faced an unexpected stop in the late evening. I don’t remember the reason for the stop but the car attendant let a few of us get off the train into the ballast. In the middle of nowhere, there were no lights and no sounds other than the distance rumbling of the locomotives – just us and the stars.
Then a quick train switch for the ride into Toronto in the afternoon.
