The Rockies by Daylight

I was combing through my oversized post card album today and was inspired to post these cards into my blog; along with some

information:
Visiting the Canadian Rockies by train has been popular almost since the Canadian Transcontinental Road was completed. Sir William Van Horne, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) said,"If we can't bring the mountains to the tourists, we will bring the tourists to the mountains". The tourists traveled by train from across Canada and the United States to see the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

However, with the price of air flight becoming less expensive, many chose to fly to Canada and take the scenic part of the train route to and from Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. This caused the CPR "Canadian" and the Canadian National Railway's "Super Continental" to sell out west of Calgary and Edmonton in the summer months. Travel agencies and tour operators started to book

blocks of sleeping car accommodation a year in advance. Even so, much potential business was turned away due to sold out long distance trains. Via Rail - the new Canadian passenger service was receiving complaints both from its regular customers who couldn't get on the trains in the summer months due to tourist travel, and from the tour operators who couldn't get space

for their organized tours. Another complaint about the long distance trains was that on either the CPR or CNR route, much spectacular scenery went by during the night. For the railways, this was a dilemma because in order to serve the prairie cities and the end points in eastern Canada during daylight hours, trains had

to cross British Columbia and Alberta in the evening. In 1988, Via decided to experiment with a seasonal daylight train from Vancouver to Calgary and from Vancouver to Jasper. This train was marketed through the travel industry, who also arranged overnight accommodations in Kamloops. Cars from the former "Blue Fleet" of ex-CNR coaches and "day-niter" coaches were used, with galleys to serve chilled breakfasts and lunches airline style.

For four summers in a row I attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana from my home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In 1988 and 1989 I flew from Chicago to Vancouver instead of to Edmonton. In 1988 I caught a train from Vancouver to Calgary and in '89 from Vancouver to Jasper, Alberta. Each train was part of a tourist train called "The Rockies by Daylight". I was under the impression that the trains were operated by VIA Rail Canada. My post cards are telling me that they were actually operated by a private company.

The Via train 101/102 Vancouver/Banff/Calgary and 103/104 Vancouver/Jasper were a success in the 1988 season, and the operation was extended into the 1989 season with more cars available and with a new name "Rocky Mountaineer". In the summer of 1989, the Canadian Government announced massive cuts to the Via Rail passenger train network. The "Rocky Mountaineer" was one of the services slated for discontinuance. Peter Armstrong, a travel agent and tour operator offered to operate the "Rocky Mountaineer" as a private enterprise and was granted the opportunity to do so. He set up a private corporation to operate the "Rocky Mountaineer" and persuaded several friends to invest their life savings. They very nearly lost everything, as the train did not turn a profit for three years. Then this happened:

The following is taken from their official website: https://www.rockymountaineer.com/about-us/history
Since its inception in 1990, Rocky Mountaineer, the British Columbia based, family owned business, has grown to become the largest privately owned luxury tourist train company in the world and has welcomed nearly 2 million guests onboard. While Armstrong Group, owners and operators of the award-winning Rocky Mountaineer, has a rich history rooted in success, the goal from day one remains the same: provide the most spectacular and unforgettable travel experiences in the world.

1990 All aboooard! The Rocky Mountaineer departs on the inaugural trip.
1991 Named one of the “World’s 20 Best Rail Experiences” by The International Railway Traveler magazine (same honour in 1998).
1995 Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Service is launched.
1996 Sets the record for longest passenger train in Canadian history (37 cars).
1999 Sets new record for longest passenger train in Canadian history (41 cars).
2002 Welcomes our 500,000th guest and is recognized again by The International Railway Traveler magazine’s “10 Best Rail Experiences in the World”.
2003 Featured on BBC Television, “50 Things To Do Before You Die”.
2005 Wins the prestigious “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” at 2005 World Travel Awards (earns the same honour in 2006 and 2007).
Named as “One of the Great Train Rides in the World”, by Outside magazine.
Named one of “The World’s Top 25 Trains” by The Society of International Railway Traveler (earns the same honour in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009).
2006 Launches two new routes: Whistler Sea to Sky Climb (Vancouver to Whistler) and Rainforest to Gold Rush (Whistler to Jasper).
2007 Wins Tourism British Columbia’s “Foresight Sustainability Award” for leadership and advocacy of sustainable tourism.
Named one of the “World’s Greatest Trips” by National Geographic.
2008 Welcomes aboard our one millionth guest!
2009 ABC’s hit reality TV series, The Bachelorette, showcased the Rocky Mountaineer on a four-day journey.
Voted #1 on the Society of American Travel Writers Top Ten List of the most scenic and exciting train experiences in the world.
Rocky Mountaineer has been honoured with a World Travel Award in the category of “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” for the fourth year.
2010 Launches its iconic brand with a completely new look. From the logo, website and route names to a sleek new paint job for the rail cars, this fresh new look continues across the entire company.
Proudly accepts the World Travel Award’s “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” for the fifth time ,and new honour, “World’s Leading Luxury Travel Product of the Year.”
Receives two prestigious marketing awards: Marketer of the Year Award from the BC Chapter of the American Marketing Association and British Columbia’s Tourism Award for Best Tourism Marketing Campaign.
Ranks #5 on Reader’s Digest’s list of “World’s 10 Best Train Journeys.”
Listed as one of the “Top 10 North American Train Trips” by National Geographic.
2011 Rocky Mountaineer proudly accepts its sixth World Travel Award as "World's Leading Travel Experience by Train" and is listed as one of the "Top 5 trains in the world," by Conde Nast Traveler and by Travel + Leisure magazine Western Living as one of the "Best Life-Changing Trips" and among the "Top 5 Trains in the World."
Recieves Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Awards for "Best Rail Vacation" and UK Travel Agents Choice Awards for "Long-haul Rail Operator of the Year."
2012 Launches its newest and third level of service, SilverLeaf Service on the First Passage to the West route. Also begins running its bi-level dome cars on the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb for a limited time in the 2012 season.
2013 Launches its new Coastal Passage route, connecting Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, BC to the Canadian Rockies. After successfully launching SilverLeaf Service on the First Passage to the West route in 2012, Rocky Mountaineer adds this new level of service to its Journey through the Clouds route.
New destination, Lake Louise, AB is offered on Rocky Mountaineer's First Passage to the West route.
New annual corporate giving program, Life-Changing Train for Heroes is launched. The program celebrates wounded soldiers/veterans.
2014 Coastal Passage, Rocky Mountaineer's newest route offer 24 departures.
SilverLeaf Service is offerd on three routes, First Passage to the West, Journey through the Clouds and Coastal Passage.
2015 Rocky Mountaineer celebrates its 25th Anniversary. The company has grown to be the largest privately owned luxury tourism train company in the world.
2016 The Rainforest to Gold Rush route becomes a three day journey, with overnight stops in Whistler, Quesnel and Jasper.