Once our train was at rest, everyone was asked to come into the coaches and we all had our passports at the ready. I caught up on my story while I waited for the Canadian Custom officials to walk the train and one agent worked each side. When they came to me, they asked "When will you be leaving Canada?" I handed them my Northwest Airlines boarding pass and said "Tomorrow morning at 6:20 AM from the Winnipeg Airport." She smiled and said "Welcome to Canada and I said "Thank you!". Once Customs was done, we were free to wander the train again so I returned to the open door baggage car and waited for the group of riders from Winnipeg.
The 100 passengers from Winnipeg arrived and we soon departed Emerson for Winnipeg.
Dennis Street in Emerson.
Canadian Pacific 2816 left the Emerson Yard and rounded the first curve out of Emerson.
A look back at our train in Manitoba.
The scenery on this side of the border was not much different from the American side, except that we were seeing the Canadian Prairies.
Canadian Pacific 2816 came into Dominion City, Milepost 53.9, which is home to a life-size replica of a giant sturgeon fish caught in the Roseau River in 1903. The fish was the largest ever caught in Manitoba fresh water and was a true giant - fifteen feet long and over 300 pounds!
The large red grain elevator in Otterburne, at Milepost 28.5, could be seen for over ten miles ahead of our train before we reached there.
Later we ran though Niverville at Milepost 21.0, passing more grain elevators and soon were in the outer part of Winnipeg, where many people were out waving at our train.
Canadian Pacific 2816 crossed a Canadian National branch line as we entered Winnipeg.
A few minutes later, our train went under the Canadian National mainline that I had crossed over many times before on VIA Rail's Canadian. We reached Whittier Junction, at Milepost 124.6, where we turned west onto Canadian Pacific's Mainline and made our way into downtown Winnipeg.
Canadian Pacific 2816 took us across the Red River of the North and a few minutes later, we passed the former Canadian Pacific Winnipeg station then made our way into Canadian Pacific's Winnipeg Shops and finally stopped at the Canadian Pacific Weston Shops. Here we detrained to wait for the shuttle bus to the Fort Garry Hotel. I found Frank and Steve Sandberg whom I thanked for the excellent and unique trip behind Canadian Pacific 2816.
Winnipeg 9/17/2007I boarded the first shuttle bus to the former Fort Garry Hotel, checked in and received Room 604. The former Grand Trunk Railway Hotel is designated as a National Historic Site and has been a Winnipeg icon since 1913; through two world wars, two city floods and the Winnipeg General Strike. Now in its ninth decade, the success of this grand Winnipeg hotel had never been more apparent as when I stepped into my room. What a fantastic room! I walked over to the Keg Restaurant and had a wonderful baseball sirloin for dinner then walked over to the VIA Rail station to pick up some National Timetables then returned to the hotel, checked my e-mail at the front counter before returning to my room. I set out my clothes for my early morning departure, showered and called it a night.
Going Home 9/18/2007I was up at 4:00 AM, checked out and took a taxi to Winnipeg Airport, where I filled out my USA Customs Declaration Form and waited for the line to open at 5:00 AM. It opened, was fast and easy and at the security line, the agents were more interested in my camera than in me. I boarded my Northwest Airlines Flight 126, which was a DC-9, and chose Seat 11F for the flight to Minneapolis. We took off at 6:21 AM CDT and flew across the cloudy skies until touching down in the rain at 7:20 AM and came into Gate G21.
I made my way to Gate G2, stopping at a newsstand for a USA Today for my next flight to LAX and McDonald's for a much-needed breakfast. I then waited for Northwest Airlines Flight 319 to board, which occurred at 8:35 CDT in a 757-200 Aircraft. We took off in the rain at 9:05 AM CDT and it was cloudy until Colorado, then a beautiful trip over the Rocky Mountains and Utah. We touched down at LAX at 10:58 AM PDT and I was at the Flyaway Bus sign on the lower level by 11:18 AM. At 11:38 AM, the Union Station Flyaway Bus picked me up and nine minutes later, we departed the airport and arrived at Los Angeles Union Station at 12:13 PM. I walked to a waiting Pacific Surfliner 774 which returned me to Santa Ana on time, ending a fantastic three days with Canadian Pacific 2816 and one day when it had double-headed with Milwaukee Road 261. I dropped off the film at Main Photo before returning home, bringing this wonderful, but quick, trip to an end.
