Canada by rail

[1]

The Ocean

There are good reasons for this.

VIA Rail Canada employs a "learning co-ordinator" on some of its trains, a plaid-vested chap who is something of a cross between a pedant and a concierge.

For those passengers with the means to afford Rail Canada's Easterly class, the trip includes sleeping accommodation, meals and, best of all, access to the caboose, where stairs lead to a second-floor observation dome, a thrilling conservatory on wheels.

There the concierge serves Champagne and holds court, regaling travellers with stories of the struggles between the British and Acadian French, while the train, the Ocean, winds its way through forests of sumac and sugar maple, their leaves a hundred brilliant colours on autumn afternoons.

The Ocean, VIA Rail Canada's train from Montreal to Halifax, leaves six days a week in each direction, and sleeper cars, comfort class and multiple dining options are available year-round (www.viarail.ca [2]).