With hundreds of overseas train journeys under my belt, it was time to experience Amtrak & Via Rail for the first time.

My route was to be New York Penn Station to Montreal, Montreal to Quebec City, back to Montreal for a connection to Toronto, Toronto to Niagara Falls Ontario, and finally back to New York.

We (Mrs Wilbur and I on a trip to celebrate our Silver Wedding anniversary) started with the Adirondack Train departing at 7.15 in the morning. We had been advised to arrive around 6 when we did a reconnaissance the previous day, as boarding would start around 6.15.

I had booked super advance tickets months before direct on the Amtrak website and our cheap economy fare did not include seat reservations, so better be early to secure seats. The 381 mile journey cost us $56 each.

We were first to check in and get our bags tagged. We actually bought new cases to ensure we complied with the strict luggage restrictions. Amtrak was more generous than Via Rail in that department – more of that next time.

We noticed that the Maple Leaf Train to Toronto left at exactly the same time as us and as time wore on, more and more people gathered in our ‘Canadian’ area for both trains.

As it happened, we did not board until 7, which at least gave us time to consume a bucket-sized coffee and an apple pie. New York does not do healthy breakfasts!

It turned out that the trains into Canada would actually start out as one train, splitting at Albany, New York State’s capital. We therefore had to make sure we got in the correct half, a portion of train that contained plenty of free seats. In fact there were no reservations at all.

Inside was spacious but rather tired and worn. I heaved our luggage on to the overhead space and we sat back for the 13-hour journey. We could have driven it in half the time or flown in much less than 2-hours, but where’s the fun in that?

It has to be said that train is far down the list as the preferred way to travel in North America, especially the US, and this probably accounts for the lack of investment in passenger rail. This means shabby rolling stock, slow journeys and surly staff.

Amtrak mainly exists for freight, with passengers truly second class citizens. I had read horror stories of trains being held up for hours, either following slow goods trains, or being delayed to let them past. I had also read that derailments were common place. Happily we did not experience any of this.

The journey north started by following the Hudson River and we soon arrived in NYC suburbs to arrive at what I consider one of the best named places anywhere.

After just over 2 ½ hours we arrived at Albany for the train divide. Rather frustratingly we were to stay put for nearly 2-hours for ‘logistical reasons’, a timeframe already baked into our long journey.

We clambered back on board to be reunited with our suitcases and sat back to enjoy the lovely scenery of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains pass us by.

The restaurant car served basic snacks, just about drinkable coffee and alcoholic beverages. We spent 45-minutes there wiling away the time.

The border crossing was at Rouses Point. First of all our passports were checked, before our carriage was told to move our cases to floor level by our seats and to move to another carriage.

Then the sniffer dogs did their duty. Everybody’s bags passed the drug tests and we were on our way again after an hour or so.

Darkness fell as we approached Montreal travelling alongside the Lawrence River. We arrived on time at 20.15, ready to celebrate 25 years of marriage next day.