From one of my dinner companions, Tim, I had expected a not very good sleep the first night. Tim is a train aficionado who has taken The Canadian several times and had just completed a trip West a day prior. He’s now returning home by taking it East! Tim mentioned that other guests had complained to him about it on a previous trip, and suggested that the motion apparently could take a while to get used to. Tim also suggested that the complainers love of trains was perhaps not equal to his. Or perhaps their expectations were misguided. It is the experience that counts, after all, not absolute comfort.
Yet when I got to my compartment, I first found that my things had been added to the lower berth slot. This was a pleasant surprise. I had booked the upper not knowing the lower is generally regarded as comfier. However, since there was no one else in my berth, the cabin attendant had given me the lower one (thank you, Louise!). Then I found the berth to be the cosiest little nook ever. I was gently rocked back and forth by the train, as the dark scenery went by outside. I could even catch the odd star through the clouds outside in the gloom. The light in the compartments was set to half-brightness when I arrived, which added to the cosy mood.
Tired after my long week, and rocked gently by the train, I decided to affectionately call it “Fred” (though whether they are Frederick or Winifred is not decided) and patted the side before curling up beneath the sheets. Train ASMR definitely should be a thing, if it’s not already. Fred’s rattles and rolls were extremely pleasant.
This pleasant time lasted till about 1:30am when Fred decided they had a chance to make up lost time from all those freight trains that held us up earlier. You could feel the crazy velocity we were going at, and the tracks screamed when we took a corner. I briefly thought about what would happen if we derailed at high speed—and which direction I would hurtle and liquefy—but then decided to trust in Fred and rolled over and went to sleep.
In the morning, I woke with the sun around 6. Fred had resumed gentle rocking. There was some light snow on the ground.