Riding rails through charm of a bygone era

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/04/2006 (7332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SHERBROOKE, Que. — All aboard for Quebec’s Eastern Townships! A new tourist train called the Orford Express will start service next month travelling along tracks that link Bromont, Magog, Eastman and Sherbrooke.

The Orford Express is not designed for practical transportation. Using two diesel-powered railcars, each with a capacity of 70 passengers, the tourist train provides a leisurely, sightseeing jaunt through the countryside, enhanced by food, drink, a singer for entertainment and a guide who will expound on the local historic and cultural highlights. Passengers can relax, order a glass of Chardonnay and gaze at such passing delights as Mont Orford and Lake Memphremagog, Lac des Nations near Sherbrooke and Mont Brome.

Some routes include the option of spending an afternoon in Bromont for antiquing, a sweet stop at the Chocolate Museum and climbing Mont Brome, or in Magog for a cruise on Lake Memphremagog or a visit to the Abbaye de St. Benoit du Lac. The Orford Express also will have Saturday dinner and Sunday brunch trains.

“It’s educational tourism, but it’s also quite romantic,” said Donald Thompson, who is both president of Magog-based Orford Express Inc. and a Roman Catholic priest whose parish includes six churches near his Townships hometown of East Angus.

“Plus, train travel in deluxe surroundings has the charm of a bygone era. In this case, the passengers will experience the gracious ambiance of olden days mixed with the latest technology — plasma television screens will show the conductor at work as well as closeups of local sights as we ride by,” Thompson said.

The trains will travel along tracks used for freight by the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic line, based in Bangor, Maine. The Orford Express will run along the Magog River as well as parallel to Highway 10, passing towns, lakes and mountains. The closest stop to Montreal will be in Bromont, a 50-minute drive from the Champlain Bridge, and the other end of the line will be in Sherbrooke.

Thompson operated a tourist train from 2001 to 2004 between Sherbrooke and Quebec City, and he has recycled and refurbished the cars from that venture. “We are using diesel cars that date from the ’50s and we have redecorated them completely,” Thompson says.

The interiors have a luxurious retro look with leather seats, polished maple woodwork and royal blue velvet drapes trimmed with gold. Dinner will be served on English china, and the ticket agents and waiters will be decked out in traditional porters’ caps and uniforms with brass buttons.

The Orford Express will offer 37 different trips, with prices to match, depending on the distance travelled, the time of year and whether meals are included. For example, the inaugural return trip of the Express will depart Station Cite des Rivieres in Sherbrooke at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, make a brief stop in Eastman before returning to Sherbrooke by 1 p.m. after a quick stop in Magog. That trip will cost $44, and passengers can buy their own snacks and drinks. As on all routes, passengers will be entertained by a singer and informed by a guide.

The twilight dinner ride, costing $79 per person, is a round-trip based in Sherbrooke that runs Saturdays until June 24. After that date, when the summer tourist season is in full swing, the dinner schedule will expand to three nights a week –Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. A Sunday brunch train will run May 6 to Dec. 31 with departures from Magog or Sherbrooke. It will cost $58 per person.

The Express is geared to both to individual sightseers and groups. More than 2,000 seats have been reserved over the next few months for on-board weddings and other celebrations, holiday parties or entertainment-oriented rides featuring murder mystery nights or musical recitals.

The Orford Express will depart from Sherbrooke, Magog and Bromont. Group departures also leave from Eastman or Lac Brome (Foster sector). From Montreal, take Highway 10 to Exit 78 for Bromont. Twilight dinner ride: $79 per person, not including wine. Sunday brunch ride, $58 per person. Other trips start at $44 without meals. Children 12 and younger pay half-price. A box lunch costs $10, and trains have a snack bar and beverage service. One-way and return trips are available.

— CanWest News Service

* Information: 1-(888)-847-2844, (819) 847-2844, or www.letrain.ca.