Trackside Treasure

THREE DAYS AT PORTAGE, 1982

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:55:53 +0000

Although it's now 44 years ago, from June 8 to June 26, 1982 I travelled from Kingston to Portage la Prairie, MB aboard VIA for what was becoming my annual summer visit to see my aunt and uncle. It seems I've only published one day of trains from my summer 1982 visit there. That's about to change! After two days touring the area, I spent three full sunny days at the tracks. In this post, I'm covering June 14, 15 and 16. Trains are shown by time, direction, railway, locomotive numbers, consist, caboose/van number and remarks. Trains that went unphotographed are shown with an asterisk (*).

DAY ONE - JUNE 14, 1982

I was at the tracks all day (except for lunch with my aunt and uncle) catching 22 trains. The first train of the day was a CP westbound (top photo) setting out a switcher to replace the assigned CP 6569, taken to Winnipeg for repairs the previous day. Backing into the yard across Third Street NW just east of the CP station.

0820 W CP 5792-5533-6599(set out at Portage) 102 bathtub gondolas i.e. 799729, van 434729.

*0924 W CN 1055-1050 90 empty grain boxcars, 79537.

GMD-1s 1055-1050 are on the CN Gladstone Sub yard lead with a westbound train of grain empties. The head-end trainman climbing down from 1055 told me they were going on a three-day run to Gladstone, Neepawa and Russell to set out empties at elevators.

0953 E CN 5231-5170 96 grain loads from Dauphin, 79857 (below).

*1002 W CN 9470-9475-5119 97 cars, 79530.

Two units of a westbound CN freight (see 1120 listing, below) were in the CN yard lifting some work train cars when this F-led train rolled west.

1105 W CN 9172-4124 98 cars, 79329.

1120 CN 5089-5240 (interestingly with CN 9580 mid-train) with Continuous Welded Rail cars from the yard being added to their train with cabooses 79860-79423:

While that was happening, two CN westbound rolled through within minutes. The coal empties led the way, with the grain empties pulling west slowly to follow behind that train.

1123 W CN 5268-5264 95 bathtub coal gondola empties (below - middle).

1130 W CN 5223-5233 97 grain empties, 79484 (below - left).

Twenty minutes later, the usual pre-lunchtime CP westbound pulled in, doing some switching before continuing west after lunch.

1155 W CP 5764-5545:

A previously-published post on these 'pike-sized passenger trains' is here. Downgraded service - apat chwork run as a result of the cancellation of VIA's Super Continental during the massive cuts in November, 1981.

1201 W VIA No 109 engines 6520-6521, 2 cars.

I was at West Tower after lunch.

1337 E CN 9544 55 cars mostly CWR, 79529. CP-CN connecting track in foreground:

Thirty minutes later at 18th St NW crossing, this Rivers Sub hotshot flew through with intermodal, auto racks and some covered hoppers.

1408 E CN 5357-9588-5107 85 cars, 79538.

The same view in 2026...obscured (below). Tree growth around the stations and adjacent to the yards, plus the absence of all grain elevators in favour of larger plants established outside Portage radically changed the skyline and photo angles.

CN 5276 (see 1638 listing, below) was the first locomotive I encountered during my first visit to Portage. Here it is, six years later plying those same rails:

1451 W VIA No 1, engines 6501-6610-6603 with Portage Pool B as a backdrop. After the cancellation of the Super Continental in VIA's 1981 cuts, only the daily Canadian was still bound for Vancouver. Ex-CN power, mostly on CP Rail tracks:

None of the day's remaining trains were photographed. Perhaps I hadn't brought another film?

*1500 E CP 5985-5529-5547 from Minnedosa Sub grain loads 434389.

*1515 W CP 5918-5528-5559-5637 434692-434727.

*1542 E CP 5518-5932 131 grain loads, 434634.

*1608 E CP 5995 41 cars, 434430.

*1636 E VIA No 2, engines 6506-6604-6606.

*1638 W CN 5276-5288 potash empties, 79593-79405-79726.

*1650 E CN 5183-5273 103 cars, 79562.

*1655 E CP 5779-5579-5504-5901 CP bathtub gondolas, 434368.

*1657 W CP 5740-5520-4510-5734 93 cars, 434314.

DAY TWO - JUNE 15, 1982

I was trackside from 0830-1200 and 1330-1715 but there were only 9 trains! Starting the day at West Tower, I walked the full length of Portage's yards - West Tower east to station during a two-hour morning lull, then East Tower west to station in the afternoon!

*0856 W CN 5191-5107 78 potash empties, 79428.

0933 E CN 9502-5197 101 cars 70% lumber, 79582.

Lull! Back to the station.

1127 W CP 5942 113 grain empties, 434457.

1159 W VIA 6519, 2 cars:

After lunch, with a rare MLW in the middle.

1344 W CP 3008-4228-5014 115 grain empties, 434546 and CP business car Strathcona.

1415 E CP 5914-5944 73 cars grain, 434650 (below).

None of these photographed:

*1455 W VIA No 1, engines 6507-6607-6611.

*1531 W CN 5186-5172 93 grain empties to Gladstone Sub, 79438.

*1531 E CP 5931-5757.

*1631 E VIA No 2, engines 6504-6602-6605.

*2107 W CP 5914-5944 120 grain empties, 434389 (same engines EB at 1415, clearly CP knows how to sweat the assets!)

DAY THREE - JUNE 16, 1982

Trackside all day, though again not as many trains. At West Tower first thing in the morning, all the trains were coming out of the sun, so the first four not photographed.

*0904 W CP 5726-5517-8697-8805-8835 to Minnedosa Sub, 434716.

*0928 W CN 5164-5188-5078 101 cars, 79635.

*1008 W CN 4322-4122-4228 93 cars, 79510.

*1036 W CN 9458-9627 41 ballast cars, 79332.

1052 E CP 6006-5537 from Minnedosa Sub 91 grain loads, 434592.

A few minutes later, this eastbound on the Rivers Sub stopped for a signal at West Tower.

1108 E CN 5226-5059 105 grain loads, 79620.

A scant nine minutes later, from the Gladstone Sub, approaching red-over-yellow signal.

1117 E CN 5212-4349-4327 103 cars, 79844.

*1159 W VIA 6514, 2 cars

CP 5958 had been dropped in the yard (see 1516 report, below).

1305 W CP 5597 116 grain empties, 434570 (below).

*1450 W VIA No 1 engines 6505-6606-6604.

A CP westbound arrived with two locomotives, then lifted CP 5958 from the yard, departing at 1516. The operator is in the shade near the train order signal with train orders for the tail-end crew.

1516 W CP 5990-8801-5958 107 grain empties to Minnedosa Sub, 434430 (below).

none of these photographed:

*1625 W CN 4309-4277-4152 91 grain empties, 79301.

*1636 E VIA No 2 engines 6501-6610-6603.

*1658 E CN 9627-9458, 79332.

I stayed at the tracks until 1800 because the engineer on VIA No 109 said he would drop off some train orders for me. As the sun started to drop...

1742 W CP 5985-8496 105 grain empties to Minnedosa Sub, palindromic 434434 (below).

*1810 E VIA 6512, 2 cars.

*1859 W CP 6020-4723-3009 intermodal.

Running extra...

The End Times. Well, for VIA Rail Canada, anyway. I like the part where this YouTuber says "...the coaches we've been seeing on VIA Rail since...the dawn of man...are going to straight up disappear", well, according to GamingRailfanner on YouTube. (That means I pre-dated the dawn of man?) Here are two screenshots from his scary-graphicked VIA Rail's LRCs are Numbered video that attempts to answer the question 'what happens on January 31, 2027?'. Nobody knows. Not even VIA knows. But I know that picture shows Kingston station platform!

Originally posted on Trackside Treasure:

Someone posted the fate of the LRC fleet on social media (below), and it's what led to GamingRailfanner's post. Dude seems to know what he's talking about...

Congratulations to GamingRailfanner for getting 3,800 views and 44 comments and counting in a day - you obviously have a loyal audience and your videos are very watchable! The kids used to call that 'clout'.

First past the post...

Once again, Canada rallies around its own. In the wake of the terrible training accident at CFB Wainwright, mutual aid from nearby communities raced to the scene. Code Orange was declared and other Alberta hospitals made ready. Flags at half-mast, prayers, expressions of support, condolences, and a million tiny actions showed that Canada not only supports its armed forces, we support each other.

MODEL CANADA STRONG! INTRODUCING THE CMRM

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:29:45 +0000

I've heard of CARM*, I've heard of CRM*, I've even heard of CRAM*, but now there's CMRM. An email plinged into my inbox to notify me of the CMRM's recent formation. It's a new coalition of manufacturers a mari usque ad mare to help Canada's model railroad industry withstand a 50% U.S. tariff that has upended a market many of them spent decades building.

[*CARM (Canadian Association of Railway Modellers); CRM (now-defunct Canadian Railway Modeller magazine); CRAM (what we did before a big test in school).]

Canadian Model Railroad Manufacturers (CMRM) brings together 10 companies that design, develop and manufacture products for model railroaders across the country, with a shared message for hobbyists: spend your hobby dollars in Canada.

The tariff has hit small manufacturers hard and fast. Many CMRM members are small businesses, building specialized products in workshops and studios across Canada. For companies that have spent years developing customers in the enormous U.S. model railroad market, a 50% tariff represents a significant new barrier to those sales. Model railway products had been exempt from Section 232 tariffs implemented last year, covered by the Canada-U.S. Mexico Agreement. But in the Section 338 round, such products were classified under HTS Code 9503, which includes toys, dolls, puzzles and scale models.

According to data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB), more than 53,000 small and medium-sized businesses are directly impacted by the levies. Toronto-based miniprints is one example: approximately 85% of the company's sales over the past year went to U.S. customers, and the new tariff has dramatically changed the economics of serving that market. Rather than wait for the trade dispute to resolve, miniprints owner Bernard Hellen began reaching out to other Canadian manufacturers about working together - a conversation that grew into CMRM.

WHO, WHY, HOW?

The ten founding members span Canada from Nova Scotia to British Columbia, as well as a broad cross-section of the hobby: miniprints, ITLA Scale Models, Precision Design Co., Fast Tracks Hobbyworks, PDC Custom Decals, Inter-Action Hobbies, Ultimation Modeling Tools, Otter Valley Railroad, Sylvan Scale Models and Roomettes. Together they make miniature figures and details, structures and craftsman kits, track-building products, decals, rolling stock, lighting, tools and other specialized products. Though I must admit I'm waiting for one of the biggest to appear alongside those other fine Canadian companies. Google's AI Overview tells me so:

CMRM helps make these businesses more visible, encourages co-operation among participating companies, and helps Canadian hobbyists discover the remarkable range of model railroad products available from Canadian businesses. CMRM promotes its members through its website, social media, industry events, and co-operative marketing. Participating companies display a CMRM Member mark so hobbyists can identify them at shows, in stores and online. You'll see it high up in Trackside Treasure's sidebar with a proud maple leaf nearby:

WHO, ME?

I immediately joined the CMRM as a Supporter. My 'Fifty Years Trackside' graphic now appears on the CMRM website along with nine other supporters, mostly model railway clubs, with links to their social media sites. Why? Because as a fiercely patriotic Canadian, there's only one thing I like as much as being fiercely patriotic. Free stuff! And being a Supporter is free. But really...why? What does this blogger - one who inhabits both the prototype railway world and the model railway world - care about Canadian model railway manufacturers?

Well, for years we had no choice but to fill our layout rooms with Athearn blue box and Roundhouse products. Oh sure, we could order other model train stuff from The Walthers Catalogue, but it was almost all American-made. When C-D-S Lettering dry transfers came along, I purchased copious sets and actually used them. When Lionel HO launched its Canadian prototype line of HO rolling stock and locomotives, I purchased those.

As a result, maybe you're thinking, "Well, what have you purchased from the CMRM's manufacturers?" There are different kinds of support - financial support, moral support and just plain support by communicating. That's what you're reading. I support this HOmegrown initiative and HOpe my support will help to the Nth degree. Or a little bit, at least. Together we can do much. My tiny corner of cyberspace can be worked - like a Victory Garden - small but useful.

Yes, it's by miniprints!

IT'S ABOUT MODEL TRAINS, NOT ABOUT POLITICS

As in most current events and trends, we trail the American hobby industry by over a year. Their Hobby Industry Coalition was formed to counter the U.S. stance – specifically the imposition of up to 145 percent tariffs on Chinese imports - seen as endangering the American hobby industry.

This is not about turning away from the U.S., however. American customers remain important to many CMRM members. The current political climate will not persist forever, though it already feels like forever. The CMRM is all about building a more resilient Canadian industry by growing awareness and demand closer to home. Amazingly, Otter Valley and miniprints have previously been interviewed multiple times by the Financial Post and the CBC, appearing on the National and other newscasts.

I believe CMRM is a Canadian cause wholly worthy of our support.

Consider becoming a Supporter or championing this cause however you can.

--Eric

Running extra...

That door. Those handgrabs.VHA's CBL. Oh, and that Chris Greenlaw.

Highly recommended! Photos by the late Peter Mumby, thoughtfully assembled into this book created by Trackside Treasure prolific blog partner George Dutka. My copy is now secure in an undisclosed location waiting for an upcoming birthday!

Found on Maxsold: Napanee Industries builder's photos. (Now, is that builder's or builders' photos? Are there more than one builder? Or is that 'Is there more than one builder'? 'Is there more than one builder's photo?' Oh never mind.) Here's a link to a previously-published Napanee industrial post where all the photos up for auction are shown.

First past the post...

So often, as Canadians (hey, aren't we socialists because anyone can get a free cardiac surgery without paying off the bill for the rest of their earthly life?) (and hey comrade, aren't 'socialists' interchangeable 'Communists' and 'Marxists' we so often hear about from a certain world leader who's schooled in Political Studies about as much as my refrigerator is?) expect the government to save us from all our perils. Here is an industry group that has banded together into a family, not necessarily waiting for a government who itself is stuck in an intractable arm-wrestle with a poorly-informed, reactionary former friend, now trade opponent. It's a very Canadian thing they've done, I believe - not able to change the weather, we do our best to adapt.

Of course it's by miniprints!

FIFTY YEARS TRACKSIDE ... 2016-2020 HERE AND THERE

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:26:17 +0000

Welcome aboard this year-long retrospective series celebrating my Fifty Years Trackside - watching trains and taking numbers. This is the Ninth in a year-long series celebrating those five decades - each month's post is a time capsule; a five-year slice of those fifty years. In the previous post, it was time trackside tracked from 2010 to 2015. This month, it's 2016-2020 with a little travelling, here and there.

Here's one of my favourite local trackside haunts - the Vista Drive Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot (below). I always hoped a railman-friendly building with an ample parking lot would be built here. And it was. But my similar optimistic hopes for a perpetual view east to Gardiners Road and Mi 178 Kingston Sub became overgrown with brush along CN's right-of way. The VIA view on July 30, 2017 was...upsetting.

I was making regular trips to Toronto - as I had since 2010 for IQMH committee meetings and slide assessments - and in June 2016, we finished our final day's work early. Unlike my colleagues who worked mere steps away from slogging back to their jobs on Toronto's Hospital Row, I had five hours before VIA No 48 would take me back to Kingston. Why not ride a GO train? I boarded the 1413 Lakeshore West departure, detraining at Aldershot, then catching the 1520 eastward departure back to Toronto Union in GO cab car 327.

On June 25, 2016 I had the rare pleasure of enjoying donuts' n' trains with my father-in-law in the new Country Style Donuts located in his apartment complex. Douglas could chop wood like a lumberjack, but he picked up a donut like it was made of crystal. We watched CN No 376 and two VIA trains during our 45-minute wait for Karen and my mother-in-law to return from an appointment. Their apartment had a perfect, fifth-floor westward view of the CN Kingston Sub near Mi 178.5 so I never passed up the chance to visit there. Douglas left us in August, 2017 but my mother-in-law still lives there at a spry 93!

A day later I was off to Brockville to meet CN hogger Chris de Vries trackside in his home town of Brockville. We caught VIA Nos 47, 64 and another westbound, and the CN local. A trip to Gravenhurst area to visit distant in-law cousins gave me a couple of hours trackside at Torrance, ON catching two CN freights - and a surprise lone Geep!

Karen was still a loyal customer of Ecstasy Crafts in Shannonville. I got in at least four visits to Belleville that summer and fall (top photo - trackside and out standing in my field on July 22, 2016). However, my railfanning style had changed. I rarely had or took the opportunity to sit by the tracks for hours, as I had in years past. Instead, I transitioned to PSR: Precision trackSide Railfanning, when I got wind of something special passing through town, such as:

Potash unit trains to New Brunswick in February and March
RDC testing on VIA No 66 (just missed it) in June
Wind turbine trains in December - the special trains operated until 2022.

During a trip to Toronto on October 28, 2016, I had time after our IQMH meeting concluded to ride the UP Express to Pearson in UP 1002, after which I still spent 1530-1730 at the Skywalk: GO 46 trains, 5 VIA, 12 UP so 63 total movements - an average of one every two minutes. GO passengers at Union Station are absolutely absorbed by whatever is on their smartphones:

Black Friday was spent in Canada, watching CN No 377 (175 cars!), 373 and 369 and two VIAs.

Now produced by Rapido, unique and modern AZER (ex-SP) 40-foot hi-cube boxcars could be seen in ingot service, like AZER 77025 on CN No 376 on May 7 and AZER 77023-77060 and others on December 4.

CN trains were longer and fewer. VIA trains were many, but most were LRC consists. VIA started wrapping cars and locomotives for CANADA 150 (apparently selected for wrapping due to their worst-of-the-bunch paint). I went to see VIA 916, the first P42 (using white cab side numbers!) on February 4, but the unit had been assigned to VIA No 71 instead. I was fortunate to see wrapped Glenfraser through Belleville on February 11, 2017 during a day trip seeing five VIA and 4 CN. On the 90th anniversary of my Dad's birth I was at the Collins Bay marina to see CN No 121, 371, 368 and 305. I observed my first wrapped LRC cars on VIA No 41 on February 20, 2017. VIA 906 leads No 64 in May, 2017:

A family ski trip to Batawa ski hill (I don't ski, but I do apres-ski and I can watch trains) found me at Trenton Junction on February 22 photographing the Tri-County Agro Mart and VIA Nos 52/62, 51, 63, 64, 45 and 42 in the area and at Morningstar Road west of Trenton. I finally caught up to VIA 916 on No 655 at 0645 on March 4, 2017:

Around this time, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) held a free information session at a downtown hotel here. The first half of the evening was a synopsis of how wealthy and secure HOOPP was, while the second half described the rarity and benefits of having a defined-benefit pension plan, and its payments. Whaddya mean, I'm fully paid into my pension plan therefore I can retire at age 55 in two years? Sign. Me. Up.

On an IQMH trip to Toronto, another 1330 early wrap-up found me on an impromptu trip on GO's 1413 departure to Willowbrook. Upon detraining, I was off and walking miles around the perimeter of GO's Willowbrook maintenance facility and VIA's TMC on a sunny April afternoon. Returning eastward to Toronto aboard GO's 1621 eastward departure, I observed 22 movements on the Skywalk in 30 minutes: 16 GO, 4 UP and 2 VIA.

With the release of my fourth book on VIA (proof copy - above). Research and Recollections was an update published five years after my previous two volumes, I had the pleasure of making onboard deliveries - to uberVIAphile Tim Hayman on No 65 on April 15 and subsequent onboard deliveries to Tom Box, Mark Fidelak and Jordan McCallum.

The 'official' book launch was held at the Kingston VIA station on April 22, 2017, with special guests Steve Taylor of Gananoque, fellow Kingston railfans Logan Cadue (both, below) and Paul Hunter, and one of my brothers-in-law. Impressed that Dennis appeared in an apropos blue VIA T-shirt, I marvelled at the appropriateness of his sartorial selection, realizing only later that it was my own, long-lost one that had been included in a bag of 'lightly-'used' shirts we'd sent him. So that's where it went! There were seven VIA and one CN train to entertain us, plus six wrapped CANADA 150 LRC coaches.

I got serious about the choice of a scribbler to record trackside observations. A coil-bound 200-page one that lasted from May 5, 2017 to March 8, 2025!

A July 21, 2017 IQMH meeting allowed time to leave on the Lakeshore East GO 1343 departure to Oshawa, returning on the 1520 westward departure.

We drove to the Highway 41 crossing of CP's Belleville Sub on August 12, 2017 to catch the CP CANADA 150 train eastbound. An eclectic collection of heavyweights comprising CP's executive train fleet for Canada's 150th!

August 18 was a poignant time trackside, arriving at my in-laws' apartment with Country Style donuts (donuts again!) to find them perched like pigeons at the window. We caught the morning eastbound J-train with five CANADA 150 wraps as we waited for the transfer ambulance to take him to palliative care - his second-last day after 86 years. The next day I returned to the apartment to man it during preparations. VIA Nos 64, 65, 42, 47, 644, 645, 44 and CN No 518 and intermodal in three hours. Better days observing a Vista Drive/Bath Road traffic collision (but not necessarily the passing train!) in June, 2016 (above).

A short trip to the Pennsylvania's Lancaster County included a trackside stop to see the Strasburg Railroad excursion train - video taken October 4, 2017.

October 30, 2017 found me aboard GO cab car 307 on the 1443 departure to Oshawa, returning at 1611 after a cold rainy visit, three VIA dnd two CN freights switching Oshawa. No 65 arrives in this YouTube video. This is one colourful ATM in Union Station, photographed on the way to the GO concourse.

VIA and GO trains under the always-under-construction Union Station trainshed. Each time I arrived in Toronto was a different route through the steps and concourse through plywood hoarding. A true rat race!

On December 28, 2017 I had a nice visit from Carberry, Manitoba's Matt Tolton. We were trackside 1345-1530. Afternoon VIA trains were running 45-60 minutes late. There were six, plus one CN freight. VIA was removing the CANADA 150 wraps and replacing them with 'the Future is on Board' green bands on LRC cars (below - March 28, 2018), and red and white 40 Ans/Years logos.

Railfanning trips now included deciding, denoting and designating - while still trackside - which digital photos would go for posting to various social media groups, videos to YouTube, to an upcoming blog post on time spent trackside, or for header photos for Trackside Treasure.

My in-laws held a girls' night (not as exciting as it sounds - card games) on April 23, 2018 over at my in-laws' apartment. I was off to the VIA station (!) from 1730-2030 during which time there were 10 VIA trains before one CN freight capped off the visit. Two days later, I heard a northbound CN No 518 when leaving the house to visit my Mom at Arbour Heights. Setting up there at Tanner Drive, I could see the approaching wayfreight behind Frontenac Mall, then hearing a 'whooosh'! Locos CN 4728-7025 left their train in the sag and entered the tream track ahead to run around and lift boxcar CNIS 413507, bad-ordered and sitting there in ignominy for months, remedied in 15 minutes.

Another girls' night on May 15, another trip to the station. There were 13 VIA and 3 CN freights, including CN 4728-7023 slowly coasting 28 cars of new ties into Queens track 4 before returning to Belleville light power.

Our first grandchild was born on May 24, 2018. Shortly thereafter I was lucky to babysit him one afternoon while Andrew and Caitie were at a wedding. The bus went by on its usual route past our house, and singing 'Wheels on the Bus' to him, I know he became a transit fan! On May 25, my grinning graphic designer delivered the very first copies of my fifth and sixth books, containing my Western Canadian railfanning and grain elevator photos and research. It was a pleasure to create these books on my laptop during my breaks at work! I wondered if one volume would outsell the other but their uptake was one-to-one.

Matt Tolton visited again, albeit during warmer weather on July 13, 2018 from 1730 to 2030, watching eight VIA (including non-stop Nos 646 and 68) and three CN freights with your humble blogger.

July 22, 2018 found me delayed in Parham, ON by a passing CP freight on our way to O'Reilly Lake campground to visit in-laws. Desperate to have us join them with our own (unpurchased!) trailer, three generations worked on me, saying I could drive back to Parham from the campground sometimes to watch trains. Do the math: six CP freights daily spread over 24 hours. That's one train every four hours? The trailer remained unpurchased.

Fellow blogger Chris Mears visited on Friday, October 5. That saved Chris from a few hours' time spent in Cornwall for work. We closed down Panera Bread before heading for more coffee at McDonald's. A great visit discussing all things photo, model, and of course blogging. Wot? No photos were taken?

At the end of 2018, after my final IQMH committee meeting, a penultimate (for me) slide assessment was also scheduled. Being done early on Tuesday, December 11, I decided to travel to north to check our CN's MacMillan Yard. Riding the extended TTC subway to Vaughan, it was a one-mile walk west along a drifty, busy Highway 7 to the overpass over the yard. Six freights bracketed a warmup stop at a nearby Coffee Time I'd passed while walking there. That was after an earlier visit to Tim Hortons!

I made use of Kingston's new Railfan Walking Trail in 2019: January 17, February 23*, March 23, April 16 and August 16. Hey, we paid for it! And nobody likes an ungrateful taxpayer-railfan. The destination was always Collins Bay's Tim Hortons. The view of Lake Ontario over a chest-level wooden railing coffee rest was hard to beat.

Also along the trail, these invigorating, coffee-sipping, cup-clutching billboards that have since faded and fallen into the brush, while the suburb advertised had land cleared but is now grown up with brush.

Fellow documentarian Dave and I at the retirement party hosted by Erika and Dustin on March 23, 2019. Freedom 55 had happened just days earlier. I was enjoying two-day weeks at work when each day was either a Monday or a Friday!

March 27, 2019 was my first day as a newly-minted retiree! How to celebrate the occasion? By driving to the VIA station and picking up our printed tickets for our trip west, catching two VIA and one CN train while doing so! We made the trip to Edmonton aboard VIA Rail in June, 2019. All the trips I've made to western Canada aboard VIA Rail were missing one thing - a travelling companion! In 2019, Karen and I had been married for 32 years, and I was planning to retire, so it seemed to make sense to plan a trip together. My reading told me that retirees did most of their travelling in the first five years of retirement, after all. Karen wanted to see more of the mountains and I just wanted to ride in a sleeper again. We settled on a trip to visit relatives in Edmonton and Vernon BC, combined with seeing the mountains. I'd been gradually accumulating VIA Preference points while travelling between Kingston and Toronto. This sweet sojourn would be even sweeter if it could be made using points! Though there weren't enough to cover fare and accommodation for two all the way, the savvy VIA reservation agent broke the trip into four legs. With that bit of creativity, the points covered all but one of our legs. Success! Skyline Selfie:

Dining our way west:

No station? No problem. During our driving stop to a real horse-ridin' ranch in Valemount, BC:

A final IQMH slide assessment was scheduled to begin on my 'official' retirement date. April Fool's! With the hotel booked already, I had time on April 3 to ride the TTC. For hours. All day. I sampled 17 segments on four modes.

I was still making book deliveries - to CN's Chris Furman and VIA's Chris Diddy. That summer of 2019 VIA was debuting its latest bright yellow marketing brand: la vie qu'on aime/love the way. CN was celebrating its 100th with less imagined red cigar-band on longhand CN 100.

'love the way/la vie qu'on aime' September 14, 2019 (above) and CN100 September 1, 2019:

Refurbished VIA HEP2 cars were emerging from CAD in Lachine with an aqua window band for Economy and grey for Business Class. I christened this the D&H scheme. An unusual cargo - a former Canadian Army Centurion tank - made its way from the CFB Cornwallis museum in Nova Scotia to Langley BC. Tankfully, I was able to catch the special load on CN No 305 on November 3, 2019.

My mother-in-law spent several days in hospital from Nov. 6-10, 2019. While on standby, I headed trackside. We once again celebrated Black Friday in Syracuse no November 29, 2019 catching only two Amtrak trains.

It was suggested that I bring three sets of outdoor clothing to Belleville on December 2, 2019. All my notoriety had landed me a panelist role on The Platforum Podcast with luminaries Jason 'Train In His Basement' Shron, Jordan 'Hollywood' McCallum, host Bob 'The Effect' Fallowfield and talented video producer Barry Silverthorn. Split into three YouTube videos, this was a great opportunity to talk trains trackside in the Great White North. Thirteen VIA and four CN freights based us as we blabbed from 1040-1550. Passing by the outdoor 'set' aboard VIA back on April 1, 2019

I was able to catch two leased CN 'Bluebirds' on the Cataraqui Spur on a snowy January 8, 2020. Bluebirds seen switching Invista during a return from Kingston historical research at Queen's University Archives from the bus on August 12, 2019 (below). Though always wanting to visit the Archives, and having worked right across the street for three decades and only visiting once, I made a point of combining my continuing sunroom-patient-piano-playin' volunteer time with archival research thereafter. I was able to amass digital images of photo prints, negatives and documents for my Kingston's Hanley Spur blog and subsequent two books on Kingston history.

CN's suboptimal Cat Spur trackage claimed No 518 on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 as it backed its train to the lakeside Invest plant, derailing three MGRX loaded covered hoppers at the Bath Road crossing. Three weeks later, three empty bathtub scrap gondolas did the same thing. Both notifications came to my via my son and his cellphone!

In the middle of March, Karen and I spent some time at a secluded, wintry cabin. We watched YouTube videos that showed the world slowly shutting down. The pandemic would even affect trains, most notably VIA Rail and a sudden paucity of passengers!

Thanks for being aboard this year-long train of thought as we retrace, remember, and yes, wallow in nostalgia these fifty years trackside. Watch for an upcoming final instalment covering time trackside from 2021-2026.

Running extra...

If you have any photos of the rather obscure, hidden Calgary VIA station, please contact Calgary railway historian Alec Hamilton. Alec's Calgary rail history website is chock-full of interesting Cowtown material, and Alec's Palliser Square Photo Archive just went live a few days ago. I remember venturing into the station during my trips aboard VIA in 1980 and 1981. It's hard to believe a city Calgary's size has no intercity rail service today!

Alec's inquiry got me going to the ol' dusty archives where I found two photos taken in the subterranean station by my Uncle Wilf Schellenberg. I was preparing to depart (near midnight!) Calgary on a two-plus hours-late No 2 for Toronto thence Kingston on September 3, 1981. These photos are decidedly candid, undocumentary shots but they show the yellow-and-white plastic waiting-room seating quite well. My Aunt Rosemary engagingly entitled the back of the prints "The Well Organized Traveller" (above) and, "Please be good, Eric" (below). That's my orange Popsicle Pete premium free backpack that only took collecting 700 Popsicle wrappers to receive! Imagine a 17 year-old kid taking a train solo from Kingston to Winnipeg, then this kind pair staying up until midnight to make sure I got pointed the right direction home, again crossing our vast country on one's own!

First past the post...

We hear a lot about 'passion' and 'passion projects', especially in a society and online world where are a lot of people viewing and commenting, but perhaps not so many passionate doers actually executing! When we discover a treasure trove of material that someone has carefully curated (think Alec Hamilton!) we enter the world that person has meticulously created. But that person didn't just create it for themselves. Equal parts passion and generosity - sharing with others what they have found and not just hiding it under their own bushel. A very positive thing to do!

ADAM'S ITINERARY ON THE CANADIAN, 1981

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:22:19 +0000

I've been collaborating with Minnesota's Adam Platt to reverse-engineer and reproduce the itinerary travelled during his 1981 trip across much of Canada. I also travelled west from Kingston in August, 1981, so Adam's trip really resonates with me. What are the chances that based on a single social media inquiry back on August 26...

"Hello friends. From my slide collection I am trying to cobble together the partially forgotten itinerary of a massive train trip across Canada and the western US I took the summer I turned 18 (1981). I have a few mysteries...."

...Adam and I would connect, having seen the same consists when I travelled west a couple of weeks after he did? What if those consists were travelling in the opposite direction i.e. eastward from Adam's destination of Vancouver (thence Jasper and Prince Rupert) when I observed them at Portage la Prairie or elsewhere on my trip [or even rode home in one]? What if nothing matched and the whole exercise became one long, wallow in nostalgia for both of us? Challenge...accepted!

While Adam regrets not having taken better notes, I had been doing so, compulsively. I had consists and photos of the Canadian and Super Continental through Portage that summer. After the earlier post confirming he travelled west on the Canadian, turning around at Vancouver and heading east on the Super Continental, what if I could employ my observations to help Adam determine where he was on each day of his trip, date wise? Adam has been abductively, creatively, deductively and even inductively employing memories, weather reports and the VIA system timetable of the time to deliberatively determine his itinerary dates and places. As part of our collaboration comprising 150+ emails back and forth, he kindly scanned some of his many unscanned slides after I requested any showing car names or numbers. He has kindly allowed them to include them here - all photos in this post by Adam Platt unless otherwise noted.

As in the previous post, my research process throughout this post is organic and may be updated as we go along, but is intended to 'show my work' (like we used to have to do in math class, remember?):

ORIGINATING IN QUEBEC & ONTARIO

As he was arriving in Montreal from New York on Amtrak's Montrealer, Adam photographed Kokanee Park, plus a Manor and Chateau sleeper on the tail-end of the Canadian (I believe it's VIA No 2) under the electrified tracks into Central Station, with the Stock Exchange Tower visible at left (above). Just a few days later, after boarding his Canadian consist in Montreal for Vancouver, Adam's No 1 paused at Sudbury the next morning for its scheduled 45-minute servicing stop, and he made it to the tail-end to photograph the Park car. There's a CP intermodal train at left, with the Sudbury Community Arena just visible at right:

Continuing westward, red-tinged rivers, through forests and along a four-arm pole-line, Adam is in the vestibule of diner Annapolis, passing Mile 43 somewhere in Northern Ontario. There would be three Mile 43 CP mileboards to pass this day: near Sinker on the CP Nemegos Sub west of Cartier near Biscotasing around 1000, near Dalton on the White River Sub (Mi. 43.8 CP White River Sub and 38 miles east of Franz) at 1405, and near Pringle on the Heron Bay Sub around suppertime. Based on the schedule, the morning light might make this Mile 43 near Sinker (below). Note the CP Rail Action Red stripe on the first visible Chateau at left.

Both Canadians, westbound No 1 and eastbound No 2, were scheduled to meet between Franz and White River, somewhere around Girdwood (Mi.100 CP White River Sub) or Swanson (Mi. 88) in the mid- to late-afternoon. My No 2 met No 1 at Girdwood in 1982, at much higher speed:

Back to Adam's meet now - it looks like the afternoon was overcast. Adam was still in the vestibule Dutch door of Annapolis for this meet (also - final photo in this post) to capture the meet with No 2. Note the crew sleeper, this one in VIA colours, which was always marshalled between the baggage car and coaches in 1981:

I believe Adam's photos of this meet were taken here on the curve at Swanson (40+ years' worth of tree growth notwithstanding). This screenshot from TVO's Tripping Train 185 shows the westbound Budd car at Swanson with the siding at right (at the 2:28:29 mark) with a siding signal just around the bend:

Here comes VIA No 2, creeping around the curve, headlight bouncing off the Skyline's stainless steel side. A CN-painted crew sleeper is second:

VIA No 2's Park car is oddly equipped with marker lamps:

It was not uncommon for the two trains to pass each other slowly. Greetings, and sometimes food or supplies were exchanged by the crew at vestibules before continuing on. Adam was later lucky enough to get a cab-ride in the leading F-unit, likely departing White River at 1630 and arriving in Schreiber at 2000.

WHILE IN WINNIPEG...

The next morning during the 0920-1330 sunny servicing stop, Adam took some great photos around the Winnipeg depot, both head-end and tail-end of his No 1, and a wander down into the East Yard car storage tracks. Initially not sure of which cars were on which train, I deduced that the some photos showed ex-CP cars on his train, while some were ex-CN spare/'protect' cars on more distant depot tracks where they were usually kept, ready for use, and handier than time-consumingly fetching them from East Yard at train time! Adam's views match mine in this post, also depicting Winnipeg layover railfanning. While over at the car department buildings, temporarily blocked from his train, CN 5362 led an eastbound freight through the Depot with another SD for power, toting flat cars. Cars are being serviced, and the train will be switched in a process I call the Winnipeg Sleeper Swap! Brock Manor and diner Annapolis are visible:

Awaiting the arrival of Super Continental No 3, the Depot's CN switcher and subsequent sleeper-swapping, here's Brock Manor...

...followed by diner Annapolis...

...followed by an unusually still-Action Red Chateau, likely Dollier or possibly Dollard, windows being washed by hand (below). Chateau Lasalle and Chateau Lauzon were also still in CP Rail paint that summer.

Protect cars on spurs close to the depot parking lot. Heavyweight club lounge Bonsoir:

...and CN-painted Enfield (below) with a blue & yellow E-series (to left, not shown). I observed Enfield in Calgary on August 31, also noting Exeter still in CN paint on my trip.

Sibley Park brings up the rear of Adam's No 1:

Power was VIA 1405-6569 and CP Rail 8515. VIA 6569, formerly VIA 1425, was released from CN's Pointe St Charles Shops at the end of December, 1980 after being rebuilt to CN standards. Action Red paint poking through on the ditch light on 1405:

East Yard is at right, where stored passenger equipment awaits (below). I have to wonder if No 1's power has been cut off the train at this point to enable head-end switching by the Depot switcher (not pictured) like swapping the crew car before departure. The power does not appear to be on the same track as the rest of No 1's consist behind it. It's hard to tell in the darkened recesses of the Depot trainshed, but is that the east-of-Winnipeg VIA-painted crew car at left? It's definitely a sleeper based on the car-side lettering and has a stretcher window like the car in the top photo. West of Calgary, we can see No 1's the crew sleeper still in CN colours. Elijah Hall has kindly added that it is indeed a Mount-series sleeper.

THE WINNIPEG SLEEPER SWAP

In the summer of 1981, VIA was swapping cars at Winnipeg between Nos 1 and 3, Nos 2 and 4. While there was generally one through sleeper on No 1, Montreal-Vancouver on CP's southern line, up to three others were switched at Winnipeg, to Toronto-Vancouver No 3 to serve destinations on CN's northern line, and vice versa. In my case, three E-series sleepers were transferred from Toronto-Vancouver (on CN) No 3 to Montreal-Vancouver No 1 (on CP), and three ex-CP sleepers swapped from No 1 to No 3. The ex-CP diner was swapped out for a new (fully-stocked) ex-CP diner at Winnipeg. On the August 24 east/west of Winnipeg consists of No 3 that I recorded, the café-lounge was swapped out for an extra ex-CN diner and Skyline. (It's interesting to note that the Super had two staffed ex-CN diners, while the Canadian had a 3200-series snack bar coach and a full ex-CP diner.) Power was not swapped at Winnipeg, though it would be in Calgary. When the Super Continental was cancelled two months later, there was no longer any need for inter-switching at Winnipeg. Results of the Winnipeg sleeper swap for the trains I rode that August, with removed/swapped/added cars shown with (*):

I have to wonder if Adam switched cars in Winnipeg during the sleeper swap - from a Chateau to an E-series. Or was he travelling in the Manor ahead of the diner on No 1 that seemed to go the whole way Montreal-Vancouver? Adam confirmed that his self-portrait in the roomette mirror (top photo) was taken east of Winnipeg, and we know that east of Winnipeg the only sleepers on his train were two Manors and two Chateau cars. He does not recall changing cars at Winnipeg. Not only would saved tickets show the car line number, they would also show Adam's dates of travel. Adam saved them, but a hurried move in 1985 was likely their demise. Adam admits that some mysteries are just lost to time....onward!

Adam's photography resumes as his Canadian consist relentlessly wends its way westward from Calgary into the foremost foothills and massive mountains. Based on the photos Adam took at Lake Louise, this one is taken from the vestibule of Erwood:

Lake Louise station stop among the three E-series 8-4-4 sleepers. That's Adam's Dad wearing the green shirt - clearly enjoying both the trip and the mountain air, having joined Adam in Calgary.

