North Falmouth, MA: If you had to select one area of Canada to visit by rail, where would you go, and where would you spend the most time?

Fred W. Frailey: I must begin by saying I haven't ridden by rail through eastern Canada for many years. But it really doesn't matter -- at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the one trip everyone should save their nickels for is the Rocky Mountaineer in its first-class cars, from Calgary, Alberta, to Vancouver BC. Details at rockymountaineer.com. I once wrote a story for Trains Magazine in which I called this the single best train-riding experience of my life.
Now, let me ask myself a question: Fred, what is the one Canadian train YOU would like to ride? Probably VIA Rail Canada's Canadian, from Montreal to Vancouver. It takes forever, and a first class ticket in a private room costs a fortune in summer. But in summer this triweekly train has been running as long as 27 cars, and the experience will take you back to the twilight years of the great American streamliners, before Amtrak. The reason I didn't name the Rocky Mountaineer is that I've done that, and I'm always looking for something new. One day I'll do it, too!

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Austin, TX: My husband and I are retiring in June and have always wanted to take a rail trip across Canada. I understand that we need to book several different trips to do this but do not know how and which trains are the best. What should we look for and how do we book from the US? Should we plan to rent a car at various stops? What should we see if we do? Thanks for your help.

Fred W. Frailey: The only train going across Canada is the Canadian, operated between Toronto and Vancouver by VIA Rail Canada, a crown corporation equivalent to Amtrak in the U.S. It is a marvelous train. Most of its cars were built in 1955 and have been thoroughly modernized and kept up. Ride it and imagine it's 1965 again! You can book through a travel agent, or directly at this link. It leaves each end three times a week and takes its sweet time. Wednesday's departure from Toronto will get to Vancouver on Sunday.
But if it is the Canadian Rockies you want to see, don't take this train. It traverses the Rockies by dark and its route, using the Canadian National Railway, is far less scenic than the Canadian Pacific line, used between Calgary and Vancouver by the Rocky Mountaineer. See rockymountaineer.com for details.

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Burlington, VT: Quick question-- I'd like to take a Canadian rail trip through the rockies. I hear it has FANTASTIC views. I also hear conflicting info that it's no longer running. I'm talking Montreal to start, and heading west.

Fred W. Frailey: You can do it by taking VIA Rail Canada's Canadian from Toronto to Jasper, Alberta (viarail.ca). Connecting service is available to Toronto from Montreal.
At Jasper, change to the Rocky Mountaineer, which runs several days a week between there and Vancouver -- it takes two days and you overnight at Kamloops, where your train connects with another Rocky Mountaineer from Calgary. See rockymountaineer.com for details.
Frankly, the scenery between Jasper and Kamloops pales beside that of the Rocky Mountaineer that uses Canadian Pacific tracks out of Calgary. It goes through an incredibly beautiful mountain valley taking it through Banff, Lake Louise, over the continental divide and then down a grade so treacherous that the railroad goes through two spiral tunnels.
My suggestion would be to investigate either a one-way car rental between Jasper and Calgary (it's a spectacular trip, past glacier fields) or a motor coach, and riding the Rocky Mountaineer out of Calgary. Free tip: Buy first class tickets on the R.M. and you will later thank me.

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Winthrop, ME: I am thinking of traveling across the country on Amtrak. I would like to go in June and travel from Boston to San Francisco. I would probably be traveling alone. What would be the best, most scenic route to take?

Fred W. Frailey: Take Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Albany, where it connects with the main portion of the train from New York City. There is a through coach from Boston, although I recommend that you book a roomette from Albany to Chicago. From Chicago, the scenic wonder of Amtrak is San Francisco-bound San Francisco Zephyr. There's not much to see until you leave Denver. If you leave Boston on a Sunday, you'll connect in Chicago on Monday and arrive Denver at breakfast time Tuesday. As soon as the Zephyr leaves Denver, go to the Sightseer Lounge and park yourself in a seat for the rest of the day -- you will be transfixed by the Rockies and the Colorado River or I'll eat my shoe.
The rap on the Cal Zephyr is that it never runs on time west of Denver. The Union Pacific Railroad, which the train uses west of Denver, has track problems in Utah and Nevada and the train has been losing two to four hours each trip due to running at reduced speeds. It is due into Oakland at 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday (continuing the example begun in the previous paragraph). It usually gets there closer to 8 p.m. I am told the schedule will be lengthened in April to take account of the poor track, but figure 8 p.m. in any event.

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