Stuart Forster reports on new GoldLeaf Service cars for the Rocky Mountaineer train service made in Berlin, Germany, and exported to western Canada.
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Travellers on Rocky Mountaineer’s luxury train services may find themselves viewing the landscapes of western Canada from bi-level cars made in Berlin, Germany.
“We’ve invested in 10 bi-level dome cars that are going to be integrated into our existing fleet,” explained Scott Dearin, the Rocky Mountaineer’s Director of Asset Development in the German capital during 2018.
Expanding the GoldLeaf Service
“This represents for us the biggest investment the company has ever made. The reason we’re doing it is that we are a growing company. We want to support that growth by increasing the seating capacity on our GoldLeaf Service,” said Scott.
“We have 16 existing cars today. With these new 10 cars, by 2020 we are going to have 26. That really supports the sales growth that we are seeing in our company and allows us to sell more seats on GoldLeaf,” he added.
I asked what that will mean to customers travelling on the Rocky Mountaineer.
“The customer experience on our GoldLeaf Service is amazing. The experience on the new cars is going to be very similar to our existing product offering. The seats are going to be the same seats. The storytelling and the interaction with the hosts and other guests will be the same. There will be amazing food coming out of the galley.
Overall, the interior design and the service design is going to be the same whether a guest gets one of our existing cars or one of our bi-level dome cars. That was important as we want to make sure that all of our guests have a life-changing experience on our train,” answered Scott.
Rocky Mountaineer’s SilverLeaf Service
An expansion in the number of single-level SilverLeaf Service cars is also planned for the 2018 season.
“The SilverLeaf Service is a great experience. You enjoy panoramic views from your seat. We have a great food selection at your seat. It’s accompanied by three onboard staff of high quality and experience. Right now, we have 12 cars in our fleet with two more joining, meaning 14 in total for 2018,” said Scott.
Rocky Mountaineer’s GoldLeaf cars
The order for the 10 new GoldLeaf cars was placed in 2015. They have been designed and built by Stadler, a Swiss company, which employs around 1,000 people at its plant in the Pankow district of Berlin.
The bogies, on which the cars roll, are made in Switzerland and then shipped to Berlin. Their pneumatic suspension system is designed to ensure a smooth ride for the 72 passengers that can travel in each car.
The Rocky Mountaineer tends to roll through the countryside at an unhurried pace but the cars are designed for travel up to a maximum speed of 177 km/h. That’s a prodigious 110 mph.
The production process of each of the cars takes around three months. Their steel bodies are sandblasted smooth and sprayed at a facility at Reinickendorf, in the northwest of Berlin.
Rocky Mountaineer rail cars
Each of the new cars features panoramic windows with electronically controlled tinting that can be lightened or darkened to suit the lighting conditions. The cars are air-conditioned and designed to operate with the outside temperature anywhere between a chilly -25˚C and a sweltering 50˚C.
Leather seats on the upper floor of the cars have electronic controls for comfort adjustments.
The bi-level rolling stock has two toilets, one of which is barrier-free. These, like the dishwasher in the kitchen, are designed to use less water than those in the existing cars. That will help make the Rocky Mountaineer more eco-friendly.
A lift and a staircase provide access between decks. At their rear, each of the cars has an open vestibule. That proves a popular place to take photographs of the landscapes and wildlife that can be viewed while travelling along the Rocky Mountaineer’s routes.
Behind-the-scenes enhancements include ovens that offer expanded cooking capabilities in the galley. The cars will also have a diesel generator and easily accessible underfloor components, which is ideal for maintenance work.
The journey to Canada
Transporting each of the new cars from Berlin to Kamloops will take around 62 days.
Before they leave the workshop in Reinickendorf, trees along the road will be trimmed to ensure that the cars do not get hit by overhanging branches on the way to the river port. From there they will be transported to Bremerhaven, then shipped to North America via the Panama Canal.
They will be unloaded in Tacoma, in Washington, then transported by rail to Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer workshop in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The first of the new cars entered service in the 2018 season. Typically, the Rocky Mountaineer’s season runs from April until October.
Rocky Mountaineer cars
The dimensions of Rockt Mountaineer’s cars are as follows:
Gauge: 1,435mm (that’s Standard Gauge, or 4ft 81⁄2in)
Width: 3,050mm (c. 10ft)
Height: 5,520mm (18ft 1 1/3in)
Length: 27,347mm (89ft 9in)
Weight: 25 tonnes (without mountings)
Hotels in Vancouver, Canada
Planning a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer? You can find accommodation in Vancouver, Canada, using the map below:
Books about the Rocky Mountaineer
Interested in the Rocky Mountaineer? You can buy the following books from Amazon by clicking on the links or cover photos:
Train Beyond the Mountains: Journeys on the Rocky Mountaineer by Rick Antonson.
Trip of a Lifetime: The Making of the Rocky Mountaineer by Paul Grescoe.
Rails Over the Mountains: Exploring the Railway Heritage of Canada’s Western Mountains by Ron Brown.
Lonely Planet’s guidebook to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies.
Rocky Mountaineer
See the Rocky Mountaineer website for more information about the rail service and routes.
Further information
Stuart Forster, the author of this post, is a UK-based travel writer. He is a Canada expert and was presented the 2017 British Annual Canada Travel Award for Best Online Content.
Photos illustrating this post were supplied courtesy of the Rocky Mountaineer.
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A version of this article was initially posted on Go Eat Do on 20 January 2018.
Ricardo Petrini
February 2, 2018 at 00:15Are they wheelchair accessible. If not, maybe it could be a future consideration.
Stuart Forster
February 3, 2018 at 17:52Hello Ricardo, I’d suggest you contact the Rocky Mountaineer with detailed questions about accessibility. I know that the car I was on had a lift that could transport a wheelchair between levels.
David Tristan
February 2, 2018 at 07:17Hi, How can I tell if we are booked on one of the new Goldleaf carriages?
Stuart Forster
February 3, 2018 at 17:50I’d recommend you direct a question of that nature directly to the Rocky Mountaineer.