A horde of passengers approaches, alongside the former location of garden tracks for private cars to be set out on the east side of the Lake Louise station. The lettering on first E-series is clearly Erwood:

Adam took some great scenic views of mountains with the consist of his No 1 stretched out among the coniferous cornucopia, the evergreen eldorado, as seen from the vestibule of the third E-series sleeper - all three added at Winnipeg from No 3. West of Lake Louise:

CP dispatchers orchestrated a meet with an eastbound CP freight near the Spiral Tunnels. The line is climbing the shoulder of Mt Stephen, likely making it Partridge nine miles east of Field (not Yoho as the land doesn't drop off to the right side of No 1). By rail, it's nine miles east of Field. Adam had moved forward in the consist to photograph the stopped train from the vestibule of the snack-bar coach. Head-end:

Mount Ogden and No 1's tail-end, with the freight consist visible behind the Park car:

On the stub-end station tracks are two Park cars - Glacier Park is at left. I didn't observe Glacier Park on my 1981 trip (nor Kokanee Park in the top photo), though I was not trackside every day, and didn't see the later-arriving eastbounds at Portage often (Canadian No 2 and Super Continental No 4) because they came at suppertime, usually after a long day under the hot Manitoba sun watching trains! Adam took this photo prior to departure on the Super Continental. I suspect these may be the Super with Glacier Park and Canadian backed in two tracks away, in foreground.

A little later that day, Adam's No 1 is visible at left as VIA No 4 Eng 6507, leading the Super Continental, is watered and readied for departure from Vancouver:

Adam's overwhelmingly blue & yellow Super Continental stretches out, viewed from the first of the three ex-CP sleepers (two Chateau cars and a Manor) originally added to the train at Winnipeg when it was VIA No 3, now returning east on No 4 from Vancouver to be swapped back at Winnipeg. Judging by the numerals 6-0 on the signal mast, this is just east of Geikie Mi 8.6 CN Alberta Sub) and six miles west of Jasper. Head-end:

Tail-end showing a CN-painted and a blue & yellow sleeper just ahead of the Park car and about to be removed at Jasper. I didn't observe such cars in that position in my Super Continental consists through Portage. Elijah Hall has kindly added that the CN-painted "River car in the Vancouver-Jasper cut pictured on the Super Continental is one of those Ex-Nickel Plate 10-6's with middle-positioned double bedrooms and forward vestibule; likely the Riverside or Riverdale, as both Riverview and Riverlea had been repainted VIA by this point, while Riverfield was converted into a business fleet sleeper but not repainted. Phil Mason photographed one of these Rivers in crew service on the Super at Jasper in late September 1981." Thanks, Elijah!

The tunnel remains today, though a second track has been added (heavy equipment working in Adam's photo). The Miette River flows through the valley here (below - tiny turquoise spot at centre).

Dayniter 5750 can be seen at left, viewed toward the head-end of Adam's No 4 being watered at Jasper. The Skeena, ready to depart within the hour at a scheduled time of 1610 is at centre. CN 9159 leads an SGU, 9400-series baggage-dorm and three blue & yellow cars. Spare/'protect' cars at right are an ex-CN 5600-series coach and an ex-CP car:

A little farther along the platform, Adam gives us a close-up look at 9159 and its train:

Also at Jasper was Burrard, one of VIA's two seven-compartment-buffet-observation lounge cars, the other being Bedford, often occupied by charter groups on the Skeena, VIA Nos 9/10. An April, 1981 VIA pamphlet titled "Unique Tours for Train Buffs" almost certainly created by VIA's Bill Coo, described these cars as the "number one attraction" on that year's tour program, operating over the 721 miles between Jasper and Prince Rupert, or the 626 miles between Jasper and Terrace, BC. After touting the experience of viewing towering mountains, thundering waterfalls, enjoying a favourite brew in the private lounge, the blurb concludes with "enjoy a good meal in the Skeena's diner. And how about those F-units and steam generator cars on the headend?".

Adam's photo of Burrard even shows an antique steel-wheeled cart used to bring blocks of ice to be slung with tongs into the under-floor bunkers of older, ice-cooled cars!

CONSIDERING CONSISTS

From Adam's photos of No 1, it can be seen that a few cars were swapped at Winnipeg: a blue & yellow ex-CN sleeper for another crew sleeper in CN colours. (Interestingly, the blue & yellow one is a Mount-series, though all the crew sleepers I observed that trip were ex-CN I-series [8] or ex-CN River-series [5] - the former assigned to the Super, the latter to the Canadian.) The Winnipeg sleeper swap meant another Manor car was added ahead of the diner, plus two Chateau cars and a Manor were swapped to No 3 for three E-series sleepers. Incidentally, a snack bar coach was added ahead of the Skyline to Adam's No 1, and a stocked diner was swapped. Power was still F-units VIA 1405-6569 (elephant-style) and leased CP Rail passenger Geep 8515. (West of Calgary, that power was swapped for a VIA ex-CP 1400 and two CP Rail passenger Geeps.)

I made post-it notes representing each locomotive and car seen in Adam's photos along his route, arranging them as vertical consists representing each of Adam's trains. Rather than retyping them, here is a photo of those post-it consists: No 1 ex Sudbury (arriving Winnipeg), No 1 west of Calgary (ex Winnipeg except for power swap at Calgary), and No 4 ex Vancouver and arriving Jasper. (Legend: pink = ex-CP cars (multimark denotes still in CP Action Red); blue = ex-CN cars (wet-noodle logo denotes still in CN paint). Locomotive numbers and car names/numbers shown if known:

For comparison, I'll include links to two previously-published Trackside Treasure posts listing all the Canadian consists and Super Continental consists that I observed that August. The Canadian overwhelmingly rostered ex-CP cars and power, maintained at Glen Yard until 1984, and St-Luc in Montreal, respectively. The Super Continental consistently comprised ex-CN cars and power, serviced at Toronto's Spadina Shops and roundhouse. The exceptions were cars that were popular with passengers, like ex-CN Dayniters and ex-CP Skylines and Park cars. There would be more mingling after the cancellation of the Super Continental, when CP's unrebuilt power reached the end of its 30-year career and the ex-CN car fleet was markedly reduced in size.

Also for comparison, here are two Skeena consists bracketing Adam's travel dates on the Skeena:

I'm not sure exactly when diners were removed from Nos 9/10. The timetable continued to show the sit-down food symbol through 1984, though in 1985, my train had 752, a cafe-lounge serving sit-down food.

NOW, ABOUT THOSE CARS...

Now it was time to try to glean some information from the garnered names and numbers in Adam's fine photos:

at Winnipeg - Brock Manor, diner Annapolis and Sibley Park
during Lake Louise station stop - 8-4-4 sleeper Erwood
at Jasper - Dayniter 5750 was in view

Could I review the rotation retroactively to see when these cars were in use on other trips after Adam's No 1 and No 4?

Cars from Adam's No 1 that I observed: Brock Manor, Erwood and Sibley Park at Portage on No 2 on August 26 (as well as car names and numbers mostly not visible in Adam's photos: 109, 113, 512, 5711, Butler Manor and Erwood, Elgin and Elderbank) returning through Portage on No 2 on September 4.

Adam's diner Annapolis was removed in Winnipeg per the practice at the time, and Kent was in its place on August 26's No 2. (That day, Kent was in turn taken off in Winnipeg, returning the next day, August 27, west toward Portage on No 1!)

Dayniter 5750 from Adam's No 4 was eastbound on a subsequent No 4 through Portage on August 26.

There were other data points from my consists, though not necessarily helpful in determining a rotation. The trains' five-day timetable schedule was there in black & white, but time required for servicing at endpoints was a mystery. There seemed to be anywhere between zero and three days spent at endpoints. More complex servicing, re-stocking and repairs could be required above basic cleaning and preparing the consist for its next journey across Western Canada:

505, 1376 and Banff Park on August 26's No 4, off at Winnipeg, switched onto August 27's No 3.
Emerald on August 24's No 2 at Portage, removed at Winnipeg returning on August 26's No 1, then heading back east and removed from September 4's No 2 at Winnipeg (ten calendar days and a longer turnaround at Vancouver?).
Hunter Manor, Thompson Manor, Wolfe Manor and Riding Mountain Park on August 24's No 2 at Portage; I also spotted them in Calgary on August 31 (eight calendar days, a longer turnaround at Toronto?).
Chateau Denonville and Chateau Argenson on August 26's No 4 and September 4's No 2 at Portage (ten calendar days with a next-day turnaround at Toronto, same-day at Vancouver?).

TURNAROUND TIMES AND MY SUBSEQUENT OBSERVATIONS

The Canadian (VIA Nos 1/2) and Super Continental (Nos 3/4) both operated on a five-day, four-night schedule between Montreal-Vancouver and Toronto-Vancouver, respectively, in the VIA summer 1981 system timetable. All four arrived at their endpoints between 0700-1030 and departed between 2000-2330. Approximate extent of each day's travel:

Did the same consist turn around immediately - bear in mind that this was a daily service at the time requiring several consists and coach yard storage - or was the consist taken to the shop for servicing for later placement up to three days later, for its next departure? That's something that the VIA timetable doesn't tell us.

I should note here that for the purposes of this post,

there is a distinction between schedule days and calendar days.

And both can be partial days.

A five-day schedule west followed by a five-day schedule east (totalling 10 schedule days) could actually take place over nine calendar days if a train arrived and left a terminal the same day, or 11 days if a train arrived and left a terminal the same day, then left the opposite terminal the following day.

In the previous post about Adam's trip, I discussed the consists of eastward or westward trains being the same or slightly different. I was able to divine a robust rotation in 1982, after the massive cuts to VIA in November of 1981, the cancellation of the Super Continental and the commencement of operation of the Corridor Canadian (Montreal-Toronto-Vancouver). Unfortunately, I was unable to do the same for 1981. That was partly because despite travelling for two weeks in August-September, and ideally having up to 56 Canadians and Super Continentals to record, I caught only about 25% of them. In fact, for that time period, I could find only one east-(west)-east paired example I considered reliable.

This consist is what I'm calling the 'ironclad rotational return consist' and here are my photos of it: VIA No 2 eastward through Portage on August 26 (above - core cars Skyline 512 and Butler Manor), then presumably completing a Montreal-Vancouver trip before returning through Portage eastward again on September 4 as No 2 (below) after I'd boarded in Calgary.

And, what are the chances this would have been Adam's Canadian consist? And my consist for my trip home from Calgary to Toronto? Apparently, excellent!

Adam recorded some car numbers from his trip, and has almost all the cars from this August 26 consist (though not necessarily from that year, as he also listed cars from his other years' travels), not including the swapped cars in the September 4 consist.

This east-(west)-east 'ironclad rotational return consist' I observed trackside in Portage, eastbound Canadian No 2's on August 26 and September 4 (above) encompassed 11 schedule days but only 10 calendar days before its return through Portage, requiring a quick turnaround in either Montreal and Vancouver. When I observed that consist upon its return, there were several different cars - likely swapped in Montreal - baggage, snack bar coach, Dayniter, two Manors, diner, and Park car!

Notice in Adam's photo of his No 4 at Vancouver behind VIA 6507, taken in the afternoon/evening vefore its departure at 8 p.m., that his No 1 consist is visible to the left, backed into the station - crew sleeper in CN colours and all. This suggests to me that the consist was simply turned back eastward the same day. Perhaps bad-ordered or otherwise substituted cars were dealt with by a switcher job during daylight hours there.

This makes a difference because when I try to reverse-engineer Adam's travel dates from my observations in Portage, a Montreal-Vancouver round trip could actually take only nine calendar days, not the ten schedule days (five west, five east) because the fifth day (arrival) of a westbound No 1 would be the same calendar day as the first day (departure) of eastbound No 2's journey.

VIA MARSHALLING DOCUMENTS GIVE CLUES

Consulting VIA's Consists and Marshalling of Trains issued in April, 1981 gave some turnaround clues:

at Montreal, No 2's consist to No 1 the following day
at Vancouver, No 1's consist to No 2 the same day
at Toronto, No 4 to No 3 the following day except last four sleepers to No 3 the same day
at Vancouver, No 4 to No 3 the same day

I'm always hesitant to quote these documents as Gospel (as I am railway Assignment of Space Circulars from the earlier, pre-VIA era) because they represent an ideal planned consist for each train. Operational exigencies and changes of plans do occur and there are differences between the ideal planned consists and Adam's consists and my consists. Having said that, these are quite informative for purposes of this post! The Marshalling document helpfully lists summer consists for each of Nos 1/2 (Montreal-Winnipeg and Winnipeg-Vancouver segments); Nos 3/4 (Toronto-Winnipeg and Wiinnipeg-Vancouver segments) and Jasper-Prince Rupert Nos 9/10.

ADAM'S ITINERARY - DIVINING DATES

Adam's latest, best estimates for his itinerary across Canada:

arrival Montreal - Aug 4 or 7
Montreal to Ste-Foy - Aug 5 or 8
Toronto-London-Toronto-departing Dorval to No 1 - Aug 7 or 10
en route Sudbury on No 1 - Aug 8 or 11
en route Winnipeg on No 1 - Aug 9 or 12
en route Calgary to Field on No 1 - Aug 10 or 14
arrival Vancouver on No 1, departing on No 4 - Aug 11 or 15
arrival Jasper on No 4, departing on No 9 - Aug 12 or 16

Being able to read car names and numbers in Adam's photos gave me specific cars to research in my Manitoba observations just a few days later. Could this help nail down Adam's estimated dates on each train? Yes!

There were two cars on two trains that Adam photographed and that I subsequently saw - Erwood at Lake Louise and Dayniter 5750 at Jasper were key cars. These two would represent my best guesses as to when the trains that these cars were on were operating, between Adam's trip and my observations trackside at Portage. It's interesting that there are three different trips to study, each of which covers a variety of transcontinental train segments:

Adam's Montreal-Vancouver No 1, Vancouver-Montreal return Nos 2/1, my Vancouver-Portage No 2.
Adam's Vancouver-Jasper-(Toronto) No 4, Toronto-Vancouver No 3, my Vancouver-Portage No 4.
my 'ironclad' consist Portage-Montreal No 2, Montreal-Vancouver No 1, my Vancouver-Portage No 2.

Repeating the proviso above about how these days are numbered:

There is a distinction between schedule days and calendar days.

And both can be partial days.

DIVINING DATES - SLEEPER ERWOOD

Incorporating my ironclad rotational return east-(west)-east [August 26-September 4] consist above and the VIA's timetable schedule, Adam's photo showing Erwood at Lake Louise on No 1, and my sighting of it in Portage on No 2 on August 26, Erwood would have travelled:

No 1 Lake Louise to Vancouver - 2 days
No 2 Vancouver to Montreal - 5 days
No 1 Montreal-Vancouver - 5 days
No 2 Vancouver-Portage - 3 days

A total of 15 schedule days, or partial days. Adam has been estimating his itinerary based on his research done since the first post and pegged his photo at Lake Louise as taken on August 10 or August 14. If only counting calendar days, if August 10, Erwood therefore would have returned to Portage on August 25; if August 14, August 29.

But...same-day departures from Vancouver and Montreal, would reduce this to as little as 11 calendar days. If August 10, Erwood would have returned to Portage on August 21; if August 14, August 25.

But...same-day departures from Vancouver, and next-day departure from Montreal as described in the Marshalling document above, would reduce this to 12 calendar days! If August 10, Erwood would have returned to Portage on August 22; if August 14, August 26.

DIVINING DATES - DAYNITER 5750

Between Adam's photo showing 5750 at Jasper on No 4, and my sighting of it in Portage on No 4 on August 26, 5750 would have travelled:

No 4 Jasper to Toronto - 3 days
No 3 Toronto-Vancouver - 5 days
No 4 Vancouver-Portage - 3 days

A total of 11 schedule days. Adam pegged his photo at Jasper as taken on August 12 or August 16. If only counting calendar days, if August 12, 5750 would have returned to Portage on August 23; if August 16, August 27.

But...same-day departures from Vancouver and Toronto, would reduce this to as little as 9 calendar days. If August 12, 5750 would have returned to Portage on August 21; if August 16, August 25.

But...same-day departure from Vancouver, and next-day departure from Toronto as described in the Marshalling document above, would reduce this to 10 calendar days! If August 12, 5750 would have returned to Portage on August 22; if August 16, August 26.

WE'VE REACHED THE TAIL-END...CONCLUSIONS

There is still some minor but important inherent variability in determining a reliable rotation of VIA consists criss-crossing the country 45 years ago. I'll sum up this rather leisurely, lengthy post with these conclusions:

Knowing a schedule from 1981 is helpful.
Not knowing servicing time at endpoints is unhelpful.
Personal observations should be ironclad.
Being able to identify specific cars has been key to this process.
Two specific cars on Adam's train and that I observed later in Portage point to Adam's second set of itinerary dates - four days later.
I'll leave it to Adam to see if these ruminations readily resonate with his itinerary. I hope so!

Thanks to Craig Talbot and to Super Continental and early-era VIA expert Elijah Warner Hall for additional comments and assistance solving some of these decades-old mysteries.

Running extra...

Taylor Swift, MTV VMA Artistic Director honoree, take a memo.

Americans and French words. Amazing. Forget Bret 'Farve', Ryan 'Phillipee', Josh 'Demel''. A subtle difference in two recently-aired Harbor Freight commercials. The first one aired mentioned Niko's one-man operation in "Dess-Plane, Illinois". The second one aired only mentions Niko's one-man shop in Illinois. I thought it was just one outlet mispronouncing the name, but I watched a real estate commercial and local news stories and, sure enough, they're all pronouncing it Dess-Plane, Not Day-Plane. Somebody please ex-plane!

First past the post...

It's been great collaborating with Adam in the creation of these posts. His willingness to share his photos has allowed me to wallow in nostalgia and recall, somewhat in parallel, my own journey west that summer. I love a good rabbit-hole to run down, especially when it's early-era VIA. I'm glad Adam allowed these slides from decades ago to surface, and allowed me to share this journey of discovery. I'm looking forward to meeting!

VIA AND CN VENTURE OUT OF COURT!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 22:16:17 +0000

Storm clouds had gathered over Quebec Superior Court proceedings brought by VIA against CN and its crossing supplement and speed tables, first put in place in October, 2024. In March, 2025 VIA's Co-ordinator of Access to Information & Privacy let me know that "the hearing on the merits will be set for a date in 2027 or 2028, subject to the Court’s availability." And I settled my brains for a long two- to three-year nap when it came to reporting on the Quebec Superior Court case.

Sunny ways ahead, my friends? First, a little background on events since the previous post in this six-post Quebec Superior Court series...

July 2, 2025 - During an opinion presentation, the Honourable David Collier ruled that given the substantial volume of evidence and the number of expert witnesses announced by the parties (five each), and considering that, due to railway safety concerns, the case should be prepared expeditiously, the Court accepted the initial protocol of the proceedings dated July 2, 2025, and referred the case to the co-ordinating judge for a ruling on the request for special handling.

August 7, 2025 - As a result, the Honourable Frederic Perodeau appointed the Honourable Donald Bisson, to provide special management of this proceeding, decide all incidental applications and make all appropriate orders, until the case is set for trial and judgment.

THEN THIS HAPPENED...

Earlier this month, it became apparent that VIA's attorneys had provided the Superior Court, District of Montreal's Honourable Donald Bisson with a remarkable letter on July 2, 2026, saying that the proceedings were to be settled amicably!

Published on the "Société québécoise d'information juridique" (SOQUIJ) site on September 1:

Judgment - (Suspension of Proceedings)

CONSIDERING that the plaintiff's attorneys have notified the Court with the agreement of the defendant in a letter dated 2 July 2026 that the parties are currently engaged in discussions that may lead to a settlement of the present dispute;

CONSIDERING that the parties jointly request in the said letter of 2 July 2026 the suspension of the proceedings, including all applicable time limits under the Protocol of 2 July 2025 and the Code of Procedure in the present case, to assert until either party indicates to the Court its intention to resume the proceedings ("Joint Application for Suspension of Proceedings");

WHEREAS the Joint Application for Suspension of Proceedings is made without any admission or waiver of any kind;

CONSIDERING the general powers of the Court pursuant to section 49 C.p.c. and its powers relating to the suspension of the proceedings, the special management and management measures pursuant to Articles 156 to 158 C.p.c. ;

WHEREAS the Joint Application for Suspension of Proceedings is of a conservatory nature and that the present case is likely to be settled amicably;

CONSIDERING that the requested suspension of proceedings is in accordance with the principle of proportionality and in the interest of sound administration of justice to grant the Joint Application for Suspension of Proceedings;

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT:

ACCEPTS the Joint Request for Suspension of Proceedings;

SUSPENDS this proceeding, including all applicable deadlines under the terms of the Protocol of Proceedings of July 2, 2025 and the Code of Civil Procedure;

ORDERS that the suspension of the proceedings take effect from the date of this judgment until the first of the following events occur:s

The expiry of the tenth (10th) day following the transmission to the Court by either party of notice indicating its intention to resume proceedings; or

The issuance of a court order on the resumption of the proceedings in accordance with its procedures;

EVERYTHING, without legal costs.

DONALD BISSON J.C.S.

Mr. Bogdan Catanu, Mr. Jean-Christophe Martel, Mr. Claudette van Zyl,

Me Laurent Crépeau, Me Omar El Baba, Me Daniel Martz and Me Jennifer Price

Woods s.e.n.c.r.l.

Lawyers for the plaintiff VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Me Vincent Rochette, Me Maya Angenot, Me Dominic Dupoy, Me Heather Clark

Me Jean-Simon Schoenholz and Me Florence Méthot

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada S.E.N.C.R.L.,s.r.l.

Lawyers of the Defendant's [sic per translation] National Railway Company of Canada

Hearing date: July 15, 2026 (on file)

MEANWHILE, IN THE UNITED STATES...

...and possibly related? CN (subsidiaries Grand Trunk, Illinois Central) and Amtrak have signed a new eight-year operating agreement governing Amtrak service on CN owned rail lines. The agreement resolves a more than decade-long proceeding before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) concerning the terms and conditions for Amtrak services such as the City of New Orleans, Illini/Saluki, and Wolverine.

The operating agreement establishes an updated framework for CN and Amtrak to work together, including a revised performance payment system more closely aligned with the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) on-time performance standard, regular reviews of Amtrak’s schedules, and processes to address operational issues and resolve disputes.

In addition, the parties will work together on a process for Amtrak to equip its trains operating on CN’s network with Onboard Shunt Enhancers (OSEs), a technology that improves how trains are detected as they approach rail grade crossings. OSEs help ensure crossing warning systems, including gates, flashing lights and bells, activate when they should. OSEs both improve safety and provide greater operating flexibility, supporting improved on-time performance for passenger rail service while helping freight and passenger traffic move efficiently across corridors Amtrak shares with CN.

SUNNY WAYS... TO BE CONTINUED DOWN THE TRACK

So, the parties are in discussions to that may (my emphasis) lead to a settlement of their dispute. Or in layman's terms, out of court? Though I remain with a legal-beagle ear to the ground, I'm also eager to hear just what the two parties are talking about, and what the final resolution of this nearly two-year courtroom confrontation will end up being. To the facts, Batman!

Because as the eminent Sir Arthur Conan Doyle so aptly put it,

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.

Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."

Running extra...

Wow. Kingston's mayor really has an issue with VIA Rail! After VIA realigned its schedule, the mayor posted this to social media: Starting October 25, Kingston will see trains reduced from 187 to 179 – eight less VIA trains coming into and out of our community each week.

Due to our fortuitous geography, Kingston is over-served by VIA. AND, we have three intercity bus connections and a new Air Canada direct bus link to Pearson Airport. Your Worship, call Calgary. Heck, engage with Edmonton. Rap with Regina. Voice to Victoria. Chat with Charlottetown. Talk to Thunder Bay. Advocate for cities, but don't do so while mentioning that we still have an average of 26 departures per day.

I'm tiptoeing through the social media tulips once again, and though unable to comment, I liked seeing this vintage Kingston Whig-Standard photo posted by fellow Kingston historian Marc Shaw. It shows Lloyd Shales, who moved from his Arch Street house garage/shop near the Queen's University campus to his long-standing Division at Queen Street hobby shop in 1958. At this time, my Dad was studying at Queen's University summer school and remembers patronizing Shales' garage shop!

First past the post...

Lloyd Shales, and his successor Peter Macdonald, were both gentlemen and each of them was what my Dad would call "a darn decent guy". There was never any sales pitch (and no free piece of flex track for every 50 pieces bought, either!) but reliable, courteous service and good selection. Shales also stocked R/C airplanes (upstairs) in the air as well as air in the tanks of the local scuba diving community afloat (downstairs).

ACCESS TO INFORMATION REQUESTS

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:16:20 +0000

A fascinating facet fact-finding for Trackside Treasure has been researching and disseminating information on VIA's current operations. There is certainly a lot to learn, and much to share. Certain evolving exigencies have been of great interest to me, and I hope to others, over the past few years: buffer cars added to HEP consists, CN-imposed Venture crossing speed reductions and related subsequent Federal and Quebec court cases, Venture serviceability, and most recently buffer cars added to LRC consists. VIA's ATI team has been co-operative, sometimes going above and beyond to facilitate access to documents. Trackside Treasure has become somewhat of a repository for all the above VIA service challenges. At one point, I considered changing the name of this blog to Trackside Venture!

There are many misunderstandings out there about how Access To Information (ATI) requests are made and what requestors can expect in return. Vague, blanket requests are unlikely to prove useful because it is not always in the government's best interests to provide full fishing-expedition access to the activities of its institutions. There have been manifold news stories about how various levels of government purposely skirt the applicable law, or outright refuse, or at least slow-walk Access To Information requests.

Certain things are off-limits: personal information (can't request an individual's blood type), matters involving solicitor-client privilege, commercial matters that may contain trade secrets or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that belongs to, and has consistently been treated as confidential by (a) the Canada Post Corporation; (b) Export Development Canada; (c) the Public Sector Pension Investment Board; or (d) VIA Rail Canada Inc.

MAKING ATI REQUESTS WORK FOR YOU

I have found that three things are required to use ATI requests to full advantage prior to making the request, while waiting for a response, and after a response is received:

Before: Be specific in what you actually request
During: Patience
After: Understanding and good communication

VIA's ATI team has always clearly set out the limitations imposed on agencies as to what can and cannot be divulged. On VIA's website Governance & Ethics page, VIA is mandated to maintain an online listing of its annual reports to Parliament as to how it applies the Access to Information Act.

Annual lists of completed ATI requests are also maintained and updated periodically on VIA's website. These lists can be useful for honing requests to garner the most complete and useful information. The list of completed requests interestingly shows the number of pages of information disclosed for each request. Surprisingly, some wordy requests get 0 or 1 page, some short questions get...400 pages disclosed!

This is my current favourite, submitted by an eager model railroader:

Response: No records exist, 0 pages disclosed!

So it can be seen that a wide range of requestors submit ATI requests for a panoply of reasons - some appear to be submitted by legal representatives of individuals, community groups or companies that have had issues with VIA - those who have been involved in accidents, groups seeking ridership levels through various online communities, or seeking information on the awarding of contracts, respectively.

WHAT IS ATI?

Government institutions, including VIA Rail Canada are subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and have responsibility for how the Acts are applied within their institutions. Each government institution has a duty to assist requestors, as provided for by subsection 4(2.1) of the Access to Information Act and by the Government’s access to information and privacy policies.

Each government institution has an Access to Information and Privacy Co-ordinator. The Co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring that any access to information or personal information requests received by the institution are responded to in accordance with the Acts. According to the ATIA, the institution must acknowledge a request within 30 calendar days of its receipt. However, in special cases, more time may be needed to process a request, in which case an extension notice is communicated to the requestor. Hence, why patience may be required - especially when making a request involving consultation of multiple sources, or a large volume of documents to be reviewed.

Government institutions are responsible for providing comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date descriptions of their programs, activities, related information holdings, etc. Here is a listing of VIA's Info Source - background information, programs and activities as well as how to request information.

As with many posts here, this one will serve as a personal (and sadly, largely unillustrated*) information repository for me - it may also be of interest to you - and may even prove useful for ATI requests you are considering making. Why not? You have the right, if you are a Canadian citizen, and are therefore in some small already paying for the privilege!

(*I suppose I could have included a selfie of me scratching my head while viewing a 2,000-page response on my laptop! But no.)

VIA ATI REQUESTS

Below are my ATI requests over the last five years. By now you may have read the results in various posts I have published on the topics I listed and linked in the top paragraph. ATI request numbers and dates of the request are listed below, followed by response dates from the institution (VIA or Transport Canada) and the messages I received are shown in italics:

22-2243 sent December 19, 2022. Response received January 27, 2023:

I am requesting a listing of passenger cars that were/are sent for structural-integrity testing at the National Research Council facility in Ottawa and the dates the cars were taken the Ottawa.

* * * * *

22-2258 sent February 10, 2023. Response received April 10, 2023:

Please provide the following information resulting from Transport Canada Railway Safety Act Order (October 19, 2022):

1. The report on the engineering simulation of predicted Head-End Power (HEP) car collision performance (provided to Transport Canada by VIA on Oct. 31, 2022);

2. The inspection report of four HEP cars with structural defects, to identify whether additional structural conditions are present (provided to Transport Canada by Jan. 31, 2023);

3. Copy of static structural/compression test of two unrepaired HEP cars to validate structural capacity & assess how test outcomes inform future repairs (provided to T.C. by VIA Jan. 31, 2023);

4. The names and/or numbers of the four HEP cars in Point 2. above."

* * * * *

24-2403 sent April 29, 2024. Response received in June and July 2024:

My request of VIA Rail Canada, under the ATIP request provisions is in five parts:

1. I request a copy of the contract(s) between VIA Rail Canada and CAD Railway Industries of Quebec for the tear-down inspection of VIA Rail Head-End Power/stainless steel fleet cars at the CAD facility from 2022 to the present, including what services were to be provided by CAD, cost of the services, project timelines and disposition of the tested cars and

2. the final disposition and/or dates of scrapping of each VIA Rail Head-End Power/stainless steel fleet car tested at the CAD facility, and

3. the final disposition and/or dates of scrapping of each VIA Rail Head-End Power/stainless steel fleet car at the National Research Council facilities in Ottawa and

4. whether any major or minor car components were provided/sold to any entity other than VIA Rail or CAD and a listing thereof

5. In all four preceding parts of my request, I request copies of all email communications sent or received by VIA Rail management and staff pertinent to the above.

* * * * *

24-2427 sent October 23, 2024. Response received November 19, 2024:

Please provide responses to the questions below and copies of all pertinent email communications sent or received by VIA management:

1. What specific evidence was supplied to VIA by CN regarding specific concerns or any actual close-calls, i.e. incidents when crossing protection signals were not activated by Venture trains in revenue service in 2022, 2023 or 2024?

2. What operational adjustments were considered or made to ensure safety prior to October 11, 2024 in response to concerns expressed to VIA by CN in 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024?

3. What monitoring of compliance to the VIA System Notice VN24-2023 (or subsequent) by VIA train crews, was performed on or after October 11, 2024?

4. How have passengers been informed of the CN-imposed speed reductions, and their impact on on-time performance of a given VIA Venture train, before or after booking a ticket?

5. What other technology, remedies or further operational adjustments is VIA discussing or considering implementing to better respond to CN's concerns, to ensure Venture trains can operate on-time?

6. Has VIA discussed or considered lengthening Venture trains to 32 or more axles to meet CN's concerns re: current 24-axle trains requiring speed reductions to ensure safety?

Sent September 11, 2025 follow-up:

Now that the application for judicial review is no longer before the Federal Court, can you please advise me whether I can expect to receive information to satisfy my requests (#1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) in Access to Information Request #24-2427? Are you now therefore able to respond to all parts of my request?

Response received the next day:

While the matter is no longer before the Federal Court, it remains active before the Superior Court of Quebec.

The most current and comprehensive information is available through the public court record. Given the complexity and evolving nature of this case—which has required significant resources and sustained efforts from our teams over the past year—a substantial volume of documentation exists. Consulting the public court file remains the most effective and timely way to stay informed.

I recognize that accessing and consulting a court file can present some challenges. To help facilitate your review and review of other access to information requestors, I am working with our external law firm to compile a repository of key publicly available documents from the court file. Once this repository is established, I will provide you with access (likely by end of September / early October).

Please note that disclosing any information not part of the public record could prejudice our organization in the context of the ongoing legal proceedings and our commercial relationship with CN. Accordingly, the exceptions cited in our initial response continue to apply.

Trusting that this approach reflects our commitment to transparency, I will follow up with you regarding access to the repository.

Response received November 5, 2025:

You will have access to the repository of key publicly available documents from the court file relating to the shunting issues between VIA Rail Canada Inc. and CN at the following link [www]. Please note that the link will remain active until November 14, 2025.

Further responses Jan-Feb-Mar 2026.

The public repository was actually quite handy, perhaps easing VIA's workload by being accessible to multiple users.

* * * * *

[24sic] 25-2464 sent March 19, 2025.

I would like to request the following information from VIA Rail Canada through the Access to Information Act process:

1. A copy of the Technical Services and Spares Supply Agreement, and associated documents, that VIA established with Siemens for its 32 Venture-Charger trainsets.

2. A copy of any document or report showing the number of breakdowns causing delay in the Windsor-Quebec Corridor, as well as any document listing the model/type of train/locomotive on which the breakdown occurred for 2023, 2024 and 2025, especially Venture-Charter trainsets 1 to 28.

3. Provide a list of the Venture-Charger trainsets used by VIA Rail and a list of days for which each one was not in service in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and/or a percentage serviceability for each Venture-Charger trainset (i.e. available for service xx% for the year in question) for trainsets 1 to 28.

4. For any Venture-Charger trainset out of service beyond normal maintenance servicing (i.e. 1-2 days), the length of each out-of-service incident and the reason for each out-of-service incident (i.e. parts not available, repair due to collision, software issue, etc).

In all four preceding points of my request, I request copies of all email communications sent or received by VIA management and staff pertinent to the above.

Emailed VIA April 24 - why no response in over a month? Response - received TSSSA the next day. Other parts required third-party consultation therefore there would be a further 60-day extension before response.

Sept 15, 2025 Emailed VIA - I only received the information from Part 1, with the other three parts said to be requiring third-party consultation. The last I had heard was an extension to June 24, 2025. Since this date is now nearly three months ago, can you please advise when I can hear a full response to my request?

Final response received February 13, 2026.

* * * * *

25-2563 March 28, 2026. Response received May 28, 2026 after a 30-day extension:

Please note that in order to respond to your request completely and accurately, it will be necessary for VIA Rail to search through a large number of documents. Therefore, the time limit for responding to your request is extended beyond the initial time limit, as per section 9(1)(a) of the ATIA. A final response to your request will be provided to you once the process is complete. We believe that it will be necessary to extend the deadline by a thirty (30) day period.

I would like to request the following information pertaining to the current state and eventual disposition of VIA's Light-Rapid-Comfortable fleet.

1. The pace of the Siemens Venture new fleet implementation was initially intended to be fully implemented prior to the retirement dates of the LRC fleet. Will the retirement dates of the LRC fleet - currently mandated for the end of January, 2027 - be extended if the Ventures are not fully in service by January, 2027?

2. Internal communications, memos or emails pertaining to the structural integrity issues discovered most recently in September, 2025 and which led to the addition of buffer cars in March, 2026.

3. Inspection data and reports performed on behalf of, or by VIA Rail Canada, which led to the addition of buffer cars to LRC-equipped trains in March, 2026.

4. a. Internal communications, memos or emails pertaining to the scope and purpose of work currently and recently performed on LRC coaches at CAD Industries or by other contractors. Is this to extend the life of a number of LRC cars? This can exclude proprietary contracts.

b.If not, why is this work being performed so late in the life of the LRC fleet?

5.a.What are the plans for the eventual disposition of the LRC fleet?

b. When will LRC cars be disposed of, and will they be scrapped on site at VIA mechanical facilities?

WHAT IS RECEIVED

As in most business dealings these days, the era of manila envelopes arriving in the mail from corporate headquarters is clearly over! Instead, VIA usually responds to ATI requests via email - a covering email entitled Response to Requestor, with two or more attachments or appendices. One attachment is the formal response to the requestor's ATI inquiry (top photo) and the other(s) comprise the information disclosed to the requestor. Such information can arrive in the THOUSANDS of pages.

It must be very challenging for the VIA ATI team of co-ordinator and paralegals to not only collate but also find the requested information from various meeting notes, PowerPoint slide decks, internal procedures and manuals, and email communication between various internal and external stakeholders. In the case of court proceedings, these can include voluminous, tangential legal case precedents. Sometimes, entire railway rulebooks are sent - for instance, did I need to receive two copies of the CROR?

The onus is then on the requestor to go through the two (or two thousand) pages disclosed per their interest. Inevitably, various electronic Easter eggs (transportation truffles?) are found during the digging. The best example was the retirement schedule for the LRC fleet among some other related documents, not seen anywhere else before or since. Another more sombre discovery was the list of the actual scrap truckload shipments of sheared-up Budd Canadian cars that crossed American Iron & Metal's Montreal scale, from CAD after tear-down testing was complete. Such discoveries make the diligent drudge of the digital dissemination undisappointing!

SHARING THE DISCLOSED INFORMATION

Some disclosed information is marked 'VIA Internal' and therefore is only available if requested through an ATI request. Some may say it is only for viewing by the requestor. My view is that we are all members of the public, and all taxpayers. Just because one requestor receives information, there is never any limitation placed on sharing the information. If one is entitled to know, I believe all of us are entitled to know. It's also important to remember that I have no grudge against VIA, and also no reason to promote its self-interest.

TRANSPORT CANADA ATI REQUESTS

VIA's ATI team has been helpful and responsive, which this requestor greatly appreciates!

Transport Canada not so much.

An initial email to Transport Canada Rail Safety requesting the VIA Rail Canada HEP Fleet Testing Final Report:

I am interested in the results of the Railway Safety Order MO22-06, dated October 19, 2022 regarding the structural integrity of VIA Rail Canada's HEP fleet that necessitated the use of so-called 'buffer cars'.

I understand that results of engineering and testing performed by the National Research Council, CAD Rail, and VIA were to be communicated to Transport Canada by March 31.

Can you please let me know if this has happened, and when the information is being made public?

Response received: there are no plans to release this report to the public.

* * * * *

A-2023-00090 May 29, 2023. Response received August 24, 2023.

"Requesting the results of the testing required of VIA Rail Canada under Railway Safety Order MO22-06, dated October 19, 2022. The structural integrity of VIA Rail Canada's HEP fleet necessitated the use of so-called 'buffer cars' from October, 2022 to May, 2023. I understand that results of engineering and testing performed by the National Research Council, CAD Rail, and VIA were to be communicated to Transport Canada by VIA Rail Canada by March 31, 2023, and that this information will not otherwise be made public."

The August 24, 2023 disclosure included the report.

* * * * *

A-2024-00810 January 21, 2025.

I am requesting the information Canadian National Railway was asked to file with Transport Canada on December 10, 2024 within 30 days of receipt, pursuant to Section 36 of the Railway Safety Act, # MO 24-01. This is regarding operation and activation of railway-track warning devices on CN lines and the use of VIA's new 'Venture' trains.

Response received February 20, 2025:

A 30-day extension was requested - the new due date for your request prescribed by the ATIA is now March 24, 2025. Please be advised that you have a right to submit a complaint about the processing of this request within 60 days of receipt of this notice to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada.

I sent further follow-up emails sent on February 20, 2025 and March 24, 2025, intending to make a complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner if no response received by April 1.

Response received April 3, 2025 - "request expedited".

