Mountainside forests, deep gorges, and occasional gorgeous ocean views characterize the Esquimault and Nanaimo Railroad on its line from near Victoria to Nanaimo and on to the resort community of Courtenay, 225 kilometers to the north.
Our ‘train’ is actually a single railroad passenger coach --- with comfortable reclining seats, large windows and lots of legroom --- but which runs under its own power instead of with a locomotive. Why take it instead of a bus ...?
Unlike a bus, our ‘train’ and the entire railroad it runs on could fit easily inside the five-yard-lines of a football field. It passes gently and unobtrusively through the forest instead of cutting an expressway-wide swath. It crosses rivers and canyons on high, slender trestles, so you can look straight down instead of into concrete guardrails. It’s a lot more comfortable. And, unlike the highway, it either hugs the seacoast or climbs high onto the flanks of mountain ridges, giving passengers a far better sense of the island’s scenic variety.
My favorite scene along the south end was looking down on the blue waters of Saanitch Inlet from the trestles and between the tunnels near Malahat Mountain: According to the guidebook, we were more than 300 feet above the canyon floor. On the north end, it was the dark, mysterious forest just south of Buckley Bay, where gaunt, moss-covered firs stood like survivors of some long-ago catastrophe. They called to mind images of the legendary Black Forest in Bavaria --- as portrayed in some grim novel or movie plot.
If you have time for only half the journey, ride Nanaimo-Victoria or vice-versa; the most spectacular views, in my opinion, were in the first 40 kilometers north of Esquimault. However, many of the passengers who accompanied me were riding all the way north to Courtenay just to reboard and go right back. They were obviously attracted to the journey, not the destination. Most of the other southbound passengers appeared to be vacationing outdoor types, mainly backpackers. The Comox Valley, in which Courtenay is situated, bills itself as ‘Recreation Capitol of Canada’.
When the Canadian Pacific operated the railroad, the train was known as the ‘Malahat Dayliner’, after the mountain it traverses. Via Rail Canada prefers the term ‘Railiner’ describe these one-or-two-car trains. However, to all true train-lovers, they’re known as ‘Budd Cars’ after the company that invented the welding method that made modern stainless-steel equipment possible. Many are still active elsewhere in Canada and on some U.S. commuter lines.
If you enjoy your ‘Budd Car’ trip on the Esquimault & Nanaimo, an even greater treat awaits you across the strait in North Vancouver. For a look at what’s arguably one of North America’s most scenic rail lines, see jemery’s journal, Vancouver, B.C.: a Photographic Celebration. Since your journey to Vancouver Island will probably begin or end in Vancouver, we’ll also give you a guided city tour.