VIA Rail Canada

[jlarocque2005]

Go is your best bet, VIA empolyees will tell you to use GO if your are going from Oshawa to Toronto.

I've gone from brampton to toronto a few times on via and they never told me to use the go bus (since its near by )

tho the trains from Toronto to Oshawa or Toronto to Oakville are more geared to commuters who use the Go/Via pack

[Hermid]

well consitering that VIA runs trains from Oshawa-Toronto every 2.5 - 4 hours, where as GO runs every hour. They told anyone looking to goto toronto to use go, They have done it at least 5-6 times from what I have seen

[jlarocque2005]

For those who haven't seen the inside of a rebuild Via F40 Click here found on CRO

one interesting fact about 6452 the rear end looks like a P40 ( No rear platform and a door on the rear side ) not sure if this is unique to 6452 or if all rebuilds will be like this .

[smallspy]

one interesting fact about 6452 the rear end looks like a P40 ( No rear platform and a door on the rear side ) not sure if this is unique to 6452 or if all rebuilds will be like this .

6452 is representative of all of the production rebuilds.

Dan

[Hermid]

For those who haven't seen the inside of a rebuild Via F40 Click here found on CRO

one interesting fact about 6452 the rear end looks like a P40 ( No rear platform and a door on the rear side ) not sure if this is unique to 6452 or if all rebuilds will be like this .

what are the exact speciciations of the rebuild?

[Shaun]

Would it or is it feasible to convert a Baggage car to a control car?

I thought it would be possible since there is room to build a control stand, and a engineer's cabin. And then the rest could be used for baggage?

That way VIA could do push pull operations without having to turn the train around.

I know you could use RDC's but they are expensive to rebuild. Any ideas?

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

Would it or is it feasible to convert a Baggage car to a control car?

I thought it would be possible since there is room to build a control stand, and a engineer's cabin. And then the rest could be used for baggage?

That way VIA could do push pull operations without having to turn the train around.

I know you could use RDC's but they are expensive to rebuild. Any ideas?

Seems feasible, but one problem: The majority of seats in the coaches face one way, so unless Via wants 95% of their passengers facing backwards for hours, I doubt push-pull operations would happen. Converting them to GO-style with half the seats facing one direction and half facing the other wouldn't work either, so the current way of operations would likely stay.

[Shaun]

Seems feasible, but one problem: The majority of seats in the coaches face one way, so unless Via wants 95% of their passengers facing backwards for hours, I doubt push-pull operations would happen. Converting them to GO-style with half the seats facing one direction and half facing the other wouldn't work either, so the current way of operations would likely stay.

Cant they flip them around? I guess not...

[smallspy]

what are the exact speciciations of the rebuild?

I don't know all of them, but here's what I do know:

-rebuilt prime mover, main and secondary alternators

-new computerized control systems w/ integrated display

-new Cat 800kW genset

-rebuilt trucks, traction motors

Would it or is it feasible to convert a Baggage car to a control car?

I thought it would be possible since there is room to build a control stand, and a engineer's cabin. And then the rest could be used for baggage?

That way VIA could do push pull operations without having to turn the train around.

I know you could use RDC's but they are expensive to rebuild. Any ideas?

It is feasible - hell, anything is if you throw enough money at it - although I can't help but think that buying entirely new equipment specifically for long-distance commuter operations seems like a better idea.

Seems feasible, but one problem: The majority of seats in the coaches face one way, so unless Via wants 95% of their passengers facing backwards for hours, I doubt push-pull operations would happen. Converting them to GO-style with half the seats facing one direction and half facing the other wouldn't work either, so the current way of operations would likely stay.

The LRC cars were built with half-and-half oriented seating - one end of the car was pointed one way, the the other end the opposite. It was changed pretty quickly when it was discovered that people don't like to sit backwards.

All of the corridor cars have seats which rotate. It is not a big deal to spin the seats on a train - it is done on many of the trains which terminate at Windsor, Sarnia and Niagara Falls, or in Toronto or Montréal if they are adding a car to a consist.

Dan

[JeremyA]

All of the corridor cars have seats which rotate. It is not a big deal to spin the seats on a train - it is done on many of the trains which terminate at Windsor, Sarnia and Niagara Falls, or in Toronto or Montréal if they are adding a car to a consist.

Ya, several times when I've been on a train in a group of 3-4, and the booths are taken, they'll let you flip one of the seats around, and it's quite easy; just a little lever. So possible with LRC cars, but not so sure about HEP, and I don't believe you can flip seats on Ren.

