Overview
Just 30 persons can pretend to be royalty aboard the Royal Canadian Pacific (RCP), sampling the train’s five-star dining, open-platform observation areas, several small salons, and large compartments with private, ensuite shower, toilet and sink. The train and its superb staff combine with outstanding scenery, exclusive visits and elegant musical events with the five-star service and dining. It all results in one word: “Wow!”
*News Flash*
The Royal Canadian Pacific announced in 2019 it plans to offer public departures after a five-year hiatus. It has also added a beautiful bi-level glass dome car.
Read more about it on our blog, Track 25: IRT Vice President Rachel Hardy inspected the train in September 2019 in anticipation of its grand re-opening. Read her report here.
We await news of the train’s first departures. Register your interest and get on our ‘first notice’ list.
The total Royal Canadian Pacific experience is matched by just a few trains in the world. Many of the cars for the RCP train were built between 1917 and 1931 and were used as business cars for the Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR). Sir Winston Churchill, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip), John and Jacqueline Kennedy, among many notables, once enjoyed the cars that make up this elegant train.
You can also charter the RCP on a whole-train charter basis. What does this mean for you? It means total privacy and flexibility. It means that you don’t have to worry about the train selling out before you can book your trip, because the train will run on your schedule. The itinerary can customized to your requirements. (Routes and itineraries are dependent on timing and railway operations.)
Accommodations
Many of the compartments exactly match those of the Belmond Royal Scotsman, because the Scotsman’s owner at the time kindly loaned the plans to the CPR.
There are seven twins in the newer Pullman cars “N.R.Crump” and “Strathcona.” These have two lower, twin beds set at an “L” shape, desk, large picture window and en-suite bathroom with roomy roomy shower, sink and toilet.
Five cabins with double beds are in the older, historic cars. Five cabins are designed for single travelers. All have plenty of storage; all are outfitted with thick white towels and lovely toiletries. The walls gleam, most with inlaid wood and vaulted ceilings.
Finished in Circassian walnut from Russia with Bird’s Eye maple inlay and complemented by scalloped lamp fixtures, brass radiators and Turkish drapes, each car maintains the ambiance of the classic era of luxury rail travel.
Dining
An à la carte breakfast is served in the elegant dining car, the “Craigellachie.” Tea, coffee and other beverages can be served in all the lounge areas or private cabins. The meals are memorable––freshly prepared on board, beautifully presented and are five-star with service to match.
Lounges
Choices for lounging abound: there is nothing finer than stretching out in the sunshine on the open platform of 1926 observation-lounge “Mount Stephen.” There are also the 1926 lounge-sleeper “Royal Wentworth,” the 1927 observation-lounge-sleeper “Van Horne,” and the 1916 open-platform observation lounge-diner “Killarney.”
IRT Insights
The glass dome car added in 2019 is a beauty. Luxurious executive chairs and comfortable banquettes that seat 4-5 make for one of the most convivial public cars we’ve ever seen. The dome car comfortably seats more than 30 guests at once. (The inclusion of the dome car on public departures is still TBA.)
If you want one of the most intimate, elegant train programs in the world, this is it. The price tag may be steep, but the cheerful, excellent and professional service throughout the train; and the inventive, gorgeous meals set this train apart, providing luxury few trains in the world can offer.