Destination enough: riding across Canada

When I reached the front of the line to board the Canadian, a husky man with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick Van Dyke beard was fiddling with the volume on his walkie-talkie. With cheerful authority, he instructed, “Another 60th wedding anniversary. I’ll need a bottle of champagne sent to the Blakes’ room. B-L-A-K-E. In 22.’’

This was Ivan Zenchuk, the train’s service manager, or head honcho. When I asked about getting a tour of the train, he replied, “I’m on duty until 4 a.m., so knock any time after 10 a.m. tomorrow. Now head on over to Vern and he’ll get your meals straightened out.’’

Vern, the dining room manager, enticed me with descriptions of succulent duck, prime rib, and other dishes that would be served over the next 72 hours.

Soon, with Toronto’s CN Tower behind us, the city lights disappeared and I headed to the Park Car, which offers a panoramic view. An older woman introduced herself as Norma Blake, a name I recognized as the 60th anniversary celebrant. After some “welcome aboard’’ champagne, I retired for the night.

The next morning, Zenchuk held court over the observation deck, dispensing information about the train and route before going off to inspect the other 21 cars in his mobile kingdom.

He wouldn’t reveal his age, but it was clear he was nearing retirement at 55. He has worked many of Via Rail’s routes and claimed he loves them all. And he loves the Via Rail family, which he likened to his own.

I asked Zenchuk why he was so much happier than his counterparts at Amtrak. “For them, it’s a job,’’ he said. “For us, it’s a lifestyle. We choose to be here. The turnover here is very low. You get the same people coming back year after year.’’