I didn’t get what I was hoping for from this book. I got less of what I wanted and more of what I didn’t know I wanted.
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I was hoping for insights into the Rocky Mountaineer trains, the people who work on them, and the company behind them. Train Beyond the Mountains delivers that, though not in as much detail as I had hoped for.
Train Beyond the Mountains is fundamentally not about the trains. It’s a journey, in fact several journeys – a physical trip through the mountains of Alberta and British Columbia; a grandfather trying to navigate his relationship with his grandson; a skipping trip through the history of the area.
If you’re looking for a just-the-facts-ma’am book about the Rocky Mountaineer and the company that runs it, this isn’t it. There are some insights into the company and its, um, rocky beginnings. The author was vice-president of Great Canadian Railtours during the startup of the train and shares some of the challenges the company faced at the beginning. Quotes and stories from Peter Armstrong, founder, help give a look into the company.
It turned out to be a pretty interesting book. The “main” thread about the author and his grandson is okay, if a little too “cute”, but the deep dives into the history of the places they visit and the people of the area are where this book really shines.
Buy Train Beyond the Mountains on Amazon
Other books about the Rocky Mountaineer include:
Traditional rail fans and those passionate about VIA often speak negatively about Rocky Mountaineer. However their operation has boosted the profile of rail travel in Canada a great deal. I’ve done the Gold Leaf to Banff once and it was superb, and taken The Canadian over 20 times. Both fantastic. I’m off on #2 on Monday for another round trip to Toronto
That’s true, Grant. Many rail fans are very anti Rocky Mountaineer, mostly because they took over a promising VIA Rail service. I think RM has capitalized on the potential that VIA showed, far more than VIA ever could have as a public service.
I’m glad you have had an excellent experience with the Gold Leaf service. Enjoy your trip on the “Canadian”! Send pictures 🙂