Canadian Train Vacation Articles
- Canadian Rockies Train Vacations
- Rocky Mountaineer Services
- Routes on the Rocky Mountaineer
- Via Rail Canada Service Classes
- A Brief History of the Canada Pacific Railway
- Travel in Style on the Royal Canadian Pacific Service
- Canadian Wilderness Tours by Train
- Canadian Canoeing Vacations by Train
- Canada Heli-Hiking Tours by Train
- Canada Train Vacations as Honeymoons
- Polar Bear Train Tours In Canada
- Visit The Polar Bear Capital Of The World On Canada Train Tours
- The Chateau Lake Louise
- Canada's Chateau Laurier
- Canada’s Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
- Train Tours to Canada’s Hotel Vancouver
- Quebec City's Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
- Jasper, Alberta Travel and History
- Vacations in Toronto by Train
- Travel by Train to Vancouver, British Columbia
- Halifax, Nova Scotia Train Vacations
- Banff, Alberta Train Travel Options
- Tofino, British Columbia Train Vacations
- Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel
- Canadian Trains in Cinema and Literature
Canadian Trains in Cinema and Literature
Train travel has long held a place of prominence in the arts, particularly in film and literature; there is a certain romance to traveling by rail which no other form of transportation can match. There is the soothing, repetitive sound of the train making its way over the track, the constantly changing panoramic view out of the windows and as anyone who has ever flown in coach knows, a train is one of the most comfortable ways to travel as well.
For those of us who have grown up with the modern highway system, train travel has an added appeal due to the numerous novels, short stories and movies which feature trains. Trains are a staple of Western novels and films as well as in numerous comedies, espionage thrillers, mysteries, romances and even horror films! Even people who have never traveled by rail themselves have a relationship with trains through popular culture; as children, toy trains make their appearance to us early on, cementing a positive association with the railways which lasts a lifetime.
While it is the railways of the United States and Europe which have gotten the most attention in popular culture, Canada has a rich history of rail travel and Canadian trains also make appearances in cinema and novels. Just as in other countries, Canadian train vacations have a mystique which is all their own and there is no better way to really see all of the sights while traversing the length and breadth of the nation.
Canadian trains are the setting for many films and works of literature, including:
- “The Grey Fox”: This is a classic “train robbery” Western film featuring a gentleman train robber in Canada.
- “Festival Express”: Festival Express documents a 1970 Canada train tour featuring The Band, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Buddy Guy Blues Band and others. There is footage of performances in the cities where the tour stopped (including Toronto, ON, Winnipeg, MB and Montreal, QC) as well as some of the scenery as seen through the windows as the tour made its way through Canada by train.
- “Iron Road”: This film is soon to debut; a story set with the building of the Canada-Pacific Railway which is a tribute to the work of Chinese laborers in building the railroad. One of the most interesting historical Canada train vacation package deals is in fact a trip on the original Canada-Pacific line from Montreal, QC to Port Moody, BC.
- “The Edge”: British novelist Dick Francis set this story of intrigue, assumed identities and surprising comic touches on a cross country Canadian train tour, with much of the novel’s action unfolding aboard the train.
Canada vacations by train allow travelers to experience a little of the romance of trains as they appear in popular culture and to see Canada from a perspective which many tourists miss. There’s more to Canada train tours than reliving cinematic and literary depictions of rail travel; with so much to see and so many different Canadian train vacation package deals to choose from at CanadianTrainVacations.com, you can make some lasting memories of your very own.