Travelling onwards from Winnipeg was an organised tour by Frontiers North. The trip we booked on was The Churchill, Polar Bears and VIA Rail Adventurer Tour. Frontiers North run a very varied group of tours for those who want to see Polar Bears, from 1 day to extended stays, some stay on the tundra in the Tundra Buggy Lodge whilst others, like ours stayed in Churchill township. Our trip was an 8 day adventure. The trips are not cheap and the season is limited, only 6 to 8 weeks starting in mid September. Our trip started on Saturday November 5th, the date was not our first choice, having wanted to travel a week earlier but when we made an enquiry in June 2015 that trip was already booked out! So, second choice it was.
Our first night accomodation was at Inn At The Forks, a modern comfortable hotel. We didn't have dinner there instead eating at Markets at the Forks adjacent to the hotel which had a number of eating establishments. We met our guide that night who gave us a rundown on the trip, what to expect etc. There was 20 of us on the tour, mostly retired Americans plus 2 Australian couples and an English couple and our Canadian Guide who stayed with us the whole trip.
Breakfast the next morning was included at the hotel as was all meals from then on and as with travelling on the Canadian we were advised to check our luggage through to Churchill and take an overnight bag on the train so we had to have our checked luggage in the hotel lobby by 1000 so it could be transported over to Winnipeg Union Station and we wouldn't be seeing it again till in our rooms at Churchill. At 1100 we all gathered in the lobby and walked over to the station to catch train 693 The Hudson Bay.
The train consisted of
2 x F40PH Locomotives
Baggage Car
2 x Coaches
Dining Car
2 x Chateaux Sleeping Cars (Upper & lower sections, Roomettes and Bedrooms for 2
Park Car (Bedrooms for 2 plus dome and observation car.
We had a Bedroom in the Park Car. This bedroom was the same as on the Canadian.
The train had only just begun its journey when a lunch call was made. The menu was a very simple one than the Canadian with a choice of
Hamburger
Chicken Burger
Tuna Sandwich
Salad Sandwich
Chocolate cake
Tea and Coffee.
It was the same lunch menu for the 2 days.
After lunch we travelled in the dome or observation section of our car getting to know our fellow travellers and also watch the scenery change from wheat fields to light forest. Getting to know our group on the train was great and much better than flying up and straight out on the tundra looking bears, we had two days to get to know each over.
Dinner was a very basic menu too when called
Pot Roast
Chicken Parmagama
Salmon
Vegetarian Pasta
Apple Pie
Tea and Coffee - Alcohol was available to buy
As our train travelled into the night I explored the train and found the two lead coaches on the train virtually empty (I was to find out why the next day) whilst all the sleeping accommodation was taken except for a few of the sections.
During the the night our train was delayed by about 90 minutes due to beavers. Apparently they had been very active by the track so our track had to be checked before we could travel over the area.
Breakfast, again, was a basic menu,
Eggs - Fried, Scrambled
Bacon or Sausage
Hash browns,
Omelette
Hash browns.
Pancakes with Maple Syrup
Juice, tea and coffee.
After breakfast our tour group leader gave a presentation about Polar Bears, the Tundra, Foxes and Churchill itself. This talk together with the the scenery help pass the morning till it was time for another lunch, same menu as the previous day. The weather was still sunny but getting colder and patches of snow were around despite the warm 2C.
The train eventually arrived into Thompson, still 90 minutes late so instead of 5 hours here we only had 3 hrs 10 mins. Why so long? It was to allow the locals who live along the train track north of Thompson and had arrived earlier that morning by the southbound train time to do their shopping, see doctors, banking etc. This is as far as the roads go and this train is a community service obligation train heavily subsidised by the government in Ottawa. Whilst in Thompson we walked the 10 minutes into town bought a few souvenirs and coffee and Macdonalds, really not much there and where you walked there was very slippery ice! When we returned to the station there was a hive of activity as the baggage car was loaded up with the locals purchases and other luggage. The two coaches were full leaving Thompson with passengers and workers for Gillam where there was a hydro scheme and Churchill plus a number of wayside halts. Most of the stops only had a general store so you can understand the popularity of the train.
We had dinner leaving Thompson and headed into night. The atmosphere in dining car changed with the locals taking over half the car for socialising, cards, drinking etc. I managed to talk to a few who were on their way back to work in Churchill and said this was about normal for this train, everyone having a good time on the only transport around.
We awoke in the morning to more snow and the landscape had changed to a more tundra like appearance , during the night the train travelled at only 40mph due to the tundra. Our final meal in the dining car, breakfast, before settling into the dome car to look for wildlife till we arrived in Churchill 20 minutes early.
Polar Bears tomorrow.
