Rolling Home: A Cross-Canada Railroad Memoir

Debbie Fyfe is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

Who hasn’t dreamt of traveling across Canada by rail? The thought
evokes images of high adventure and beautiful scenery while riding the
rails on one of Canada’s enduring national icons, our passenger
railway system. Tom Allen, host of CBC Radio’s Music and Company,
takes the reader on a delightful journey from the east to west coasts,
and north to Hudson’s Bay.

From June 1999 to September 2000, Allen, an accomplished storyteller
and trombonist, traveled from Halifax to British Columbia, sometimes
alone and sometimes with his wife and children and father. Along the way
he met many interesting people, from local commuters and overseas
visitors to wealthy North American tourists and proud railway workers.
He also stayed up late to catch solitary glimpses of beautiful
landscapes through the dome car, enjoyed Prairie sunsets, and conversed
with long-time railway employees who told him stories of the good ol’
days. All of this and much more is captured in Rolling Home. The memoir
is presented in chapters with a regional focus, contains helpful maps,
and is well researched. Interesting footnotes abound.

Factual yet amusing, Rolling Home will be a great read for armchair
travelers, retired railroaders and anyone else interested in the
history, romance, and reality of rail travel in Canada.