In the years following World War II, passenger trains on the CP consisted of a mixture of prewar heavyweight and pre- and post-war lightweight cars, even on its flagship transcontinental The Dominion and its eastern extension, The Atlantic Limited.

Following an evaluation in 1949 of the dome cars featured on the General Motors / Pullman Standard demonstrator Train of Tomorrow, CP management, including then-Vice President Norris R. Crump, resolved to upgrade its rolling stock.

[6] When the decision was made to add budget sleeping cars, the Budd order was supplemented by 22 existing heavyweight sleepers that CP refurbished in its own Angus Shops, each fitted-out with Budd-style stainless steel cladding.

To complement the new rolling stock, CP ordered General Motors Diesel FP9 locomotives to supplement an existing fleet of FP7s.

Facing competition from new jet aircraft and increased automobile usage following construction of the Trans-Canada Highway, the CP cancelled The Dominion in 1966, and petitioned the government to discontinue The Canadian in 1970.

In the aftermath of another round of deep budget cuts made to Via Rail on January 15, 1990, Via again discontinued the Super Continental, this time permanently.

The Canadian was moved from CP trackage to the CN route plied by the Super Continental for its first quarter-century, dropping the Montreal section.

At the same time, the absence of transportation alternatives along the CP route allowed entrepreneur Peter Armstrong to develop the Rocky Mountaineer excursion service.

[11] To address this issue, the schedule was lengthened again, effective July 26, 2018, to four days and four nights in each direction due to continuing schedule-reliability problems on the host railway: CN.

Sleeper Plus has a choice of upper/lower berths, a roomette for one, or a cabin for two: each of which features chairs or facing sofa seats during the day and beds at night.

Prestige offers a significantly larger cabin, with a modular leather sofa during the day which converts to a double bed at night.

Sleeper Plus roomettes and cabins for two include private washroom facilities, and additionally have access to a shared shower in each car.

Once again the train hugs mountainsides among the Victoria Cross Range (to the north) above the Miette River and runs through tunnels and past protective slide detector fences.

[36] The centre provides maps and other information about the park and surrounding UNESCO World Heritage site through which the train travels.

They include: From southeast to southwest:[54] Northwest to northeast: The train crosses Stoney River, glides through a 700-foot (210 m) horseshoe tunnel underneath Disaster Point, and begins riding along the shores of Brûlé Lake.

Entrance is the official easternmost point of the Canadian Rockies (at least on the CN), but the Miette Range usually is still visible for many miles as the train heads out across the prairies.

The surrounding landscapes are still heavily forested and the riverbanks a bit dramatic, but the land slowly opens up to ever broader valleys, plains, and farmlands.

About 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Hinton, the train crosses an impressive trestle over Prairie Creek with the Athabasca still in sight.

Departing out of Edmonton station, the train heads east past the CN Walker Yard (city skyline is visible to the south) and cuts across the Canadian prairies for nearly 470 kilometres (290 mi), paralleling Alberta Highway 14.

The train then crosses the Alberta–Saskatchewan border and stops in Unity, Saskatchewan, before passing over the Kikiskitotawânawak Iskêwak Lakes en route to Biggar.

After entering Manitoba, the train stops in Rivers, and heads east to Portage la Prairie, now following the Trans-Canada Highway.

With its journey through the prairies almost over, the train heads out of the yards and continues east, following Manitoba Provincial Trunk Hwy.

15, towards the rural community of Elma, then turning east-northeast towards Brereton Lake, Ophir and Winnitoba, and crosses the Manitoba-Ontario border after traversing Whiteshell Provincial Park.

Now in Ontario, the train travels through the rugged Canadian Shield, stopping at Rice Lake and Copelands Landing station en route to Malachi.

Afterwards it heads through Savant Lake, Flindt Landing, Allanwater Bridge, Collins, Armstrong, Mud River, Ferland, Auden, Nakina, Longlac, Caramat, and Hillsport en route to Hornepayne.

Stops are made at Elsas, Foleyet, Gogama, Westree, Ruel, Felix, McKee's Camp, and Laforest before the train enters Capreol.

From Bala, the trains continue along the CN trackage for approximately 40 km (25 mi) to Washago, its final stop before Toronto.

The Canadian passes through Richmond Hill and western Markham into the city of Toronto proper, with a scenic route paralleling the Don River for the final 10 km.

After that, the train heads eastbound towards Thornhill in western Markham to meet up with the Bala Subdivision at Doncaster Diamond and from there continue Northwest leaving the Greater Toronto Area towards Washago and eventually Vancouver.

Sleeper Plus service between major cities is usually more expensive than air travel, even after deals, but includes meals, accommodation, and some entertainment options.