Thanks for the suggestions. I'm on 67(16) headed for Toronto as of this post.
The view from the Chateau Champlain was great. The brunch didn't happen. I had breakfast at a crappy cafe in the Central Staion, which is set up a bit like 30th station in Philly but looks and feels like a high school gymnasium. The biz class lounge was also a disappointement, the chairs looked like they were set up for 10-15 stays when I needed an hour of shuteye waiting for the train.
The biz class on the train isn't bad, but the seats are like the Talgo seats. They look cool but in reality are not much better than domestic coach on a Super 80. They could take a page from domestic business class on Delta or even Amtrak A-2 coaches. The big comfy chairs are great.
I also rode the DM line to the burbs and got a few pics of the Z1 stuffed and mounted at Deaux Montagnes. It was in bad shape, which is a shame. It's so old that it's got to be bloody simple inside, meaning it wouldn't be hard to run at a trolley museum. The trains themself aren't bad. It reminds me of a cross between SEPTA equipment and Metra Electric operations. That is, lots of stops and rare to get over 60 mph. Im glad I did it, but not sure I would come back to go again on this train.
That said, I would love to spend a week in Montreal and get to know the city. It was stunning. I happened into a bar called Grumpy's and an Ontario comic named BA Johnston was playing. Wow, what a riot.
Anyway, I'm off to Toronto. I would love to spend the day riding streetcars but I have to hustle to LA on Monday night and eventually I will get to NOLA on Friday where I will ride plenty of streetcars (the green ones, that is - the locals don'te like the red ones and neither do i).
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.