The reason an extension was taken was due in part to a large and time-consuming search for materials and also the sheer volume of responsive material. A large portion of the responsive material is comprised of machine readable printouts of data. There are thousands of pages of this material. While our team is working with limited resources and an immense workload, I am prioritizing completion of your request. You are welcome to make a complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner at any point during the processing of your request.

No information was ever received from TC, and the period during which a complaint could be made had passed. As it turns out, the data that CN submitted to TC was voluminous machine data printouts. Even CN staff, according to legal proceedings, had difficulty wading through it all, analyzing it for evidence of short warning times. Your humble blogger would have been snowed under. Again, what is requested may dictate the disclosure a requestor can expect to receive.

Running extra...

The VIA Historical Association posted a list of books "primarily about VIA" on its website. Still a very short bookshelf (with titles unitalicized as in the original). Soon, the growing (both in volumes and in authors) Longpré series will outnumber mine!

Canada by Train, Chris Hanus
Canadian Sunset, Adolf Hungry Wolf
The Cars of VIA, Volume 1, Richard Longpré / Marc Dufour
The Cars of VIA Volume 2, Richard Longpré / Marc Dufour / Christopher Greenlaw
Murals from a Great Canadian Train, Ian Thom
People Moving People, Kevin J Holland
Rail Canada Volume 4, Donald C. Lewis
Scenic Rail Guide to Central and Atlantic Canada, Bill Coo
Scenic Rail Guide to Western Canada, Bill Coo
Trackside with VIA: Cross-Canada Compendium, Eric Gagnon
Trackside with VIA: Cross-Canada Compendium Consist Companion, Eric Gagnon
Trackside with VIA: The First 35 Years, Eric Gagnon
Trackside with VIA: Research and Recollections, Eric Gagnon
TurboTrain: A Journey, Jason Shron
VIA in Color: The First 25 Years, Kevin J Holland
VIA Rail, Christopher Greenlaw
VIA Rail Canada: The First Five Years, Tom Nelligan

When you're talking VIA, you're talking cuts. VIA touts its twice-yearly service review as a good time to make cuts. Or as it's put in the September 16 press release, "better align service with passenger demand, strengthen network resilience and support more reliable and predictable service." As always, click for a larger version.

First past the post...

Kurt Vollenwyder was born just after VE-Day, emigrating to Canada and working as an electrical engineer at the Urban Transit Development Corporation-->Lavalin-->Bombardier here in Millhaven. An early member of the Associated Railroaders of Kingston, he was one of the first I met at the initial ARK sale in which I participated. Often seen walking in our neighbourhood with his wife Susanne, he always had a smile and loved to talk about Swiss and North American railroading. Kurt was always a gentleman and always ready to share his experience and knowledge.

ADAM TRAVELS ON THE CANADIAN, 1981

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:19:07 +0000

Minneapolis' Adam Platt recently posted two pictures to a Canadian-Passenger-Rail online [formerly yahoogroups] group. Adam shared the two photos because he was trying to cobble together the partially-forgotten itinerary of an extensive train trip he took across Canada and the western US in the summer he turned 18, in 1981.

Does Adam's excellent photo (top) show Morant's Curve? A VIA F-unit is trailed in the locomotive consist by two CP Geeps. Then an ex-CP baggage, crew sleeper still in CN colours, two ex-CP coaches and an ex-CN coach. Definitely taken on CP rails, which the Canadian plied until it moved to CN in 1990. Tracing the Bow River, there are not many curves where the locomotives plus the first five cars are photographable! In this subsequent post, Adam and I collaborate to nail down more details of his itinerary.

Heading west on VIA No 1 from Montreal to Calgary, where his father joined him, the two rode then VIA No 9 Jasper-Prince Rupert, but Adam is unsure how he got from CP to the CN. There is a slide from the Lake Louise station, so Adam suspected they were bused or drove between there and Jasper.

The whole trip was oddly eventful, beginning on the day/night that US Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) went on strike in the USA (or were fired by Ronald Reagan) sometime between August 2-5, 1981. Adam had to roam through O’Hare airport looking for an airline to accept his ticket when the non-stop flight to the east coast was cancelled. Adam lived in Chicago at the time, and knew from his old flight records that he flew O’Hare to Boston via Atlanta on Delta due to the ATC disruption. He then flew to LGA on New York Air, either the same day or the next day. That was the last flight until Port Hardy to Vancouver as the rest of the trip was done by train. Adam lists his August, 1981 itinerary thus:

--I took Amtrak from NYC to either Montreal or Toronto; I believe I rode VIA’s Cavalier; I rode the UA Turbotrain. I remember boarding or exiting it at Dorval.

--I met my Dad in Calgary off VIA No 1 and we continued to Lake Louise likely arriving on August 13.

--We traveled from Jasper to Prince Rupert on No 9 which ran daily that summer.

--BC Ferry Queen of the North (now at the bottom of the Inside Passage) to Port Hardy, overnight. Likely date of sailing was August 15 or 17.

--Pacific Western 737 to YVR, spent a night there, then Western Airlines to SFO. Two nights in SFO.

--Amtrak Pioneer OAK to Ogden, Utah.

--D&RGW Zephyr, Ogden to Denver, likely date of travel August 21 or 23.

--Home to O’Hare on United the next day.

Adam met a girl in Montreal who asked him to travel with her, which he almost did, but gallantly (and now a little regretfully?) stuck to his plan. He rode trains which were on borrowed time: the UA Turbotrain, defunct mileage on the CP out of Montreal, the now-gone Pioneer on Amtrak out of Oakland, and of course the Rio Grande Zephyr which died two years later. The Skeena when had a diner and sleepers. The Queen of the North later notoriously sunk in the Inside Passage. Sinking his teeth into the trip, Adam even got a piece of meat stuck in his esophagus on the Western Airlines flight from YVR to SFO and had to have an endoscopy in St. Francis Hospital in SFO to remove it. (Back when they served steak in economy flights for dinner!)

Adam writes, "It was a very emotionally resonant time for me. My parents had split up a year earlier and I hadn’t seen a lot of my dad, and this was the last time I was alone with him for an extended period of time before his death a decade later. I had difficulty with emancipating, I would get terribly homesick when I left home and by being away for three weeks literally a week before I left for college, I was trying to build independence."

Adam's trip account really sparked my imagination. Mainly because I was interested to see if I could figure out more about his consist on No 1, how far he travelled, and where his photos were taken. I like a good bit of sleuthing. Some of my favourite bits of sleuthing have previously been shared on this blog. (I used to enjoy 'looking for missing things' in my workplace - dogged tenacity paired with a minutes-long attention span after which I would generally admit defeat!) Adam has kindly acceded to being the subject of this post - as a reporter, he's used to writing about other people but not to someone writing about him!

Coincidentally, Adam recently retraced his route aboard VIA (partially, in reverse) travelling in late August from Vancouver to Port Hardy, Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, then VIA to Jasper and then Edmonton. It was 45 years to the week that he did it as a teenager, (not by design, but happenstance).

Prior to retracing his route decades later, Adam started to get more nostalgic about 1981, where they travelled and why. With 2,000 slides from 1977-87 to go through, they may help him piece the trip back together, but right now it seems like dealing with a jigsaw puzzle. The exact dates and itinerary which he did not keep good records of, but have fairly narrow date parameters based on when the trip started and when Adam left for college.

Adam explains, "One of the real challenges for me in my current situation is trying to understand whether I was riding or just railfanning. I didn’t have a process to tip me off, like taking an interior picture of every train I rode. So my lack of note-taking is really taking a toll. All my transit and commuter photos are while railfanning, but the passenger rail, ugh. But I think on the big 1981 trip I did not do any railfanning outings or days. If I was shooting I was riding."

THE PLATFORM PHOTO

Just look at this photo (above) taken by Adam's dad from aboard the train. It just personifies the word 'Enthusiasm'! Adam's dad met him in Calgary and they rode No 1 westward from there. Believing that he just met his Dad when his Dad boarded the train, Adam doesn't think he disembarked at any time. Why would they have gotten off at Field where there were no services - no rental car, etc, especially since they were not staying at Emerald Lake or in Yoho? If they were driving or busing to Jasper the next day, Banff or Lake Louise would have been the logical stops at which to leave the train, not Field.

Adam realized that this seminal photo posed something of a mystery to him. It is a print, not a slide, and is the only photo he still has taken by his Dad, who died 34 years ago, on this trip. If it was today and he were 18, he knows he’d be taking pictures of himself every 10 minutes - his Canon FtB was bulkier than a smartphone and not good for selfies.

That trip was really the only lengthy time he'd spent with his dad after Adam finished high school. Staying on the train while Adam got off to railfan and take pictures at that unknown location, Adam was sure the picture taken by his dad on the platform was at Jasper - until the shadows created doubt and the feedback from the group discussion online convinced him that it wasn't

He had hoped that returning to BC with his friend and travelling up Vancouver Island to Port Hardy and taking the ferry, Skeena, and Super Continental (er, Canadian) to Edmonton, that there would have been some 'aha!' moment of inspiration - because it was 45 years to the week that he did it in the opposite direction. But that didn't happen. Asking the current VIA staff aboard the train about his photos, most of whom wouldn't even remember the train on the CP, didn't help much.

Since the car in the photo is not a freight car but a CP Service car, it is obviously not on CN which greatly narrows the options and confirmed to Adam that it was not taken while aboard the train to Prince Rupert. Such script-lettered Service cars could be former CP smooth-sided cars, heavyweight coaches or boxcars repurposed into various uses: crew diners, bunk cars, storage cars etc. I'd favour the first two, as there is no access door visible, but some passenger car underframe elements like a water tank and a long span between wheel sets. Where the hands-in-pockets fellow is standing - is that a ladder and door, or is it a car-side consolidated stencil?

Departing Montreal on August 10, based on the VIA public timetable, here's VIA No 1's schedule:

Day 1 depart Montreal 2030
Day 2 Carleton Place-Thunder Bay, ON
Day 3 ON-SK including Winnipeg servicing stop 0920-1330
Day 4 Swift Current -through the mountains-Kamloops
Day 5 arrive Vancouver 0700

Day 4 stops west of Calgary were few, especially ones where passengers could disembark and take platform photos! Field and Lake Louise were both pickup points for Brewster and competing tour bus companies running along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. In 1981, Day 4 of the schedule of No 1 put Adam's train at Calgary from 0810-1030, Banff 1240-1250, Lake Louise at 1335, and Field at 1455. So there were three main options for that photo's location:

Banff? Private-car 'garden tracks' had their own platforms but they were narrow and made of wood. His photo doesn’t show a wooden platform. Unaware of the garden tracks at Banff that had been suggested, Adam thought perhaps Banff was the only option other than Calgary. Banff being a scheduled 10-minute stop makes the possibility of temporarily disembarking more plausible. I'm looking back at the Banff station from an ex-CN E-series sleeper aboard No 1 in 1980:

Here's a Skyline view of a short work train there in 1986, combined with a vintage view looking toward the station in the other direction, showing the garden tracks occupied at left and a switcher at right:

Lake Louise? The platform photo cannot be at Lake Louise because yard tracks there were removed before 1981 to allow construction of the second main track on an embankment. The Lake Louise station and new embankment are shown in a screenshot from aboard Rocky Mountaineer dated 2021 in this video, with a Sperry car waiting on the other main track:

Field? Though married at nearby Emerald Lake in 1992, the summer of '81 was Adam's first time in the Canadian West and he is positive he would never have left the train at such an obscure place, so he seriously doubted the photo was shot there. However, there would be a crew change at Field, so there would be ample opportunity for passengers to get some fresh air on the platform. Field station, west of Lake Louise, had two platforms - one on each side of it - and as a division point was a likely place to find ex-passenger cars in maintenance-of-way service. The presence of a CP Service car on the track running behind the station, the unusual paved/stone wide platform between that track and his train, and the reported departure of tour buses from Field to Jasper, all convinced me that his dad took the photo at Field.

Check out two photos that quickly popped up during an online search. The Stan Styles photo looks east in 1984 (above) and 'DM' photo looks west, undated (below) both show boarding car outfits across a wide platform at Field, matching afternoon shadows in Adam's photo. Look sharp and you can see the crack running down the platform visible in his Dad's photo. No 2 is stopped at Field, headlights and ditchlights dimmed for a meet and not on the platform track. Its stop was scheduled for 1645 in the summer of '81; VIA 6569 was released from rebuild from VIA 1425 at the end of December, 1980.

A circa 1962 pre-VIA photo from this previously-published post shows Mount Stephen dominating the yard and station, giving an idea of how many cars would be spotted along that wide platform:

Interestingly, Adam used Google Gemini to input information and receive a Historical Photo Verification Report incorporating astronomical data, track geometry, regional geography to evaluate his photo. If you are a fan of AI's reliability, you'll be pleased to know that in providing a full verification matrix, the AI confirmed with absolute certainty that the photo is at Field, British Columbia.

THE CONSIST

Since I also travelled and railfanned out West that month, I was hopeful that there was a good chance I could provide Adam his consist on No 1. I rode the Canadian later in August, 1981 and core cars in the Canadian's consist routinely stayed mostly together for at least one pair of east-west trips across Canada. Having said that, there were often minor changes to the consist - a coach or sleeper swapper here or there - but the majority of core cars were the same. My Dad made an intensive investigation into Corridor Canadian consists (though that was post-November, 1981 and into 1982). He was able to document a robust and reproducible rotation: 12 days between a consist's westbound departures out of Montreal. A consist would reach Vancouver, departing there and passing again through Kingston nine days after it had left Montreal. But that was when the Canadian was operating over CN's Corridor Montreal-Toronto before continuing to Vancouver. That rotation would not necessarily hold in August, 1981 when the Canadian was still departing Montreal, staying overwhelmingly on CP rails westward to Sudbury and beyond.

For the August, 1981 time period, I consulted my own consist notes from that month, finding only one east-west paired example I considered reliable. VIA No 2 through Portage on August 26 (core cars Skyline 512 and Butler Manor) returning through Portage eastward on September 4. Using my Dad's rotation, that consist would have been serviced and restocked in Vancouver between its 0700 arrival and its same-day eastward 2145 departure, returning east through Portage as No 2 four days later, not nine. Forty-five years later, it's hard to know!

Based on that timing, however, Adam's consist that departed Montreal on August 10, reached Winnipeg on August 12 thence Vancouver on August 14 before departing Vancouver late on August 20 and again reaching Winnipeg eastward on August 22. The same day, unfortunately for this investigation, was the day I left Toronto for Winnipeg on VIA No 3, so I would not be trackside on the appropriate day to see his consist through Portage. Not knowing the turnaround dwell times in Toronto or Montreal, I can't predict when that same consist would return west when I was trackside in Portage. In a subsequent post, a deeper dive is taken into these turnaround times!

The good news is that I have several west-of-Winnipeg (where the sleeper swap took place) consists that would be representative of Adam's consist. A new set of CP units was always swapped at Calgary for the trip through the mountains, but the passenger consist remained the same from Winnipeg through to Vancouver:

Visible in Adam's photo are:

ex-CP F-unit
two CP passenger Geeps
ex-CP baggage
crew sleeper still in CN colours
two ex-CP coaches
ex-CN 3200-series snack bar-coach
ex-CP Skyline

Following would have been:

two ex-CP Manor sleepers
two ex-CN Dayniters
ex-CP diner
three ex-CN E-series sleepers
ex-CP Park car

LOCATION OF THE CURVE PHOTO

Following the line via satellite imagery, there appear to be only two left-hand curves adjacent to the Bow River west of Banff. At Massive, between the river and a large curved gravelly cutting:

And the world-famous Morant's Curve a few miles to the west at Mi 113 CP Laggan Sub. (Photo above - looking the opposite direction aboard Rocky Mountaineer dated 2021 in this video looking back at Morant's Curve. Screenshot - Life of a Train Driver):

I checked my three trip accounts riding west on VIA No 1 on CP rails [obligatory statement of regret here as to why this route is now the sole province of willing-to-pay Rocky Mountaineer passengers]:

October, 1980 - in left-side vestibule perhaps continuously from Exshaw to the Spiral Tunnels.
September, 1985 - in the Skyline on a snowy/rainy afternoon from Banff to the Spiral Tunnels.
May, 1986 - in the vestibule from Exshaw again to the Spiral Tunnels.

My 1980 curve photo (above) shows no cut at right. Could this be Morant's Curve? The mountain profile (below) suggests 'maybe'. Understandably, despite searching cab ride/vestibule videos on YouTube, it's virtually impossible to reproduce this track-level view today, the closest approximation location being Morant's Curve viewpoint on the Bow Valley Parkway, sans train in June, 2019:

Here's a comparison of my 1986 curve photo which seems to match the background in Adam's, including the yellow-circled mountain crag and trees at right. Without doing a rock-by-rock, tree-by-tree analysis, I believe this curve is the one near Massive, backed by the gravelly cutting visible in my photo, and hey, the trees along the river do match, just five years' taller in my photo. So, not Morant's Curve:

Perhaps imprecisely, my notes say "Train on curve near Mi. 108"

Regardless, by the equipment and topography, I can conclusively confirm that Adam was riding the Canadian over CP rails - before he began the Jasper-Prince Rupert leg of his journey.

UPDATES AND UPCOMING

After all the sleuthing, there are certain things that only Adam can further elucidate: where he disembarked from the Canadian, and how he and his father travelled to Jasper. It seems we have been able to allay some of his lack of clarity about this segment of his extensive trip. Now Adam is exploring his slides and will likely come up with some key details that help him recreate his itinerary in detail. I'm in favour of consulting enthusiasts online and answering initial questions, but those answers are being superseded by what he finds in those slides, I intend to preserve preliminary and presumptive posits in this post, as a way of documenting our research and 'showing our work', just like in math class. I will share updates here, hoping that Adam and I can collaborate on a follow-on post.

UPDATE: Between completing the draft of this post and the publication date, Adam answered the slides' siren-song and waded into the boxes of slides from his 1981 trip. He's planning a slide-scanning marathon. There are slides showing that he and his dad continued on to Vancouver, not disembarking before that. So our discussion about Banff, Lake Louise or Field as a disembarkation station is now moot. He reports, "...have started the slide box exploration….last night’s box, labeled Winnipeg-Calgary, revealed photos of a lot of cars at station and yard in Winnipeg. If I could get better magnification there are numbers and names. Also prior I got a cab ride in an F! ...and then pix from in Calgary, from the tower and streetside." Adam has also scanned some slides he took at Ste-Foy/Lévis, London and Toronto as he continues to reverse-engineer his travel dates across Canada.

Here are three photos from my 2019 visit to Field. No life in that old station whatsoever, with the entire dead end property posted 'No Trespassing' by CP. Overlook northwest from the townsite:

Looking southwest down the mainline.

COINCIDENCE AND CONCLUSION

There are so many coincidences that really got me interested in this intensive investigation. I'm nearly the same age as Adam, I was also travelling solo across Western Canada that summer, just a couple of weeks after Adam's Dad took the photo from aboard the train. Also, like Adam I retraced my 1980s VIA routes years later, in our case in 2019. On that trip, a young fellow about Adam's age, also a railfan photographer, was travelling west with his parents as a graduation gift. Toting a Canadian Trackside Guide, the young Illinois lad named Eric on a gifted grad trip. We also met Tim and Liz on our way back east on the Canadian who happened to be from...Minneapolis! Adam is now editor of Twin Cities Business magazine (not to be coincidentally confused with Another Adam Platt - the New York magazine restaurant critic and 'glutton-in-residence).

I'll close this post with this appraisal by Adam about looking back as a young solo traveller. (I, too, made my first solo trip on the Canadian in 1980 at the tender age of 16):

"One thing I realized is once I turned 16 I was on the move. It was a simpler time, but also a harder time to travel. I didn’t have a credit card, no cell phone, etc. I’m barely old enough to drive, and yet I’m all over the damn continent. Multiple trips in these slide boxes that I have no memory of..."

Running extra...

Faithful Trackside Treasure reader Mark Hudson sent me some VIA Venture photos taken June 24, 2026. In the area to visit some of his wife's family, Mark normally photographs Nos 71 and 72 at Glencoe, ON, where they have a scheduled meet. "We took a wrong turn and ended up in Bothwell. It all worked out. We made the short jaunt to Glencoe, after taking pictures, to enjoy some refreshments at the trackside Timmies! The first shows Sarnia-Toronto No 84, speeding through Watford, ON, at 0910."

"The second is Toronto-Windsor No 72 at a crossing in Bothwell, ON, at 0958 (above) the last, No 71 moving quickly at Bothwell on its trek to Windsor (below). Mark adds, "Relaxing at Lake Huron is great but the itch to see VIA, CN, and possibly CP trains gets me out one morning during our week long stay. By the way, a wooden CN caboose and the depot (beautiful) are on display at Glencoe." Thank you, Mark!

Some YouTube finds:

This is just fun to watch. America does it bigger and better. I didn't count. Are there actually 250 locomotives?
Also fun to watch. It's not relaxing in the Park car with a beer, but it is a very scenic trip through Northern Ontario nonetheless. Sadly, 30 minutes of fire-ravaged forest from recent wildfires.
Autumn 2025 at Morningstar Road action, though the last minute zoom-outs are a little jarring at times.

First past the post...

The coffee-table book Between Friends/Entre Amis was Canada’s official gift to the United States on the occasion of its bicentennial in 1976. This treatise discusses the tome's historical impact, ending with "As polarization reshapes North American politics, the question is not whether Canada and the United States remain 'between friends'. It is whether they are prepared to practice the kind of friendship that democracy requires: honest, resilient, and capable of self-reflection."

We are fortunate that 80% of Canadians support our Prime Minister Mark Carney, and that he is not responding rashly to midnight memes while our country which sits serenely atop our neighbour to the south - the neighbour I cannot Gander as I gooseneck from our Lake Ontario shore, save the steam escaping from the Oswego nuclear plant - if the wind is just right.

We have to believe the winds will shift amicably.

Bonus quasi-political image: Hopelessly underexposed on the GoC webpage; I did my best:

Oh, and guess the location!?

50 YEARS TRACKSIDE...2010-15 BOOKS AND BUSINESS CLASS

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:52:00 +0000

Welcome aboard this year-long retrospective series celebrating my Fifty Years Trackside - watching trains and taking numbers. This is the Eighth of a year-long series celebrating those five decades - each month's post is a time capsule; a five-year slice of those fifty years. In the previous post, we continued into the second half of the new millennium's first decade. This month, it's the third-last post in the series. A Ren(aissance) consist behind VIA 907 westbound at Shannonville on August 15, 2011 showing third track roadbed at right (top photo).

June 15, 2010 found me boarding VIA No 47 and the start of two journeys...the first was a finite one to Toronto, the second was a professional journey into laboratory quality assurance at the provincial level. The first journey was easy to begin - just buy a ticket and get on; the second required a bout with imposter syndrome - was I really able to fulfil the requirements as a member of the Ontario Quality Management Program - Laboratory Services? (QMP-LS, later rebranded Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare - IQMH).

The route to Toronto? Totally known. The second I took was more circuitous. Normally a slide survey assessor joined the Anatomic Pathology Committee whose role it is to review slide survey assessment results. I had no experience yet with assessing, but my Quality Management training and sincere interest led me to a posted vacancy on the committee. Not only that, my involvement would last six years beyond the usual three-year mandate - nine in total - to retirement and beyond!

So on that auspicious June 15, I observed P42-hauled LRC train Nos 64, 46 and 65 in the hour prior to boarding my No 47 at Kingston behind hard-luck unit 911 and taking window seat 12A in VIA1 car 3470. Trips to regular committee meetings, and later to slide assessments as well, were reimbursed. Not only that - since half of the committee membership were pathologists (doctors) they did not travel in Economy! Watch for an upcoming post on my 'club car' trips: dates, train numbers and car numbers. So far, I'm up to about 25 trips and counting.

The usual panoply of CN Kingston Sub sights and sites revealed themselves on each trip: Millhaven, Belleville, Cobourg, Bowmanville, Whitby, Oshawa, Mi 319 industries, and Union Station. At Mile 270 near Port Hope, there was an original three-sided concrete mile marker with the modern motel replacement on a steel T-rail banded to it. Returning the next day on No 68, I was in north side window seat 5D of HEP2 VIA1 car 4006. We met Renaissance-equipped No 67 near Trenton Junction.

Same-day trips meant a morning arrival at Toronto Union and the VIA/Amtrak Maple Leaf on the track ahead of us under the train shed. If we were on time, and I was lucky, I could hustle ahead to catch its departure on video (above - Skywalk view in July 6, 2018!).

The following month, CN intermodal No 107 was led by GP-9's CN 4139-4018. The trains' previous leader, 5791 was offline as it passed me at 1025, and it was more train than 2619 could handle, it seemed. Now, where was my camera? Erika was the photographer, and I was the glassy-eyed (!) driver when two other Geeps, CN 4131-4132 led a 12-car No 590 west at Vista Drive/Bath Road:

On August 25, 2010 Karen and I retraced my steps to some notable trainwatching locations east of Napanee - ones that my brother and I had rail fanned in the late-seventies such as McIntyre Road and Big Creek Road. A September 18 visit to Belleville revealed new trackage at the VIA station that allowed freight and passenger operations to be disentangled - one track at station, three tracks in yard. CN 8877 at west end of yard with westbound VIA train:

A September 30 stop at Kingston's VIA station revealed a seldom photographed (by me) Renaissance consist: 919-7005-7221-7305-7113-7211-7104-7106, and westbound No 53 at 0909:

October 11, 2010 we were in Washago to see ONR 1809-204B-604-601-609-700 and on October 30, some intriguing well cars for Saudi Arabia. There was also a trip to Belleville on March 12, 2011. On March 19, 2011 after the Kingston train show I came across Work 6020, a rail train lifting the former Queens track 1. I noticed that CNWX cylindrical grain cars were having the 'WX' of their reporting marks painted out. My Canada will always include WX, from my early Western trainwatching days and the use of 'WX' to donate dedicated grain fleets.

My first book on VIA Rail was another journey I embarked on in these five years. On Wed, Nov 7, 2007 at 1:29 PM, I had received this eminent email from uberVIAphile Jakob Mueller...

"I am researching VIA Rail equipment in the early transition period, and I'm especially interested in the paint scheme progression of the passenger cars. I'd be interested to see any VIA consist you have from about 1979 to 1983 that records paint scheme information. I certainly don't want to burden you with what I expect would be a lot of transcribing or typing - if you're willing, though, I would be interested in purchasing photocopies of your consist info."

Thus began a three-year exchange of emails between us dealing with CN/CP-->VIA paint transition data. The benefit that I brought was that I'd 'been there' and taken notes. On note pads that filled a shoebox and therefore precluded photocopying! Jakob brought a more analytical mind than mine - one that could fact-check and reconcile data. It took until October 3, 2010 before I launched a 'New VIA Rail Book' blog and finally created the first draft page of consists for my first book. That blog would stay live until 2019 and include four 'new' books on VIA Rail during its lifespan in cyberspace!

In the book, along with Jakob's data was my time trackside with VIA and that meant 2,700+ consists from the first 35 of these 50 years trackside. On May 20, 2011 I received two boxes of printed books, personally delivered by my ever-affable and talented graphic designer Bryan Babcock. Who'd have ever thought those days three decades prior, shivering and taking pencil and paper notes at the sports field would have led to this publishing promontory?

We had been on a weekend trip to Syracuse and as we came back within cellphone range atop the Ivy Lea bridge, the phone began pinging with incoming book orders. Canada Post had different ideas - a mail disruption resulted in two boxes of books packaged for delivery but with nowhere to go. Regardless, it was a very exciting time.

Within days, I made book deliveries to other uberVIAphiles passing through Kingston aboard VIA. Jason Shron on No 61 on May 26 with Andrew along to preserve the moment photographically. VIA locomotive engineer Jordan MacCallum was actually operating VIA No 57 when I made his delivery, as was Terry Brennan on VIA No 55 in September. The day before Jordan's delivery, it was Matt Soknacki on June 10's LRC/Ren No 56/54: 6439-3454-3356-3358-3301-913-7002-7218-7307-7103-7205-7206-7225.

On August 6, I was recording consists onboard VIA to Toronto and back. Karen, Erika and I headed there on No 655, visiting Toronto Island and returning on No 648. On September 2, it was onboard to Ottawa with Karen and Erika, on No 44 returning on No 59 - Ren interior of VIA 7206 (below). On September 25, it was trackside on CN's York Subduing a book signing at George's Trains.

On October 12, 2011 I was Kingston platform railfanning with Adam Walker, a fellow blogger, of the Walker Express blog who was on a road trip through Kingston. Nos 46 Eng 905 and 65 Engs 6415-901 are meeting at the station:

March 18, 2012 a drive-by shot of OBRY 1000 used to switch the former CN Millhaven Spur. The unit is stabled along Taylor-Kidd Boulevard. Out of service by 2015, replaced by SW1200RSm 1004 (ex-CP 8118).

Stopping in Staunton, VA overnight on a trip to Myrtle Beach in May, 2012 we had dinner in the restored station and of course then, mid-meal, a long coal train went through. Exploring the curved platform before and after dinner, there were no trains to be seen. Two cabooses and a former work boxcar were stuffed and mounted nearby:

June 16, 2012 found me atop a berm in Shannonville to see CN Nos 369 and 149. On June 27, 2012 private car Pacific made the first of several trips through Kingston and Eastern Canada to raise awareness and funds for research into dementia using a unique promotional 'vehicle' on VIA No 48 To see a car that used to transport the King and Queen coupled to an LRC consist was mind-bending. On another stop to see Pacific pass through, VIA No 66 Eng 903 departs over the Counter Street crossing:

Early on July 16, 2012 I had time before work to catch the domed Skrillex tour train at the VIA station at 0650. Then on November 22, 2012 we Black Friday'd in Syracuse. "Take all the Time you need, honey! I'll be trackside with CSX and Amtrak at DeWitt." I watched the double stacks roll, in this case in Burlington Northern green:

A frigid day in January 28, 2013 hosted a warm meeting with fellow VIA author Chris Greenlaw inside the Kingston VIA station. We made another trip to Myrtle Beach in May, 2013 including a stop trackside in Selma, North Carolina. A trip down the Seaway to talk about my books with the Seaway Valley Model Railroaders on June 15, 2013 took me to Prescott and got me an in to the homey Macintosh Country Inn in Morrisburg.

I observed the first refurbished Business Class car with 'swoosh' scheme - VIA 3475 on No 56/54 interestingly bustituted, deadheading east from June 7, 2013 Newtonville Mudslide. I caught up with the car on August 29 in Brockville. (VIA had rebranded its 'VIA1' logo and service for the first time since the 1980s. As of 2011, VIA1 because 'Business Class'.)

On Monday, August 26, 2013 I spent a good old-fashioned 'evening at the station' from 1630-2100. Like so many spent with David and/or my Dad back in the 1970s early in the VIA era there were plethoric passenger trains on the platform: VIA Nos 644, 657, 64, 46, 65, non-stop 656, non-stop 59, non-stop 67 and 66, No 650, No 659 as well as two CN freights. The evening ended shadowing 650's equipment to Rigney Street in the shadows, where it turned on the Queens wye to become Tuesday's No 651: 907-4003-4109-4110-4118.

Some feedback received on my first book indicated there was interest in consists from further across Canada. Who was I to say 'no'? I began work on my second book on VIA Rail in February-March, 2012. which outgrew my self-imposed 500-gram limit for mailing and became two books, released that October!

Retail therapy! A Black Friday trip to Syracuse on Nov 29-30, 2013 netted 16 CSX and three Amtrak trains, before we again made it to Myrtle Beach from April 26-May 10, 2014 including NS trains in Selma, NC along the Interstate. May 26, 2014 a 'stat' run to the store for chips found me at a break apart along Golden Mile Road. LMIX flat cars...

On May 30 I was all lined up to snap an ex-BN Oakway with CN 5427-8923 on No 377 (above), its CTCX oil empties heading west. I was borrowing Andrew's camera and the auto-focus did not co-operate. It was time for my own new (and first digital) camera - Nikon 9700-S from Best Buy with 30X zoom! The above are the very last photos taken with Andrew's D-SLR. Digital photography brought an end to photo prints, photo albums but opened the door to my first YouTube video on July 5, 2015.

Unit oil trains were starting to operate from the US into Canada with run-through power:

April 4, 2014: 2280-5480-5466 VMSX TA
June 10, 2014: 2296-BNSF Grinstein 8798-CP 8739 CTCX TA
July 6, 2014: No 720 CN 2690-NS 8346-BNSF 4985 CTCX TA
Aug 8, 2014: No 710 CN 2565-NS 6644-BNSF 5837
Aug 14, 2014: No 711 CN 2276-8911

A QMP-LS meeting trip on July 10, 2014 started ominously. CN No 310 had derailed at Brockville at 0410, resulting in VIA trains cancelled and bustituted between Ottawa-Toronto and Montreal-Toronto, except for my little 651 which had spent the night in Kingston, therefore west of the derailment. Upon arrival at Toronto Union, I hurriedly rebooked my ticket to No 650, which would definitely be returning to Kingston, instead of No 48. Another derailment at Cliffe Road, Mi 155 affected VIA trains, with J-trains and even a triple-J resulting. The consists of Nos 42, 64, 44 deadheaded west to Toronto as No 669B at 2000 on August 1, and J-trains were still operating until the afternoon of August 2.

Only two freight trains were moving during our Black Friday in Syracuse trip to November 28, 2014 though there were three Amtrak!

Occasionally I would catch No 518 switching the Invista plant on Front Road but since our nephew was staying with us, he and I followed 4116-4121 south from Bath Road to the plant as they did their switching under the watchful gaze of Santa Claus on December 22, 2014.

An annual spring morning trip trackside took me to Napanee on May 23, 2015 netting five freights and three VIA trains.

The creation of my books led to various speaking engagements that were always fun. Driving to OVAR in Ottawa on June 9, 2014 we photographed a CP work train at Perth, and there was another enjoyable OVAR visit in June, 2015 to present 'Kingston Platform Scenes'.

It was still cold in Algonquin Park when Karen headed there with six family members on June 12, 2015. I headed instead to the station, catching 13 VIA and 2 CN trains. The next day I raced the rising sun to Cobourg on a sunny, warm day as far west as Cobourg, back home via Brighton, Trenton and Morningstar Road. It was as if I could feel my Dad's presence there between CN and CP mainlines, where we'd shared many times trackside. My son kindly called to ask me to dinner at their place on my way back to Kingston. His wedding to Caitie would take place there the following August.

These were tumultuous times. With the death of my Dad very early in 2014, my Mom who had faithfully and to me, somewhat-surprisingly and devotedly visited him EVERY DAY at Providence Manor, also began to show effects of dementia. It was slightly past time for her move to Conservatory Pond in December, 2014 followed by a move to Arbour Heights long-term care home in December, 2016. Between helping facilitate his care at home, moving him to long-term care then making my Mom's two moves, I had come to learn a lot about helping aging parents, and that it's not easy "raising parents". I tried my best to honour them. One of the lowest experiences was to proudly show my Dad the first copy of my first book, and for him to absent-mindedly flip a couple of page corners as if it were an old newspaper mildly of interest to him. I know that just a few years before, he would have taken hours to examine EVERY page and likely have returned to me a precisely-worded written review. He know so many facts, railway and otherwise - try to imagine watching them slowly trickle out from his reservoir of memory. At least both he and my Mom always know who I was. A high moment came when the Invista-bound wayfreight would pass the window where she and I were chatting, and she would roll her eyes in feigned boredom when I purposely let my focus switch from her face to the passing train. We would both laugh. Our view through the window while visiting on October 5, 2019:

Skrillex, about whom I still knew nothing, started a second cross-Canada tour by train in July, 2015. His chartered consist tailed VIA No 61 on July 11 - a mini-streamliner!

On October 10, I headed to the station upon a Michael Berry OS on Skyline 8501 trailing No 47, after deadheading on No 633 Montreal-Ottawa. The car was designated to delight its its denizens the next day as they travelled to Exporail for the launch of Rapido Trains' Icons of Canadian Steam. Karen and Erika were good sports and even better videographers as they volunteered to go out that Sunday, October 11 (YouTube link here) while I was busy organ-izing, though I was able to catch the group's return passage to Toronto the next evening. Shronians! Andrew Jeanes kindly shared a photo of me in front of our Hyundai, taking a photo of them. Trackside on the dark side:

The ascent of Jason's company to the pinnacle of the pantheon of Canadian model railway manufacturers - his interests mirrored mine, though me missed most of VIA's early years being born about 10 years after me. To this day, I enjoy pillorying and praising his legion efforts with equal verve.

On November 4, our QMP-LS slide assessment finished in time for me to catch rush-hour GO action from the CN Tower Skywalk - 19 movements in 30 minutes. A few days earlier, an early-concluding committee meeting left me time to be an 'Avioner' taking advantage of the meeter-and-greeter Union Pearson Express half-fare to Pearson. The only part of my taking flight was my imagination, however. Typical views from the CN Tower Skywalk - September 29, 2013 departures of VIA No 87 Eng 6411 with LRC cars, and HEP-equipped No 75:

As 2016 dawned, VIA was reconfiguring all its coach seating to inward-facing, just as the LRCs had been delivered. Believing that the best data is that that you gather yourself, I started noting cars while trackside that I could see already had their interiors reconfigured - just as I had recorded the dates I'd observed refurbished Business Class LRC cars, refurbished LRC coaches, and rebuilt F40s.

On January 22, 2016 I was returning from a QMP-LS committee meeting and paid little attention to my seat mate in aisle Seat 9B of Business Class car 4009. After all, he was on his phone almost constantly. About Cobourg, I realized I was sitting next to Gary, brother of Greg who was a school classmate. It became an 'old home week' trip the rest of the way to Kingston. Gary would later leave us way too soon.

Thanks for being aboard this year-long train of thought as we retrace, remember, and yes, wallow in nostalgia these fifty years trackside. Next post is [second-last!] Part 9 covering 2016-2020.

Running extra...

Watching the Jays, the colour man often comments that 'the ball Karen'd off towards left field' and I kept thinking - he means 'careened'. Don't Karens have it hard enough in today's world? Turns out it's a noun and a verb as in, "The ball caromed off Straw’s glove and went over the fence for a home run." I guess I was the one out in left field on that one!

Outstanding in its field of marine transportation is this YouTube video taken onboard the Algoma Buffalo as the laker navigates two of the Seaway's most impressive things to navigate: the Welland Canal and the Cuyahoga River snaking its way into Cleveland. The only thing slower than trainwatching is ship watching and thankfully this YouTuber made extensive use of time-lapse!

Tata For Now! The Train Station in in Tatamagouche, NS is for sale for a cool $1.2 million. All the memorabilia on the walls is probably the majority of that price. And I thought my walls were plastered! Wow!

First past the post...

Watch for an upcoming post on an August, 1981 trip by Minneapolis' Adam Platt. Young Adam made an epic trip around America by plane and train, including VIA's Canadian Montreal-Vancouver on CP rails then Jasper-Prince Rupert on CN rails. Being able to assist Adam in retracing his steps and find some missing information has been rewarding, allowing both of us to wallow in nostalgia since I coincidentally also travelled west that month - west aboard the Super Continental and east on the Canadian.

ALSTOM SELECTED AS BUILDER OF VIA's NEW LDRR FLEET

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:29:51 +0000

Today in Thunder Bay, Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon at his side, just announced the single-largest procurement in VIA Rail history - the Long Distance, Regional and Remote (LDRR) fleet, surrounded by GO Transit cars as he glad-hands the plant staff:

At the Can-Car (Canadian Car & Foundry) plant, the Prime Minister hearkened back to the plant's production of over 1,400 Hawker Hurricanes under licence during WWII, with one preserved in Virginia Beach, VA. He also wove in Canada's railway history and its current long-distance trains, the Canadian and the Ocean, while waxing poetic about a young Canadian someday riding the Canadian, made in Canada. The iconic Toronto-Vancouver Canadian, covering 4,000 km currently served by cars that have already covered 150,000,000 km.

