Railfanning Advice for Quebec City and Ottawa

Hello, in addition to going to Montreal and Toronto, I'm going to go to Quebec City and Ottawa for a few hours, both of which will be by VIA Rail. Any good railfan hotspots in and around there, especially at the VIA Rail Stations? Thanks.

In Quebec city, the "Pont de Québec" (the longest cantilever bridge in the world) is a must. The Cap-Rouge trestle (Tracel de Cap-Rouge, in french) is also popular, but there is little train traffic. The Gare du Palais (Quebec city downtown train station) is magnificient. Its design is similar to the Château Frontenac.

I don't know how much time I will be in Quebec City, but I will consider those bridges. Are any of them very close to Downtown? Which railroads cross the "Pont de Quebec?" Thanks.

The lobby of the Ottawa station has several large scale steam engines, very beautiful models.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:I don't know how much time I will be in Quebec City, but I will consider those bridges. Are any of them very close to Downtown? Which railroads cross the "Pont de Quebec?" Thanks.

The Pont de Québec (Québec City bridge) is owned by CN, but you'll see mostly VIA trains. It is near VIA's Sainte-Foy station and is easily accessible by bus, but it is not in downtown Quebec (approx 30 min by bus from downtown).

The Cap-Rouge trestle is further away, but is still accessible by bus.

If you prefer to stay downtown, you can always go see the Québec port. You should see CN and QGRY rolling stock there.

Also, I strongly suggest you go see the Montmorency falls during your journey in Québec City. There aren't a lot of trains on the railroad bridge in front of the falls, but the landscape is spectacular. It takes approximately 30 minutes by bus from downtown (by taking Métrobus 800).

In Quebec City, I'm definately making a daytrip. I may only spend about an hour and a half, depending on which day I go.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:In Quebec City, I'm definately making a daytrip. I may only spend about an hour and a half, depending on which day I go.

But do you absolutely want to go railfanning? With an hour and a half it would be easier just to visit Old Québec, the Citadel and Château Frontenac (which are a must, IMHO).

The VIA Rail service to Quebec City is poor, so my choices will be limited. Other than the grab and go railfanning, I'll prolly stay in old Quebec. It depends which day I go.

Are there shuttles that connect the westbound Ocean at Charny? I may save Quebec City for another time, and combine it with a trip on the Ocean, which I plan to do in the next few years. Thanks.

njt/mnrrbuff wrote:The VIA Rail service to Quebec City is poor, so my choices will be limited. Other than the grab and go railfanning, I'll prolly stay in old Quebec. It depends which day I go.

Are there shuttles that connect the westbound Ocean at Charny? I may save Quebec City for another time, and combine it with a trip on the Ocean, which I plan to do in the next few years. Thanks.

Yes, VIA offers a shuttle service between Gare du Palais (downtow Québec) and Charny upon reservation.

http://www.viarail.ca/en/useful-info/re ... uebec-city