About me:

            I am Tom Jankowski. As of 5/15/06, I am 23 years old. I live in Thornhill, Ontario, which is just north of Toronto. I have been fascinated by trains my whole life and as long as I can remember, I’ve taken at least one train trip per year. In 2003 and 2004, I had the opportunity to ride excursion trains pulled by CPR Empress Steam locomotive #2816.

            Besides trains, I am also a transit enthusiast. That includes subways, light rail, and buses. My all time favourite subway cars were the Gloucester subways cars which were the original rolling stock purchased for the opening of the TTC’s subway in 1954. I am a member of the Toronto Transportation Society which is a club of transit enthusiasts from around the Toronto area. I am also a member of the Halton County Radial Railway museum in Rockwood, Ontario.

            At present, I am employed by Wal-Mart Canada where I work in the Stationary department. Many of the train trips I’ve taken, I worked around my work schedule. For example, if I was planning a trip somewhere for a certain number of days, I check my work schedule in advance and make reservations around that.

Some helpful train travel tips:

1.         Make reservations: Many Amtrak trains and most VIA trains require reservations anyways. If you book sooner, you may be able to get a cheaper fare. Ontario Northland’s Northlander is an unreserved train, so you have to buy your tickets on the day of departure (or the night before).

2.         Get to the station early: A general rule is to get to the train station at least 30 minutes prior to your train’s departure. You should get there even earlier if you want to check baggage, (possibly 60 minutes before departure). If you do check your bags, make sure they’re identified.

3.         Know maximum size and number of carry-on articles: Amtrak allows two carry on articles and up to three bags can be checked with no charge.  VIA Rail Canada also allows two carry on articles and up to three bags can be checked with no charge. However, if you ride a VIA train with Renaissance coaches, you are allowed only one carry-on and up to four bags can be checked with no charge. Both Amtrak and VIA, regardless of equipment also allowed up to three additional bags to be checked for a fee.

4.         When you board the train, take your seat and wait for the conductor to take your ticket: Once the conductor takes your ticket, he'll put a small seat check tag above your seat with a 3 letter code stating where you get off (Example: TWO for Toronto) so if you want to sleep on the train, its okay; you won't miss your stop! A member of the crew will kindly wake you up when it gets close to your stop. You should also wait for the conductor to take your ticket before heading to the café car, diner, dome car, etc. If you are in a sleeper, he’ll take your ticket upon boarding.

5.         Bring earphones if you bring an electronic device on board: That includes CD players, walkmans, hand-held video game systems, and scanners. You don’t want to disturb other passengers.

6.         Have fun: That’s what train travel is all about. You have the freedom to walk around the train, purchase food from the café car, and visit the dome car if the train is such equipped. You also are entitled access to a dining car if the train is equipped with one.