Reviving the romance of t IT HAS got to the point where you can’t Kick anyone in the shin anymore, If Canada has descended to the point where we can’t give the raspberry to the national railways, we are definitely losing our identity. In-the Maritimes, we grew up blaming Canadian National for everything. We were unsure how the railway actually went about the creation of disease and pestilence, but whenever public frustration looked desperately for a target, the CN trains, hotels, trucks, ships and employment centres would faithfully present themselves. As in everything else, it was different in the west. This noble task of public pun- ching bag was profitably assumed by the great Canadian Pacific. Mac Norris, the CP veteran who transformed the British Col- umbia Railway from a cartoonist’s delight into one of the world’s foremost resource transportation companies, remembers the stories of old-timers on the Prairies. “Children were told that if they didn’t behave, the CPR bogeyman would get them,’’ Norris said. In this space not long ago, we Gary Bannerman ‘OPEN LINES prodigy who turned Gray Line tours into a local powerhouse, now the president of Great Cana- dian Railtour Co. Lid. 46 Every Canadian has a God-given right to take one free shot at the railways. 99 advised readers of an excellent new book on Canada’s passenger rail services, Last Train to Toron- to. In the process, we reported about Amtrak’s recent triumphs in the United States and the still sorry state of Canada’s passenger trains. We quoted not only the author of this book but drew heavily upon personal experience in decry- ing the systematic destruction of passenger service by CN and CP. We gave only passing grades to the subsidized efforts of Via Rail Canada. Standard practice. Every Cana- dian has a God-given right to take one free shot at the railways, once each caiendar year. (I want this written into the Constitution, right after we get Quebec, the Senate, and the key in Joe Clark's back properly enshrined.) So we took our shots. And - someone shot back. Into my office marched Peter Armstrong, the tourist industry Government-Guaranteed Coupon Annuity Packages An innovative, Government Guaranteed Investment offering the ultimate flexibility in personatized retirement income planning For more information please call The North Shore’s only full Service Investment firm. RBC DOMINION SECURITIES MMeqwber af the Royal bwk Group 925-3131 201-250 15th Street, West Vancouver Accompanying him was the same MacKenzie Norris of BC Rail fame, now a consultant and board of directors member of Armstrong’s enterprise. “T think you were too hard on the railways,”’ Armstrong said. Entering its third season, Great Canadian Railtours and The Rocky Mountaineer have dynam- ically carved out a new market. Last year, the company’s sightseeing trains carried 17,000 visitors between Vancouver, Banff and Jasper. This year, the number should top 23,000. Soon it will be prof- itable. We don’t quibble with the company’s boast: ‘The most spectacular train trip in the world!’” We are just amused that Great Canadian Raiftours sees itself as the defender of CP and CN. If Armstrong parked his two locomotives and all of his luxury coaches in the middie of a major CN or CP marshalling yard, he Important Message to Blood Donors RED CROSS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC Lions Gate Hospital Medical Day Centre Gymnasium Monday 11 Tuesday 12 2:30-8:00 p.m. 200 E. 15th St. might never find them again. When Armstrong and partners purchased the troubled Trailways buses in 1976, they then moved to buy the Vancouver Gray Line franchise from the B.C. govern- ment. This was Bill Bennett's first privatization. Under new management, Gray Line became a dynamic force in the tourism industry. The railway opportunity has been much the same story. Strug- gling — as always — to survive, Via Rail evolved a service called The Rocky Mountaineer, for tourists who just wanted to see the mountains: the Vancouver- Jasper-Banff triangle. But the federal conservative government decided that a poten- tially profitable tourist develop- ment was better left to the private sector. When a proposal call was issued, there were 20 bidders. Peter Armstrong and his part- ners won the competition on March 26, 1990. They took over the trains on April 21. The first test run carrying 400 visitors to a Pacific Asia travel conference, federal and provincial cabinet ministers, went in late April. On May 24, the new com- pany was in business. The head office is adjacent Park and Tilford in North Van- couver, The trains operate from the old CN Station on Main Street. Armstrong has brought many of the marketing and catering skills from the bus tour business. His on-board staff get rave reviews for personality, professionalism and quality of service. There is no dining car and no bedroom ac- commodation. The coaches are like first-class cabins in modern aircraft. Meals are served to passengers in their seats. Every mile of the trip is in daylight. The main trunk of the system is Vancouver to Kamloops. After enjoying the Fraser Canyon, pas- sengers disembark for the night in a Kamloops hotel. The next day, one train heads north to Mount Robson and Jasper. Another travels due east to the Rogers Pass and Banff. Sunday, May 10, 1992 - North Shore News ~ 9 Round-trippers are carried by bus along the Glacier Highway between Banff and Jasper. Armstrong said that CN and CP, and the ‘‘operational people’ at Via Rail have been great sup- porters. “The railroads are really com- ing to the table to help.”’ Great Canadian Railtours has contracts with the mainline com- panies for running rights, maintenance, emergency locomotive backup, stations and other services. But he was amused that the book Last Train to Toronto — as reported in this column — criti- cized CN and CP for overcharging Via Rail. Armstrong said that Via barely pays ‘‘the grind rate’’ for use of the track. This is an arithmetic calculation of track wear and tear caused by a passing train. “Via pays way below what we are charged,’’ Armstrong said. After only two seasons, this new company has already at- A Place To Go When You're Pregnant And Need Support: | GERTHRIGHT | B cal 987-7313 « Free Pregnancy Test » In Vancouver Call 229 Lonsdate 5 North Vancouver 687-7223 rain travel tracted hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles around the world, yet another magnet for B.C. tourism. The first 1992 ex- cursion embarks May 24. Peter Armstrong sees a parallel between tourist excursion trains and modern cruise ships. When ships gave up on mainline trans- portation and became the destina- tion for a holiday, shipping entered its greatest era. Armstrong suggests that pas- senger rail has only two hopes: mass urban transit, and luxury tours like his product. This year, Via is promoting !av- ishingly redecorated passenger cars to keep a slice of the up-market tourist clientele. This is tourism, not transporta- tion, “Who in their right mind would want to take 25 hours to get to Edmonton?,’’ Armstrong asked. Toys, Hobbies, Trains" Mon-Sat. 9:30-5:30 pm Sunday 12-4 pm _ AMBLESIDE | = TOYS "N HOBBIES f 1425 Marine Dr.. West Van. Sa 922-3512 Always in Fashion Merchandising Management Diploma Programs Our Merchandising Management Diploma Programs (two years or ten months) will open the door to a wide variety of rewarding careers in the merchandising and fashion industries. * Advertising Assistants « Display Assistants * Store Managers ¢ Department Managers REGISTER NOW! Call 984-4960. a es CAPILANO * Manufacturer's Reps ¢ Promotion Managers Sales Managers « Buyers COLLEGE 2055 purcett Way © North Vancouver © B.C. ENGINE OIL AND FILTER Here's what we include: @ Up to § litres of Motomaster Nugoid gil. (‘SG’/CC approved for 1991 engine warranty requirements) © Motomaster oil filter e PLUS 20 vital checks Chassis lubrication included. Sale prices in effect May 10-16, 1992 Reg. $29.99 nist cars * Based on national indepandent surveys of total visits mada to auto service centres for ten major services in Canuds, by ISL Internations! Surveys Ltd. (Jan. - Sapt. 1990)