Linking 165 First Nation communities the fleet will serve remote areas in which alternative transportation options are limited while it connects eight major routes across Canada, Montréal, Halifax, Gaspé, Jonquière, Senneterre, Toronto, Vancouver, Churchill, Prince Rupert, Jasper, Sudbury and White River. The announcement includes a 15-year Technical Support and Spare Parts Supply Agreement (TSSSA) valued at nearly $700 million, with the overall agreement representing a total value of $4.7 billion.

The $4.7-billion deal with Alstom to manufacture and maintain 313 new passenger rail cars for VIA Rail. The cars' structures will be designed and engineered at the firm's engineering centre in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC, where there are 1,000 engineers and rail professionals, built in La Pocatière, QC (above), then moved for final assembly, fitting, testing and commissioning in Thunder Bay (below) using components built by Alstom or procured from 900 Canadian and international suppliers. Alstom will spend $38 million [good eye, Dan!] to upgrade and modernize the Thunder Bay facility. The announcement marks the first such construction of VIA equipment in Canada since the LRC and F40's in the 1980's, and the plant's largest contract in 10 years.

The LDRR project is expected to support 4,850 person-years of employment, including approximately 615 full-time equivalent jobs annually over four to eight years for design; and for manufacturing and delivery 55 jobs annually over 15 years for technical support, spare parts and maintenance services. Michael Keroullé, French-born CEO of Alstom Americas also spoke, noting that the plant had also been selected to produce new TTC subway cars in February. The CEO noted in a Bloomberg interview that the cars and components will be tested and expected to operate between -50C and +40C.

Carney was asked about whether VIA Rail service would return to Thunder Bay, which he deferred to VIA's Interim CEO Matthieu Paquette, who said VIA now has more options and that VIA is looking at adding more services and connecting more Canadians. “These new rail cars will retain signature features such as dome cars, full-service dining and social areas, while incorporating modern amenities, improved accessibility, and greater reliability. They will help us preserve essential services to remote communities and elevate the unique onboard experience that allows passengers to discover Canada in a way that only train travel can offer. We are very proud to partner with Alstom to create lasting value for Canadians by having these new cars designed, engineered and manufactured in Canada. More comfortable, more spacious and better-connected railway cars."

Replacing 77-year-old cars with a modern fleet will set new standards for passenger comfort, universal accessibility, digital connectivity and sustainability for passengers travelling across the country’s long-distance, regional and remote routes. Technical specifications require that at least 90% of the cars’ materials are recoverable at the end of their useful life. The design will also incorporate energy-efficient lighting, improved insulation, automatic climate-control systems, optimized vehicle weight, more efficient water use and onboard facilities supporting waste sorting, recycling and organics collection. The life expectancy of the fleet will be at least 40 years, perhaps longer with a mid-life extension.

The first car will enter service in 2031, the rest by 2035 as previously predicted. The RFQ was announced in December, 2024 and is coupled to the VIA locomotive announcement made just over four weeks ago. More energy efficient for Canada's weather with safe, depandable service with accessibility. Sleepers, full-service dining, panoramic views (not using the word 'domes' at this point). The cars will be introduced progressively, allowing them to operate alongside Legacy equipment during the transition. This phased approach will support a smooth rollout and maintain passenger service as the existing fleet is gradually replaced.

To be called the Alstom Adessia (previously X'Trapolis), the Alstom press kit included eight images labelled Advanced & Creative Design included in this post (for illustrative purposes only per the fine print). The cars will retain the iconic look and feel that people love and cherish while integrating the world class experience that travellers today expect. Transport Canada breaks down the fleet (below), anticipating VIA awarding the contract for the locomotive procurement in Q1 2026 and the contract for the fleet procurement in Q2 2026. [Almost on schedule, just like VIA!]

At a cost of $12-15 million per car, the new Adessia fleet will be available in nine different car configurations to support the diverse needs of long-distance, regional and remote travel, including coach, sleeper, accessible, berth, Prestige, Panorama, dome, dining and baggage cars. Passengers will benefit from brighter and more spacious interiors and full connectivity. The fleet will also incorporate the latest cybersecurity protections to support safe and reliable operations. Alstom describes the two most revolutionary cars thus:

The Panorama Car is an accessible passenger vehicle equipped with multiple functional areas, including lounging and dining spaces. The car incorporates a common wheelchair-accessible washroom and panoramic glazing to maximize passenger comfort and scenic visibility.

The Dome Car is a partially accessible multi-level passenger vehicle comprising a lounge area, a food and beverage service zone, and a standing social space optimized for sightseeing. The car also features a dedicated dome viewing area on the upper level, providing passengers with elevated panoramic visibility.

Dining car (above), lounge car (below):

In the Prestige bedroom, the screen says bilingually, Welcome Aboard:

The route map at the vestibule shows Western Canada:

The modern rail cars for VIA Rail are part of Alstom’s diverse range of Adessia commuter rail solutions which are among the most sustainable ways to connect people in cities, surrounding suburbs and remote communities. (The Adessia portfolio includes a wide range of high-floor multiple units and coaches, available in both single- and double-deck configurations and designed to operate in all climatic conditions at speeds of 120-200 km/h on both electrified and non-electrified networks.) As the leading manufacturer of commuter trains, with more than 60 years of experience, Alstom remains committed to further enhancing sustainable operations and passenger experience. With more than 48,000 rail cars sold for over 60 commuter systems in nearly 20 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, Adessia commuter trains deliver comfortable, safe and reliable journeys to more than 20 million passengers every day.

Compare the above renderings to those released by VIA in December, 2024 for diner and panorama cars. Each one soars upwards like a cathedral! Skylights have made it into the Alstom renderings, though!

Passenger rail expert Mark Charlebois correctly had Alstom high on his list when he made his predictions about the fleet announcement in this June post:

Alstom — X'Trapolis (Tren Maya) - highly customizable commuter shell, wheelchair friendly, diner, cafe lounge, coach, sleepers with rooms. Negatives: no domes, hot climate, not individually coupled, no baggage car, short haul overnight service plan.

I'm going to refrain from a now-and-then comparison, comparing the number of each type of car ordered versus the current VIA LDRR fleet. Why? Reports vary on the actual in-service size of VIA's fleet. Some are using AI and getting wildly-varying answers from 200 to 600. Also, we have lost frequencies and entire lines like Vancouver Island and Gaspé, patched together Ocean consists, kept the Sudbury Budds on life support, and reduced Northern Quebec and Prince Rupert consists to bare-bones two cars each. To my mind, the current fleet is deficient and the service levels are unreasonably low. It's also difficult to compare car types and seat counts to the 1950s designs. So I'll leave that comparison to the pundits. Let's start with a clean slate. I trust VIA staff building the order and government bean-counters have already designed the new LDRR fleet as best they can, to fulfil customer, political and regulatory demands. It appears the fleet size may be 20-30% larger than the current VIA LDRR fleet.

Of course, as they always do, the media is fighting the last stock video footage battle. The news story shows the new trains? No, it shows the old equipment the new trains are replacing. This does not inform the public unless they say that the stock footage shows the old equipment. Or worse...CN freights? The O-train? Really?

But a Liberal MP?

Alstom's Instagram account has some truly freakish images. Pardon my 'play' arrows:

Baggage car not quite ready for prime time:

I like the skylights. Lets in as much light as a Subaru sunroof!

Looks like a chair lift/accessible dome:

Skylights:

Bar car:

Wider video views are a little better:

Interesting dome closeup:

Meanwhile, life goes on in the comments section, where folks ask about the high cost of taking VIA, why hasn't CN been renationalized, and the colour of the carpeting in the initial renderings! Oh, and will they have wi-fi?

POSTSCRIPT: EIGHTEENTH ANNIVERSARY CONTEST

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:15:54 +0000

Thanks to all those who participated in this year's Eighteenth Anniversary Contest. This year there were three ways to win, all related to Canada's futuristic new Corridor line...or a favourite sandwich. The Eighteenth Anniversary Contest was lunched only a week ago, but here's an aide-memoire to aid your, you know, memory:

1. Please give us a better name than ALTO. It can be bilingual, unilingual, or in Italian (like ALTO)*

2. Let me know why you think we NEED ALTO, or conversely, why we DON'T NEED it.

3. What's your favourite sandwich? (Bread preference optional.)

The entries were enigmatic, elegiac, eclectic and elucidating, emigrating from all across North America. It was fun to read through the entries and to appreciate their variety. Even more rewarding were the good wishes sent in by loyal Trackside Treasure readers and blog partners - congratulations and kind comments. Those are my kind of comments!

The lucky winner's entry was also the first received! Within mere hours of publishing the post, Eric May submitted these entries FTW - I swear his was not chosen because of his first name....

Congrats on 18 years! I've learned a lot, had some good reminiscences and quite a few laughs. The recent Ontario Northland railbus header photo was a good one.

For the contest I would call the train Rapido. It's been done before but I think it sounds better and implies speed.

Do we need Alto? Probably yes, but not in its current form. Toronto to Montreal...but if you are going to extend to Quebec City, you might as well go west to London or Windsor as well. I'm from Peterborough but I don't think they need a stop. Kingston does.

Favorite sandwich? Peanut butter. To fancy it up add bacon or switch to a cinnamon raisin bagel.

Three for three! The Trackside Treasure prize pack will soon be winging its way to Eric, from Eric. Thanks again to all those who collaborated in the celebration; who shared in Trackside Treasure's big day.

Now that my appetite has been appeased by a sandwich, it's back to more of the hard-hitting rail-based journalism you've become accustomed to here on Trackside Treasure. Coming soon for the prototype enthusiasts...is it, or is it not OK to spray-paint graffiti on a train? And for the model railroaders out there, is it OK to call them model trains or should we continue calling them model choo-choos?

Thanks, and now it's on to Trackside Treasure's Nineteenth Year!

-Eric

TRACKSIDE TREASURE'S EIGHTEENTH ANNIVERSARY

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:42:46 +0000

In many countries, 18 is recognized as the year that we enter adulthood. It's the number of holes on a standard golf course. Kingston's Scott Arniel, Mike Krushelnyski and Alyn McCauley all wore number 18 in the NHL. In this modern era, the gift of choice for an 18th anniversary is...porcelain. The Chinese began making porcelain objects 2,200 years ago. So 18 seems rather paltry by comparison. Dishes, vases, figurines, bathtubs, dentures are all made of porcelain, and, okay let's just say it, toilets. Porcelain is sturdy, non-porous and water-resistant. It is made at temperatures of 2,200-2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Porcelain can be graded as true, artificial or bone china. My personal shopper at Wayfair told me that "it's a timeless home material", also that "its sleek, glossy appearance elevates any space", and that it's "low-maintenance." Two minutes later, I received an email in my inbox showing this suggested custom gift idea!

...MY SINCERE THANKS!

To celebrate the Enlightening Eighteenth anniversary of my little corner of cyberspace - into which I first rolled out my fern forest and tacked up my macrame wall-hangings way back in 2008 - I need to first turn to my blog partners over the past year. Steve Boyko, George Dutka/Don James/the late Peter Mumby, David Gagnon, Stephen Gardiner, Michael Hammond, Matthieu Lachance, JD Lowe, Chris Mears, the late Marc Simpson and Jim Sloan.

Thanks also need to go to all those who read, contribute, digest, comment, and most importantly keep coming back week-after-week. Thank you all for sharing my Fifty Years Trackside throughout 2026 as I look back on those five decades of diesel exhaust and creosote in my nostrils, time on my hands and observing and recording thousands of trains, all trackside! Trackside Treasure is a space I like to go to, to inhabit, like my new $399 La-Z-Boy. Sometimes I come here to rock, sometimes I come here to recline, sometimes it turns into a nap...

CONTEST TIME!

Wake up! Welcome to this year's inevitable anniversary contest! You can enter one of three ways, if you dare! The news media is all abuzz about Canada's ~~HSR~~ HFR intercity rail project named ALTO. Since it's quite obvious that the route has not been nailed down, with villagers posting NO ALTO signs and preparing to storm town halls with pitchforks and torches all along the potential route through Quebec and Ontario, I'm guessing that the name isn't cast in stone yet, either. It's not too late to be heard! I'm looking for your input on ALTO. I truly believe blogs can be factual and fun.

To enter, simply put on your [non-tinfoil] thinking caps and answer one or all of these questions for which I've created a word-cloud to make it more...visual:

1. Please give us a better name than ALTO. It can be bilingual, unilingual, or in Italian (like ALTO)*

(*Please don't suggest SPEEDY. The Muffler King lawyers will be all over us.)

2. Let me know why you think we NEED ALTO, or conversely, why we DON'T NEED ALTO.

3. What's your favourite sandwich? (Bread preference optional.)

Simply answer by email to mile179kingstonATyahooDOTca, or as a comment to this post. It's just that easy! Entries...are now closed. A winner will be randomly selected from any and all entries, and memorable entries will be published in a postscript. Now, rush to your device to enter! The prize will be the oft-desired Trackside Treasure anniversary prize pack!

RULES: There always have to be contest rules - the lawyers absolutely demand it to keep up the lease payments on their Lamborghinis. Here goes. Contest not valid in any of the five countries (we checked!) that end in "-ania". Odds of winning are roughly one in a much bigger number. Trackside Treasure reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this contest if in its sole discretion a bot, virus, bugs or tampering (tamping is OK) of any sort is noted, or if we find out participants are not being nice to pets or not letting old ladies cross the street. No promotional emails will be sent and you will receive absolutely no special offers or anything entitled 'Tips and Tricks'. If any wildfire smoke arrives in your area while you are entering the contest, you will be charged a 50% tariff. Which, on zero, is zero. Do not use crayon to write your entry, it causes waxy buildup on your screen. No AI was used in the creation of these constant rules, unless AI stands for Amazing Intelligence or Artificial Imagination, that is! Family members are not eligible - I've had too many people claiming to be 'your favourite uncle' since I won that big lottery jackpot that I used to purchase my poodle posse (see below).

AWARDING THE ANNIBURSARY!

Seriously though, if that's possible at this point, I believe in giving back. Oddly enough, one reason I started blogging was because when I began in 2008, blogging was pitched as a money-maker! Turns out it can only be successfully monetized with a ginormous and devoted fan base, tons of posts daily and hosting advertisements. Um, no thanks. So I started blogging my own way, pleased to have no editor or rules. If it weren't for Trackside Treasure, there would be no loyal Trackside Treasure readers. There would be none of the amazing connections I've made across the country and even 'round the globe with like-minded readers, and the amazing opportunities and interactions with you that I continue to enjoy. There would be none of the eight books I've created that enabled me to share information with other enthusiasts offline. There would also not be my beautiful backyard castle-themed Ye Olde Grande Halle of Suits of Armour, my 17-volume leather-bound compendium of pudding recipes (Volume Six - Tapioca!), my three-building AI compound, my richly-appointed, high-threadcount matching fez/smoking jacket/pointy slippers I'm wearing right now, nor my Honus Wagner baseball card guarded 24/7 by a highly-effective yet poorly-trained team of irritable poodles who would make any Doberman deferentially retreat in defeat!

In 2023, in order to give back and to celebrate Trackside Treasure's Crystal Anniversary, I proudly announced The Trackside Treasure Annibursary. Each August anniversary forthwith and thereafter, I bestow upon a fellow blogger, enthusiast, reader, community group or preservationist group a modest bursary to fuel their initiative, interest and ingenuity in blogging or other railway-related activity. The bursary can perhaps be used to pay for expenses incurred in sharing information, research costs for travel or materials, preservation efforts or any way the honoree decides upon. The honoree and/or Trackside Treasure will be free to publicize this award as they so choose.

TIME TO CUT TO THE CRYSTAL!

The Trackside Treasure Annibursary comes with a curvaceous crystalline trophy inscribed with the recipient's name and year as well as the fancy French motto that describes all railway bloggers, researchers and enthusiasts and loosely translates as "To Share The Track". No-one controls cyberspace alone, we need to share: knowledge, enthusiasm and information. That is our lofty goal to which we all ascribe. (Oh, and the 'crystalline trophy' is only a jpeg file, so don't look for a soapstone carving, gold-plated trophy or any achingly-weighty tchotchke in your mail, nor some huge brown paper-wrapped package you have to pick up at the post office, or arriving at your door with accompanied by an armed escort. There's even free shipping. It gets mailed via domestic Canada Post First Class postage!)

The 2026 recipient of The Trackside Treasure Annibursary, the fourth recipient ever, is...

The Larry Paikin Literacy Express at the Eva Rothwell Centre in Hamilton, ON

Housed in imaginatively-renovated former VIA baggage-coach 9301, children step aboard to discover books, imagination, and possibility. The project's goal is to improve low literacy rates in the Hamilton's north-end Keith neighbourhood. The Larry Paikin Literacy Express provides children and youth a quiet location to interact with staff and volunteers to take the next steps toward learning. Reading programs, social media writing, and homework tutoring are offered. As published in the previous post profiling 9301's journey from idea to reality - it's a truly inspirational story of service above self, as well as being a railway preservation success story!

Congratulations to everyone at the Eva Rothwell Centre as they celebrate the centre's 20th anniversary,

and keep up the great work!

-Eric

Don MacVicar, Founding Chair of the Eva Rothwell Centre kindly responds:

"This is such an honour as your Trackside Treasure blog is so well-presented and records the history of rail in an exceptional way. Thank-you for the bursary [...it will be put] to good use. The Larry Paikin Literacy Express has been a wonderful success as it has enhanced the literacy levels of the children from the K to 8 grades and also we have two adults who are currently at a reading level of grade one and love being on the train car with a one-on-one tutor. Thanks ever so much - you have made my day."

Don also shared a favourite image showing reading leading kids on to success in myriad fields, "...seeing the joy of a child eagerly wanting to read is so special. This drawing always brought so much joy to me."

The Eva Rothwell Centre's executive director Sam Campanella graciously responds:

"Your support of the Eva Rothwell Centre’s Literacy Programs/Larry Paikin Literacy Express helps provide children and youth with access to tutoring, literacy resources, and meaningful learning opportunities that build confidence, strengthen reading and writing skills, and encourage a lifelong love of learning. Through the Tutoring Program, we are able to provide additional support to help young people improve their literacy skills, succeed academically, and reach their full potential. Every donation...helps ensure that children and youth in our community have the tools, encouragement, and support they need to thrive."

First past the post:

I am dedicating this post to Carole Anne MacVicar. Between the time of Don's initial email to me and this anniversary post, Don's wife Carole left us. Don notes, "Carole was with me in everything we did for 40 years. A great visionary and passionate gifted lady." Carole worked with children, youth and young moms on a daily basis as a co-founder and Executive Director of the Inner City Outreach Ministry (ICOM) for the past 35 years. Carole organized Community Christmas dinners for up to 350 people and supervised the delivery of 150 Christmas Hampers each year. Through the work of ICOM, 2,500 children have had the opportunity to attend summer camp and over 1,000 teens have taken part in winter retreats. What a remarkable life of service.

Running extra...

This weekend marks the tenth anniversary of the final August 20, 2016 concert in Kingston by the city's own The Tragically Hip that was broadcast across Canada on CBC. The City of Kingston was asked to this past June to approve $350,000 worth of events throughout the summer in commemoration. Voted down by councillors, the final approved total was a more reasonable $100,000 for scaled-down schedule of events spanning three days - Forever Hip.

A lot has been said about the Hip being Canada's group, providing the playlist of fans' lives etc. The band was tight, Gord Downie was the front man, singing sometimes like he was possessed, and they clicked. Together yet separate. Tough to sing backup with a lead singer with that phrasing. Howling, not growling like that last concert ten years ago. You may have detected a few Hip hints in other Trackside Treasure posts throughout this summer.

Believe it or not, if you live here and are caught saying, "I'm from Kingston but I don't like their music", the Kingston Police send someone to your door. You are zip-tied and driven outside city limits and dropped into the ditch. It's that big a deal. It's also Kingston's longest street sign outside our downtown arena (below - Mark Charlebois photo) that often gets bent by 53-foot transports driven by roadies trying to make the corner (below - naming rights have gone to local radio station K-ROCK, Leon's furniture, now the incorrectly-spelled Slush Puppie, and who knows, if things work out your humble blogger might scrape together the $1,350.00 annual naming rights fee to get 'TRACKSIDE TREASURE' splashed across the side of the barn in six-foot neon someday! Oh wait, I just re-read that more carefully. It's $135,000. Forget it.)

They shot a movie once in my hometown/

I'm not going to debate the Hip's obvious fame, Kingston's ownership of the group, nor even the demise of its lead singer, Gord Downie. I knew Gordie. He was a grade behind me at Amherstview Public School after he transferred from Fairfield Elementary School. Born the month before me, had I not been put ahead a year into Grade 2 we would have been classmates until he left Ernestown Secondary School and went to KCVI, which is where the Hip formed. I prefer my memory of him to be the grinning, tousle-headed, happy kid who loved playing hockey (top photo - Gordie is the goalie on the left). Not the JAWS shirt-wearing worn-out front man who was trotted out like an equally-declining Glenn Campbell for just one more show, despite his obvious condition and reliance on teleprompter. His brain tumour was diagnosed in our laboratory. How's that for bookends?

/everybody was in it from miles around/

In between those elementary and ailing years, the group travelled the world, just as Gord travelled to Toronto for treatment. We saw him one last time walking Ontario Street with his family and friends. I had a few other Hip sightings here. Gord Sinclair accompanied his stepchild to my daughter-in-law's music recital, dapper in blazer, though my Dad referred to his as 'Doctor Ballard' because he was a vet appointed Queen's University Dean of Medicine. Rob Baker's house was the site of a food-bank drive stop during which my wife cut her hand and Rob's mother generously gave her a band-aid. I saw Rob and his companion walking Ontario Street with their big dog. Giving him his celebrity privacy, I was able to overhear these following immortal words, "Did you bring a bag?". Brush with stardom. Or is that stardump?

/well I ain't no movie star / but I can get behind anything/

I wrote the following in an August 20, 2016 email: "I will be watching the Hip [special] on CBC. All over Canada, streets will clear, television sets will click on, folks will arrange themselves with refreshments on their sofas, and after five minutes, people will click them off and say 'I'm not listening to that for three hours!!' Maybe I'm wrong."

Sacrilege. It's ten years later. The cops are probably heading here right now. When Justin comes to your town to hear the final concert, you know the Hip were indeed hip. Kingstonians who couldn't get tickets rallied in the market square, thumbing their noses at the big-city elite ensconced in the air-conditioned arena with expensive canned beer, and proud to be second-class citizens because they were marking the milestone in the city they shared with The Tragically Hip.

-- It's been a long time coming / it's well worth the wait --

THE LATER LIFE OF VIA 9301

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 18:21:42 +0000

An interesting email introduced itself into my information-inundated inbox at the very end of 2025, from Hamilton's Don MacVicar. The ensuing reading and exploring was like opening a can of cranberry for Christmas dinner. Taking off the lid and enjoying the contents added so much goodness to what was just another meal, er, day. This story of the 'Larry Paikin Literacy Express' involves a lot of people: Larry Paikin, Steve Paikin, Eva Rothwell, and Don, without whom I would not have learned about where VIA 9301 has reached its End of Steel. For good. (Top photo - courtesy Don MacVicar, posted to Railpictures by Dan Tweedle.)

DREAM BECOMES REALITY - THE LARRY PAIKIN LITERACY EXPRESS

Rotarian Larry Paikin has given 63 years of service to the Rotary Club of Hamilton. Known for his quiet leadership and unwavering commitment, Larry has been a driving force behind countless Rotary initiatives—from literacy projects to hands-on community service. His legacy includes championing the creation of the Literacy Express at the Eva Rothwell Centre and supporting Hamilton’s cultural scene through the establishment of the Hamilton Philharmonic and Hamilton Place.

Professionally, Larry helped build the Golden Horseshoe skyline contributing to the Skydome as part of Toronto's skyline, and in his nineties could still be seen with his Lexus and its 'REBAR' licence plate. President of Ennis-Paikin Steel, a Hamilton steel firm and industrial locomotive dealer.

In October 2010 the Paikin family met with the Eva Rothwell Centre's founding president Don MacVicar, to discuss an idea to enhance the reading skills of the children of the Eva Rothwell Centre community centre, housed in the former Robert Land School. Larry, Steve and Jeff Paikin suggested a rail car to become the new home of the program - to inspire young children with the joy of reading in a unique setting. This set the wheels literally in motion, and work on the Larry Paikin Literacy Express began in 2011 and it opened for reading programs in 2014.

The Express is a restored railcar turned-library at the Centre into which children step aboard to discover books, imagination, and possibility. The project's goal is to improve low literacy rates in the Hamilton's north-end Keith neighbourhood. Eva Rothwell was born in 1913 and attended Robert Land School as a child. She married Frank Palonek, and they continued to live in the Keith neighborhood. They were both active members of the community and owned a store in the neighborhood. She took part in fundraising for many worthy causes and loved to give back to her community. Google Maps view of the Centre and 9301:

FINDING AND REFURBISHING 9301

The search for a home for the Literacy Express imaginatively extended to inspections of used railcars in North Bay, Guelph, and Minnesota. Having found ex-VIA 9301, on May 30, 2011 Don met with 9301's owner, Wayne Ettinger at the Trillium Railway, signing an agreement to buy 9301 for $30,000. Canadian Pacific donated the cost of handling the car to RailCare in Hamilton.

A rare bird, 9301 was one of four cars converted by VIA 1984 to baggage-coaches. It began its life as CN 5608 built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1954; cafe-coach-lounge 3015 from 1964-72; cafe-bar-lounge 2508 from 1972-84 (transferred to VIA in 1978), sold to Ontario government/ONR; leased to Algoma Central, 1990. Algoma Central removed the baggage section and doors, likely for sale in 2010. In 2013, 9301 arrived in Algoma Central overall grey, with faded yellow and maroon frame stripes on the Port Colborne Harbour Railway/Trillium Railway.

Wayne Hannon, General Manager of Railcare Inc.(now Genesee & Wyoming Inc.) started the demolition and then reconstruction of the 9301. Through CareGo, Bob Edwards was the site engineer working alongside Wayne. They hired two students to start on the demolition. CareGo also waived the demurrage of the hosting of the railcar in the yard for 18 months, saving $100,000. In total, $100,000 was raised for the project, with $125,000 of in-kind donations.

One end of 9301 features a plush lounge with comfortable recliners, while the larger section's walls are completely lined with books, many of which were donated by publisher Random House.

Inside, the original red coach seats were removed, the interior was gutted back to the steel supports, Bill Veitch and carpenters framed the interior, added three inches of foam insulation then air-conditioning and heating were installed. S&G Electrical donated time and materials. The exterior was sand-blasted and repainted in CN colours. Blair Hubber, President of Lancaster Group Ltd. wanted to ensure the children were warm in the winter and cool in the summer - his team installed a complete HVAC system. Bruce Wells was the volunteer site superintendent from New Horizon Group, managing five trades during the last month of the project. Over eighty feet of carpet and oak panelling and Dulux Paints completed the interior. Tables for the dining area donated by the Ancaster Old Mill. The chairs were donated by the Prince of Wales Vintage Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The curtains were designed, hand-made, donated and installed by Joyce Vanderwoude.

SITE PREPARATION AND 9301 ARRIVES

Gord Mason of G. Mason Construction and his team offered to help build the foundation for the 80-ton 9301, located on a triangular corner intersection of Munroe St. and Wentworth St. N. Gary Moran supplied the rail and P&G Rail installed the track. Gerry Rosenfeld of Fairview Landscaping removed 200 feet of the old fence surrounding the site, before installing a beautiful new fence and much needed access gates for the safety of the children. Riggers from ArcelorMittal Dofasco were on-site in the rainy early morning placing 9301's trucks onto the rails. Empire Transportation handled the move of 9301 to its new home, complete with Hamilton Police escort. Two ArcelorMittal Dofasco cranes gingerly placed 9301 onto its waiting trucks, mere steps from Hamilton harbour and the famed steel mills of 'The Hammer'.

Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell officially opened the retrofitted passenger car after being welcomed with a pipe band and red carpet. "The choice of a railway car is really quite inspired because it represents the start of a journey," Dowdeswell said. "A place that can nourish the spirit and expand their horizons."

Steve Paikin, recently retired from TVO's The Agenda after 19 seasons, and Larry's son, was the event’s host - formerly TVO's highest paid and arguably best-known staff member. Now the host of TVO Today Live and the Paikin Podcast, and the co-host of the #onpoli podcast, Steve is also a columnist for TVO.org and the Toronto Star, and has published ten books. Steve was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada by Governor- General David Johnston, and a member of the Order of Ontario by Lieutenant-Governor David Onley, both in 2013. In 2025, Lieutenant-Governor Edith Dumont presented him with a King Charles III Coronation Medal. Guess who Steve's final guest was on The Agenda (posted to social media):

I published my original post on VIA's 9300's and 9400's in November, 2022 because it was devilishly difficult to distinguish the two car series from each other. The post garnered the Reverend Don MacVicar's reverent comment nearly three years later! Don, while pursuing higher education at McMaster University and Mohawk College, never lost sight of where he wanted to work and volunteer. As an employee of ArcelorMittal Dofasco for the past 40 years, now retired, he and his wife Carole also celebrated 35 years of volunteering as the co-directors and founders of the InnerCity Outreach Ministry. Don and Carole have both been named Hamilton Citizens of the Year, and Don is the founder of the Eva Rothwell Centre which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Don offered to send some photos of this amazing project, and he did!

"I just saw your post from September and thought I would forward the photos on to you for the CN 9301 passenger car that has been renovated for the children. CN 9301 that was in Algoma then moved to Welland Ont. We then purchased it and transformed it into the Larry Paikin Literacy Express where children are on the passenger car each day Monday to Friday with a one-on-one tutor to enhance their reading. I can send photos if you like.

-Kind regards. Don, in Hamilton, Ontario"

THE PROJECT IN PICTURES

Don did indeed send a very complete set of photos showing the work on 9301's interior, exterior, site preparation and final appearance. I'd like to thank Don for sharing these photos with me, adding an interesting chapter to the life of these unique VIA cars.

What an amazing project! As someone who has read books to two children and three grandchildren, just as my Dad read to my decades ago from the original Thomas the Tank Engine book series by Rev. W.W. Awdry, I know the excitement of seeing the lightbulb-on moments that come with the dawn of literacy.

Don shared some of his memories that inspired 9301's interior layout:

"My first ride on a train was in 1959 travelling from Sydney, NS to Edmonton as a three year-old. Discovering the berth we had, the neat fixtures - the club car was my favourite. I designed the Larry Paikin Literacy Express in that way. We came in the one end of the train car, picked up our books, and went to the dining area with six tables: three (two) seaters and then three (four-seater) tables. The children do their homework there and then they can go to the reading area at the far end of the passenger car and do their reading.

Although we are in the heart of the industrial area with industry all around, the rail car is sound proof as we have four inches of insulation foam around the whole car with carpet on the floor and heated in the winter and A/C in the summer. Gord Martineau formerly of City TV said it could actually make a great sound studio as it is so well-insulated."

The car looks great both inside and out and I hope it will continue to fulfill its important role for years to come!

Lots o' links:

Everything Eva Rothwell Centre - even a cameo from Martin Short [hold for applause].
An excellent backgrounder on the Larry Paikin Literary Express.
Hamilton's CHCH-TV shows the new car lettering.
CBC profiled the lead-up to 9301's launch in 2013.
Toronto Star covered the launch in 2014.
Larry and Marnie's involvement with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Canadian Brass!
Fascinating history of Hamilton's scrap dealers - interesting similarities to Kingston's.

Running extra...

Coming next week - it's Trackside Treasure's 18th anniversary. I'm looking forward to the Crystal Anniversary-inspired Trackside Treasure Annibursary going forth for its fourth time for a deserving honoree! Fore! It's my opportunity to give back to this community - I put down my pen once each year to ruminate on the big picture and what continues to inspire me to keep on pressing the 'Publish' button each week. See you there!

Atlas has an HO-scale model of the patched AEQX/Atel Leasing ex-Boston & Maine Porter 3000 cu.ft. covered hoppers, still seen in roofing granule service on CN at Belleville and CP at Havelock. A photo on the White River Division blog mentioned the high price!

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon made an announcement on rail/marine transportation costs for steel shipments in Hamilton this past week, and this was the backdrop:

Staffers adjust the height of the podium, position the speakers, but not so much the motive power: CN 4730's unusual red cab/stripes combo! I know, I know, paint doesn't determine profitability, but it does project corporate pride. Or lack of it.

DIET PEPSI TASTE DRIVE TRAIN, 1990

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:18:22 +0000

A collaboration of Diet Pepsi, the Canadian music video TV channel MuchMusic and VIA Rail resulted in the Diet Pepsi Taste Drive train rolling across the country west-to-east, from Vancouver to Halifax for 19 days in June, 1990. (Toronto Sun, credited 'Elaine Boyle, Sun photo' below - appears to be the same location as Phil Mason's two top photos (going-away shot from Highball Graphics website):

'COLAESCING' THE CONCEPT

Concocted in 1893 and named in 1898 by a North Carolina pharmacist, Pepsi was launched in Canada in 1935, and Diet Pepsi in 1965. Cola wars between Pepsi and Coke began in earnest in 1985. The “Diet Pepsi Taste Drive” was launched in 1988, a brand conversion effort where Diet Coke drinkers received Diet Pepsi taste packs - the president of Coca-Cola being given the first one!

MuchMusic launched in 1984, its videos becoming a powerful marketing tool three years with the launch of MTV in the US. Remembering classic Canadian acts like Gowan (doesn't make me a strange animal), Glass Tiger (seems like it was someday in the 80s), Kim Mitchell, The Spoons (brings back old emotions), Prairie Oyster, Men Without Hats (safety, first!), plus Madonna, Thomas Dolby (inventing a hit song not an exact science), Tears For Fears, the Eurythmics (I mean, would I lie to you?) and who can forget Max Headroom? Even the CBC launched its own video show, Video Hits with Samantha Taylor. The most desirable job in the biz because music video director because every single released also need a video to go with it.

Bubbling under the surface for five years in the mind of John Martin, MuchMusic's Director of Programming, was a music-train tie-in. Diet Pepsi's marketing manager Greg McIntee was keen to co-operate on this rock-festival-on-wheels.

It's only natural(ly-sweetened) that a carbonated conflation of commercial concerns came together so creatively and casually. The Taste Drive train itself is still saccharinely seen as a marketing coup, a clever carbonated coupling of a train and a TV station sweetened by a widely-consumed product, satisfying each brand's track record. These days, anyone can be a content creator with TikTok and YouTube. Indeed, MuchMusic relaunched as a digital brand on TikTok and YouTube in 2021, aiming at Gen Z audiences. It was different then, and airplay was everything.

CONNECTING COLABORATIVELY

The train's final destination would be Halifax, with the first Canadian Music Video Awards airing live on Monday, June 25, 1990.The concerts along the way were not intended to be arena-fillers. They were merely set pieces to be videotaped and broadcast live, then edited later into the video awards special. Tom Harrison, reporter for The Province in Vancouver, cleverly called the concert series Rolling Stock, riffing off Woodstock!

The symbolism of using a visceral Canadian icon, the railway, to connect Canadians with music was not lost on the performers who participated. It was also a timely diversion from the Meech Lake constitutional consternation concurrent that summer. Another possible moniker could have been MeechMusic? Many Canadians were still mourning the massive cuts to VIA in January, 1990 that had forever removed many of passenger trains that had served their communities. The special tapped into some very Canadian feelings, becoming a short-lived cultural lightning-rod that even had an NDP MP rising in the House of Commons to commend MuchMusic for its choice of an efficient, environmentally-friendly mode of transport.

Some comparisons were made to the Janis Joplin/Grateful Dead 1971 Festival Express, now largely recalled as a commercial and organizational disaster. Aboard the Taste Drive train, buzz was generated while rolling eastward, and clips were collected for awards broadcast. Quebec's sister network MusiquePlus did not air the awards special due to coinciding with Quebec's St Jean Baptiste celebrations, instead broadcasting a program of Quebec artists' videos. Live 15-minute TV 'throws' were broadcast on MuchMusic at each stop. The late Morgan Turney captured the train on the curve east of the Winnipeg depot (below), into which videographers traipsed to feature the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's Gateway Western layout:

CROSSING THE CONTINENT

An initial consist crossed the country westward in late spring, 1990 to be filmed in TV commercials promoting the June Taste Drive Train, including the multiple CN flat cars of Isuzus, stuffed with taste packs, no SGU with passenger cars. The commercials began airing early that June. One commercial showed two Diet Coke truck drivers preferring Diet Pepsi as the train passed their white-and-red truck at a crossing. Another commercial was filmed on CN's Albreda Sub (below - along the picturesque Moose Lake near Highway 16 in BC*):

Ten planned major-city stops and several impromptu ones (in brackets) were made along the way after departing Vancouver. Most stops featured a daytime arrival, evening concert and next day early-morning departure eastward.

Approximate dates:

June 7 Vancouver - 300 spectators heard Barney Bentall, Jeff Healey Band, Paul Janz, Jim Cuddy and Jeff Keelor of Blue Rodeo and members of Crash Vegas at the Vancouver station platform in the rain, departing at 1300.
June 9 Jasper - Bruce Cockburn singing on the tracks, not on the train.
June 9-10 Edmonton - Jeff Healey Band, Prairie Oyster at the Cook County Saloon, hurriedly arranged when no venue was available nearer the VIA station (above - backing in*)
June 10-11 Saskatoon - 300 spectators at the CN station for 54/40, Jeff Healey Band, Northern Pikes
(Melville, SK - 50 spectators at midnight)
(Brandon, MB)
June 13 Winnipeg - 1,000 spectators in a parking lot near the depot to hear National Velvet and the Northern Pikes
June 14 (Sioux Lookout)
June 15 (Hornepayne a.m.)
June 15 (Capreol p.m.)
June 16-17 Toronto Union Station track 1, performers at MuchMusic studios on Queen Street West
June 18-19 Ottawa - 300 spectators at the VIA station
June 20-21 Montreal
June 22-23 Quebec City - VIA station with performances by Celine Dion and Francis Martin
June 24 (Moncton, NB)
June 24-25 Halifax - 1,000 spectators in a parking lot near the station, Lee Aaron and Blue Rodeo.

Arriving in Toronto past Cabin D (online auction site photos) on the morning of June 16. The special was listed on Union Station's departure board as 'SPL' destination Ottawa, symbolized CN train A002. It must have passed through Kingston in darkness.

Other participating artists included Maestro Fresh Wes, The Pursuit of Happiness, Toronto rapper Devon, Montreal's Layman Twaist, pop kitten Mitsou, George Fox, Murray McLauchlan, Jane Siberry, Burton Cummings and Basic English.

The unofficial dollar figure that Diet Pepsi paid for the train was $650,000. There were 14 VIA on-board staff to see to the needs of Diet Pepsi and MuchMusic corporate types, performers, crew and the inevitable hangers-on and groupies. An advance crew drove the route generating buzz, or should I say fizz, setting up for concerts, live feeds and giveaways in each city visited.

Forty-four year veteran CN and VIA passenger services Ray Borden, then 63 (above - interviewed by Video Jockey ((VJ)) and former Mountie Terry David Mulligan*) had previously overseen Royal Tours and political campaigns on the rails prior to coming out of retirement to provide liaison between Diet Pepsi and VIA.

Onboard VJ's Steve Anthony, Mike Campbell and Mike Rhodes, Dan Gallagher, Terry David Mulligan and Erika Ehm warmed up the locals. Promotions staff released bottled-up crowd enthusiasm by handing out T-shirts, mugs, hats and of course Diet Pepsi!

