From “Not Just Bikes”. ( YouTube / Nebula )
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I Tried to Take the Bus to the Beach (and failed) – Nebula Bonus Video
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Patreon: https://patreon.com/notjustbikes
Mastodon: @notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com
NJB Live (my live-streaming channel): https://youtube.com/@njblive
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Relevant Videos
I Spent Over 12 Hours on an Amtrak Train (on purpose)
https://nebula.tv/videos/notjustbikes-i-spent-over-12-hours-on-an-amtrak-train
Why Passenger Trains Suck in Canada – VIA Rail
https://nebula.tv/videos/not-just-bikes-why-passenger-trains-suck-in-canada-via-rail
How to Take the Train in Canada 🍁
24hrs in a PRIVATE SLEEPER CABIN – VIA Rail The Ocean | Halifax to Montreal
Noki Travels
Noki Travels
https://www.youtube.com/@NokiTravels
The train to Nova Scotia – The Man in Seat 61
https://www.seat61.com/montreal-to-halifax-by-train.htm
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References & Further Reading
Via Rail marks 120th anniversary of Ocean train, but what’s left to celebrate?
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/truro-news/20250821/281599541597572
Nova Scotia Railway Heritage
VIA 1 "The Canadian" at Brandon North – CN Rivers Sub Mile 129
Via Rail cuts Montreal-to-Halifax service by half
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/via-rail-cuts-montreal-to-halifax-service-by-half-1.1140660
Via Rail cuts concern workers and passengers
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/via-rail-cuts-concern-workers-and-passengers-1.1190348
When VIA Rail was almost cut in half
https://www.cbc.ca/archives/when-via-rail-was-almost-cut-in-half-1.5272314
Traveliving – Vintage 1960’s Canadian National Railway Passenger Service Film
1971 Canadian National Commercial
https://archive.org/details/videoplayback-18_202008
1974 Canadian National Commercial
Home Movie: 98229: Canadian National Fan Trip
https://archive.org/details/HMCanadianNationalF98229
BUDD COMPANY
https://www.trains-and-railroads.com/budd-company
The Budd Company and also Other Stuff (donoteat01)
By Buddah – originally posted to Flickr as The Long Renaissance, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7483256
Nightstar Carriage Photos (used with permission)
Renaissance (railcar)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_(railcar)
The Canadian VIA Rail Train Skyline Car Forward View Crossing South Saskatchewan River
Skyline Car Photos
By Savannah Grandfather – https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannahgrandfather/582868538/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3382339
By Sancho McCann – https://www.flickr.com/photos/sanchom/2746127380, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46040816
By Kosboot – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=125356698
As usual, the YouTube Description is not nearly long enough for all of the references. You can find the full list on Nebula or at this link:
https://notjustbikes.com/references/viarailtheocean.txt
The vast majority of the content in this video was filmed on location by Not Just Bikes, with some images licensed from Getty Images and other sources.
No generative AI or AI voices were used in the making of this video.
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Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:20 The second-best train in Canada
3:16 Forgettable Halifax
4:19 Lunenburg
5:07 Halifax train station
5:45 From six to three days per week
6:50 The CN era
9:22 Boarding "The Ocean"
10:20 The Budd Company
11:09 Our sleeper rooms
12:24 "The Ocean Limited" in 1965
13:32 Departure
15:04 Lunch
16:23 Chronic underfunding
16:55 Renaissance cars
20:14 Dinner
20:32 Other sleeping options
21:31 Seating cars
22:01 Station stops
22:41 The missing Park car
24:30 Sleeping
25:08 Terrible, terrible tracks
28:06 Breakfast
28:42 Arriving in Montréal
29:04 Booking this train
29:56 The future of "The Ocean"
31:15 Our continued travels
31:48 Supporting this channel & Nebula
