TAKING THE TRAIN IN CANADA - All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide - page 232

excellent, genuinely friendly service along the way—as I rather
suspect you will—send an attaboy e-mail to that same address,
specifying the date, train number, and employee by name.
Rail Fans
Yes, Canada also has its proportionate share of folks who are fas-
cinated by trains. As noted elsewhere, these people are referred to
as foamers by professional railroaders in the United States, imply-
ing that they foam at the mouth upon catching sight of a train.
That word is known north of the U.S. border, but with a tact and
gentility rather typical of the Canadians, the preferred term in
that country seems to be “DRF” (for “demented rail fan”).
Onboard Crews
Crew responsibilities are divided in almost exactly the same man-
ner on VIA Rail trains as on Amtrak's. The only difference of note
is that there is a service manager on all of VIA's long-distance
trains who has overall responsibility for the quality of service pro-
vided by the onboard crew. He or she wears a prominent badge on
the uniform with that designation.
Another point to note: Compared to Amtrak, you'll see fewer
female conductors on VIA trains. In the late 1990s, the company
made an effort to hire more women in nontraditional jobs. Man-
datory cuts occur from time to time, and on those occasions the
most recent hires are always the first to be let go. Unfortunately,
that has usually meant the women.
Passenger Train Equipment
When it got started some 30-plus years ago, a lack of quality roll-
ing stock was one of VIA's biggest problems. Like Amtrak, VIA
Rail went through a make-do period with the older traditional