[Hermid]

Ya, several times when I've been on a train in a group of 3-4, and the booths are taken, they'll let you flip one of the seats around, and it's quite easy; just a little lever. So possible with LRC cars, but not so sure about HEP, and I don't believe you can flip seats on Ren.

thats good. the "snack" cars that amtrack uses look kinda annoying. I rather have some stranger sitting next to me, then 2 infront of me.

[smallspy]

Ya, several times when I've been on a train in a group of 3-4, and the booths are taken, they'll let you flip one of the seats around, and it's quite easy; just a little lever. So possible with LRC cars, but not so sure about HEP, and I don't believe you can flip seats on Ren.

HEP, HEP2 and LRC cars all have seats that can turn. You are right about the Renaissance cars - they are fixed.

Dan

[jlarocque2005]

Would it or is it feasible to convert a Baggage car to a control car?

I thought it would be possible since there is room to build a control stand, and a engineer's cabin. And then the rest could be used for baggage?

That way VIA could do push pull operations without having to turn the train around.

I know you could use RDC's but they are expensive to rebuild. Any ideas?

Via could go the way amtrak did convert some of the F40's into cabbages

[Shaun]

Via could go the way amtrak did convert some of the F40's into cabbages

Dont think they have any spare shells. F59's maybee?

[D. DeLarge]

Dont think they have any spare shells. F59's maybee?

Too valuable, it's not like the F59's have reached the ends of their lifespans like some of the worn-out F40's Amtrak had around and/or surplus.

[Hermid]

I found this at the mainteance centre in toronto.

3 LRC locomotives and what looks to be an 2 FP9's and 2 B units

can anyone confrim?

[smallspy]

I found this at the mainteance centre in toronto.

3 LRC locomotives and what looks to be an 2 FP9's and 2 B units

can anyone confrim?

Three LRCs - 6914, 6917 and 6919. Two FP9's are owned by the West Coast Railway Association, and are ex-Waterloo and Saint Jacobs. Behind them though is an ex-CN EM85 lightweight coach.

That's an old photo - there's a lot more equipment parked in that section of the yard now.

Dan

[D. DeLarge]

...Behind them though is an ex-CN EM85 lightweight coach....

WCXX 5569.

[tomb]

In Ottawa, when trains come from Toronto, how are they turned around before they head back? There is no turn table and I don't know of any track where they can turn around. Do they just head to Montreal as another train?

Thanks.

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

In Ottawa, when trains come from Toronto, how are they turned around before they head back? There is no turn table and I don't know of any track where they can turn around. Do they just head to Montreal as another train?

Thanks.

I think I see a turntable at the garage (keep forgetting its name). Though one turntable seems a bit too little. But then as smallspy mentioned earlier, the seats inside the coaches can be turned around, to I guess all that needs turning are the locomotives, which makes more sense to have one one turntable...

[tomb]

I think I see a turntable at the garage (keep forgetting its name). Though one turntable seems a bit too little. But then as smallspy mentioned earlier, the seats inside the coaches can be turned around, to I guess all that needs turning are the locomotives, which makes more sense to have one one turntable...

My apologies for not being more clear. I mean when the train from Toronto arrives in Ottawa, where in Ottawa does the locomotive turn around? Or, does it just continue onto Montreal and turn around there?

[smallspy]

In Ottawa, when trains come from Toronto, how are they turned around before they head back? There is no turn table and I don't know of any track where they can turn around. Do they just head to Montreal as another train?

Thanks.

Most trains do run through Ottawa - a train from Toronto would continue on to Montreal and vice versa.

The few trains that are turned I believe are turned on the wye about a mile east of the station.

Dan

[Waiting for 30 Minutes]

Most trains do run through Ottawa - a train from Toronto would continue on to Montreal and vice versa.

The few trains that are turned I believe are turned on the wye about a mile east of the station.

Dan

You mean here?

[smallspy]

You mean here?

That's the one.

Dan

[ghYHZ]

That’s where they’re turned.....it’s the wye at M&O Jct. about two miles east of Ottawa Station. This was the junction with the former CP M&O Subdivision to Montreal via Vankleek Hill and Rigaud.....last used by VIA’s Canadian in November 1981.

The tracks have been removed between the wye in Ottawa and Rigaud but the abandoned right-of-way is owned by VIA and banked for possible use as a high-speed rail corridor.