Trailblazer Guide Books

These Trailblazer guides … are a godsend for independent travelers.
 — Travel & Leisure

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: PLANNING YOUR TRIP

    Routes
    Route options 9 – Breaking your journey 10

    Services and fares 10
    The Canadian 12 – The other trains (The Ocean p17,
    The Corridor p18, The Skeena p18, The Hudson Bay p19,
    The Rocky Mountaineer p20)

    Overall costs
    Package tours 23

    When to go 23

    Making a booking
    With a tour or on your own? 24 – Making a booking in Britain
    and Ireland 25 – VIA Rail international sales agents 27
    Making a booking in Canada and the USA 27

    Visas and insurance
    Visas 28 – Health and travel insurance 29

    What to take
    Clothes 29 – Medical supplies 30 – Money 30
    Background reading 30

PART 2: CANADA

    Facts about the country
    Background (climate, transport and communications,
    landscape zones) 33 – Historical outline 36 – The Quebec issue 40
    Twenty-first century Canada 40 – Economy 41 – The people 42
    Government 43 – Education and social welfare 43 – Religion 44

    Practical information for the visitor
    Documents 44 – Arriving in Canada 45 – Hotels 45 – Local
    transport 46 – Electricity 47 – Time 47 – Money 48 – Post, internet
    and phone calls 49 – Newspapers 51 – Holidays 51
    Festivals 52 – Food 52 – Drink 53 – What to do in the evening 53
    Shopping 54 – Taxes 54 – Crime 55 

PART 3: RAILWAY HISTORY

    Building the first trans-Canada railway
    Canada before the railway 56 – The Pacific scandal 58
    The railway under the Liberals 59 – Over to the CPR 59
    Dangers and difficulties 61 – On the verge of bankruptcy 62
    Completion of the railway 64 – Early railway service 64

    Into the 20th century: CNR and VIA Rail
    Two more transcontinental lines 66 – The CNR takes over 67

PART 4: CITY GUIDES AND PLANS

    Halifax 69 – Quebec City 81 – Montreal 93 – Toronto 110

    Winnipeg 127 – Edmonton 138 – Jasper 147

    Calgary 155 – Vancouver 165 – Churchill 182
    
PART 5: ROUTE GUIDES AND MAPS

    Using this guide
    Railway subdivisions, mile markers, station names, stops, time zones 187

    The Ocean: Halifax to Montreal
    Halifax 189 – Charny (for Quebec City) 194 – Montreal 195

    The Corridor route: Montreal to Toronto
    Montreal 196 – Toronto 199

    The Canadian: Toronto to Vancouver
    Toronto 199 – Winnipeg 203 – Saskatoon 205 – Edmonton 208
    Jasper 210 – Kamloops 213

    The Skeena: Jasper to Prince Rupert
    Jasper 214 – Prince George 216 – Prince Rupert 220

    The Hudson Bay: Winnipeg to Churchill
    Winnipeg 221 – Churchill 227

    The Rocky Mountaineer
    First Passage to the West: Calgary to Vancouver 228
    Journey Through the Clouds: Jasper to Vancouver 234
    Rainforest to Goldrush: Whistler to Jasper 234
    Whistler from Sea to Sky Climb: Vancouver to Whistler 236

APPENDICES
    A  Timetables 238    B  French words and phrases 244
    C  Bibliography 247    D  Town plan key 247

INDEX  248

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