A friend sent me an article about a train, VIA Rail Canada's Skeena, which runs between Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. It is not a train for those seeking luxury; rather, it functions as the only means of transportation for those living in remote areas. It is a flag stop train, meaning a passenger waves down the train, which stops to take him on, then stops to let him off on the return trip.

​​

There is a similar train in the 49th state, the Alaska Railroad's Hurricane, which runs between Talkeetna and Hurricane Gulch. As weather begins to cool, the train delivers large orders, allowing remote residents to stock up for the winter, when travel will be impossible. Imagine picking up your groceries from a baggage car.

​​

I'm trying to plan a trip to ride on the Skeena. The problem is Jasper was nearly destroyed in the wildfires last year, so there is no commercial air travel into Jasper. I would have to fly to Edmonton, then take VIA Rail's Canadian two hours to Jasper. That might be great fun; after all, riding the Canadian has been on my bucket list for years! Just I had hoped to take it all the way from Toronto to Vancouver, a VERY expensive proposition. I could probably swing a two-hour stretch aboard. A visit to VIA Rail's website will let me know.

​

In the photograph, we see a VIA Rail train during a station stop. No doubt, it is the Canadian, for it is the most popular of Canada's trains. Even so, we see the Budd Streamliner coaches from the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1990s, VIA Rail acquired as many as they could -- from Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Amtrak, and elsewhere -- and refurbished them. They gave them better heating and safety features without sacrificing too much of the original charm of the historic rail cars. VIA Rail uses Budd cars on their long-distance trains, including the Skeena. Way to go, VIA!

Sadly, Amtrak replaced their Budd Streamliner cars in the 1980s and 1990s with Budd Amfleet and Pullman Standard cars. Budd no longer manufactures rail cars, having joined up in some fashion with the Germany steel manufacturer ThysenKrupp to form ThysenKrupp Budd in 1999. Budd sold its interest in the firm in 2014 and now exists only to continue paying benefits to its former employees. Today, as Amtrak acquires new Siemen's rail cars and locomotives, Amfleet cars are being sold to private owners for use on excursion trains. So, Budd's rail cars are still alive and well. 

​

As an aside, the Australian long-distance trains -- Indian Pacific and others -- use coaches that bear a resemblance to Budd Streamliner cars. A bit of research told me that they were, instead, manufactured by Australia's Commonwealth Engineering in the 1960s. Still in use and still beloved by those who ride in them.

​

Read the article:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/hitchhikers-railway-skeena-british-columbia

​

​

​