CONCERTED EFFORTS

Mix in the controlled chaos aboard - last-minute venue booking in Edmonton for which tickets were given away to underage attendees. Rather than going to the club, the youngsters got to tour the train the next day. Jeff Healey jamming at an open baggage car door down the Fraser Valley, an endless supply of hospitality in the form of food and drink, late night dome car card games, jamming in the Park car dome.

The epic baggage car concert, well after midnight, performed for 50 ardent fans in Melville, SK (above*) by Saskatoon's Northern Pikes epitomized the tour. Sioux Lookout spectators spontaneously sang 'O Canada'. Capreol's citizenry erected a makeshift stage, ensuring the train's 15-minute planned servicing stop grew to three hours for a performance before the eager crowd of 2,000! Hitting the big Eastern cities, the tour took on a more hurried, less folksy and more big-city ambience, logistically and musically.

Scribbling last-minute lyrics for performers to join in 'Farewell to Nova Scotia' in Halifax. Off the wall, on the fly, every day a challenge. The CN dispatcher's lineup in Capreol listed the train as "VIA Extra 6400 East, Pepsi Express, PARTY PARTY PARTY". Canadian Press photo showing Jeff Healey performing prior to the June 7 departure from Vancouver:

The June 12, 1990 edition of the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix shows Jeff Healey Band performing for a crowd at the relatively remote CN station location:

The Winnipeg Sun's June 14 edition featured this photo of the Northern Pikes filming a segment at the depot (above) for the upcoming awards special* (below)

At Ottawa Station, complete with Isuzu Troopers on the platform. An excellent series of photos posted to social media in 2024 by Bruce Giles:

Note the non-standard VIA logos applied to the entire height of the fluted side:

Baggage car 615 (above) and Chateau Roberval (below):

Reporter Alan Cochrane of the Moncton Times-Transcript was onboard the train, photographing the Barra McNeils playing in the dining car 'kitchen party' while videographers shown, likely in the Park car, include Bill Welychka later a reporter, anchor and weatherman here in Kingston for CKWS-TV and Global Kingston.

'CONSOUNDLIDATING' THE CONSIST

Wrapped as early as April, 1990, VIA's first wrap, and its first F40 6400 led the train (above - arriving in Winnipeg*). Emblazoned 'Taste Drive' on the conductor's size and in French 'Osez le goût' on the engineer's side, though the TV commercial showed English on both sides.

Publicity photos show four 89-foot flatcars loaded with about 25 Diet Pepsi-branded 1990 Isuzu Troopers (top two photos), though only one flatcar made the whole trip to the East Coast, with a huge satellite dish installed. The SGU and flat cars were also wrapped. No visible number was applied to the SGU side. A team of four took seven days to apply the vinyl wraps.

Though former Canadian cars were not wrapped, red and blue stripes were applied on the lower car sides and too-tall large blue 'VIA' lettering was applied to the side fluting, with the usual yellow window-band VIA logo absent. A large vinyl Diet Pepsi logo was also applied to each car side, cleverly but not necessarily centrally - fit under an upper roomette window on the Chateau cars, for instance. Baggage car 615 (pre-HEP) was outfitted with a full 16-track recording studio including crossbucks hung on the interior walls. Tweedsmuir Park's bar was taken over by an edit studio. Miles of cables strung inside, and in some cases outside, the cars ran from recording to editing sites. Doug McClement, the recording engineer, described using a step-down transformer to get 120V power from the 480V supplied by the locomotive. With all the flat cars between the F40 and rest of the train, that must have been a challenge! The SGU and Tweedsmuir Park also had French lettering and pink or blue MuchMusic logos applied, and a Diet Pepsi drumhead adorned the Tweedsmuir Park's rear door.

David Morris kindly shared his photos, taken as the Taste Train passed through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on June 24. The engineer's side:

Steaming at Moncton, the conductor's side:

David's very scenic view of the full consist at Gaytons, NB:

David's most excellent conductor's side views of the full train:

Meeting the westbound Ocean at Aulac, NB:

Three final photos by Bill Linley. At Folly Lake, NS:

Crossing the trestle at East Mines, NS:

Tail-end view at Halifax. Note Diet Pepsi drumhead!

At the end of the line - VIA 6400 at Halifax (online auction site photo):

MuchMusic's Dan Gallagher interviews metal queen Lee Aaron (below*) beside the MuchMusic-branded SGU on the platform at Halifax:

Wascana and Tweedsmuir Park dedecorated, deadheaded back west behind the power on the Atlantic, No 11 on June 30. Baggage car 615 and Chateau Roberval deadheaded similarly on July 2. Also unwrapped at the end of June, 6400 is shown at Melville, SK on VIA No 2 during a railfan trip by Minnesota's Tim Vitelli. I added arrows to highlight Tim's keen observation that grab-irons and even the hinges on the MU door were still painted white, even in July!

A COLA CODA CONCLUSION

I watched the awards special that Monday night, noting its footage from the train. (It was a short evening having worked overtime and with an eight-month old in the house! The awards special was widely panned by critics for its format - chosen by MuchMusic insiders rather than an academy of peers, or the fans. The awards were renamed in 1995 as the MuchMusic Video Awards, hosted as a street party at 299 Queen Street West and morphing into just Much. In 2016, the show was rebranded under the iHeartRadio banner after Much's parent company, Bell Media, reached a licensing agreement with iHeartMedia. The 2018 edition would ultimately be the last, with the scaling back and eventual discontinuation of all music programming on the channel due to falling ratings. The age of TV-based music videos had come to an end.

*Screenshots from the MuchMusic Canadian Music Video Awards broadcast.

Highball Graphics produced decals for the train, including several photos of the train on their website, some credited to Phil Mason, some appear to be other Bruce Giles photos taken at Ottawa. Fellow Kingston railfan and modeller Paul Hunter used the Highball set to create his Diet Pepsi unit. Paul also modelled the Isuzu-laden flat car and SGU. Paul even sourced the Trooper models - from Florida, Europe and local train shows.

Lots o' links:

The MuchMusic Canadian MusicVideo Awards, Part 1 YouTube link (the Pikes in Melville at the 1:27 mark!) and Part 2 YouTube link
Canadian Rail No 418 includes contemporaneous coverage by David Morris at Aulac, NB.
'Well-trained' music videos of the era: Bad Day For Trains by Patricia Conway; One Way Track by Prairie Oyster; I Am Falling by Bruce Gouthro.
Keith MacCauley's Throwback Thursday post on the White River Division blog, published a few days after this one, with photos of both sides of 6400.

Thanks to Bill Linley, David Morris and Tim Vitelli for sharing their photos and for their assistance in the preparation of this post.

Running extra...

An unnamed urban explorer posted these photos to social media of the interior of the CN Ernestown station taken over the winter. Although a township and secondary school were named Ernestown, out of Loyalist loyalty for the eighth son of King George III, there never really was much of a settlement around the station, located near Mi 188 CN Kingston Sub. The station's location on the GTR north of Millhaven and Bath was perhaps its main raison d'être.

What with CN's requirements that station buildings to be occupied trackside be fenced or moved altogether, combined with Ernestown's somewhat-remote location, it's not surprising that despite calls for its preservation, the station remains in this sad state.

First past the post...

Bill Linley and David Morris deserve extra thanks. Bill kindly sends out regular emails of photos and consists preserved by David, as well as updates and progress at Nova Scotia's Middleton Railway Museum in which Bill's been instrumental. Bill is also an author - I have his Morning Sun Books on my bookshelf - and a frequent presenter. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill at Real Rails 2025 and enjoying his Zoom presentations to our ARK group. David is a consist collector of the highest order, and if it moved on the rails in Eastern Canada he has likely preserved it for posterity.

50 YEARS TRACKSIDE...2006-10 RECESSION RAILFANNING

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:54:50 +0000

Welcome aboard this year-long retrospective series celebrating my Fifty Years Trackside - watching trains and taking numbers. This is the Seventh of a year-long series celebrating those five decades - each month's post is a time capsule; a five-year slice of those fifty years. In the previous post, we entered a new millennium. This month, it's 2006-2010 and during those troubled years the world entered a recession due to a U.S. housing market bubble burst. Though we'd long heard many in my healthcare and other fields would be retiring in these years, many stayed on since their retirement savings decreased rapidly in value. But the trains kept rolling!

On Dec 3, 2005 on a trip to Belleville, UP 4492 was between 2640 and 5626. As part of a regular move, high-priority ingots of aluminum from Arvida were transferred from CN No 369 directly onto intermodal CN No 149 for furtherance to the Chicago area.

My note taking was back on track in March, 2006. Andrew was photographing an eastbound CN freight at Kingston station with 5777-2444 (top photo).

CN No 590 was routinely dragging its entire 20-car plus Brockville-Belleville train down to Invista. Interesting 86-foot hi-cube boxcars were hauling peat moss, also making freight consists more interesting.CN was starting to use clapped-out gondolas an open hoppers to haul scrap ties from tie replacement programs. Calling it the CN 'Heritage Train': WC, BLE, IC and other predecessor roads made CN freights more interesting. AC 432, dogwood BCOL 9112 and IC 102020 at Queens:

CN freights were often three units, including occasional 'Heritage' WC, GCFX, BNSF, IC and CR units.

On March 25, 2006 in Belleville, IC 6108 was on No 377, and a flared Wisconsin Central SD45 7531 with silver trucks was between 5726 and 5247 on No 308:

On July 2, 2006 GCFX-->WC 6924 was behind CN 2428 through Collins Bay on No 321:

We managed to record some dimensional movements and CN freights in emergency, though only occasional VIA HEP2 consists and ZERO LRC consists for the first half of 2006! Most VIA corridor trains used LRC cars, but the HEP cars continue to be used for Nos 57, 60, 68 and 69. Operational variations include extra cars during peak periods, the use of lounge car Glenfraser on some trains, or J-trains consisting of two trainsets joined together, with only one crew as far as Brockville, such as Nos 52/40 and 648/668. In 2009, the announcement of F40's, HEP and LRC fleet refurbishing suggested that VIA was moving towards a sunny next era.

The kids were getting older (15 and 12), more independent and less likely to joining on my time trackside. We did make it to Kingston Mills for a Canada Day picnic at Kingston Mills locks on July 1, 2006. We also made a family trip to Montreal July 18-20, 2006 taking in the Biodome, riding the Metro and staying at the Dorval Best Western where we had a view of the CN and CP tracks from our room! CP 8231 leads an 11-car local and Angus van 434957, seen from our window on July 18:

That day we rode the 1152 eastward AMT train comprising three bilevels from Dorval to Windsor Station, returning westward at 1728 on an eight single-level car consist. While on the AMT trains, we observed CP 1697-1549 switching CP's Lachine intermodal terminal, CP 1626 switching an auto compound as well as the AMT shop and trains:

Again heading into the city on July 19 in three bilevels, departing Dorval at 0840, returning at 1630 to Dorval on five bilevels. From the room, we could see CN Nos 309, 308, 782, 121, 376, 363 with CSX 7554 and CR 8664; CP Expressway and 255 with seven units: CEFX blue 1058 and 1038, CP 9573-9118-8543-8620-STLH 8245 and VIA No 60.

The American Orient Express, 18 cars led by CN 5265 and VIA 6433 headed east at 2305 on September 20. We made a couple of trips to Belleville yard. On November 25, 2006 an afternoon at the VIA station with three LRC and one HEP2 consists and CN Nos 321, 305, 377 and 106.

On March 17, 2007 Dad, Erika and I took in the Kingston train show followed by a stop at Country Style. An eastbound VIA J-train with 920-5 LRC cars and CBC-wrapped 6403 and a 7-car HEP2 consist.

An interesting dimensional movement, CN No 319 with CN 5715-2507 headed west at 1840 on Victoria Day, May 21, 2007 (below). Sixteen QTTX flatcars with heat exchangers for Brampton, each separated by two CN ballast cars, plus two more QTTX flats on the tail-end sharing a giant grey, cylindrical tank. Limited to 25 mph, the extra had to coordinate its movements with four VIA and five CN freights between Kings and Ernestown. QTTX 131320 and 131452 separated by CN 53398-53399, and QTTX 131453-131344 with the huge tank:

I observed my first CN Distributed Power Units experiments:

May 8 CN 2200 on No 363
June 16 CN 2205 on No 363
July 22 CN 2537 on No 308

CN was actively modernizing its power. CN 8824-8823, new SD70-2M's in the new www scheme were on No 376 on November 7, 2007, then:

Dec 6/07 CN 8808-8834 on No 305
Dec 6/07 CN 8845-8812 on No 369
Jan 11/08 CN 8812-8824 on No 309

In the fall of 2007, Andrew started his paramedic course at Oshawa's Durham College. He would return home each Friday night on VIA No 64 before returning Sunday afternoon on VIA No 45 (above). He made use of the commuter pass.

Andrew generously gifted us with trip he won in a radio contest: anywhere in the Corridor for two in Business Class. While he won the prize, which included a Blackberry for him(!) we travelled on June 19-22, 2008 to Quebec City. Eastward on Thursday's VIA Nos 52/40 and 24, returning Sunday on VIA Nos 25-->69. As we headed east to Montreal in VIA1 on VIA train No 52/40. Hearing a conversation ahead of us, a passenger with book in hand was chatting amicably with on-board staff. I put two plus Turbo together and realized it was none other than a certain model train manufacturer doing the kibbitzing. On his way back to his seat up the aisle, it was, "Excuse me, are you Jason Shron?" And the rest is history!

On July 1, 2008 we were at Kingston Mills for a suppertime Canada Day picnic. CN Nos 377 and 321, VIA Nos 64, 46, 65, 47, 66 and 67 were all P42-led, passed during our pastoral canal-side and trackside time.

A derailment just west of Coronation Boulevard happened at 0330 on July 30, 2008 - three to five covered hoppers. Many VIA trains were cancelled-combined-late. Not accessible nor photographable, a contractor worked to rerail the errant cars under the eagle-eye of a CN policeman on overwatch atop a nearby berm. CN No 590's power operating as Work 4701 was pulling away cars at 1700. J-trained VIA Nos 64/66 and 67/65, 8 and 10 cars respectively, stopped at Kingston station around 1930.

On August 19 I pressed 'Publish' to launch Trackside Treasure. Its first post was the first of the thousand-plus (you're reading #1,012!) and asked simply 'why?'. My answer included the words depth, retro and treasure. This post shows readers I'm still digging back in time and wallowing in nostalgia with you as we are mere days away from Trackside Treasure's 18th anniversary.

Pressing 'Publish' that first time seems like just yesterday, and I can still see myself sitting in front of a computer screen on a work lunch break pecking at the keyboard. I knew little about blogging, and now I know a little bit more. Watch for Trackside Treasure's 18th anniversary celebration in a week or two!

A trip to Belleville on September 2, 2008 netted a CWR train working east. Trailed by caboose CN 79707, we got ahead of it, photographing it crossing the photogenic Salmon River bridge.

Karen patronized a Shannonville craft store named Ecstasy Crafts (questionable choice of business name?) which meant time trackside for me while she shopped or attended open-house crafting classes. On September 27, 2008 I was at Shannonville Road crossing by 0930 for four CN freights, three VIA and two CP trains before noon, then a two hour lull. CN 4717-4143 were bringing five CEFX short covered hoppers for Bath LaFarge into the yard at 1630 before we headed home.

I attended a one-day symposium for work at Sick Kids Hospital on October 9, 2008. I travelled to Toronto on VIA No 651, a P42-led four car LRC train consist, noting Amherst Manor-Kokanee Park on VIA No 1 under the Toronto Union train shed. Returning home on VIA No 69 in seat 14A of car 3337, we had an eclectic consist: 9xx-40xx-4115-4117-3304-3337-8139-1722 backwards-Grant Manor. Why are the most photogenic consists also the ones that are unphotographable? To wit - VIA No 69 at Kingston station 6 HEP2 cars led by two wrapped F40's ...Spiderman 6401 and Telus green 6429 on October 9, 2008.

On February 2, 2009 INVX covered hopper 38406 rolled over the derail at Invista and just sat right where it landed - for four days!

Dimensional loads kept a-comin'! Watch for an upcoming post on the plethoric loads... On a snowy but sunny Sunday February 8, 2009 CN No 363 had five up front - two Bechtel condensers, an Indeck boiler and two transformers!

March 21, 2009 found a triple J-train going through at 1230. Nos 651/641/43 due to a derailment at Brighton: 915&3 LRC cars-905&5 LRC cars - 901&7 Ren cars combined and deadheaded to Belleville. May 2, 2009 meant more crafting and more time trackside - springtime in Shannonville. Three CN, CP 115 and 235 and one VIA No 57 led by CBC-wrapped 6403 with six HEP2 cars (below). One CN westbound was a rare CN one-lunger with CN 5796 leading 90+ grain empties west: CN, CNWX, SKNX, ALNX, IC and DWC.

An overcast afternoon on June 20, 2009 found me at Rigney Street. CN Nos 368, 309, 310 (below - led by 5620-BCOL 4646-IC2725), 376 and 377; VIA Nos 60, 44, 45/57 (combined due to an engine failure - 910 & 5 LRC cars + 7 HEP2 cars). I really should have taken more photos of the Renaissance fleet when in service here!

September 10-19, 2009 - a road trip to Daytona Beach, FL garnered these photos. From the Interstate in transit: train on Rockville bridge; Enola Yard in Harrisburg, PA:

On September 26, 2009 I walked in to the CP Belleville Sub mainline crossing over CN, just west of Shannonville Road (Mi 214 CN Kingston Sub) with CN Nos 149 (below) and 308 but no CP activity. I took some documentary photos, not planning to return, Though I WOULD, years later to find CN's federally-funded triple-tracking program had managed to wedge a third CN Kingston Sub track under the CP bridge near the eastern abutment.

The same day, up and down the razorbacks near Shannonville, CN 2257-5699 lug CN No 305...

...and Erika pictures auto racks on that 305 at Belleville - a 145-car train pull-by:

I always aim to wangle one April Saturday morning session trackside each year. The morning air and sun seem warmer, and the leaves are just starting to burst out of their bud phase, giving the trees a bright green aura/halo. April 24, 2010 found me near Vista Drive for CN No 106 at 0621, No 309 at 0637, VIA westbound at 0656, CN No 368 at 0725, No 369 at 0738 and No 371 at 0752, then VIA No 40/52 at 0914: 914&LRC, 918&Ren.

On April 29, 2010 I asked Erika to photograph a Herzog inspection truck near Mi 179 CN Kingston Sub while I was driving along parallel Bath Road:

Another work symposium on May 17, 2010 found m aboard VIA No 655 at 0655: 909-3475-3337-3320 Seat 14A north side window - 3344, arriving at Toronto at 0921. Returning on J-train No 668/648 with 9xx&4HEP2-916-3465-3308-3314.

Former CN gypsum car 198588 in scrap tie service at the Cataraqui Spur team track on May 16, 2010 in the company of BN/WC hoppers and BCOL gondolas:

Thanks for being aboard this year-long train of thought as we retrace, remember, and yes, wallow in nostalgia these fifty years trackside. Watch for an upcoming Part 8 profiling 2010-2015, when Trackside Treasure turned over a new leaf and began a new chapter - book creation!

* * * * *

VIA has sidetracked P42's 906, 908, 912, 916 and 919 at their Montreal Maintenance Centre for pending scrapping. Many railfans are equating the P42 fleet's retirement and subsequent scrapping synonymous with that of the LRC's in January, 2027, though I've seen no evidence of that happening. Lion Liu got an excellent drone [header] photo of the five on July 22:

A previous light engine movement (VIA 912, VIA 919) on July 13 was proceeding westward on shop track H8 when unit VIA 912 derailed. VIA 916 was the first of all-but-four of the fleet to receive the Canada 150 wrap on February 2, 2017. Its white cab side lettering was replaced by black when I photographed it at Kingston one month later:

Just ten days later, Lion Liu was a-snapping again, "Panorama dome cars VIA 1720 and 1721 and Lounge car VIA 1750 ‘Glenfraser’ are being repositioned from Wheel shop east to H tracks at MMC by VIA 6459 [the ten-dollar bill unit]. So far 1720 and 1722 have been marked ‘for scrap'." Looking like the elephant boneyard:

Running extra...

The house next to us is for sale. AI has apparently positioned a vehicle, clearly not ours, on our front patio which is definitely a no-parking zone! Pssst, AI. Fake interior and exterior lights when there is a northern redbud tree shadow on that front lawn. Midday ground, sunset sky = AI slop. Oh, and the house number is wrong!

Thanks to Mike Kulesza for sending a panoply of recent CP photos from Calgary. Alternate-fuel locomotives contrast nicely with the Royal Canadian Pacific locos behind another alternate-fuel installation!

Who says these are Great Discussions? The CBC, that's who! Are VIA trains too old? Are journalists too young? This recently-posted YouTube video answers both questions! (There are certainly no great discussions, in fact no Prestige Class passengers, in the Park car lounge shown in the video - screenshot above). I've been watching lots of Tye's YouTube videos. When he calls out the Venture cab car and/or the locomotive, it's like watching the state lottery ball-caller on TV. There's genuine suspense...what will the next number be?

First past the post...

It was great to talk to fellow pickleballer Jim, a former principal at Lachine High School/Lakeside Academy and interestingly a native Noo Yawker! Jim told me he would take classes of Quebec students to the Big Apple annually and never lost one. I said, of course not! After experiencing life in the brash big city, they would only be too happy to return home, as in, "Don't leave me here!". Still a place I would like to visit - maybe someday!

STADLER SELECTED AS VIA'S NEW LDRR LOCOMOTIVE

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:02:48 +0000

Waiting with bated breath, VIA employees enjoy an unplanned moment of peace before the political storm descends upon them (top photo). Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon was at VIA's Montreal Maintenance Centre today, July 29, to announce the builder of locomotives for VIA's new Long Distance Regional Remote fleet. A plethora of press release issuances from the Government and Stadler:

The government is providing $1.6 billion for the production of 45 new locomotives by Stadler, a leading Swiss rail manufacturer with a global centre of competence facility for mainline locomotives in Spain. Leveraging its global supply chain and Canadian suppliers, Stadler will complete the final assembly of up to 36 locomotives in Canada, marking the first time in decades that passenger locomotives for VIA Rail will be assembled domestically. An additional $357 million will also be provided for VIA Rail to build a new assembly and maintenance facility in Montréal, Quebec, where the Canadian assembly of the locomotives will take place. Built by Pomerleau, the facility will also support the maintenance and operation of the new fleet at VIA Rail’s Montréal Maintenance Centre over the long term.

Together, these investments will support the equivalent of 1,200 full-time jobs throughout the project, including skilled manufacturing, construction, engineering and long-term maintenance jobs, with significant economic benefits centred in Montréal and extending across Canada's rail supply chain. The deal announced today breaks Siemens Mobility’s recent near-monopoly on passenger locomotive and rolling stock orders in North America.

Stadler Valencia, located near Valencia, Spain, will serve as the project’s center of competence for locomotive design and production. The combination of domestic assembly and Stadler’s international design and manufacturing capabilities reflects the broader industrial strategy behind Canada’s C$1.95 billion investment. For VIA Rail, it means a new locomotive fleet tailored to the realities of Canadian passenger operations; for the country’s rail sector, it represents a renewed push to rebuild domestic capacity for passenger-rail equipment.

Miguel Cerdá, industrial vice-president at Stadler Rail in Valencia, Spain, said the locomotives have been “specifically designed to meet Canada’s demanding operational requirements, including temperatures as low as minus-50 degrees Celsius [minus-58 Fahrenheit]. Our technology has been proven for more than a decade in northern countries such as Sweden, Norway, and Finland. We are reliable during harsh winters, and this is essential.” You heard it here first!

Cerdá said that while Stadler’s Valencia facility would lead the design and manufacturing program, “significant activities” including assembly, testing, and commissioning will take place in Canada. “Through this collaboration,” he said, “Canadian professionals will benefit from a genuine transfer of technology and genuine transfer of know-how, gaining exposure to some of the most advanced locomotive manufacturing technologies currently available.” The contract includes a 20-year Technical Support and Spare Supply Agreement (TSSSA). Services under the TSSSA will be delivered by Stadler's Service Division, through a Canadian subsidiary yet to be incorporated, with personnel based at VIA Rail's main maintenance facilities in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

MacKinnon has just visited the Stadler facility in Spain to “see firsthand the exceptional work being done there to manufacture these locomotives.” Canadian workers will be sent to Spain to work on the initial locomotives, he said, gaining experience and expertise for assembly in Montreal. The first hybrid Eurolight locomotive will arrive in 2031, built in Spain. The remaining 36 will be built at the Montreal facility that will take three years to build. I don't really believe timelines, so the final locomotive will be delivered...later. Perhaps by 2033, likely not.

Also, I won't add to the immediate speculation filling up cyberspace. Comparing the ordered locomotives to Siemens Chargers, dismissing their serviceability and suitability, design and durability. "They're so PRETTY!" is not an objective adjudication. They're too light, wrong number of axles, not robust enough, and the worst thing any rail enthusiast can hear, "I don't like the paint scheme".

VIA was quick to load its social media accounts with phanciful photos:

Zipping along, locomotive 2501 (above) but....is that Corridor double track with HEP2 coaches? Then, thousands of miles to the west, two MU'd units rounding Morant's Curve on CP through the Rockies, a line VIA hasn't operated for over three decades. And...are...those...Budd...Canadian...cars?

Passing Churchill station. Slow down! Less than a mile of track and you'll end up in Hudson Bay!

VIA's Instagram version:

Cooler colour heads prevail! A more realistic 'builder's photo' view supplied by...the builder:

After the announcement and Q&A, "blue T-shirt guy" presses towards the politicians, VIA and Stadler executives. Perhaps trying to embarrass Minister MacKinnon, the audio had already been cut, but T-shirt guy's mouth is definitely moving. Four security agents show him the exterior of the MMC shortly thereafter.

Just one more for fun...

Worst past the post...

You can't spell VIA without AI. Well, sort of. Anyway, this is slopful and slothful:

Oh, good gravy! Anyone for another double dollop of slop?

P42 numbers!

This really bad AI was actually posted by VIA, passing Ray-Mont near Central Station. Curiously, hauling Siemens Venture equipment! Also, lacking the VIA Rail Canada word mark at the B-end:

Oh, here's the orinal stock photo:

I don't expect Members of Parliament to be railfans. MP does not mean Modelling Passengers. However...using social media to post updates showing an existing Venture, not the new equipment the government is spending all that money on, may not conjure up the most magical memories in the minds of passengers, and it's a little sloppy:

I wouldn't move to Canada if they continued showing Ventures:

Oh no, the union is at it, too:

Don't worry, "Toronto Culture" is a well-worn user of AI and rarely gets it right. More Ventures:

todotoronto does it toweringly right, but trains entering service in 2031?

on YouTube, GamingRailfanner gives us this visual overload:

Bonus image for Jim, completely unrelated!

SUMMERTIME AT THE STATION, JUNE 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:40:01 +0000

In this post, I'm featuring the work of two guest bloggers - our two grandsons, eight and six. These are their photos. Unexpected. These are their videos. Unedited. This is their story.

When I retired, a pathologist I worked with asked me what we'd be doing. My reply was, "Providing high-quality childcare for my grandchild" to which he responded, "What if he doesn't want you to provide daycare for him?", and then he chortled. (He was a chortler. That was 2019, and in 2026 now we are grandparents of three, aged eight, six and three. There's still high-quality daycare being provided for our granddaughter.)

Recently, we were doing just that. Our two grandsons were with us for a couple of days in June, and we decided to take them to the Kingston VIA station on June 23. Expanded during the pandemic, the parking lot is not only expansive, it's expensive. But we weren't paying because we weren't staying. Only for a couple of hours before a stop at the McDonald's PlayPlace. Its expansiveness and neverfulledness makes it a great place to ride electric scooters. These are gravel-driveway kids, so having this opportunity to ride was like one of those Progressive Insurance motorcycle commercials. Let's ride!

We observed four trains during our morning visit:

0902 EB VIA No 60/50: (Venture sets 16 & 7)

1002 WB VIA No 61: 911-4002-4009-4113-4111-4115-6413 F

1009 EB CN No 372: 3094-3119, DPU blue BCOL 4646

1035 WB VIA No 643: Venture Set 15

6413 was deadheading on the tail-end of No 61 - this westbound morning train out of Montreal - the only one using HEP equipment - is often used to deadhead cars for the Canadian between the MMC and the TMC, along with its still HEP-equipped eastbound counterpart VIA No 68.

Our grandsons were interested in the trains, but perhaps more interested in finding the squadron of snails they corralled while crisscrossing the parking lot. [Insert snail joke here. I suggest the Training Day version.] They even created a small snail community, or is that a community of small snails, or a small community of sails? Anyway, some of the snails were large and started quickly crawling away. We could see the approaching headlights of a CN hi-rail truck heading towards us from west of the station before disappearing behind the long-stopped No 61. I suggested the camera operator be ready for it. He has a real preference for CN over CP, in scale and on the prototype! He managed to catch the truck coming and going, as well as me and his brother:

It was an enjoyable sunny morning trackside. I answered a lot of questions, sometimes even correctly! Our older grandson made two videos with my iPhone. iPiphany! It wasn't until I was creating this post that I noticed something - the photos were made concurrently 'in/during' the video. I learned something from him - that a still photo can be taken while taking video - both the still and video will be saved. Until now, I thought it was one or the other. See? We can truly learn something new every day, even from a youngster to an oldster! And, I later mentioned this to the surprise of his father. We both learned something new!

Lots o' links:

Grandson-generated YouTube video of CN No 372
Grandson-generated YouTube video of VIA No 61

As an unexpected bonus, and due to our elder grandson's rocksteady videography, I'm able to present the entire 161-car consist of CN No 372 (above - video screen capture). It comprises a cornucopic cocktail, a plethoric potential potpourri of chemicals concocted at CN's MacMillan Yard in Toronto, before being slid down the bar, er CN's Kingston Sub, heading for Montreal and the large number of chemical plants in the east end. Acids, bases and propane, oh my!

Abbreviations:

HO = covered hopper (grey ACF-style covered hopper unless otherwise noted)

TA = tank car (black unless otherwise noted, UN placard number/contents shown)

60'DDHiCBO = HiCube box car (length, #doors)

GO = gondola

AU = autorack

CN 3094 GE ET44AC

CN 3119

AOKX 495102 HO

TILX 294503 TA

TILX 338150 HO

CBTX 725586 TA UN2055 styrene monomer

PROX 22295 white TA UN2055

CBTX 725601 TA

PROX 22202 white TA

NATX 230164 TA

UNVX 72019 white TA UN1824 NaOH sodium hydroxide

TILX 100370 TA UN1800 octadecyltrichlorosilane

GATX 8207 TA UN1800 octadecyltrichlorosilane

FURX 893814 grey pressure-unloading covered hopper

CRCX 710073 TA

PROX 43533 TA

SHPX 432471 HO

TILX 334718 HO

TILX 337528 HO

AXLX 5342 TA UN1824

PROX 17786 TA UN1830 H2SO4 sulphuric acid

GATX 61321 white TA UN1789 HCl hydrochloric acid

PROX 75773 TA

PROX 71406 TA

IC 28005 brown centre beam flatcar with Nechako Lumber, Vanderhoof BC

NOKL 323766 blue GO

NOKL 370722 black GO

SMW 320647 blue GO 'Gondola Connection' logo

GATX 237579 TA UN1075 liquefied petroleum gas

TILX 309777 TA UN1075

CGTX 55777 WHITE TA UN2187 carbon dioxide CO2

TILX 2709 WHITE TA UN2187

NKCR 8636 AU

EVOX 19023 white TA UN2015 H2O2 hydrogen peroxide

UTLX 200538 white TA UN2015 H2O2

IARX 90362 HO

NCIX 2615 HO

NCIX 7736 HO

NCIX 347 HO

UTLX 600739 TA

CTCX 302727 TA

CTCX 302787 TA

TCBX 196049 TA UN3475 ethanol/gasoline

BNSF 471700 brown HO swoosh logo

BNSF 496630 brown HO swoosh logo

BNSF 472653 brown HO target logo

CGAX 10127 HO

CBTX 737412 TA UN3475

UTLX 212945 TA UN3475

TILX 193512 TA UN3475

IARX 800114 TA UN3475

IARX 703371 TA UN3475

UTLX 212911 TA UN3475

CTCX 301285 TA UN3475

UTLX 208498 TA UN3475

NATX 304033 TA UN1170 EtOH ethyl alcohol

PROX 47324 TA UN1170

CP 218326 60'DDHiCBO

ETPX 200047 TA UN3475

GATX 226913 TA UN3475

GATX 229056 TA UN3475

TILX 198107 TA UN3475

PPRX 171205 TA

IARX 540606 HO

TILX 361510 TA UN3475

GBRX 714461 TA UN3475

CBTX 744940 TA UN3475

GATX 234260 TA UN3475

GBRX 701296 TA UN1170

TILX 194721 TA UN1170

UTLX 674760 TA

TGOX 155039 TA

TGOX 155173 TA

WC 38169 brown centre beam flatcar West Fraser lumber

CCBX 58803 HO

NCIX 8308 HO

PROX 105391 TA UN1005 NH3 anhydrous ammonia

RCRX 1398 TA UN1789

HKRX 500315 HO 'Cargill' logo

CN 51118 black OCS GO

NCIX 1723 HO

MTZX 300347 TA UN3475

GBRX 705733 TA UN3475

TCBX 306822 TA UN3475

SHQX 70871 TA UN3475

CBTX 737909 TA UN3475

GATX 220908 TA UN3475

UTLX 250359 TA UN3475

CBTX 737892 TA UN3475

CBTX 736935 TA UN3475

ETPX 200380 TA UN3475

CHVX 299011 white TA

TBOX 662876 60'DDHiCBO

TBOX 632030 60'DDHiCBO

CRLE 19378 60'DDHiCBO

BCOL 4648 blue C44-9W DPU (video screen capture):

CEFX 310648 HO

ATW 173728 50'SDHiCBO

ITFX 631578 HO

ITFX 631686 HO

GACX 1503 HO

CTTX 692006 BNSF AU

NOKL 570527 brown 50'SDHiCBO

YKR 20299 brown 50'SDHiCBO

ATW 173741 brown 50'SDHiCBO

ATW 727248 brown 50'SDHiCBO

TILX 309867 TA UN1075

CBFX 308241 HO

FURX 848819 HO

UTLX 660088 TA UN3082 miscellaneous hazardous material NOS

SHQX 10439 TA UN3475

TILX 197707 TA UN3475

GATX 226086 TA UN3475

FURX 160171 TA UN3475

GATX 223115 TA UN3475

UTCX 732202 TA UN3475

TILX 363224 TA UN3475

GBRX 703524 TA UN3475

TCBX 306342 TA UN3475

GATX 225900 TA UN3475

SHQX 50127 TA UN1075

SRIX 33852 TA UN1075

PLMX 135692 TA UN1075

TILX 306949 TA UN1075

TILX 309910 TA UN1075

PROX 94548 TA UN1075

TILX 309925 TA UN1075

UTLX 958517 TA UN1075

SPMX 8346 HO

SPMX 10021 HO

UTLX 95188 TA UN1830

DWC 794960 60'DDHiCBO

DWC 794607 60'DDHiCBO

SHPX 207606 TA UN1830

DAKX 395027 HO

UP 700579 yellow 60'DDHiCBO

DWC 794961 60'DDHiCBO

DWC 794584 60'DDHiCBO

GATX 220998 TA UN3475

ETHX 100063 TA UN3475

GATX 223128 TA UN3475

NAHX 100013 P-S HO Kyle logo

NAHX 100879 P-S HO

UTLX 160912 TA UN1824

TBOX 672343 60'DDHiCBO

TBOX 641736 60'DDHiCBO

TBOX 676277 60'DDHiCBO

CN 45332 89-foot rail FL

NAHX 100603 P-S HO

GATX 229683 TA UN2426 hot NH4NO3 ammonium nitrate

GATX 222208 TA UN2426

GATX 222215 TA UN2426

GATX 229720 TA UN2426

GATX 235117 TA UN2426

GATX 235214 TA UN2426

DOWX 38114 HO

OLNX 718214 white TA UN1791 NaClO sodium hypochlorite

CGTX 31272 TA

TILX 600605 white TA UN1017 chlorine

TILX194634 TA

TILX 600820 white TA UN1017

NRLX 401223 60'DDHiCBO

OLNX 715041 white TA UN1789

TILX 111521 TA UN1789

Running extra...

Mind Your Own Business Train. CN executives has been running the rails since June, from Vancouver down into the US then back into Toronto. Safety or shmoozing? Backing in to MacMillan Yard during a rehearsal run, July 17 (Lion Liu drone photo - below). The closest it got to Kingston was a July 20 romp to Oshawa (has anyone ever romped in Oshawa before?) symbolled CN CN P007 allowed some bigwigs to board and ride to Niagara Falls for wine tasting. The consist deadheaded back to the US on the tail-end of CN No 149 on July 21.

No biggie, I'd seen this train before - in 2023 with six cars, in 2024 six cars - but one of three trains operating that year, in 2025 ten cars long. CN keeps renaming the cars, maintaining the mix of reporting marks! This year's consist:

CN 3309

CN 3412 (replacing the dirty CN 2996 that arrived second from the US)

CN 1710 Peace River (HEP car, formerly Fraser Spirit)

PPCX 800045 ex-PV Caritas (still in orange/maroon)

IC 800210 Fleuve St-Laurent (sleeper, formerly Baton Rouge)

CN 101 Sandford Fleming (ex-CP?, not the theatre/inspection car)

CN 120 Sherbrooke

CN 99 Shawnee Forest (dome car, formerly American Spirit)

IC 101314 Stephen A. Douglas (a Senator from Illinois, dining car, formerly Champlain)

CN 1059 Mississippi River (formerly Tawaw)

IC 101315 K-Shian/Skeena River (sub lettered 'Pullman', formerly Illinois Central)

IC 800413 Whiteshell (bedroom/observation, formerly Great Lakes)

Speaking of safety, good news for the crew of that fire-ravaged CN freight in Northern Ontario, whose video was so widely circulated in the media. The good news from HR - you survived the cataclysmic conflagration. Bad news - you're being let go for violating the company's cellphone policy. No, in this case HR does not stand for Human Remains, more like Humane Resolution:

First past the post...

Finally, a good-a news story! American Idol winner Hannah Harper's tour bus gets wrapped in plastic! And now the backstory's been unwrapped by Sargento Foods. It's part of a year-long sponsorship deal making the company her exclusive cheese sponsor. Her breakout hit original song 'String Cheese', about one of her sons asking for help getting the plastic wrap off his cheese snack had a strong pull on audiences. It was an instantly ap-pealing online favourite. Staying true to her rural bluegrass family-band roots, Hannah won Idol and is now touring in this cool Idol-inspired logo-wrapped home-away-from-home. Betting there will be a special Christmas cheese tray onboard come December, because nothing says 'Christmas' like little baby cheeses.

KINGSTON-QUEBEC CITY RETURN TRIP, JUNE 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 18:00:22 +0000

Early in 2008, our son won a contest on a local radio station. The prize package included a Blackberry (for him) and a trip for two in VIA1 (Business Class) anywhere in the Corridor. He graciously donated his tickets to his parents! We decided to travel to Quebec City, as far as we could go and somewhere we'd wanted to visit, and this trip stands as the farthest east I’ve yet travelled aboard VIA...

Three CN freights plowed through Kingston station in the hour before we boarded our train on June 19: CN No 369 with 2546-5618 and 95 cars, CN No 321 with 5792-5543-5561 and 172 cars, and a 13-car local No 590 with 4701-4717 and 13 cars.

