One of the world’s most iconic voyages is back, and TravelPulse Canada is part of the experience.

The first Rocky Mountaineer trains to leave British Columbia en route to the majestic Canadian Rockies pulled out of Kamloops on Tuesday morning, marking the first Rocky Mountaineer departure since October of 2019.

With Canada’s borders still largely shut, most of the 80-plus passengers (the train is operating at roughly one-half capacity for social distancing) on board were Canadian. But the sense of excitement was palpable, both from visitors and from staff who were welcoming their first guests in 21 long months.

Rocky Mountaineer staff took photos outside the gleaming rail cars, with flags flying and grins all around.

TravelPulse Canada is the only media group taking part in the trip.

The Rocky Mountaineer trip from Vancouver to Banff usually would begin with a train ride from Vancouver to Kamloops. Because of the firesin the interior of British Columbia, however, passenger trains weren’t being allowed on the traditional routing, which goes along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers and passes within metres of Lytton, B.C., which was destroyed by fire last week.

Guests instead took modern coaches from the Vancouver train station to Kamloops, passing through towering mountains near Hope B.C. and heading through lush valleys east of Vancouver and then into the dry, rugged British Columbia interior. Friendly Rocky Mountaineer hosts handed out bottled and sparkling water and tons of snacks. They also explained Indigenous place names such as Chilliwack (valley of many streams), and gave guests trivia questions to answer about British Columbia.

Yours truly spotted a dark brown moose in a deep green field south of Lac La Jeune, which caused a stir.

Guests were treated to lunch on the rooftop of the Delta hotel in downtown Kamloops and had several hours to explore the town. TravelPulse Canada sampled some great beers and a fun, tasty menu at Bright Eye Brewing in the increasingly trendy north shore area of Kamloops. We were told the city recently added water bikes (upright “bikes” you pedal in the water) and kayaks along the Thompson River in town.

The Rocky Mountaineer traditionally brings nearly 100,000 visitors to Kamloops every year, which is slightly larger than the city’s population.

TravelPulse Canada was given a sneak peek at the Rocky Mountaineer rail yard in north Kamloops. It’s a remarkable facility with a giant, indoor maintenance facility that has giant “tunnels” that allow workers to work safely under the cars and cranes that can hoist massive rail cars nearly three metres into the air.

All of the Rocky Mountaineer fleet – there are roughly 93 cars in Canada and in the United States, where a new Colorado-Utah service will be unveiled next month – can be monitored electronically from the high-tech operations centre at the yard. The blinking lights and colourful monitors resemble something out of a science fiction movie.

This also is where they have their warehouse for supplying food along the way; fresh Pacific salmon, Alberta steaks, B.C. wines and much more.

“Some items come from down the street; others from across the world,” John Campbell, Senior Manager Fleet and Facilities, explained.

“It’s all about service,” he said. “Things can change (due to COVID-19) but service isn’t allowed to slip.”

Campbell tells the story of a young passenger who was on board a few years ago. He was allergic to eggs and didn’t want pancakes for breakfast, so the crew rustled up some Froot Loops for him.

“He was thrilled.”

For now, the Rocky Mountaineer is operating at significantly reduced capacity. Our train had less than one-half the normal occupancy, which meant plenty of space for all. Masks were requested for public spaces, but not while dining or sipping on B.C. wines or a cup of coffee.

Look for a full report in TravelPulse Canada next week.