The Rupert Rocket formerly known as the Skeena.#5&6,9&10
Travel, down to earth.
Rocket news. As of early June 2015 the Touring product is back in the mix, if one were to choose those departures (every other train), one would have to pay quite a premium to access the dome car. Food is included in the upgrade but out of the three suppliers from a couple of years ago the company choose to go with the least preferred option by all, I guess all about saving money at all costs. Still no working public address system on either train so stories and highlights get announced only if you can be near a crew member, a real shame.
I see the world change,
Even at short range,
On my brief little ride,
It's here I decide,
I love life on the move,
To see it change as I do,
I get to see the trees grow,
Through the rain and the snow,
I see so many faces,
All enjoying the view.
So many places
And beautifully old too.
Why stay in one place,
When life can be a race
Journey after journey
Toward another adventure
I'll watch the world change
On this brief little ride
I can't help but be inspired
To travel world wide.
Ode to the Skeena:
There was a train from
Jasper to Prince Rupert
which garnered considerable fame.
It was revered in
brochures & papers
and it was called the
Skeena by name.
Headquarters ordered the
bean counters to lower
the cost of the line.
so the minions cut
and sliced to remove
almost all of the shine.
Now a sad little train
makes the journey
A train which has
been deprived of it's name.
submitted by actual passengers.
_____________________________________________________________
Via Rail you say?
Just who are they?
Truly Canadain eh?
Up in the north
They earn their worth
There's no rail service
Like it on earth!!
Your trip in filled with
Food and Mirth
The Skeena scenery is
by far the best!!
It makes us glad
to be from the west!!
Via rail has it all-
from scenic views to the
greatest coffee-(better
than in the mall)
Irene aug 27/11
This is a site about a train with no name according to the operating company, affectionately and historically know as the Rupert Rocket. It got that name in the early 20th century as a first class passenger train on the Grand Trunk Pacific line. In those days it would only stop at major towns, speeding the route thus the Rocket. Other trains would stop at all the little towns and would be slower with all the stops.
Get it while you can as all good things can come to an end and unless you use it you will loose it.
The Rocket goes as train #5 from Jasper three days a week (Sun,Wed,Fri) and as #6 from Prince Rupert the same days. There is no direct connections to other trains in Jasper because of brilliant scheduling, on #6 often you must wye the train while #2 departs and on #5 you make #1 wait out of town for the Rocket to depart, enjoy you extra time in Jasper. Both trains stop overnight in Prince George (pop.75,000) and continue the next day to the ends of the line. In traversing B.C. and 17 miles into Alberta it crosses the Rockies and the Coast mountain ranges as well as the interior plateau portions of land. The train follows the Fraser river most of the eastern leg, and then on the western leg into the Skeena river basin. Many lakes, rivers and mountains are passed in the two day journey as well as wildlife if you are lucky.