VIA No 53 to Toronto was westbound with Renaissance equipment at 0920, and our combined VIA No 52/40 (Toronto- Montreal/Ottawa) soon arrived, led by 904-four LRC cars- unnoted 64xx –four more LRC cars.

We boarded VIA1 car 3465, and before long were passing CN 4771-4770 and chemical traffic at Brockville. CN's Metals facility occupied two northerly tracks in Brockville yard, with one aluminum ingot stencilled '26100 lbs, 26x80x1887 inches' and CN ingot flatcars 618147-618242-618218-618200-618086-618022. There was more chemical traffic at Maitland and Cardinal; CN maintenance equipment at Coteau and St Anne’s. Parallelling CP’s Toronto-Montreal main into Montreal, an eastbound CP intermodal with 9515-9523 (below) and a westbound CP intermodal at Lachine with 9587-8756, plus a CN westbound intermodal were outside our window, as was Pointe St Charles switcher set CN 7250-276.

This was a vacation, not strictly a railfanning trip. Few train photos exist. As we headed east to Montreal I could hear a conversation ahead of us - a passenger with book in hand was chatting amicably with on-board staff. I put two plus Turbo together and realized it was none other than a certain model train manufacturer doing the kibbitzing. On his way back to his seat up the aisle, it was, "Excuse me, are you Jason Shron?" Surprise! The first of several times meeting Jason.

We spent nearly four hours in Montreal, since I didn’t like our chances of boarding VIA No 22 at 1255 – only a 32 minute connection. Once we arrived, a redcap took our luggage for transfer directly to our seats on No 24 for us. Departing Central Station on VIA No 24 at 1615 aboard our Renaissance consist behind 6421, CN 7240 was at Montbec, we met a two-unit CN Ultramar TankTrain at Bagot, plus a westbound VIA and a westbound CN domestic intermodal at Villeroy. We gained Quebec City ploddingly passing St Romuald, Charny, Ste Foy, Cap Rouge and finally Quebec City where a CN switcher set 7052-213-7224 was near the stately Gare du Palais. Light rain into Quebec City, but not enough to dampen our walk from Gare du Palais to the Hotel Maison du Fort near the Dufferin Terrace.

On our fourth day in the provincial capital, we strolled back along the scenic waterfront to the station, boarding our Renaissance-equipped VIA No 25 behind an unnoted 64xx-7xxx-7xxx-7301-7107-7213-7207-7102. We were seated in seats 9A-9B of VIA1 car 7107, departing at 1300. We'd waited in the Panorama Lounge before boarding No 25 to start our return trip. Rain let go as we departed. Many riders will comment on the ride quality and appointments of the Ren cars relative to HEP or LRC. Major distinctions are the raised seats to gain maximum car diameter, small windows, overhead bins and general tube-like ambience of these cars designed for Chunnel service. Comfort Class car screenshot from the above-linked video:

Another Ren consist was on an adjacent track, led by 6420. Retracing our way over CN’s Bridge Subdivision and Drummondville Subdivision, we met an eastbound CN intermodal with 5601-2655-2608 at St Nicolas.

Through farm country, over rushing rivers and past trackside gravel pits, we passed through St Apollinaire, Drummondville et St Hyacinthe. At St Lambert, CN 7046, 7070 and 4768 were idling. Several passengers in our Ren car on the return trip chuckled at a soundly but sonorously snoring passenger, audible over several rows! Cars for the Ocean were on Central Station trackage at 1615. The Ocean was due to depart at 1830 – ten minutes after our Toronto-bound VIA No 69. We spent a two-hour layover in the station and Lounge.

One of VIA’s Spiderman units led our four or five LRC cars. The usual routine at this time was to take the arriving No 60 out onto the Victoria Bridge, back it into Central Station, then depart just over an hour later as No 69. This day, No 60 was 45 minutes late. Consequently, the consist headed right into Central Station, with only the seats being turned and the consist, with new power, travelling back west without being turned. This put us unexpectedly on the north side, not the south side, in seats 8C-8D!

A real treat was the VIA1 staff providing at-seat service - pleasant and efficient. I was lucky to be able to enjoy the lamb* dinner in both directions. Not b-a-a-a-d!

We met a CN westbound freight at Cape with 5714-5736. Four CN switchers were at Coteau, including 4760. Though we were 40 minutes late departing Montreal, that margin would shrink to 20 at Cornwall, 15 at Brockville, with our arrival back in Kingston only five minutes late at 2120.

*Poetry Corner:

Mary had a little lamb/her father shot it dead,

Now Mary takes the lamb to school - between two hunks of bread!

--by A. Nonymous. The real poet was perhaps too sheepish to take credit.

Running extra...

CN line near Armstrong embroiled in flames! By now you've seen the harrowing video from inside the cab. Some have asked...why doesn't VIA move to the CP line? Oh yeah, like there are no forest fires there. From the Canadian in June, 1980 near Kenora. Note the pole line in foreground:

Things are looking UP. As in restored Big Boy UP 4014 that just made its way around World Famous Horseshoe Curve. Three years ago, it pushed a freight train over a 1% grade in Nebraska!

Projects for Prairie Sky Heritage Railway. So far, YDHR 22, Budd cars 7104 and 7106 and two ONR coaches parked near a grain elevator, waiting for Saskatchewan Ministry of Transportation approval. They look good just sitting there. How did these make it to the Land of Living Skies without photos from trackside? Coming soon: ACR = 'Abandoned' Central Railway cars from Iowa?

First past the post [hitching-post edition]...

The RCMP Musical Ride came to small-town Canada last night. Napanee provided a huge crowd - the turnout even surprised the riders. 'Local boy' Constable Huber received a special mention - his horse Jobs taking two steps forward, then two steps back! One of only three stops in Ontario before the Ride travels to BC where it will spend all of August. Their equine excellence really revealed the finest of Canada - these Mounties live in the communities they serve - and for them it is an honour for them to be chosen for this role.

VIA's DOUBLE-VENTURE PLAN

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 19:39:33 +0000

In March, 2025 [NOT 2026!] VIA Rail Canada sought another avenue to legal relief after the defeat of their Federal Court case the month before, and just prior to their decision to pursue an injunction against CN in the Quebec Superior Court. (VIA's case is still before the latter court with no date set for proceedings to continue.)

VIA apparently sought to change its operations to conform to CN's minimum 32-axle requirement for VIA Venture Corridor train operation on CN trackage in Ontario and Quebec. This is what all Venture-equipped Corridor trains would have looked like under the Double-Venture plan: No 60/50 at Kingston station (top photos) - March 27, 2026. Eight Venture sets out of a [then] complement of 24 would be in use, with up to 19 Legacy (LRC and HEP2) consists equipping other Corridor trains.

VIA's main concern was the toll that the extra attention required of engineers to spot dozens of functioning grade crossing warning devices would lead to burnout, booking off, and threaten VIA's ability to staff their locomotive cabs. The VIA Corridor schedule was reworked to utilize only J-trained Venture consists equalling 48 axles. We can now see that VIA expended considerable resources to perform a thorough risk assessment, and to research and communicate its plan to internal stakeholders and committees, thence CN and the Minister of Transport.

As with many documents that have been shared on Trackside Treasure, many of these did not come to light until several months after their creation, often as part of a huge tranche of documents provided as a response to Access to Information requests. Watch for an 'ATIPical' upcoming post.

A POSSIBLE RESOLUTION? DOUBLE-VENTURE TRAINS

Public court documents supporting VIA's injunction in Quebec Superior court (previously published in this post: VIA and CN in Quebec Superior Court, Part 3, now here) include a revealing March 27, 2025 email from VIA's General Counsel Denis Lavoie to CN's Chief Legal Officer Olivier Chouc with the subject line - Notice to CN of Double-Venture implementation (email in italics - below). This would have been a rather drastic resolution, operationally, to CN's Crossing Supplement, with many train suspensions! Interestingly, VIA trains No 60/50 and 62/52 did begin operating as double-Ventures between Toronto and Montreal/Ottawa (respectively) on February 2, 2025, perhaps as a test for marshalling more double-Ventures that would be permanently-coupled. [Spoiler - the double-Venture plan was not subsequently implemented.]

UPDATE: In March, 2026 these Nicholas Mackenzie prior emails to colleagues became available (highlighting done by legal team) regarding the proposed double-Venture plans, first on February 25, 2025 apparently prior to a meeting of VIA's Executive Committee:

Here is the March 27, 2025 email from VIA's General Counsel Denis Lavoie to CN's Chief Legal Officer Olivier Chouc with the subject line - Notice to CN of Double-Venture implementation:

As CN is aware, VIA has been considering coupling Venture trains, effectively increasing their axle count from 24 to 48. VIA’s understanding is that those “Double Ventures” would not be subject to the restrictions imposed by CN requiring sub-32- axle Venture trains to apply CROR 103.1(f) at 308 crossings. We would respectfully ask a confirmation from CN that our understanding is correct at your earliest convenience, but by no later than March 28 at 2 p.m. as we need this information to ensure the fastest possible implementation of this new temporary operating model.

VIA intends to move forward with the implementation of the Double Ventures as soon as reasonably practicable.

Switching to a Double-Venture operating mode entails making important service reductions affecting the public as VIA will not be able to operate its current schedule. It simply does not, and will not in the foreseeable future, have enough trains and cars to do so, nor adequate infrastructure to support large numbers of Double Ventures. As such, VIA would have to implement the following temporary service suspensions, representing 52 trains out of the 388 trains VIA operates weekly on the Corridor:

The attached draft equipment cycling plan and trainsets also reflect the intended implementation of the Double Ventures and Legacy trainsets that VIA expects to operate under this mode of operation.

Although the intent of this communication is not to go into the details of the impacts of this measure, it goes without saying that these temporary service suspensions will also have significant impact on our workforce as well (not only on the public).

Please be advised that VIA does not renounce the use of the frequencies associated with the above temporary suspensions as we intend to use them again and resume our full passenger service schedules as soon as possible.

VIA wants to emphasize that it does not want to do this and that it constitutes in no way an admission that a train must have 32 axles as a minimum to operate safely. However, VIA has no other alternative to alleviate the unsafe burden on VIA’s locomotive engineers.

Proposed collaborative path forward -

Finally, as already proposed on March 12, 2025, VIA once again proposes that CN lift its restrictions on the crossings for which CN has no indication of any short warning times.

VIA proposes that the parties continue to monitor for short warning times, perform testing, assess root causes, conduct required risk assessments, and implement proportionate remediation measures where and when necessary to maintain safe operations. VIA has always been open to transparent collaboration with CN and continues to invite such collaboration.

CN and VIA should conduct joint testing to accumulate objective empirical data for both VIA and CN trains warning times, continually assess risks and appropriate mitigations. The path we are proposing is the normal industry evidence-based approach, with continuous testing and investigation, and targeted and proportional remediations only where risk levels require them and are appropriate after considering the full picture, as per the requirements of the Safety Management System Regulations.

If CN is interested in the above, please let us know as soon as possible.

The reply from CN's Chouc came the very next day, tartly threatening to share VIA's plan with the Quebec Superior Court, as the Double Venture implementation would make VIA's injunction moot, thereby imperilling VIA's case. Sourly said, on-board shunt enhancers were proposed [actually, claimed to be proven!] as a shoulda-coulda-woulda solution:

Thank you for your email and the discussion yesterday. We confirm that the Crossing Supplement would not apply to the “Double Ventures” operating with 48 axles, which we understand you intend to implement next Monday, March 31 based on the equipment cycling plan attached to your email.

Considering the risk inherent to operating your Venture trainsets in their original configuration, you are making the responsible decision. It is unfortunate that we are where we are when the issues associated with this type of equipment have been known to the industry and to VIA for over a decade, including at the time VIA chose to purchase the equipment. It is also unfortunate that VIA elected not to equip the trains with shunt enhancers which have been proven to solve the issue.

We take note of your comments regarding service reductions. It is unclear to us why VIA has opted for this solution over less disruptive options, including adding a third person in the cab of the locomotive (which would not have to be a qualified engineer) or increasing the number of axles by a lesser amount (at least 32).

In light of this material development, it is obvious that VIA’s application for an interlocutory injunction from the Quebec Superior Court is moot. We will be writing to the Court to provide an update on the situation.

As to the proposed path forward, we are certainly interested, as we have always been, in co-operating with VIA for purposes of ensuring that VIA’s trains run safely on CN’s infrastructure. I will ask Hoang Tran to reach out to Nicolas Panetta to set up a meeting to discuss the appropriate modalities.

AFFIDAVIT OF VIA's NICHOLAS MACKENZIE re: DOUBLE-VENTURE TRAINS

On March 30, Nicholas MacKenzie, then VIA's Senior Manager, Network Planning (until becoming ALTO's Director, Operations and Rolling Stock in July, 2025) swore this five-point affidavit regarding the Double-Venture trains, with the above email exchange just completed:

1. VIA’S POTENTIAL DEPLOYMENT OF DOUBLE-VENTURE TRAINS AS AN INTERIM MITIGATION MEASURE IF AND WHEN REASONABLY PRACTICABLE

Since I signed my affidavit on March 3, 2025, VIA has continued to assess ways to mitigate the impact of CN’s grade crossing restrictions, and the review process of the Double-Venture option that I described in affidavit has progressed. VIA intends to move forward with this option if and as soon as reasonably practicable, as a temporary measure for a few weeks until the Restrictions are lifted in the very short term and insofar as operationally feasible. It remains unsure whether we will have the capacity to implement the Double-Venture Plan and when it will be feasible, given the operational, technical, safety, business, and other validations that remain to be completed and may take weeks.

On March 27, 2025, as part of this validation process, VIA sought from CN confirmation that, if it were to deploy a Double-Venture cycling plan as soon as reasonably practicable, CN would not impose restrictions under CROR 103.1(f). On March 28, 2025, CN confirmed the restrictions would not apply to the use of Double-Venture trains. I reviewed CN’s March 28 response and want to correct in this affidavit many of CN’s misunderstandings, including its mistaken claim that we “intend to implement [the Double-Venture Plan] next Monday, March 31”, given that VIA continues to assess the feasibility of this potential solution and that our notice to CN was part of this assessment.

Many internal and external stakeholders have to sign off on the Double-Venture Plan, including approvals from Metrolinx and Canadian Pacific Railway for instance. We expect that deploying Double-Venture trainsets would temporarily mitigate the urgent safety risks caused by the restrictions’ unacceptable impact on the cognitive workload of VIA’s locomotive engineers, but it would create a host of other gravely harmful consequences for VIA and the Canadian public.

2. DETAILS ON THE POSSIBLE PLAN TO DEPLOY DOUBLE-VENTURE TRAINS

In parallel to technical, safety, business, and other validations, my team and I have developed and continue to develop a plan (Double-Venture Plan) to assess the feasibility of deploying Double-Venture trainsets. As it stands, this would involve:

Coupling (or “jaying”) 8 Venture trains (out of VIA’s fleet of 24 [actually 28 at the time] Venture trains) into 4 “Double-Venture” trainsets operating with 48 axles;
Shortening VIA’s remaining 19 trainsets, which consist of various older models that are all 30 years old or more (“Legacy trains”);
Keeping on standby a Legacy train and a single Venture train, both in Toronto and Montreal, to replace any train that might have a problem;
Moving VIA’s unused Venture trainsets out of service.

Having more than four Double-Venture trainsets in service is not realistic because we have limited storage and maintenance capacities and because Double-Venture trainsets are too long to park overnight at various stations. At present, roughly two-thirds of VIA’s Legacy trains operate with five or six cars (24-28 axles), but to minimize service disruption the Double-Venture Plan would shorten many Legacy trains and have over 50% running with four cars only (20 axles), thus reducing capacity on these Legacy trains. The Double-Venture Plan assumes, as a necessary condition, that VIA will operate without CN’s restrictions.

3. DOUBLE-VENTURE TRAINS WOULD CAUSE VERY SIGNIFICANT SERVICE CUTS, FURTHER AGGRAVATING VIA’S REDUCED SERVICE

Two principal metrics are used to measure the offer of passenger rail service: Available Seat Miles (ASM), measuring the capacity of passenger service offer calculated by multiplying the number of seats available by the distance travelled; and
Departures per week, measuring the frequency of how many trips are offered from an origin point to a destination point.

Switching to Double-Venture trainsets would be aggravating VIA’s already reduced offer to Canadian passengers, but the safety risks due to the restrictions’ impact on VIA locomotive engineers’ cognitive workload are not considered to be tolerable and must be addressed urgently. Should we implement the Double-Venture Plan in the near term until the Restrictions are lifted and insofar as operationally feasible, VIA’s passenger services would be brought down to 25 million ASM and 336 train departures weekly (i.e. 280 legacy departures plus 56 Double-Venture departures).

This 25 million ASM offer would represent an immediate reduction of approximately:

18% in ASM in comparison to the service that VIA should have offered but for the decision to put on hold the Venture fleet’s gradual deployment (30.5 million ASM);
14% in ASM in comparison to the schedule for 2025 (29 million ASM).

This would also represent an immediate cancellation of 52 train departures weekly in comparison to the 2025 budget (388 departures weekly), mostly between Toronto and Ottawa. For context:

With the gradual deployment of Venture trains, VIA should have been able to offer roughly 30.5 million ASM weekly in April 2025, bringing VIA’s offer back to pre- pandemic levels.
But due to the effect of VIA’s January 2025 decision to put on hold the gradual deployment of Venture trains (given the Restrictions’ workload impact) and of the Legacy train phase-out, VIA is already offering much less service than it should.
Specifically, VIA now offers 26.1 million ASM and 370 train departures weekly following the cancellation of 18 departures per week in early-February 2025.

4. OTHER VERY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES THAT WOULD RESULT FROM IMPLEMENTING THE DOUBLE-VENTURE PLAN TEMPORARILY

Given the urgency of addressing the safety risks due to the CN-caused excessive cognitive workload of locomotive engineers, VIA may be forced to accept an unacceptable solution like deploying Double-Venture trains if and when reasonably practicable for a few weeks until the restrictions are lifted and insofar as operationally feasible. VIA’s assessment confirms that no solution other than operating Double-Venture trains would feasibly remove safety risks related to the engineers’ excessive workload in the near term.

Implementing the Double-Venture Plan means choosing the lesser of two evils, and it would still cause very serious consequences to VIA, employees, and the general public:

Capacity and frequency reductions would prevent VIA from fulfilling its mandate to provide adequate services to Canadians.
VIA would lose further customers switching to other less sustainable modes of transportation (like driving or flying), as VIA would expect an important drop in tickets sold due to changed passenger travel habits, some of which may be permanent.
Implementing the Double-Venture Plan would cause important financial losses given the lost revenues resulting from the cancellation of 52 train departures weekly and an increase in operating costs due to the need to pull a second (often empty) Venture train. This is in addition to the fact that numerous Venture trains representing investments of roughly half a billion dollars would have to be put out of service.
Service cuts would aggravate the serious harm to VIA’s reputation and brand, which has already suffered from the train delays caused by the Restrictions.
For the weeks during which the Double-Venture Plan may be implemented, service cuts would necessarily result in a loss of seasonal employment and a temporary conversion of some full-time VIA jobs to part-time jobs.

5. THE DOUBLE-VENTURE PLAN COULD ONLY BE A TEMPORARY MITIGATION MEASURE

The Double-Venture Plan – if its feasibility is validated – could only serve as a temporary Band-Aid mitigation measure to suspend the unacceptable workload levels of locomotive engineers for a few weeks until CN’s restrictions are lifted in the very short term and insofar as operationally feasible, not longer.

For instance, deploying the Double-Venture Plan in the longer term could lead to job losses, as an equivalent of 25-30 full-time jobs would no longer be needed. Nor can VIA allow the very significant and serious Double-Venture service cuts to become permanent, given its public mandate and the fact that aging Legacy trains must continue to be decommissioned gradually.

VIA will therefore have no other reasonable option but to reintroduce single Venture trains if the restrictions are not lifted in the short term. Maintaining the Double-Venture Plan longer than a few weeks is unsustainable and would force VIA to cut down its services further and further.

Another email from March 31, 2025, accompanying a VIA slide deck for discussion by internal stakeholders within their areas of responsibility:

VIA produced a rather elaborate risk assessment, across multiple departments, to back its Double-Venture plan. This risk assessment is immeasurably more rigorous than anything CN has provided to justify its Crossing Supplement! (Below - selected slides.)

Informing the government of its intentions, VIA's CEO and Board Chair wrote to the Minister of Transport about the double-Venture plan on March 7, 2025. The actual correspondence was made available in March, 2026:

Five days later, Heather Carriere, the Transport Canada Executive Director, Oversight emailed General Counsel Denis Lavoie. The latter responded with VIA boilerplate and history of CN's actions:

In ongoing discussions, Heather Carriere asked VIA CEO Mario Peloquin whether consists could be lengthened. Peloquin responded that in theory, they could. He added that "The result is that some of the rest of the cars could no longer be used. It would be preferable to cut some of the runs and couple two Venture trains together". Carriere asked whether "shunting enhancers a no go?", to which Peloquin responded, "As I discussed with the President of Amtrak, we are almost two years away to even know if they work reliably."

On March 27, Transport Canada Director General, Surface Transportation Policy Tamara Rudge emailed several VIA, Transport Canada and Minister's Office colleagues with several questions:

"Hi VIA colleagues - questions on your current proposal:

TC would like a fact sheet for each of the routes that are a proposed to be suspended. Obviously cause some of the suspensions are the same train number just a different day this doesn’t mean 52 fact sheets – just one per each route (I think that would be 11 but my math might be wrong). These fact sheets should include tombstone information on each for the route. For example: Train number 50 to be suspended M, T, W, T, F, S , S. A map of where train 50 begin, stops and end. The normal departure time and arrival time at each stop. The average monthly ridership of train 50 and the average on/offs at each stop. Demand: percentage of seat normally sold and/vacant. Information on the profitability of that specific train. What are the other options available to a pax that used to rely on train 50 (e.g. leave x hours earlier or X hours later on which trains). Any qualitative information about the type of pax that take train 50 (mostly commuter, tourists, students, business travelers, etc.)

Is VIA able to reconfigure trainsets in a way to meet the 32-axle minimum as set out by CN while maximizing the overall usage of the Venture Fleet?
What are the limiting factors for reconfiguring Venture trainsets (i.e., coupling mechanism, parts and equipment, software programming...)?
What would be the impact in terms or fleet availability and frequency and canceled routes if VIA is able to reconfigure the trainsets? How long would it take to deconstruct the venture train sets to create trainsets with just 32 axles?
Could VIA consider manually protecting the grade crossings?What sort of qualifications would the flag person need to ensure the safe operation of the grade crossing gate? What would be the financial implication of this change? How quickly could something like this be implemented? Could this be implemented strategically to at least reduce the number of impacted crossings?
Question about Longer term Options:Can VIA please provide information of on a range of longer-term options that will be examined?
Some that have already been raised and we assume would be part of your options analysis include: Axle Counters, Shunt Enhancers, more Rail Cars, others?
For the longer-term option analysis we would want to see the follow for each option: rough cost estimate, estimated length of procurement, time required for testing or pilots, regulatory approvals that may be require to use new tech, relevant information from Siemens (like: would this be covered under their warranty or possibly put on the remaining trainsets prior to delivery, is the option to procure additional Venture trainsets through VIA Rail’s contract with Siemens still available, etc), how VIA might work with CN on to examine longer term options, pros and cons for each option, etc.

On March 13, Transport Canada Policy Group Assistant Deputy Minister Serge Biijimine followed up on the letter sent to Transport Minister Anand on March 7:

"Beyond what was shared in the letter, I believe it is important for us to have access to additional information, so we can better understand why this decision is being taken now, what other options were considered and most importantly the impacts of these reductions on both Canadians and VIA Rail employees.

Please find attached a list of questions - until you have provided us with the requested information, and you have received a letter from the Minister in response to your letter of March 7th, we would kindly ask that VIA hold off advising customers and implementing the plan to couple the Venture trains.

In closing in the spirit of collaboration, it would be beneficial to discuss these changes prior to engaging the Minister. Being involved earlier would provide our teams the opportunity to have the necessary information to ensure alignment and cohesion. I understand things can move quickly, but having all the relevant information in advance would also help avoid any miscommunication or delays.

VIA is also reminded that a proposed change in operations necessitates a risk assessment as required in the Railway Safety Management System Regulations, 2015 section 15(1)(c). If you have not already engaged with Rail Safety and Security, you are encouraged to reach out and discuss regulatory requirements related to this change in operations."

VIA provided a draft comprehensive risk assessment as requested on March 20, comprising an analysis team of subject matter experts from Train Operations, Mechanical Services, Customer Experience as well as representatives from UNIFOR and TCRC. "The overall residual risk rating associated with the operating Double Venture trains was assessed as Acceptable." Some highlights:

Total train length would be 998 feet. Trains of that length would be stationed at Windsor, Ottawa, TMC and MMC. Only one double Venture trainset could be parked at Ottawa or Windsor at a time. Handbrakes on Venture equipment automatically engage on all cars when the handbrake button is pressed, ensuring all handbrakes are consistently used to secure the equipment, with no additional handbrakes to be added. These would be applied at Windsor and Ottawa.

Also in the risk assessment was a table of Corridor station platform lengths. Since most station platforms could not accommodate a Double Venture train - Port Hope is 219 feet, Trenton Junction 150 - double spotting would be required. [Even if Kingston platform can accommodate a nearly 1,000-foot train, could all passengers be expected to walk that far to board?]

The maximum passenger of a single Venture trainset is 281, with sales capped at 277. That would double to 554 passengers for a Double Venture.

Mechanical service employees are fully qualified to perform daily inspections and system functions. At Windsor, mechanical service employees received a brief introductory course on Venture equipment when it was first introduced, thereby not considered fully trained, lacking experience in inspecting and working on Venture equipment with limited familiarity. On-Train Services employees are fully trained on Ventures, as are locomotive engineers.

Venture equipment mechanical alarms are transmitted to the leading cab of the train. PA system announcements would not be heard in both sections of a Double Venture train. Stations located near grade crossings such as Fallowfield, Brockville, Kitchener and Chatham would fall under requirements that VIA not obstruct or activate crossings for more than five minutes when traffic is waiting. Platforms near controlled locations include Belleville, Smiths Falls, Brantford and Brockville, which could potentially in a movement exceeding limits of authority. New corrective actions would be assigned and undertaken:

Special instructions would need to be published for parking of Double Venture trainsets.
Configuring the ticket sales system to facilitate passenger flow thereby reducing time spent at platforms.
Running Double Venture trains as Loco-Cabcar-Cabcar-Loco to fit more cars on platforms and facilitating maintenance operations inside shop buildings.
Installing train spotting signage to facilitate Double Venture positioning on platforms.
Providing training and coaching to Windsor Yard Mechanical Services employees.
Formalize communications process between Service Managers assigned to Double Venture trains.
Rescuing a stranded Double Venture train could take time due to increase in passengers and train weight.

The report included tables showing advanced bookings, ridership, expenses, revenue and Late Travel Credits. Increasing!

Charts and graphs! This interesting comparison is entitled Composition of Train Sets for Corridor Operations - Cycling Comparison:

Equipment retirement tables:

Those charts and graphs have holes in them large enough to drive a...Venture through, especially the retirement date shown as "NA" for the remaining HEP1, HEP2 and P42 fleets.

Transport Canada sent two lists of questions to VIA. Below are answers dated March 20, from VIA to TC. They include some interesting material regarding overlap between (and disposition of) Legacy and Venture equipment, plus a response that no locomotive engineers had taken time off as a result of the cognitive workload brought on by CN's Crossing Supplement:

All the questions did leave VIA CEO Mario Peloquin wondering, though, in his response:

[Should I consider these questions as a request not to begin implementing our plan to couple the Venture trains?]

One year later! This is what all Corridor trains would have looked like under the Double-Venture plan though now there are only two double-Ventures per day between Toronto and Brockville: - No 62/52 at Kingston station, March 27, 2026:

And in fact the Double-Venture plan was not implemented.

I find it amazing that VIA would turn itself into a schedule-pretzel to this degree. The amount of work that went into planning, researching and disseminating this Double-Venture plan must have been formidable. It is no less significant than the extensive hours expended by expensive legal minds on CN and VIA sides in their court wrangling. And we have to ask ourselves, all for what? I guess this is the price of life at the national corporate level, where careful contingencies must be considered and management manoeuvring is a must!

Running extra...

Our tax dollars at work, like "Daddy, can I take the Beemer out for a rip?" Except it's BISON3, an RCAF Boeing CC-177 Globemaster III flown by 429 Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton. I've seen one 'takeoff' and now one 'landing' over our house. Approaching Kingston airport on Runway Two-Four as the reason for its one-hour flight, the big bird slowed from 520 to 123 knots and descended from 600+ to 183 meters at the time I took the above grab shot!

Nothing makes railfans lose their minds like paint. Paint schemes. It's just paint! But on June 26, eastbound CN oil unit train No 714 was led by solo NS 4224 with two BNSF pumpkins 6821 & 7088 as dual tail-end DPU; Heritage Unit 'BCOL' 3115 led No 276 and 'IC' 3008 led No 306. Then on July 7, same thing! But different. CSX 5444 & 825 UP 6416 and CN 2926 pulling No 714. When CN No 461 derailed 49 cars of its 172-car, 19,220-ton, 11,449-foot train at Repentigny, on July 5 the power was CN 3079-NS 3651-NS 4153.

Anchorman 2 quotes:

"I'm always able to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. Even if it's not right."

"I have decided to donate my organs to science before I die so I can see where they ended up."

First past the post...

An E for Effort! "This has to be one of the most narrow, OCD-infused things I have ever worked on", says Paul Cordingley. Paul has been quietly amassing information on the actual locations on CN lines for which the CN (then VIA) E-series sleepers were named. Paul has also visited many of the E-locations and photographed CN station signs while there. (I have a soft spot for this car series and featured it as my Trackside Treasure's Fourth Anniversary Contest.) Ernestown was an infinitesimally small dot on CN's system but I lived in Ernestown Township, attended Ernestown Secondary School as did my two siblings, and remotely and roomettely rode in Ernestown in 1981. Eseries844 is still my historic YouTube handle! Here's hoping Paul excellently extends his efforts to effectively evince more evocative E-locations!

VIA VENTURES IN SERVICE, PART 6

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:27:00 +0000

Back in January, 2024 and with the delivery of the twelfth Siemens Venture set, I split my very first Siemens Venture post first published on September 21, 2021, spawning VIA Ventures in Service, Part 1. Then a subsequent Part 2, then Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5. We're now splitting it again, resulting in this post - Part 6, because it's hard for you and me to find 'news' in a post buried back in January, 2026! VIA's Siemens implementation has so far spawned a blog-busting 36+ Trackside Treasure posts on the topic - and counting! Here are the Venture-centric posts:

VIA's New Siemens Trainsets through Kingston - each set's delivery date and related information.
VIA's Siemens Venture's First Visit to Kingston - test run arriving at 0222 on 2/2/22!
VIA's Siemens Venture's First Revenue Visit to Kingston - September 21, 2023 was the big day!
The Ventures are Coming! The Ventures are Coming! - Ottawa-Toronto service began October 24, 2023.
Venture implementation compared to the LRC implementation 40+ years ago.
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 1 - On CN's Kingston Subdivision - updates to April, 2024.
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 2 - On CN's Kingston Subdivision - updates from May, 2024 and beyond.
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 3 - On CN's Kingston Subdivision - updates from February, 2025 and beyond.
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 4 - On CN's Kingston Subdivision and beyond - updates from August, 2025 and later.
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 5 - Updates from January 2026 and later
VIA Ventures in Service, Part 6 - Updates from July 2026 and later [you're reading it!]
CN Imposes Speed Reductions on VIA's Ventures - suddenly in October, 2024!
VIA Ventures and Shunt - Enhanced Post - all you need to know about shunt, loss-of-shunt and why CN is imposing speed reductions.
VIA takes CN to federal court - judicial review requested November, 2024!
VIA and CN make submissions to the court in December, 2024 - the facts!
VIA and CN make more submissions to the court in January, 2025 - more facts!
VIA and CN make yet more submissions to the Court published in March, 2025.
the final VIA and CN submissions to the Court in February, 2025 - the last of four posts!
VIA and CN now in Quebec Superior Court Part 1 - March, 2025
VIA and CN in Quebec Superior Court Part 2 - June, 2025
An opinion piece - "What is Happening with VIA's New Trains?"
Seven months o' facts - Serviceability and OTP of VIA's Ventures October 2024-May 2025
VIA augments a Venture consist to eight units in July, 2025
Ventures' On-Time Performance, published weekly November, 2024 to present
Ventures Speed Reductions become CN Permanent Slow Orders - August, 2025
Minister of Transport's Ministerial Order to CN in December, 2024 (post published in Sept., 2025)
VIA and CN in Quebec Superior Court Part 3 - November, 2025 and Part 4 and Part 5, January, 2026 and Part 6, April 2026
VIA Ventures Sets' Serviceability in 2025 by citizen science.
VIA Venture Mechanical Delay Reports - 2023 and 2024 and 2025
Nine Conclusions from VIA Venture Mechanical Delay Reports and the VIA/Siemens TSSSA.
VIA's March, 2025 Double-Venture Plan - planned but never implemented
VIA and CN Venture out of Court - September, 2026 - the end of VIA's injunctive action?

Starting off with my observations - a snapshot of how many Ventures are in service on a weekly basis, and the fleet's OTP. I've been tracking the latter since November, 2024. Here are the Venture sets observed in service from the week of November 10, 2025 up to the week of July 5-11, 2026 (below). Set numbers are along the left/vertical axis and weeks on top/horizontal axis. Coloured cells indicate sets out of service for multiple weeks. Into July, there are only three sets not observed for multiple weeks. Click for a larger version:

Here is the Venture fleet's observed Monday OTP from the week of January12 to June 15, 2026:

Here are the latest Venture adventures:

July 1 - No 75 was severely delayed into Windsor and it was reported as mechanical issues and was recovered by No 79 to get to Windsor. 75 becomes 70 and was J’d with 72 operating on 72’s schedule which caused the delay into Toronto on July 2.

July 2 - VIA No 70 Engs 6427-909 J-trained with No 72 Engs 914 and 913! VIA No 64's arrival was delayed 3+ hours, eventually being J-trained with VIA No 66, resulting in two of VIA's longest Corridor consists and 92 axles! The consist: 6401-6427-3305-3469-3471-3371-3338-3368-3313-3335-3468-909/914-3455-3460-4004-3340-3367-3352-3307-3337-34xx*-913 (*no car numbers visible on either side).

July 6 - Set 18's 2218 has been removed from LUMI and is in the MMC shop.

July 9 - An ONR Set 1 operating as train P301 was on a crew-onboarding run and hit a truck at High Falls Road crossing in Bracebridge, Mi 125.27 Newmarket Sub, at 1345, reportedly minor damage. On July 14, ONR Set 2 was dispatched to haul Set 1 back to Toronto from North Bay. In the accident report, the lead unit is referred to as SIIX 930 (Siemens reporting marks). Lion Liu photo taken on the way to TMC shows the damage to the nose, cut lever and fittings above the coupler on both sides, compared to a 'before' video capture:

July 11 - Siemens-equipped No 24 (likely Set 31) experienced a major mechanical problem in Lemieux, QC, at 1500, blocking CN Nos 120, 401 and 709. VIA No 39 Engs 915-7 LRC-6443 arrived 1630 to tow the train to the Lemieux siding, approximately one mile to the east, completing the move at 1930. Buses arrived to pick up passengers from both trains, but CN 121 had to pass through before the transfer. No 24 annulled, Nos 26 and 28 arrived 2-3 hours late. VIA No 39-24 equipment departed Lemieux at 2330 for the MMC behind Set 13, arriving 0115 July 12. A new issue this time, ran out of fuel and fuel sensor stuck at full position!

July 13 - Posted to social media - the first bike-on-a-Venture adventure. "I was quite excited when VIA Rail announced earlier this summer that they reintroduce bike services on some trains in the Quebec City - Ottawa corridor. Yesterday (Sunday), I finally did my first trip! I travelled on Train 26 from Ottawa to Montreal after riding my bike from Montreal to Ottawa on the Prescott Russell Trail the day before. I didn't know about the process, but it was quite smooth [albeit a pilot project and lots of rules on the VIA website]:

July 21 - Set 1 operated as test run No 656 Toronto-Montreal and No 657 Montreal-Toronto the next day. Four unexpected emergency applications eastbound and one westbound. Looking west, 2201 stopped at Beaurepaire (below - Lion Liu photo) as the crew does a roll-by inspection after a train-initiated emergency brake application.

Could this mark a return to service for this shop queen set and signal the best serviceability for VIA's Venture fleet so far. Cab car 2301 with no cab side numbers leading at Trenton (Andrew Ferguson photo posted to social media):

July 24 - Reportedly, CN is now installing trackside signage to indicate the beginning and end of VIA Venture crossing slow orders, suggesting that CN believes these slow orders are permanent. VIA Venture equipment speed restriction sign, yellow triangle is 1 mile before, yellow square for start and green square for end”. VIA had indicated that CN would eventually post trackside signage to denote the Venture speed zones already listed in its employee timetables. From VIA's System Notice No. VN25-018 Venture Crossing Restrictions Update issued August 28, 2025: VIA and CN are working to install new signs marking the beginning and end of each Venture-specific restriction, with advance signs to help crews prepare. "Q: When can we expect operating signs to be installed? A: This effort is complex and requires input from multiple parties. We will keep you informed as new updates are available. Rest assured that VIA is pursuing this as a top priority, and we expect signage to be in place as soon as possible, likely in the coming weeks or months."

Shunt Enhancers! A tidbit found on this Transport Canada page of updates/briefing notes:

Budget 2025 additionally provided $15M to VIA Rail to run a pilot project, testing the usability of shunt enhancers on its new corridor fleet in the harsh Canadian winter environment. VIA Rail is working with Siemens, the manufacturer of the shunt enhancer, and other partners to undertake the pilot project and run testing as soon as possible.

July 25 - This week marked the highest number of Venture sets in service since January = 26. Not the least of which was Set 1 on its test run, the first time Set 1 has been out on the mainline since August, 2022 having been kept at the MMC until being towed to the MMC in November, 2024.

July 26 - A J-train in Southwestern Ontario: VIA No 83/87 operated with Set 24/2206-2319 (I'm going to start referring to that set as Set 20 powered by 2206).

July 28 - Set 20 powered by 2206 reportedly broke down at London station, 'arriving' at Windsor five hours late and with its corresponding eastbound run as No 78 cancelled.

TMC Siemens maintenance buildings drone view by Lion Liu on July 19 shows tracks leading to the new buildings at right, plus Rapido's collection at left, stored at the TMC:

Posted by Tim Hayman on Canadian-Passenger-Rail groups dot io:

On Monday August 3, VIA has added what appear to be a pair of extra trains between Montreal and Toronto, though it seems that they are in fact going to be a second Venture set (Set 12) attached to an existing train as a way to expand capacity without using a longer trainset. Also not subject to CN-imposed speed reductions, so arriving 'on time'. Westbound MTL-TOR No 665 - Dep. 10:49, Arr. 16:18 same schedule as No 65;

and Eastbound TOR-MTL No 656 - Dep. 18:08, Arr. 23:04 same schedule as No 668:

Test booking on either of these trains, the cars are shown as 11-12-13-14-15. On 665 only cars 11 and 12 (Business Class) are available, while on 656 only the Economy cars (13-14-15) are available. These trains are also only available if you're booking from and to any of Montreal, Kingston, and Toronto. suggesting this extra set will only be opening doors at Kingston en route.

August 3 - VIA hospital train No 303: 6458-8613-Chateau Levis-6408 on the rear, ran west from Montreal to Belleville to rescue VIA 50, arriving after 1700 hrs there, back through Kingston at 1930 (below - Zack Migneault and André Gerow posted to social media - video captures). No 50 was separated from No 60 at Belleville and passengers transferred to buses. Today's No 26 was bustituted, planned as a Venture.

André was at the west end of the platform:

August 6 - VIA No 46 had a mechanical issue near Guildwood. No 48 J-trained and took the crippled set eastward, arriving at Kingston 282 and 104 minutes late, respectively and likely delaying No 68 as well. Type of equipment on both trains unknown, although they were planned as Venture and LRC, also respectively.

August 7 - Ontario Northland's third Siemens Venture set 950-959 is nearing Chicago, eventually arriving at Aldershot thence TMC on August 12.

August 11 - No 62 (Set 23) ran 15 minutes ahead and separately from No 52 (set 15).

* * * * *

August 14 - (Update plus Commentary)

Nos 42 and 55 are expected to return by September 7 or October 19 (various reports), with Nos 644 and 645 regaining a daily schedule. This after an 18-month hiatus. This is the $64,000 question: when will the Venture fleet be allowed to run and meet its full potential? And a follow-up question: what factors are standing in the way?

We know VIA is facing a hard-date just over five months away when LRC consists will be no more. That, the donation of 3308 to Exporail and the portended scrapping of five P42s have suddenly awakened everyone who maybe hoped things would just 'stay the same for a while' to the realization that we are on the cusp of radical change of Corridor equipment.

There is one HEP2 consist operating now, two full LRC and four LRC/HEP2 consists. All but one of those will disappear in just over five months. The number of Ventures in daily service has constantly been increasing, but has reached a plateau of 21-23 sets that I have been able to consistently document. In reality, this may be up to 25 sets in use. Reinstating runs that have been off the schedule for 18 months is either a foolhardy wish by VIA, or an indication that they are ready to embrace radical change and full Venture fleet implementation.

Operationally, in the last week there was only one Venture set in the shop long-term: Set 6 since December 10, 2025. (Not counting the plagued Set 1 that even had a test run recently!) Despite the statements of many that 'the Ventures are sh**' they are almost all in use on a consistent basis. They are almost all available for service.

Yes, there are problems with Venture-equipped trains being late on an arriving run that makes their next departing run late. Interestingly, in case anyone thinks that all the problems in the Corridor are due to Ventures, I can attest that last Monday, non-Venture on-time performance through Kingston was an average of 28 minutes late, worse than all but three Toronto-Ottawa Venture-equipped trains.

Frequently mentioned contributing causes: dispatching delays around Toronto by Metrolinx, CP delays at Smiths Falls, and the ever-present Venture mechanical issues that still crop up. And the dreaded prospect of another Venture Winter!

Yes, CN's speed tables and emerging trackside signage have entrenched their crossing speed reductions as timetable-official. Judicial relief sought by VIA may not come until 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. This action by CN has been the biggest single roadblock to VIA's Venture implementation. Bigger even than the Ventures' mechanical issues. Ventures will continue to run late as a result. Onboard shunt-enhancers and additional Venture cars are on the horizon. The distant horizon.

As my dentist once told me, the treatment he suggested for a problem tooth would either 'cure it or kill it'. He cured it! My prediction based on all the above....January-February 2026 will either cure or kill VIA's Corridor Venture implementation. It's going to be a heck of a ride.

* * * * *

August 25/26 - Set 1 made another test run from Montreal to Ottawa on August 24 then made its four final acceptance trips between Ottawa and De Beaujeau as VIA No 631 and 636 over two days.

During VIA's annual public meeting for 2026 posted to YouTube, the Acting CEO noted that VIA is working with Siemens to develop a true comprehensive plan for winter operations of its Ventures to make sure that VIA is not in the same position for the coming winter of 2026-27 as it was last winter. He also praised the full commissioning of the 32-set Venture fleet on budget and on time, despite mechanical challenges and a demanding transition. Again, en route reliability was touted as 98% while on-time departures continue to be a challenge as is getting the full value out of the new trainsets. Completion of TMC construction is expected before the end of 2026. Quoting from VIA's public meeting webpage:

With the commissioning of the new Corridor fleet now complete, our focus has shifted fully to stabilization, performance optimization and continuous improvement. In 2025, negotiated speed tables helped mitigate the impacts of operating restrictions, and we continue to work with infrastructure owners and Transport Canada to improve on-time performance and identify a long-term solution that would allow VIA Rail to resume regularoperations in the Corridor.

August 27 - Set 1 operated as No 41. (Michael Judge photo at Brockville posted to social media - below) Notice how clean this set is, unsullied by trips up and down the Corridor!

August 28 - Set 9 was hosting VIA engineer Dave Megee's last run on VIA No 69, going back to the pre-LRC era of 1975 (Lion Liu photo):

August 30 - Set 17 operating as VIA No 40 collided with a car near Fallowfield station. Set 9 operating as No 647 was sent to its rescue. As a result, several Ottawa trains were delayed by up to three hours.

Sept. 2 - VIA No 50 reported losing all HEP Power. At Brockville after the passengers disembarked the Venture set deadheaded to Montreal. Mechanical problems made them unable to separate the trains which ran combined to Montreal.

Sept. 3 - After yesterday's storm, No 87 terminated in Kitchener. Its Set 25 went to the TMC, then J-trained with No 71 to London and a short origin in London. We're talking about VIA awarding the LDRR fleet contract to Alstom and this graphic is on-screen:

Sept.13 - VIA No 83 (Set 21) led No 87 (Set 15) in a J-train format.

Sept.16 - VIA touts its twice-yearly service review as a good time to make cuts. Or as it's put in the press release, "better align service with passenger demand, strengthen network resilience and support more reliable and predictable service." Apparently one less Toronto-Ottawa train per day overall.

The Venture maintenance buildings at VIA's TMC look to be complete and on-time. Lance Gleich kindly shared these photos looking west, from the Islington Avenue overpass:

Sept.19 - VIA No 53 (Set 30) lost power during its Kingston station stop. A rescue train from Montreal was sent as No 53 is still in the station, 7+ hours later, effectively single-tracking CN's Kingston Sub here.

Sept.25 - VIA No 60 and 50 are operating separately. No 60 departed Toronto on time but No 50 was halted by a [trespasser?] incident near Mimico, departing 121 minutes late and No 62/52 departing 103 minutes late.

Also, Set 1, after making its final acceptance trips at the end of August, finally entered revenue service on No 50.

Also, No 61 was Set 8, led by 6411 (screenshot, below) departing Montreal 34 minutes late due to mechanical issues, then 69 minutes late at Kingston. (Coincidentally, 6411 was to be deadheaded to TMC on the tail end of the day before/Thursday's No 61.)

Sept.28 - Ontario Northland Charger ONT 950 made a break-in run to North Bay, paired with ONR's Set 1’s cars 931-939. Perhaps ONT 930 is still in the shop after that July 8 truck collision?

Sept.30 - On the heels of VIA and CN abandoning their Quebec Superior Court proceedings, VIA operated No 303/304 with Set 26 trailing in-service LRC cars 3466-3366 on the Alexandria Sub (below - Lion Liu photo). A first since Venture Set 12 made the trip trailing Burton Manor and coach 8101 as VIA No 331 on September 3, 2024 between Toronto and Sarnia. A pair of comm adapter cables so locomotive crew can monitor bearings on the LRC cars, not done with HEP cars in 2024.

Oct. 2 - VIA No 37 was immobile east of Drummondville, rescued by VIA No 39 both at least 4 hours late. Both likely Venture-equipped.

Oct. 5 - This may not be the last we hear about this incident: Set 7 operating as VIA No 644 was travelling 60 mph by Merivale Rd Mile 1.63 VIA Smiths Falls sub where the Automatic Warning Device (AWD) at public crossing at grade DID NOT activate. At the time of this occurrence, this train also lost its occupancy on CTC overview. Fortunately this busy crossing was not occupied at the time by pedestrians or vehicles. The following day, Siemens/VIA RTC issued a GBO to notify all movements operating between Mile 1 and Mile 4 on Smiths Falls sub that rule 103.1(f) applies to all crossings equipped with AWD: "When advised by special instructions that rusty rail or other conditions may exist, occupancy of crossings with automatic warning devices must be manually protected unless it is known that warning devices have been operating for the Minimum Required Time."

Oct. 8 - Set 19 operated as No 657 to Ottawa.

Oct. 9 - Rare J-trained westbound Ventures! Sets 29/27. For this Thanksgiving weekend, VIA is deploying one extra Venture set running as 663/665/656/688 to add additional capacity, J-trained with a scheduled Venture set requiring only one head-end crew. The same J-trained consist will operate as: 63/663 - 68/688 on Fri Oct 9; 63/663 on Sat Oct 10 and 65/665 - 668/656 on Mon Oct 12. Friday's No 63/663 lost about 40 minutes between Dorval and Cornwall, arriving in Toronto 90 minutes late. Saturday's 63/663 left on time but was 45 minutes down already by Dorval, arriving 56 minutes late into Toronto. Monday's No 65/665 arrived right on time, sets marshalled with locomotives on both ends. Monday's No 668/656 arrived in Montreal 51 minutes late.

Artist's impression $357 million structure begun at the MMC on Oct. 8. The 100,000-square-foot facility will be built by Canadian construction company Pomerleau. Once construction of the Stadler locomotives is complete, the facility will be used to maintain the locomotives and the 313 new passenger cars to be built by Alstom:

Oct. 13 - No 59 stalled west of Brockville for 3+ hours, rescued by No 669 that reversed back to it after crossing over. Both likely Ventures, arriving in Toronto at 0345. Just three days earlier, No 59 struck an unoccupied vehicle at a private crossing at Mi.155.38 CN Kingston Sub, resulting in a delay of over two hours at the scene, arriving in Toronto 3 hours late.

Oct. 22 - The much-ballyhooed (and boohooed by commuters) last run of VIA No 641 was operated with Set 5 today.

Oct. 23 - Set 18 'Lumi' photographed at TMC with grey replacement panels around ditch lights on both sides and black central panel sans logo (leading some railfans to react with alarm that its unique paint scheme is being covered up!) after a collision with vehicle in Brockville, unknown date.

Recently, Sets 19 & 31 operated together as test train No 301 Montreal-Ottawa returning to the MMC as No 300 - both bad ordered for unknown reasons.

Oct. 25 - At VIA's 'change-of-card' today, some changes are afoot. The most-ever (!) Venture sets in daily use, finally getting out of the teens and hitting the twenties! Nos 64-65-66-67-70-72-75-79, currently LRC-equipped/run-through Toronto, will be mostly Ventures. No 64 Mon-Sat, No 65 Daily, and 66 Sunday will use double Venture consists. LRC equipment is being redeployed to Q-M-O and Toronto-Windsor. There will be no more than two LRC-equipped trains per day through Kingston.

Also on October 25 - Two LRC coaches are being sent to the NRC in Ottawa for testing - perhaps compression testing? VIA No 303: VIA 6454-VIA 3462-VIA 3470-VIA 3476*-VIA 3300* left MMC at 2200 for Ottawa. All four cars were retired by January, 2026 and had all been serving as LRC buffer cars since March, 2026. Two of the four LRC cars (*3300 and 3476 with seats and at least one end door removed) are to go to the NRC for structural testing. Strange for a fleet that is to be retired in the next three months.

50 YEARS TRACKSIDE...2000-05 THE NEW MILLENNIUM

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:09:00 +0000

Welcome aboard this year-long retrospective series celebrating my Fifty Years Trackside - watching trains and taking numbers. This is the Sixth of a year-long series celebrating those five decades - each month's post is a time capsule; a five-year slice of those fifty years. In the previous post, the nineties made their exit down the track. This month, it's into the new Millennium! And Y2K? That stands for Yes 2 Kids trackside!

On May 7, 2000 the kids and I were at the VIA station for four VIA and one CN train. Andrew was not only expertly car-counting, he also relayed observations from his travels on sticky notes for me, including a notepad draft form for me to fill in:

Andrew and I put in a productive day on May 20. CN Nos 149, 590, 308, 309, 364, 301 and 306; VIA Nos 641, 653, 652/640 and 57, all between 0845 and 1400! Our Country Style donut shop was a convenient location within biing/walking distance from home. Excellent views across Bath Road to the CN mainline, air-conditioned or heated in season. And to boot, the owner was a train enthusiast. Prime morning visit times for fresh donuts!

A Sounder bilevel heads west at Kingston Mills locks above the Rideau Canal on June 30, 2000, during our Canada Day-weekend picnic. While picnicking, we netted six VIA trains, of which two were LRC-hauled evening expresses and two CN freights, between 1710 and 1920:

On a berm behind the Riocan big box centre, Erika and I watched two golden-hour Geeps switching eight Nova Chemicals covered hoppers at NORCOM on now-removed CN's Industrial Spur on Aug 9, 2000. The plant would close three years later and is now the site of a housing development with a large school, three apartment buildings, seniors' home, houses, a combined fire station/ambulance base and more to come.

Quinte 2000 was on Aug. 24, 2000. We are three generations with two different methods of documenting trackside, in the golden hour. Dad provided McDonald's supper and Andrew. From 1515-2310 there were 23 trains including 6 CP.

September 17, 2000 was the annual Picton train show. Our whole family, Dad and Dave made the trip, catching a hog-lawed CN No 320 and a 321 setting out 31 of its 96 cars in track BY15 in Belleville yard, power 5428-5306-5285.

Sundays were good days to catch dimensional loads. Photo by Andrew, August 2001 dimensional loads RBTs (Really Big Things!) westbound at Bayridge Drive overpass (above).

Sep 24/00 at 1705 WECX 102.
Oct1/00: No 317(30) at Kingston station with CN 601967.
Jan 5/01: KWUX 10 and KRL 074.
Jan 16/01: HEPX 200 at Queens.

References to CN's bigger trains of 120-150 cars came from an RTC, "Bigger and better? Well, bigger anyway!" and a head-end crew, "There are no cars left in Montreal - we got them all!".

The family went on a March Break vacation to Florida with another family, but without me. I couldn't get the week off work. One day I headed west to Belleville - March 10, 2001. From 1030-1600 there were CN freights No 519, 106, 364 (103 cars), 149, 301, 321 (135 cars including hi-cube boxcar GTW 378057 - below), 899 and 306; VIA Nos 642, 57, 60 and 45. Then on March 17, from 0820-1500 CN Nos 103, 149, 369, 737, 106, 309, 321, 310; VIA Nos 652/640, 641, 653, 57 and 60. CN's spring rail gang under Foreman John Casano was in the area between April 10 and 22, 2001.

On July 18, 2001 we visited the Bath tie pile from 1830-2030 (above, below and top photo), seeing CN Nos 368, 704, 363 and 148; VIA Nos 65, 66, 47, 67, 48, 49 and 68. No 704 came out of the Bath Spur with 62 GATX empty TankTrain cars from Lennox Generating Station on the CN Bath Spur at 1955 behind CN 2506-5642.

Here is an in-cab view posted to social media. Looking eastward, this evening view shows the access road from County Road 7 is just visible approaching the mainline in the middle-distance:

We made a family trip to Niagara Falls between Aug.21-23, 2001. I noted tarped QOPX woodchip gons south of the Thorold Abitibi-Consolidated paper mill, and we saw an impressive 16 ships transit the Welland Canal.

Quinte 2001 was August 30. On our way there we caught this interestingly-led CN No 308 at the Wymans Road crossing east of Belleville at 1500: CN 5628-exConrail 8667-CN 9445-unpainted FP59 GMDX 001006, the latter billed to Pointe St Charles. Between 1500-2000 there were five CN freights, two CP freights and eight VIA trains. Dad provided historical perspective, Dave was the poison-ivy detective, and Andrew picked a few apples from the nearby orchard while waiting to take more video. CN No 365 Engs 2413-5716 had a Brockville lift on the head-end at 1813 in the golden hour, heading for Toronto:

CN's public car tracing function was suspended on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 over concerned for post-9/11 security concerns, along with that of other Class 1 railroads by the AAR. From then on, I had to make educated guesses on the identity of passing CN freights, at least helped by previously-available access to learn their operating patterns!

Trips to Belleville yard still included OCS cars in the Great Lakes Region winter storage yard. On December 26, 2001 CN No 368 called out to passing 519, "Why don't you go over to Country Style, get some donuts and hoop them up to us?".

June 2, 2002 - we waited three-plus hours for the delayed but E8-powered CN business car train No 009 that finally passed westbound at 1732: IC 101-IC 100-CN Coureur des Bois-CN Gatineau (94)-CN Tawaw-CN Sandford Fleming.

During a June 26, 2002 visit to the tie pile, CN No 519 Engs 4124-4122 navigated the Bath Spur. Fifteen cement cars from Lafarge were on the siding portion of the Bath wye parallel to the mainline. The Geeps arrived from the east after switching Celanese at Millhaven and heading for Goodyear at Napanee, went down the wye, out the west end and back to Belleville:

Me and Andrew watching VIA No 67 with Eng 917 and five LRC cars at 1940 (L.C. Gagnon photo):

July 1, 2002 was our Canada Day family picnic at Kingston Mills with Mom and Dad, with four freights in one hour: CN Nos 307, 148, 363 and 366 (L.C. Gagnon photo, below).

In 2001, the British Nightstar cars were bilingually-named “Renaissance” or Ren for short, were introduced in a six-city tour. These cars entered service in spring 2002, first on the overnight Enterprise then in wider Corridor service. The Enterprise was terminated in 2005. General Electric P42DC's in the 900-series entered service, and all but one of VIA's last F-units, the 6300's, were retired. The last of the LRC locomotives were also retired, and coaches were LRC and HEP stainless-steel cars. VIA No 47 has Eng 902 at Kingston station with Erika and Andrew on June 9, 2002:

Quinte 2002 was on August 3 with Karen only, with three CN and one CP freight between 1500-1600.

THE ENTERPRISE

The Enterprise was a revival of VIA's overnight service à la the Cavalier and operated from January 16, 2000 to September 14, 2005 first with HEP2 'commuter' cars up front/HEP1 sleepers and a Park car on the tail-end.

VIA No 51 with stainless steel cars on July 7, 2000 at 0550 at Vista Drive:

6404-3 S/S cars -64XX-2 S/S cars -Chateau Lemoyne -Laurentide Park:

One more sighting:

Mar 9/01 0535 WB No 51:

6416-4113-4001-4115-6453-4122-Burton Manor-Evangeline Park

Ren-equipped Enterprise began in June, 2002:

Oct 1/02 0540 WB No 51:

6431-2 S/S cars-4117-6426-coaches 7204-7210, service car 7306, and sleepers 7506-7509-7514. The first Ren cars I'd seen, and the third set finished, having arrived in Toronto on the tail-end of No 2 in June.

On Aug 30, 2001 at 1910, westbound VIA No 67 with 6921-4 LRC cars would be the last LRC‐powered train I would see. CN locomotives began wearing the www dot cn dot ca logo.

October 26, 2002 I travelled by VIA to Toronto for a day-long continuing education course at the Michener Institute, riding VIA No 51 in 2&1 Ren coach 7210 Seat 11 on the north side, returning home on VIA No 648.

On January 16, 2003 Karen and I took the train to Toronto for the three-day start of the Clinical Laboratory Quality Manager course at the Michener Institute, up on No 43 car 3367, returning on VIA No 668/648 in car 3464 on January 19. The Microbiology manager heading the Con. Ed. committee got around the $1,000 annual tuition reimbursement maximum by spreading the $2,000 tuition over two consecutive years!

On Nov. 27, 2003 we went to Toronto one more time for the three-day course wrap-up for the Clinical Laboratory Quality Manager course on No 43, car 3333, returning home November 30 on VIA No 668/648. I faxed the last assignment on December 18, 2003 before receiving my certificate!

On August 7, 2004 two trains passed a soon-to-be-closed private crossing near Mi 179 CN Kingston Sub. The house in the distance was set ablaze as a training exercise for city fire crews! No 309 Engs 2526-2422-5625 at 1330, then 10 minutes later No 149 Engs 2626-5615 (both - above.) Then on February 6, 2005 No 317 Eng 4809 went west with transformer for Lennox Generating Station. At Mi 179 Kingston Sub -the crossing was closed by the fall - and approaching Napanee along Old Hamburg Road. Three cars and caboose HEPX 79640.

October, 2005 westbound VIA train at under-construction Centennial Drive overpass:

Transcribing notes were lagging in 2005. I got a little behind so just taped the original notepad pages directly onto the scribbler pages. VIA LRC-equipped train consists were perhaps too boring to record. I only noted HEP-equipped trains throughout 2004. Wraps like Telus on VIA 6429 on a westbound VIA train in August, 2003:

On March 17 there was a derailment atop the Gardiners Road underpass.

July 30, 2005 Canada Day picnic at Kingston Mills: CN Nos 376, 148, 377, 368 from 1700-1900.

Thanks for being aboard this year-long train of thought as we retrace, remember, and yes, wallow in nostalgia these fifty years trackside. Part 7 covers 2006-2010 - railfanning in a recession!

Running extra...

Happy Independence Day to Trackside Treasure's American readers. This is a Big One - America's Semiquincentennial. I remember spending the last Big One - the Bicentennial - watching President Ford dancing with the Queen at the Bicentennial ball on TV on July 7 while we were in Duluth, MN:

Things have really changed, though. Nothing said 'land of the free' more than Secret Service snipers riding the walkway the third of three BNSF Bicentennial units on a two-car train in North Dakota:

First past the post...

Canadians did not disappoint in their celebration of Canada Day. Ottawa's festivities at LeBreton Flats featured...the Hanson Brothers? Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen and Paralympian Man in Motion Rick Hansen, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller speaking in eight indigenous languages, and Canada's newest Governor-General Louise Arbour making her first Canada Day remarks, "Whether you’re in a remote area, a big city, with family or with friends, let’s celebrate together what unites us, not despite our differences but through them: our ability to welcome others, our solidarity, our resources and our great potential".

SIX-SEVEN AND VIA'S HEBDOMANIS HORRENDA

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:09:22 +0000

Our late Queen, speaking after the fire that heavily damaged Windsor Castle, highlighted the Latin annis horribilis as a time she'd like to forget. A few days that VIA would like to forget, and indicative of a nationwide hebdomanis horrenda* for VIA, a social media post today, July 4 exclaimed: "'Train 67 is delayed and there are no updates! It keeps getting delayed. What's the point of scheduling?"

And another: "Anyone know what is going on with #67? It still hasn’t left Montreal. It originally said estimated departure of 1415. Then 1445. And now it just says they are actively troubleshooting and will provide updates as soon as possible and doesn’t even give a time!"

This pop-up post profiles the plethoric problems posed to VIA operations over the past periodical...

VIA No Six-Seven - CORRIDOR CONFUSION

Six, seven**. I decided to theorize a theoretical theory for the very real problems these passengers and crew encountered. The asm transitdocs website shows a lot of location pins (screenshot-above) for the troubled No 67. Many around scheduled departure time i.e. 1320 out toward the Victoria Bridge. Then another series of pins at MMC 1332-1526. Yet another series near the Bridge after 1600 i.e. 1614, then several around 1622 at Central Station.

These pins are sometimes misleading, whether this is all the same set of equipment. Sometimes the 'identity' seems to transfer between more than one set, somewhat of a ghost train when another set is used.

Tough to connect the dots but I guessed a move onto the Victoria Bridge, then over to the MMC. Perhaps problems were rectified or a guard consist was put into use. A source in the know supplied a sad synopsis a couple of hours later:

1230 - HEP2 business class coach 4005 having issues - to be swapped.

1300 - 4005 was taken off.

1340 - LRC business class coach 3467 was added. [there's a six-seven, again!]

1420 - Train was released to No 67's crew for tests.

1440 - No 67's crew finished tests ready to depart.

1443 - Moved one car length and leader 907 had ‘Main GEN input too low’ alarm.

1510 - Leader 907 was pronounced dead - OCC decided to have 920 solo for No 67 after 907 died.

1530 - Loco 920 was set up to lead.

1534 - Loco 907 was cut away.

1535 - Equipment 67 was released to train crew again for brake tests.

1547 - Continuity test passed and paddle armed on tail end LRC car.

1555 - Equipment 67 departing MMC for Central Station.

1558 - Equipment 67 stopped at Victoria Bridge for CN No 527.

1612 - Equipment 67 short of Central Station for VIA No 26.

1622 - Equipment 67 arrived Central Station.

Departure time from Montreal on VIA website shown as 1704, asm transitdocs and VIA websites showing No 67 heading towards Dorval not exceeding 20 mph. Departure was 222 minutes late, arrival in Toronto was 231 minutes late.

It goes without saying that this debacle did NOT happen to a Venture set! Go Siemens!

No 67's consist: 920-3464-3463-3467-3356-3333-3370-3316-3358-3354 to TMC upon arriving at Toronto. Normally becoming No 79 then 70, a Venture set that arrived as No 45 from Ottawa was used as No 79 instead.

VIA No 15 - OCEAN OH NO!

A passenger posted: "The Ocean was super warm after getting on in Halifax, only to learn that the refrigeration/AC is down, making it unsafe to continue the rest of the way to Montreal.

Passengers received the message (above) from VIA on Friday, July 3. Tim Hayman, oaken Ocean observer added: "Air conditioning failed in several cars, and the refrigerators in both service cars also failed. Given the extreme heat in the region right now, running a train without functioning A/C or fridges is somewhat of a problem. Passengers are being provided with pizza at the station, and the option to wait for the buses either on the train or in the station. There is also the option to cancel and refund or rebook instead of taking the bus."

Waiting for buses to take passengers from Moncton to Montreal - the first two buses didn't arrive in Moncton for pickup for three hours. Then the rest of the passengers had to wait another two hours for remaining buses. Free pizza, though. One passenger complained: "They put my wife on a bus there, then started handing out peanuts. My wife has a peanut allergy and reacts to even nut particles in the air. VIA is trying to kill her!"

The Ocean's consist deadheaded to VIA's MMC, arriving mid-afternoon, Saturday, July 4. Tim Hayman reliable reporter on Ocean-reshuffling relates: VIA "swapped out both service cars and the dining car (7308-7402-7309 have been replaced with 7314-7400-7313), as well as all 3 HEP coaches. Interestingly, there is now a 4th HEP coach on as well". VIA only has three Ren diners and six Ren service cars still serviceable.

VIA No 75, 70, 72, 64, 66 - CONSISTS CONNECTED

On July 1, No 75 was severely delayed into Windsor and it was reported as mechanical issues and was recovered by No 79 to get to Windsor. 75 becomes 70 and was J’d with 72 operating on 72’s schedule which caused the delay into Toronto on July 2. The next day, VIA No 70 Engs 6427-909 J-trained with No 72 Engs 914 and 913! VIA No 64's arrival was delayed 3+ hours, eventually being J-trained with VIA No 66, resulting in two of VIA's current longest Corridor consists into a 92-axle near-centipede! Blowing through Ingersoll, passengers could not board (8:09 mark of this YouTube video by railpast). The consist: 6401-6427-3305-3469-3471-3371-3338-3368-3313-3335-3468-909/914-3455-3460-4004-3340-3367-3352-3307-3337-34xx*913 (*no car numbers visible on either side).

VIA No 1 - CANADIAN ON ICE

Departing Toronto on June 24 (late due to a late No 2 into Toronto), VIA No 1 was held at Winnipeg for significant mechanical issues. The train originally left Toronto 10 hours late, arriving in Winnipeg at 0700 on June 26, and spent 12 hours stuck at the Winnipeg station while power was reportedly changed twice. The train broke down again at 2100, about 60 miles west of Winnipeg. The train headed back to Winnipeg overnight. On June 27 at 0900, the train finally got back to Winnipeg having to wait for new engineers to arrive. Everyone was free to leave and find their own way home or on to their destinations. There was likely not enough time to turn the train for a reasonable departure time of No 2 .This was not due to a CN-related issue, although CN did create the initial ten hours-late departure from Toronto due to freight interference with the first No 2's late arrival. VIA notified passengers in an email from VIA 0600 Saturday, June 27:

"Passengers will spend the night onboard. Lunch will be provided on Saturday, June 27, and passengers are welcome to remain onboard until 1600 that day. Passengers will receive a refund for the untravelled portion of their trip. In addition, passengers will receive a travel credit equal to 100% of the value of the entire trip, valid for 12 months."

No 2 departing Vancouver on June 29 was cancelled between Vancouver and Winnipeg. The consist held at Winnipeg became No 2, arriving into Toronto on July 3 over four hours late behind 6446-6421 with a final 80-minute delay north of Toronto, likely held for GO Transit trains. The problematic locomotives on No 1 from Toronto last week were 6416-6419, swapped out in Winnipeg with those in use on northern Manitoba trains. There was no impact to No 1 departing Toronto on June 28 or the next No 2 departing Vancouver on July 3.

ERSTWHILE - ELSEWHERE

VIA No 692 was halted by wet weather in northern Manitoba.

High temperatures in the Corridor led to host-railway speed restrictions to avoid CWR sun kinks, delaying sometimes-delayed trains even further, for safety's sake. Some passengers questioned the necessity of that online.

*horrible week. Who said Latin is a dead language?

**six-seven. Nonsensical Get Alpha slang term. Also dead now.

CANADA DAY 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:43:59 +0000

This once-a-trip-around-the-sun post is only tangentially related to trains. Tangent track, no, a rather circuitous route around the topic of trains, yet a journey straight to the heart of why we love this country, why we should be proud of it, why we should truly be The True North Strong and Free, not to mention a land of the free and the home of the brave. (Copyright 11th Province, used without permission).

I recently attended a concert by Kingston's own The Arrogant Worms. Some say that the Kingston's other own Tragically Hip are some sort of Phantom Power, that they Live Between Us, that they are Canada's only soundtrack, to which I reply a polite, "Road Apples!"

The US is the eagle, Russia is the bear

Australia is the kangaroo, cause they're kind of weird down there

Yeah, India is the tiger, that stands so proud and tall

But Canada is the greatest of them all

We are the beaver, we're furry and we're free

Yeah, we are the beaver, we got two big front teeth

Yeah, we are the beaver, we can chew right through small trees

We are the beaver, we are the beaver, we are the beaver

You might think a rodent is a pretty lame choice

For a national animal, but don't you listen to that voice

No, cause all them birds and predators, just take from the land

But the beaver, always gives a dam!

The concert began with the above ode to the Most Influential Canadian Animal. The only animal that can alter and engineer* its own environment. Capable of not just building a nice nest, a lovely lair, lining a cave with its own fur and excrement. NO! An ingenious system of canals, dams, AND a cozy lodge complete with large screen TV and recliner, and yes, excrement. The mighty and greasy-looking but all too ingenious indigenous Canadian beaver! How, though deemed to be our national symbol just over half a century ago, did the name become co-opted like the Gulf of America to be called the North American Beaver? Dam, that's just not right. Let's go Latin, bringing to life that dead (and buried and good riddance to ya) language. Castor canadensis it says. Not just because it's absolutely alliterative, but it puts the beaver right where it belongs...in Canada...and where it gets along just swimmingly slapping its tail at the sign of danger. Sadly hunted to near-extinction from 400 million fur one reason only, but resurgent to a current population as high as 12 million it paddles placidly and peripatetically. *The Canadian Army's Engineer branch's crest atop the Latin (again?) motto Ubique, meaning everywhere!

The second song was a sing-along ode to our Mighty Land's natural features. Of which there are three. Ride VIA's Canadian (there we go again, trains!) and you'll see exactly what the song fondly and pondly pertains to. And guess what's along the periphery of some of those lakes. No, not bald-eagle bed-and-breakfasts, beaver lodges, by golly!

The third song (and I can only remember three things, see also my Trip to the Supermarket), was an ode to a creature even more fearsome than the bitchiest beaver, the most gruff of groundhogs, the peskiest prairie dog or the surliest skink or skunk. An ode to The Hockey Mom. Forget Soccer Moms and their minivans, you don't want a puck with Hockey Mom!

After that, the rest of the concert was a blur. I do remember vague references to various songs about Canada Geese, Hawaiian Pizza and the highest level of Wormiana: I Am Cow and The Last Saskatchewan Pirate. Most were from the Worms' latest album (we forgot we had to do another one after our last one eight years ago!) entitled 'Canadian Famous' also the title of a National Film Board movie about Eric Peterson. There are not that many Erics in Canada, "Is that spelled with a C or a K?" I often hear, but there are A LOT of Daves. "Hey, you're from Canada, do you know...Dave?".

Canadians don't stage fights on the lawns of our government buildings. That's what we have the House of Commons for! We have them inside due to inclement weather. And we don't want to make A Scene. We welcome immigrants, because aside from the indigenous peoples, that's what we all are. As Paul put it, Knowledge alone makes people arrogant, but love that unselfishly seeks the best for others builds up and encourages others to grow in wisdom. Corinthians or Canadians, it's a very meaningful ABC: Arrogance as in worms, Building as in beavers, encouraging as in Canadians?

Don't ask me why Canadians are soooo funny, but leaving the concert leaves one feeling good about being Canadian. We are so used to...

eating our young (culturally, not cuisinally and figuratively, not foragingly)
having to go abroad to achieve celebrity
being so terribly sorry all the time (or as Wayne and Garth put it, "We're Not Worthy!") and
comparing ourselves to other nations that...

...we forget the immensity of our country we neglect its potential and that of its people. Oh sure, I think I'm going a l-o-o-o-n-g way when I drive to Wal-Mart, forgetting it is ONE THOUSAND TIMES that far to reach Ellesmere Island, one of the most northerly points in Canada.

It's where there are only have Rocks, no Trees.

We really do trump all the other countries!

Happy Canada Day to all Trackside Treasure readers!

If you're in the U.S. add HST and three days, your turn's coming...

--Eric

GEORGE McCULLOUGH'S TIME BOOK - 1944

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:32:11 +0000

I've had a BofLF&E enginemen's time book in my collection for over 30 years. Originally belonging to George S. McCullough, the book was given to me by his daughter, Joyce Grant. Being in the same grade in school as Joyce's son, Ross, she knew I was a train enthusiast from an early age. Even before I started recording my observations, I would go over to the family home on Hyland Court in Amherstview after school. There, Ross had a 4x8 table layout that we would work on together. I gave a good home to the train-set consist that Ross gave me some years later. Once, Ross had a box of Airfix civilians that I was asked to paint, and the painted figures I returned made Ross and his Mom really happy. Ross also had an impressive GI Joe collection. Ross' Dad Roy was quite handy as well as being a hunter, had made Ross several custom pieces for the collection.

Joyce died in 1996, and I'm not sure in what year prior to that she gave me her Dad's time book from 1944, suffice it to say it reposed in the ol' dusty archives and just languished there. Recently, a rather unexpected turn of events finally sprung it free, enabling and expediting its exigent exposure here on Trackside Treasure.

At the Napanee train show in mid-June I picked up five issues other than CRHA's Canadian Rail for light reading, perhaps when trackside, from taciturn Quebec dealer Michel Bellehumeur. On a sunny sunroom Sunday I flipped through one issue, shown above, that included an excellent article by well-known author the late Lorne Perry, CN public affairs official and leader of the design team at CN in 1961 when their new logo was debuted:

Describing the career progression of CN Enginemen at Montreal's Turcot Yard, the article made reference to a photocopied time book the author had in his possession, recording the trips of student fireman George S. McCullough. The George S. McCullough??, I asked myself? I remembered that name! Hastening through the rapidly-dissipating humidity in the aforementioned subterranean archives, I found my original copy of the time book Joyce had given me decades ago. Indeed, it was that George S. McCullough! Here's author Perry's description of the time book from Canadian Rail No 585 , the July-August 2018 issue:

I can only wonder how author Perry came by the photocopy of this original that he quoted from in his article. Was there a family connection between him and the Grants? Was it through a friend of the family? I guess I'll never know. It seemed to be to be a rather amazing coincidence. For some time I'd had idle thoughts of reproducing the contents of McCullough's time book in some sort of spreadsheet, then realizing the challenge of interpreting and possibly incorrectly transcribing the data contained therein, I'd decided against it. And it languished some more. Until I read and revelled in Perry's article. It was time to free it from its languishment location. Below, I have 'redneck-scanned' the pages of the time book that contain entries, in McCullough's handwriting, made over 80 years ago.

I'll refrain from trying to draw allusions or conclusions from McCullough's entries in the time book - I'll let them speak for themselves. It does seem, however, from an entry on the second last pages that he actually began his service on the Montreal spare board in September, 1943 and that this was a new book begun with the new year, 1944.

Joyce died in 1996. Roy never remarried and died in 2015. Ross and his wife, whom he first met during his time at Queen's University Engineering, retired at the age of 43! I always knew Ross would go far. At Amherst View Public School, gym teacher Mr. Carson one day instructed the class to line up tallest to shortest AND in alphabetical order. Ross and I stood by and watched the ensuing nonsensical frenzied lining-up attempts - we both seemed to know it just couldn't be done! Ross' brother Bruce rose through the ranks of the Ontario Provincial Police. The McCullough family legacy lives on in the name of his great-granddaughter, Bruce's daughter McCulla.

Imagine how easy it would have been for this small but sententious snapshot of one man's service to have been consigned to oblivion over the intervening years. That it did not is nothing short of a marvellous McCullough miracle.

A history of the proximal major yards of CN and CP - Turcot and Glen, respectively - is beyond the scope of this post. For your reading pleasure, my brother Dave, on his Rolly Martin Country blog, has helpfully published a plethoric panoply of posts concerning Turcot and nearby Glen Yards and their former importance in days of yore...

1942 CNR Turcot Yard and Lachine - photos by LC Gagnon, published in 2019.
1961 CNR Turcot Yard, CPR Westmount & Glen Yard, published in 2019.
First Visit to Turcot Yard, Montreal, 17 July 1961, published in 2023.
CPR Glen Yard in Archived Journals 1906-1967, published in 2026.

...and many, many more!

CP's Glen Yard is now the site of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC - which is not to be confused with MUMC, Hamilton's McMaster University Medical Centre). The MUHC is the result of a voluntary merger in 1997 of the Montreal General Hospital (1821), the Royal Victoria Hospital (1893), the Montreal Chest Institute (1909), the Montreal Children's Hospital (1904), and the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (1934). In 2008, the Lachine Hospital (1913) and the CHSLD Camille-Lefebvre (1992) became a part of the MUHC. The Glen site project was originally budgeted at around $700 million but cost around $1.3 billion; it was meant to take only three years but took much longer - announced in 2006 and completed in 2015.

So few tracks remaining! The MUHC is at top right (H) and McCullough's home on Desnoyers Street is at bottom right (red pin). The snake-like spaghetti-bowl of highways dominates the former CN Turcot Yard site, with four CN tracks passing underneath (from centre-bottom to top-left). Turcot is now the third busiest highway interchange in Quebec, handling more than 600,000 vehicles per day.

Running extra...

SoundHoundAI has launched 'Julia', their automated voice order-taker technology at over 40 White Castle outlets in California. We knew human drive-thru order-taking was a-changin' when two-lane drive-thrus began being staffed by one person, not two as intended. (Drive-thru lines seem shorter with two lanes, more passengers naïvely pull in.) This technology 'frees up' staff to do other jobs, no, no, it's not intended to reduce employment. Sounds like you've heard that before somewhere? Would you like facts with that? Drive-thru use has increased 43% since 2020!

Speaking of self-checkouts, can Shoppers Drug Mart train their self-checkout to apply the seniors' discount? Instead of admitting to a machine I'm incredibly old, I have to prostitute and prostrate myself (that sounded weird!) to a human to indicate my advanced age - very publicly and often loudly. The only good news is that on Thursdays, I'm surrounded by other penny-pinching, cheap, pension-spendin' seniors and the oldies are playing on the sound system! So good, so good, so good!

Actually, what all these retail 'advancements' are really doing is just freeing up people to endlessly debate them on social media. With profanity. For hours. Unpaid hours. Really? First-world problems about who has the right-of-way in which lane, and did you know it's really all about vehicle-stacking! Hey, No Frills! While we're at it, why don't you reinstall your second cart-return shelter that you removed when you increased your store size? Not to mention destroying those excellent railman-friendly spots nearest the tracks when you added a pharmacy two decades ago.

First past the post...

It was a pleasure to meet Dave the Carpenter, fellow pensioner from my former hospital, on the weekend. Dave and Lucy, kids and grandkids are all hard workers with family roots in Portugal. Dave won the hospital staff award and not just for his carpentry skills - also for his people skills and his integrity. If he said he was going to do something, he would do it. We reminisced about his humorous 'Jump For My Love' Pointer Sisters song reference, suggested to Kit the pathologist assistant as a friendly answer to her question, "How am I going to get through there now?" after he'd professionally constructed a new bench top and which she did NOT find funny. Well, we did. He knew your name and would not shy away from flashing a toothy grin under his handlebar moustache, which I'm sure he has done many times in the presence of his EIGHT grandchildren, all by age 59! A family man and a user of a piece of fibreboard to neatly catch plaster dust when drilling a hole, Dave is also a wicked crow impersonator and helped me with my technique - I'm ravin' about it now - as we would greet each other while walking on our way to work many mornings across the Queen's University campus. (KHSC photo, 2019 - above)

LRC BUFFER CARS

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:02:08 +0000

Interior view of an LRC buffer car, number n/a (screenshot posted to social media by eloisa Aquino):

I received this LRC (Laconic-Revealing-Cryptic) message from someone at VIA eight-plus months ago on Thursday, September 25, 2025:

"News flash, all LRC cars temporarily removed from service after cracks discovered.

They’ll be back pending a good inspection."

Reading it made my spidey-senses tingle. While I don't spend as much time trackside as I could or would like to, I believe in PSR - Precision Sort of Railfanning. Coincidentally (or not) these structural integrity issues were discovered in September, 2025 when I had been trackside. Several LRC cars were noticeably not in service. Missing from my non-oblivious view of the obvious. Perhaps they had gone to oblivion. Or Ottawa. Same thing.

A related message arrived on March 20, 2026:

"Buffer cars are returning ASAP to all LRC consists!"

VIA had received news that due to structural integrity issues, LRC-equipped trains would require buffer cars at either end of the consist. Do you feel like you've seen this movie before, as I have? Indeed, the HEP fleet required buffer cars back in October, 2022 and since that fleet was also used outside the Corridor and had no replacement planned for at least a decade, exhaustive testing was performed. The Venture fleet was purchased to replace the Legacy fleet seat-for-seat, and the LRC fleet is to be out of service by the end of January, 2027.

BACK TO THE PAST...

Unlike the HEP Budd-built cars, the remaining lifespan of the 45+ year-old LRC fleet was considerably shorter. As in, months remaining. Notwithstanding that dead-train-walking horizon, the incomplete implementation of the Venture fleet would perhaps mandate a life extension for the LRCs?

Previously, structural problems with some of the LRC car floors had been discovered by engineers at Industrial Rail Services (IRSI) in Moncton in 2012. Mentioned in a 2010 speech given at the plant by then-CEO Marc Laliberté (above). Spanning 2011 to 2014, the LRC refurbishment program at IRSI begun in 2008 involved only 34 cars of the Economy Class fleet, extending some of the cars' lives, despite the plan involving refurbishing 98 cars including Business Class cars. IRSI went bankrupt right in the middle of the project in 2014. The last few cars at IRSI had their finishing work done by CAD employees working at the IRSI facility. Continuing work on the last 10 LRC rebuilds was done by CAD and VIA at the MMC, with the final cars outshopped in 2016. Business Class cars had a minimal rebuild: 22 received a new interior, banking system removed, minor structural work, and paint on the sides only, outshopped in 2014-2015. All refurbished LRC cars received the green and grey 'Renaissance' scheme. These are likely the 'major car overhauls and structural repairs' that VIA refers to in Pillar 1 of the Media Key Messages document in this post.

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

VIA System Operating Bulletin VB26-103 dated March 20, 2026 prescribes the precautionary measures for buffered LRC consists:

My initial occasional observations from September became a through-line to the addition of buffer cars in March, 2026. In late-March, I also spent three days trackside - the 27th, 28th and 29th. My timing, for once, was excellent and my time trackside coincided with VIA's supplementing of LRC-equipped trains with unoccupied LRC buffer cars on the head- and tail-ends in mid-process. VIA stated that the deployment of buffer cars would begin March 21, then introduced progressively over following days within a week, in line with equipment rotation. Some trains would operate without buffer cars in the interim.

LRC BUFFER CAR OBSERVATIONS

Back in September, 2025 four to six trains (Nos 40 and 63 each day, plus some days' 46, 53, 64, 66, 67, 69) that weekend were supposed to be LRC consists but were instead equipped with Ventures, due to cracks and resulting inspections being conducted on the LRC fleet. There were 17 coaches and 10 Business Class cars that I did not observe on any of the four days I was trackside. Some reports intimated that 13 cars did not pass inspection, though VIA says 21 required repair.

These inspections were substantiated in VIA's mechanical daily reports for 2025. One train was late being placed at Toronto Union "DUE TO EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY ISSUES RELATED TO STRUCTURAL INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS."

In mid-March, I'd already noticed subtle changes being made to VIA consists:

Mar.14 - No 65 had a polyglot consist: 4004-3334-3368-3307-4001-3325-3366-3308.

Mar.16 - No 64 had a polyglot consist: 3340-3335-3351-4009-4000-3367-3343-3338 and No 65 had a polyglot consist:3307-3368-3334-4004-4001-3325-3366-3308 (previous 65 remarshalled). Two HEP2 Business Class cars marshalled together.

Mar.17 - modification to Corridor rotation: No 67-79-72-66 now operating with 6 instead of 8 LRC cars while Nos 65-->75-->70-->64 keeps its polyglot consist. Was the move to 6 cars a preparatory step for addition of a buffer car on each end?

Mar.23 - Buffer cars are very slowly being implemented, two days into the change period: No 61, 65 no buffer cars yet. No 67 had 3354, 3478 previously retired. No 64 had buffer cars.

Mar.25 - No 643: 907-3306-3318-3359-3311-3475-3470-903 buffered consist.

Mar.26 - No 65 buffered 9-car polyglot consist: 6409-3305B-3307-3368-3467-4001-3325-3366-3308-3465B-6433; No 66 buffered 8-car consist: 915-3478B-3456-3463-3358-3337-3355-3370-3354B-913; No 67 buffered 8-car consist: 6416-33xxR-33xx-33xx-3363-3313-3469-3461-34xx-64xx. [B=Buffer car]

Mar.27 I was successful in visually confirming buffered LRC sets : No 643: 920-3304B-3473-3365-3341-3352-3462B-6453; No 65: 6402-3464B-3338-3343-3367-4000-3466-3335-3340-3472B-901 [9 cars].

Mar.28 still unbuffered LRC No 53: 6401-3471-3361-3324-3353-910, buffered overnight: now Mar.29 No 50: 918-3452B-3353-3324-3361-3471-3301B-6414.

Mar.29 confirmed buffered LRC No 43: 6411-3455B-3458-3357-3336-3350-3459B; Confirmed buffered No 40: 910-3468B-3461-3469-3329-3363-3313-3333-3302B-6406 (complete consist of No 67 on Mar.26).

Mar.30 - Buffered LRC consists now in service (ensuing substitutions in brackets). All first and last cars of a consist that I confirmed empty, denoted with a 'B'.

6-car:

918-3452B-3353-3324-3361-3471-3301B-6414

907-3306B-3318-3359-3311-3475-3470B-903 (3466 replaced 3475 by Apr.12)

920-3304B-3473-3365-3341-3352-3462B-6453 (3351F replaced 3352 by Apr.13?)

6411-3455B-3458-3357-3336-3350-3459B-900

8-car:

910-3468B-3461-3469-3329-3363-3313-3333-3302B-6406 (3356 replaced 3333 by Apr.12; 3460 and 3464B replaced 3461 and 3468B by Apr.12)

915-3478B-3456-3463-3358-3337-3355-3370-3354B-913

9-car:

6402-3464B-3338-3343-3367-4000-3466-3335-3340-3472B-901 (4004 replaced 3466 on Apr. 2; 3342 replaced 3338 by Apr.12)

6409-3305B-3307-3368-3467-4001-3325-3366-3308-3465B-6433 (3307 replaced by 3312 and 3308 replaced by 3316 by Apr.14)

HEP:

4005-4007-4112-4114-4119 No 61 Apr.1, then 4119 replaced by 4113 Apr.5, then 4005 replaced by 4002 Apr. 9; 4007 replaced by 4009 Apr.10.

All the above buffer cars in use were in the most recent group of LRC cars retired by January, 2026. I kept tabs on the buffered LRC consists. After mid-April, an updated list of consists as of April 26, 2026 can be found in this post: VIA Ventures, Part 5.

Buffer cars (17) observed in use since March, 2026 (all retired by January, 2026):

Economy: 3301, 3302, 3304, 3305, 3306, 3354

Business: 3452, 3455, 3459, 3462, 3464, 3465, 3468, 3470, 3472, 3476, 3478.

VIA DOCUMENTS THE BUFFER CARS

The Siemens Venture new fleet implementation was initially intended to be fully, completely accomplished prior to the final retirement date of the LRC fleet. Would that date - currently mandated for the end of January 2027 - be extended if the Ventures are not fully in service by January 2027? VIA's answer: the LRC fleet will be decommissioned beginning of 2027. [Period.]

Although inspection data and reports performed on behalf of, or by VIA Rail Canada, which led to the addition of buffer cars to LRC-equipped trains in March, 2026 are not available, all necessary measures have been implemented in accordance with the recommendations made by external experts following their conclusions.

Was the scope and purpose of work currently and recently performed on LRC coaches at CAD Railway Industries intended to extend the life of a number of LRC cars? The scope of work assigned to CAD Railway Industries was identical to the work performed internally by VIA Rail and was intended to accelerate the repair schedule, with up to five rail cars being processed by CAD on a sequential basis.

At least two moves to CAD were documented on social media. On December 17, 2025 VIA 6446 with idler 3334 took 3358 from MMC to CAD, Lachine. Reportedly one of nine LRC coaches to have structural repairs made at CAD. On February 28, 2026 VIA 6411 and idler Business Class car 3458 lifted 3365 from CAD and delivered 3368.

The work addressed cracking at the longeron-to-bolster beam weld connection identified on certain LRC cars. A total of 21 cars required repair, with repairs divided between MMC and CAD Railway Industries. The repair consisted of installing a carbon steel splice that is bolted and riveted to the structure to restore the structural connection between the longeron and the bolster beam.

I hadn't heard the term and therefore needed to bolster my vocabulary; to lengthen my lexicon. I wondered if it was linger-on? No, that's someone who refuses to die. Longer one? Long-gone? Longjohns? No, I learned that a longeron is a main lengthwise structural beam used to provide a strong framework. It is a vital load-bearing piece that runs the length of a car to help it keep its shape and handle forces like bending and twisting.

Why was work being performed so late in the life of the LRC fleet? Regular inspections were planned and conducted on LRC cars as per VIA Rail’s inspection and maintenance program. When issues were discovered that required repair, these were addressed in a timely manner. The longeron issue was discovered through the regular inspections, and the issue was safely and proactively addressed so that the cars can be returned in service.

When will LRC cars be disposed of, and will they be scrapped on site at VIA mechanical facilities? The LRC cars will be disposed of once they are formally retired from service, beginning of 2027. Following retirement, the materials from the cars will be recycled by a specialized third-party company with recycling activities to be carried out either on VIA mechanical facilities/premises or at the facilities of the specialized recycling company.

The involvement of external experts to perform an independent engineering assessment mentioned above sounds like HATCH and the technical advice it provided to VIA in its October 17, 2022 report that led to buffer cars being added to stainless steel consists until structural integrity issues could be tested and the equipment cleared for continued use. The urgency with which the repairs to LRC cars were performed by VIA and CAD hinted at the continued need for the LRC fleet to cover Corridor consists during the continually-delayed continuum of Siemens Venture fleet implementation since the first set arrived in 2021.

RISK ASSESSMENT - LRC CARS STRUCTURAL DEFECTS

Under Section 15(1) and 16(2) of the Railway Safety Management System Regulations 2015, a railway company is required to carry out Risk Assessments, as required by the Regulations, and communicate the risks identified as requiring remedial action, and the remedial action to be implemented, to the employees affected. This risk assessment issued by Railway Safety Governance and Compliance was dated March 20, 2026.

CIRCUMSTANCE: The LRC fleet is in the final phase of its service life. Recent inspections identified structural findings, and VIA Rail acted with a safety-first, proactive approach consistent with its long-standing commitment to safe operations. These inspections confirmed that LRC equipment remains safe under normal operating conditions. However, as a precaution related to rare abnormal scenarios, additional mitigation measures are being introduced.

DESCRIPTION: The risk assessment was completed in February 2026 to identify hazards and define remedial actions. The overall residual risk level was assessed as Acceptable when mitigation measures are applied.

A formidable folio of internal documentation regarding implementation of LRC buffer cars flowed from the structural integrity inspections. Passenger and media key messages, SMS notices provided to Corridor Railway Operations and Customer Experience personnel, Q&A documentation prepared for managers regarding the addition of buffer cars, as well as Equipment Maintenance Service Bulletin which summarizes the actions taken by VIA Rail in accordance with the reports’ recommendations.

LRC FLEET BUFFER CARS - PASSENGER AND MEDIA KEY MESSAGES/

Voitures tampons LRC - Messages clés pour les passagers et médias

As is the case in mainstream corporate culture, it's important to 'get out ahead of the issue' with a sound media strategy that sounds believable. This messaging document was last updated March 19, 2026.

Supplanted by 'what could we possibly be asked', a Q&A backgrounder of talking points is provided to back up the key messages. The talking points use the 'phrase that pays' strategy: "proactive", "safety-first", "low-probability" keep popping up!

VIA Rail implemented a proactive plan, including the deployment of buffer cars, to ensure continued safe railway operations through the LRC fleet's planned retirement by early 2027. There's that hard-date yet again!
Buffer cars were introduced progressively across LRC trains [March 21-March 30, 2026].
The buffer cars provide additional separation within the train as a precautionary safeguard in rare, very low-probability train-to-train collision scenarios. Front or rear-end train-to-train collisions involving VIA Rail passenger equipment are exceptionally rare.
The LRC fleet is not being retired because it is unsafe. It is, however, in the final phase of its service life and was already scheduled for full retirement by early 2027.
The fleet has been actively and responsibly managed, with major overhauls completed between 2011 and 2016 and continued monitoring as it approaches retirement.
Deploying buffer cars minimizes passenger disruption as the new fleet reaches full operational readiness.
The independent engineering assessment confirmed that the LRC fleet remains safe under normal operating conditions.
Additional points were also provided for addressing passenger concerns or rebooking seats.

PROACTIVE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES - LRC EQUIPMENT

Issued to all OTS Corridor employees, this Customer Experience - Corridor document CO26-015 originated with Managers, Customer Experience, dated March 20, 2026.

All consists with LRC cars will include a buffer car on the front and rear end that will be empty as seats will be inhibited for sale.
Employees and passengers will be restricted from entering these designated buffer cars while the train is in movement. Locomotive engineers may have to access these cars while in motion for some specific train movements.
IMPORTANT: In the event that the buffer car is the Business Class car, it will be important to move emergency equipment exclusive to that car, such as the AED and oxygen tank, to a car in service (prior to departure while the train is immobilized).
In the event of an emergency that requires access to the buffer car while the train is in motion, the SM will contact the ICLE to stop the train.
OTS personnel are asked to do the doors safety procedure briefing to two (2) designated passengers in one of the adjacent cars to cover each end door in the event of an evacuation.
Passengers affected by the remarshalling of our trains will be contacted by VCC. We will be using one common message: "Due to temporary operational adjustments we are currently reconfiguring our trains, and thiswill impact your train."
Employees working on trains requiring empty buffer cars will be contacted by their managers to review the operating plan if they are over capacity (alternate transportation, etc.) or if they have to reassign passengers in different cars.

CONFIRMATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BUFFER CARS - LRC EQUIPMENT

Issued to all OTS Corridor employees, this Customer Experience - Corridor document CO26-032 originated with Managers, Customer Experience, dated March 31, 2026. "We would like to confirm that all consists operating with LRC equipment are now fully configured with buffer cars at both the front and rear, in accordance with the proactive precautionary measures in place." The confirmation document then reiterated all the points contained in the March 20, 2026 document CO26-015, with some key takeaways and Q&A's provided for managers:

INTERNAL MANAGER Q&A - LRC STRUCTURAL ISSUES

Key Takeaway - Safety first, always:

During scheduled preventive inspections, a structural issue was discovered on some LRC cars. In full compliance with safety regulations, the cars were immediately withdrawn from service and we proactively launched a fleet-wide inspection, ahead of the planned schedule, to identify and address any potential issues early on. This demonstrates that VIA Rail's rules and procedures work as intended, effectively allowing us to detect, assess, and manage such situations safely.

Key Takeaway - Limited impact on customers and employees:

As additional cars were found with this structural issue, they were immediately removed from operations. This created a short-term disruption to fleet cycling and planning, but it has since been addressed. Thanks to the controls already in place and the remedial actions applied immediately upon discovery, the safety of our employees and passengers was fully upheld throughout the process.

Key Takeaway - Transition to a modern fleet:

The LRC fleet, in service since the 1980s, is gradually being replaced by the new Venture fleet. LRC cars identified with structural issues will either be repaired or decommissioned, depending on their condition and decommissioning schedule, among other factors. This situation highlighted the importance and benefits of the transition to modern equipment in maintaining safe, reliable service.

Q: Why were these inspections conducted?

A: In full compliance with safety regulations, VIA Rail conducted a fleet-wide inspection after a structural issue was discovered on some LRC cars during routine maintenance. The proactive decision to inspect the entire fleet ahead of schedule ensured any potential issues were identified and addressed early, maintaining the highest safety standards.

Q: Why wasn't this detected earlier?

A: It was. The issue was discovered through VIA Rail's regular inspection program, exactly as our safety system is designed to work. Our rules and procedures enabled us to detect, assess, and address the issue safely and proactively, before it could have any significant impact. Every affected car was immediately withdrawn from service, and remedial actions were applied without delay. The safety of our employees and passengers was fully upheld throughout the process.

Q: How many cars were affected?

A: Approximately 38% of our LRC cars showed similar structural issues, to various degrees. These cars were immediately removed from operations and will either be repaired or decommissioned, depending on their condition and decommissioning schedule. The remaining cars were cleared for safe operation.

Q: What specific actions did VIA Rail take?

A: In line with our commitment to safety first, VIA Rail acted quickly and decisively:

Immediate withdrawal of any car found with structural issues.
Fleet-wide inspections launched proactively and ahead of schedule to ensure full compliance.
Passenger relocation for the few consists using uninspected LRC cars on the day the fleet-wide inspection decision was made, moving passengers from the rear car so it could serve as a buffer.
Equipment substitution with Venture cars to maintain service without compromising safety.
Service bulletin issuance as part of our continuous improvement approach, reinforcing inspection consistency and enhancing our ability to detect and address issues early.

Q: What happens next for the LRC fleet?

A: Cars with identified issues will either be repaired or decommissioned, depending on their condition and decommissioning schedule, among other factors. The remaining LRC cars continue to operate safely as usual. This proactive process reflects VIA Rail's responsible fleet-management strategy and highlights the importance of the transition to modern equipment.

SUMMARY:

What to avoid in discussions:

Avoid going beyond approved messages.
Avoid technical details.
Avoid speculating on findings or scenarios.
Keep it simple, consistent, and anchored in key messages.

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE - SERVICE BULLETIN

SUBJECT: ADDITION OF BUFFER CARS ON CONSISTS WITH LRC CARS

AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE

Bulletin No. C554 dated 03-2026, authorized by Senior Director, Technical Services.

EQUIPMENT TYPE:

All LRC cars

POSSIBLE HAZARDS AND RISKS:

Workplace health and safety: death, amputation, crush of a body member.

Train and passenger safety: derailment, minor/major injury

BULLETIN DESCRIPTION:

Based on recent recommendations from a third-party engineering firm, VIA Rail is taking proactive precautionary measures to address structural issues with its fleet of LRC cars and maintain safety margins. Locomotives and other fleets are not affected.

LRC train operations remain safe under normal conditions. This measure is being implemented out of an abundance of caution while the LRC fleet transitions towards planned retirement in January 2027.

Effective immediately and until further notice, buffer cars must be placed at each extremity of LRC train consists to maintain existing safety margins. The buffer cars are used strictly as a mitigation measure and are not intended for passenger service.

Passengers and employees must never occupy a buffer car. Employees may access buffer cars for operational or safety reasons only when the train is stopped.

Only LRC cars may be used as buffer cars to protect LRC cars in revenue service. HEP and other types of cars are not permitted as buffer cars. Placing HEP2 cars between revenue LRC cars is permitted but should be avoided if possible [although several trains have had 1 or 2 HEP2 Business Class cars added to LRC consists from mid-March to present].

This measure is aligned with VIA Rail’s Safety Management System and on-going engineering oversight of the LRC fleet.

AFFECTED DEPARTMENTS

1. On-Train Services (OTS): N/A

2. Locomotive Crews: Refer to crew notice VB26-103.

3. Equipment Maintenance Personnel: Buffer cars are part of the consist and safety inspections are mandatory. Therefore, the following applies:

3.1. No serviceable cars are planned to be used as buffer cars. However, the following applies if serviceable cars are used as buffer cars:

Perform scheduled maintenance and inspections without any changes.
HVAC system may be set to lowest setting to save fuel.
Turn on vestibule and hallway lighting.

3.2. Bad order cars used as buffer cars:

All bottom deck safety systems must pass B and C inspections.
On board fire extinguishers must be inspected and compliant.
Access doors must be tested per B and C inspections.
Electrical top deck inspection is required (battery charger, BMS, DC supply, wheel slip, brake indicators).
Cleaning is not required.
Ensure cars are drained and blown per GC600110. Apply tags on water filling valves and add eLogbook job.
Ensure toilets are dumped and garbage emptied.
HEP 480 VAC power must be applied to at least one trainline on trailing buffer cars. Leading buffer cars require two trainlines to feed the consist.
Set HVAC system to the lowest setting to save fuel.
Turn on vestibule and hallway lighting.
Bearing monitoring system must be active and trainlined to locomotive.

3.3. The updated Train Safety Inspection Checklist (TSIC; LT700/002), which includes a section on buffer cars, must be duly completed.

ANALYSIS - WHAT'S LEFT OF THE LRC CAR FLEET?

I've been tracking VIA's LRC fleet in decline for over two years now. I began tracking in earnest when initial reports about the LRC car fleet withdrawal were first publicized in early-2024, and reports of 17 cars sidetracked as of March of that year. In September, 2025 I unexpectedly received the actual VIA document prescribing LRC car retirement hard-dates and it was a really revealing revelation. Per the documents, VIA has been following the prescribed dates, and I have no doubt the January, 2027 last-of-the-fleet retirement date will also be adhered to. It represents the removal from service of the largest chunk of the fleet, by far, at one time.

The addition of buffer cars threw observers for a loop because previously retired cars were seemingly unretired, though their marshalling was strictly at the ends of LRC consists, so not unretired. All 17 cars used as buffer cars by early-June, 2026 were drawn from the most recent group of LRC cars retired by January, 2026. No in-service cars have been observed in use as buffer cars.

The figure given in the Internal Manager Q&A document was "38% of our LRC cars showed similar structural issues". With 53 LRC cars not yet retired, and 3309*, 3322x, 3334**, 3360*, 3364*, 3371* not in regular use, the serviceable fleet stands at 47 (* = last seen in service Aug-Nov 2025; **last seen in service Feb 2026; x = already scrapped). So 38% of 47 cars means that 17 cars requiring repair; VIA's number was 21. Either way, it's safe to say that approximately 40% of the remaining fleet had structural integrity issues detected and serious enough to require repair to stay in service for another 10 months, maximum.

It also appears that some bad-ordered cars were repaired and returned to revenue service in order to fill out remaining LRC consists. Operationally, with buffer cars, all LRC consists automatically became two cars longer.

As of publication date of this post, there are a very limited number of LRC consists in use. Two six-car (including buffer cars) operate between Toronto and Ottawa, and four nine-car LRC consists (including buffer cars and one HEP2 Business Class car) cover trains 64-65-66-67-70-72-75-79 daily. The remaining 18 slots in the Corridor rotation are Venture-equipped, only one HEP2 consist, with as many as five various guard consists at maintenance centres. It seems to me that VIA will soon have to 'get off the pot' and place the full 32-set Venture fleet into Corridor service. Right now that number varies, between 20 and 24 sets in use per week. We're getting there!

Expect the buffer cars to be in use throughout 2026 and into 2027. It will be interesting to see what Corridor consists look like after the last LRC fleet retirement hard-date comes and goes. Stay tuned!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and grandfathers among Trackside Treasure's readership!

My Dad's influence on my brother and me and our trackside time is revealed in shadows in some blog photos. Shadow self-portraits at Kingston in November 1997 (above) in this Trackside Treasure post and at Westmount's Glen Yard in February 1961 (below) scanned by Dave for this post just published on Rolly Martin Country.

from the Book of Job:

"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, because our days on earth are as a shadow."

Running extra...

These are fun to scroll through - a gallery of photos from the 2026 North East Railroad Prototype Modellers Springfield, MA meet as posted by Eric Hansmann on the Notes on Designing, Building and Operating Model Railroads* blog (above). (*That has to be the longest blog name ever!)

Close To The Vest Department: CNN's Kaitlan Collins interviewing Prime Minister Mark Carney in France, with CNN not having seen the US-Iran Memorandum Of Understanding yet. (As one commentator put it, signed by the author of The Art of the M.O.U.)

KC: Did you actually see...the agreement itself?

MC: I've seen the agreement, yes.

KC: Oh, so the president showed it to you?

MC: I've seen the agreement. We have our sources, just like you.

First past the post...

Kudos to our three grandchildren for the World Cup behaviour! We received a Lifeline call for a family member this week, seconds after receiving their Happy Meals in the local McDonald's PlayPlace. We were in a pickle! An immediate response by my good wife to meet the paramedics left me with three kids under ten for an indeterminate period of time with no vehicle. There was hamburger-munching, playing-with-Squishmallows from the Happy Meals, (even sharing!) and much running, jumping and sliding. For over an hour. They even participated in my "Let's See Who Can See Grandma Arrive Back In The Parking Lot First" game with relish. They were not sauce-y. They allowed our blessed onion to catch-up on events just-transpired as we mustered our resources for the trip to the hospital. Our thanks to bun and all: Big Mac, Little Mac and Patty (not their real names).

POP-UP POST: MARK CHARLEBOIS TRAVELS

noreply@blogger.com (Eric) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 04:21:36 +0000

One of the great cloud of readers that I'm surrounded with (hey, I'm writing this on a Sunday!) here on Trackside Treasure is Mark Charlebois of Montreal. I had the opportunity to meet Mark here in Kingston last November for a caffeine-addled sun-dappled Saturday summit, but long before that, Mark has kindly re-homed some surplus items of rolling stock that I have proudly put into service on my HO scale Hanley Spur layout at least as far back as 2019!

Recently, Mark told me about his recent trips into Ontario: first to Kingston then another to Casselman. They seemed like a great way to kick off the summer [train] travel season. Since I don't have any [train] trips planned myself, I will live VIAcariously through Mark and share his experiences here. I really liked Mark's easy-going travelogue style, mixed with food reviews(!) and his spur-of-the-moment photography and with his approval, in this post I'm presenting both in this pop-up post, in the style of Fidelak's Churchill. Here [with very few edits] is Charlebois' Kingston Casselman casse-croute!

"I hope you're doing well and enjoying the seasonal break from the layout as well as the fine weather. Was on vacation last week and decided I'd visit Kingston and later on in that week Casselman. I was craving a trip or two on the rails and these day trips were both affordable (ticket price-wise) and provided a decent amount of time in visiting city/village. The planning (what to do in town during a weekday) was ad hoc, therefore a small amount of time at destination was preferable on top of what connections home VIA had on hand.

TRIP 1 DORVAL-KINGSTON RETURN

On May 20, we Ventured into Kingston on time, VIA No 33 to Ottawa was delayed (what a shocker) when we left on No 63 around 0911. At several grade crossings, a CN pickup with technician was present to 'guard the crossing'. This happened almost immediately after Dorval and from what I could see, until Côteau. Train was slow between Cornwall and Gananoque.

We spent the day downtown, initially by the waterfront seeing Sir John A, the Ten-wheeler. The tourist centre looks like a former station [it is], but that could be my eyes deceiving me [they're not].

Lunch at Chuck's Roadhouse was not only great value but taste. We opted for ribs, wings, fingers and rings and split it. Saw on the menu a steak (maybe London or small rib eye) and a lobster tail $25. That's incredibly affordable. When outside, we saw Dianne's smokehouse and seafood place; a singular lobster roll $44. I normally do not complain about the price of food if it tastes good, however I cannot wrap my head around $44 for a lobster roll. I've had them cheaper and fresher at Auld's Cove [NS] and I do not eat my province's own overpriced lobster rolls called guédilles. I'll spend the money and get a full lobster instead.

Stumbled upon Tragically Hip Way which conveniently is where other poets gather [it's the longest street sign in Kingston and often gets bent by roadies' transports turning]. The emplacement of the street reminded me of their song "Poets" and particularly the verse "don't tell me what the poets are doing".

Spent time at the LCBO, Crave bakery and then got supper from a local shawarma/donair place before returning to Kingston station.

We boarded probably one of the last LRC sets. No clue what the P42 was, 3333 was the LRC car we rode in and 6416 was on the tail end. No one at the crossings on the way home, I guess the shunt issues are only a morning thing.

TRIP 2 DORVAL-CASSELMAN RETURN

On Friday May 22, we Ventured to Casselman onboard VIA No 33 and stayed there until 1630 when VIA No 28 arrived and brought us home to Dorval. Unlike Wednesday, all we saw and rode were Ventures. Not mad at that, however that HEP2+LRC mixed buffered set is something I'd like to see. At this point, I would add some sort of concluding thought on them saying probably "this is probably the last time I ride LRCs" and whatnot. However, despite the self-imposed retirement date by VIA, much like we've both alluded to previously, not convinced Feb. 2027 arrives and this equipment will be gone...[healthy skepticism].

Back to the trip! This trip was similar to what we saw on Wednesday: VIA No 63 arrived did its station stop on time and left, VIA No 33 was delayed.

Scheduled for 0926, we finally left Dorval around 1000. This time, I spotted CN pickups with orange clad men in them from west of Dorval all the way to Côteau station. Even at rural crossings where ATVs and farmers cross the tracks, a CN pickup with an orange clad man was present. In particular, one crossing had a city concrete divider next to it with orange spray paint indicating to "Call CN before crossing". Unsure if it's locals or CN that did that.

Once on VIA track, smooth sailing. The CP crossing was slow but other than that, splendid ride once on VIA. On the return, no CN pickups and slow orders, so the shunt issues in the morning?

Another tidbit; I saw the ever elusive and rare CN freight southbound. I assume this was a Walkley to Côteau run servicing the few remaining railserved customers like MacEwen in Maxville. I've seen by video, pictures and perhaps once or twice more onboard the freight run. A nice change seeing a lineside box having something other the CN Fairway Sub or something of the like that I see every morning on my commute onboard the 196. About that freight - two grimy and faded GP40s. A lot of gondolas, high cube boxcars and tank cars. The tank cars were black from memory and may have been chemical tanks more than petrol product tank cars. It was a long mixed, I was not expecting that when I saw the two GP40s. I figured it would be a small local.

[find the 'hidden' Siemens logo]

[Disappearing train hints - pulled windshield shades and red marker lights]

With no plan, it was an ad hoc solution to finding something to do with exploring this small town. With the bowling alley opening at 1600, our return on VIA No 28 at 1632, we needed filler and settled on Giant Tiger after patronizing the A&W for a pit stop and a snack.

Like Kingston, we wanted to patronize a local business for lunch and bring back supper. Eric's Pizza was not a choice (gf does not like the payoff of taste vs. calories) despite emanating delicious odour in a kilometer radius. We chose Mumbai Masala Grill and had the restaurant to ourselves. Really, really good - a small chain with four locations including this one and another in Ottawa. Restaurant staff was just one, thus I'd argue this was a local establishment. There are plenty examples of one-man shops, but here they are generally something like a Jugo juice stand in a mall, a bubble tea shop in non-busy hours. We patronized Casselman restaurant on the way back, they have Canadian, Italian and Chinese cuisine. Another solid choice.

Despite being a lifelong Alexandria Subber (I think it can be a term), I had never been up close with the signaling equipment labelled to VIA.

VIA No 28 arrived on the money, no slowdowns on the way and arrived as well on time in Dorval.

Disembarking in Dorval:

BONUS - THE LDRR FLEET

Value added! Mark calls this his "unauthorized, unasked-for, citizen-compiled, potential list of candidates VIA might choose" to replace the Budd-built cars in the Long Distance, Regional, Remote (LDRR) fleet. Mark is my 'spirit animal' when it comes to trains in other countries, something about which I have no clue, "You have much to learn, grasshopper." Mark is the man-machine-poem on this topic.

The criteria: supplier must have a shell/platform listed, news article citing sale of platform/family of railcar, news article citing platform/family of railcar operators, supplier must have sleeper and food service in offering of platform/family of railcar, must respond to most of VIA's requirements. Only three of main suppliers could submit based on what I found. It's possible, the other suppliers' engineering departments tweaked the designs to comply.

Contenders:

1) Alstom — X'Trapolis (Tren Maya) - highly customizable commuter shell, wheelchair friendly, diner, cafe lounge, coach, sleepers with rooms. Negatives: no domes, hot climate, not individually coupled, no baggage car, short haul overnight service plan.

2) Siemens — Viaggio Next Level/Vectouro (Nightjet 2,+ Ceske drahy (CD) pushpull intercity sets) -multiple accommodations including pod sleeper aka modern berth, diner (Ceska drahy version), coach compartment and standard, accessible <<multimode car>>; luggage space, wheelchair space, platform, possibly adaptable to either Venture or Airo, cab car coach. Negatives: fixed trainsets, no dome, no separate baggage car.

3) Stadler -- Flirt Nex, KTZ rolling stock - couchette (KTZ), double bedroom (KTZ), generator car (KTZ), 18-seat coach with crew quarters and accessible accomodations (KTZ), Panorama dome car (different family), pod sleeper coach (Flirt Nex), bistro/cafe (Flirt Nex), lounge (Flirt Nex), both extremes climatewise. Negatives: not individually coupled, Panorama dome car is not currently in production, KTZ Russian gauge, Flirt Nex European loading gauge.

Honourable mentions:

1) Talgo -- Talgo 230. Reasons for mention: won Trafikverket (body that owns and operates SJ, Swedish national carrier) contract in April of this year, double bedroom, modern duplex roomettes and four-berth couchettes, dining car, bistro car and a salon Parisien, can operate on bad infrastructure, touted by Talgo as operable in -40C. Reasons for DQ: no domes, not individually-coupled, reputation for rough ride, European continental loading gauge, low capacity per car.

2) Kinki Sharyo - Hitachi -- E657 series. Reason for mention: diner, lounge, brand-new service (2027), announced Aug 2025, sleepers with accommodations suitable for international tourists. Reasons for DQ: no coach, trainset not individually-coupled, narrow gauge adaptable but base product is not standard gauge, low capacity per car.

Did not qualify:

CAF. Reason for DQ: no current NA product available. It's possible they still submitted with either the Caledonian Sleeper MK5 fleet or Viewliner 2 fleet as proposal with manufacturing done overseas.

So that's what I came up with. In compiling the list, I'd love Stadler to win but I would also like Kinki Sharyo. Both past and present offerings from both firms align with what VIA is asking for. Not exactly or entirely it, but close to it. Nothing to suggest they've submitted or are contending or interested in the NA market...but what Kinki Sharyo did with the Twilight Express Mizukaze is worth the gander.

Siemens would not be a bad option, however no domes. A Venture or Airo adaptation of the Vectouro could be good. The Ventures have given us good service so far. I would think, had it not been for the massive amount of bad press Siemens has received with VIA's Chargers for the breakdowns and Siemens not remedying the issues, Siemens might have been the winner or if not a very serious contender.

Time will tell. I've also done the locomotive edition. This exercise is like a breath of fresh air; it forces me to fact check and analyze what is really available. Not just, "Ooh, I like the look of this". Thus, I've done citizen-research from various manufacturers and have come up with this list. The criteria: four-axle, in production or still listed on website, in some cases a picture on website, diesel- powered mentioned or diesel hybrid, passenger loco mentioned as product description.

Candidates:

1) Alstom ALP45 DP: Unsure La Pocatière still has the machinery but they may still be making parts for Exo's fleet. Perhaps minus the pantograph and the associated electrical mode, the cost and weight can come down. I feel this is THE OPTION for VIA.

2) Wabtec ES30ACi: Six-axle is obviously a strike against it, 4250HP or 3300HP option, double cab to support VIA's inability to turn trains at certain end points. In service in Egypt, good for our heat, unsure about our cold.

3) CAF Bitrac: single or double cab, four-axle or six-axle, electric or diesel-electric. In service in Saudi Arabia as well as the double cab version in Europe.

4) Stadler Eurolight: four-axle, operates in the UK as Class 68 (previously produced by Vossloh). Used in both freight and passenger operations, double cab to support VIA's inability to turn trains at certain end points.

5) Progress Rail F125: high-horsepower, has sold on international market, only other loco on this list produced on the continent. Size of loco has potential for longer legs than F40PH-2D. This is my dark horse candidate despite higher than desired speed and poor service record. Rationale? They've learned from their mistakes with the original production run and have worked out the bugs. Wishful thinking, yes but sometimes people can surprise us.

My thanks to Mark for sharing his trips and his expertise in all things world and passenger train!

Running extra...

VIA diner Imperial deadheaded from Vancouver on VIA No 2, and Emerald was also added at Winnipeg, thence also deadheading to VIA's TMC on June 5, then the MMC on VIA No 68 June 9. Seen in this YouTube link, running about 25 minutes late at Mi 180 CN Kingston Sub at Collins Bay, the two diners are on the tail-end of VIA's last HEP2 Corridor consist still in operation here with Business Class cars 4002-4009 behind VIA 915, then coaches 4113-4111-4115. Equipping VIA Nos 61-68, these two trains are used to deadhead locomotives and cars for the Canadian west and east, respectively. When the Corridor is all Ventures, will these cars deadhead on the tail-end of a Venture set?? Thanks to Malcolm Peakman for the heads-up.

On the same day, this RCAF Hercules landed at Kingston airport in an exercise with people acting as agitators and gun-toting perimeter security:

First past the post...

Our great country has a new Governor-General! Eminently-experienced Her Excellency The Right honourable Louise Arbour was installed this past Monday - formerly an Ontario and Federal Supreme Court Justice, United Nations rapporteur, International Criminal Tribunals Chief Prosecutor, and recipient of 42 honorary doctorates. Good weather enlightened the CBC coverage of the ceremony in the Senate and the subsequent visit to the National War Memorial and the laying of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown with two of her grandsons, then an inspection of the Governor-General's Foot Guards at Rideau Hall: