VIA Rail Canada

[D40LF]

A bit late but spotted 6456 on train 68 heading through Kingston on July 14. This is a Winnipeg assigned unit and is the first time I have seen it down here. I wonder if this is heading into CAD for rebuild.

[smallspy]

A bit late but spotted 6456 on train 68 heading through Kingston on July 14. This is a Winnipeg assigned unit and is the first time I have seen it down here. I wonder if this is heading into CAD for rebuild.

Train #68 is frequently used for moving equipment for servicing to Montréal from Toronto (and points west). It seems very plausible to me that it is heading out for some more major servicing than can be completed at Winnipeg, if not a rebuild.

Dan

[D40LF]

Train #68 is frequently used for moving equipment for servicing to Montréal from Toronto (and points west). It seems very plausible to me that it is heading out for some more major servicing than can be completed at Winnipeg, if not a rebuild.

Dan

68 and 69 are often used, seen lots of HEP 1 equipment.

Someone else mentioned that they often rotate the units, so those that are high mileage from working the Canadian get swapped with Corridor assigned units. Certainly this could account for 6448 which has been around the Corridor for a while.

[smallspy]

68 and 69 are often used, seen lots of HEP 1 equipment.

Someone else mentioned that they often rotate the units, so those that are high mileage from working the Canadian get swapped with Corridor assigned units. Certainly this could account for 6448 which has been around the Corridor for a while.

It seems that they stopped using #69 a while back - I honestly can't remember the last time I saw or heard of equipment moving west on it, and I've taken it probably 3 or 4 times in the past 12 months.

Dan

[u2g Northern]

Some developments in the train that got boxed in Jasper. See photo (facebook link, once again. Hopefully everyone can see photo)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=502...id=415920815757

I would also like to add that the Author of this photograph took the picture from the rear of the CN SD70-M unit. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=331578

[madsad]

Does anyone have any updates concerning the LRC coach refurb program? According to the backgrounder, the first two cars were supposed to be finished back in May, but we all know how timelines work...

[D40LF]

It seems that they stopped using #69 a while back - I honestly can't remember the last time I saw or heard of equipment moving west on it, and I've taken it probably 3 or 4 times in the past 12 months.

Dan

Seen plenty of sleepers and diners on 69 this month.

[smallspy]

Does anyone have any updates concerning the LRC coach refurb program? According to the backgrounder, the first two cars were supposed to be finished back in May, but we all know how timelines work...

I understand that there were a group of cars in the shops undergoing work when I went to IRSI early in May. I didn't get the chance to stick my head inside, but they did have a number of freshly-rebuilt trucks sitting outside.

Seen plenty of sleepers and diners on 69 this month.

I guess I've just been taking #69 at the wrong times. Thanks.

Dan

[D40LF]

I guess I've just been taking #69 at the wrong times. Thanks.

Dan

Got to say that I only get to see 68 and 69 a couple of times a week, as I work until 9pm, which is when they are normally in Kingston. Also with the sun setting earlier each day photography of these two trains is for a short time only.

[BusRider]

Spotted some sort of P42DC (or something in a identical scheme) on "The Canadian" in Winnipeg heading west.

[smallspy]

Spotted some sort of P42DC (or something in a identical scheme) on "The Canadian" in Winnipeg heading west.

It's a rebuilt F40. They have had a couple of them running on The Canadian for the past month or so.

Dan

[D40LF]

It's a rebuilt F40. They have had a couple of them running on The Canadian for the past month or so.

Dan

Any updates on the rebuild, I can only find information from April of this year as to what was being rebuilt or in service.

Also any news on 6400?

[D. DeLarge]

Any updates on the rebuild, I can only find information from April of this year as to what was being rebuilt or in service.

Also any news on 6400?

6400 is supposedly done for.

[D40LF]

6400 is supposedly done for.

I've seen a photo of 6400 at the MMC with a tarp of its body. From my experience VIA doesn't tarp anything unless they want to keep it. Generally the unwanted stuff is left uncovered and the wanted stuff is covered if to be stored over a long time.

[D. DeLarge]

I've seen a photo of 6400 at the MMC with a tarp of its body. From my experience VIA doesn't tarp anything unless they want to keep it. Generally the unwanted stuff is left uncovered and the wanted stuff is covered if to be stored over a long time.

CRO reported a few months ago that 6400, as the initial rebuild, has been plagued with problems. It has also had some substantial frame damage as well. VIA had considered cutting it up on the site, but brought it back to the VMC instead. Chances are it will probably not get rebuilt.

They would probably tarp it to protect the still relatively new components inside until they figure out if there's anything they can do with it.

[D40LF]

CRO reported a few months ago that 6400, as the initial rebuild, has been plagued with problems. It has also had some substantial frame damage as well. VIA had considered cutting it up on the site, but brought it back to the VMC instead. Chances are it will probably not get rebuilt.

They would probably tarp it to protect the still relatively new components inside until they figure out if there's anything they can do with it.

VMC??? Gee Dan, missed that one going through!

I had heard that it was tripped back to the MMC on its own wheels, if that is the case then the frame can not be that bad. If the frame isn't bad then surely it wouldn't take much to rebuild it again.

[smallspy]

Any updates on the rebuild, I can only find information from April of this year as to what was being rebuilt or in service.

Marc has had help keeping his website up-to-date on the rebuilds. I highly recommend checking it out: http://www.myrailfan.com/tables/list_F40.aspx

Also any news on 6400?

The word from inside VIA is that it suffered some frame twisting in the derailment and is done for. Scrapping on site was not an option, as they are planning on keeping the brand new prime mover, main alternator and traction motors it received as part of its rebuild.

Dan

[D40LF]

Marc has had help keeping his website up-to-date on the rebuilds. I highly recommend checking it out: http://www.myrailfan.com/tables/list_F40.aspx

Thats the site I look at, there are no updates for rebuilds since April, either that or they are now taking a long time.

The word from inside VIA is that it suffered some frame twisting in the derailment and is done for. Scrapping on site was not an option, as they are planning on keeping the brand new prime mover, main alternator and traction motors it received as part of its rebuild.

Dan

Shame, glad I got photos of it then.

[D. DeLarge]

VMC??? Gee Dan, missed that one going through!

We all make typos now and then. In this case, VMC should be MMC.

Just because it has frame damage, it doesn't mean it can't travel on its own wheels dead-in-transit (likely done as a special move under supervision). However, any kind of bent/twisting of the frame could affect the alignment of various internal components (like the engine-generator connection) as well as carbody components, not to mention make repairing more difficult because they have to straighten out the frame, if it is cost effective and doable. Other railroads have done so in the past (CP did some frame corrections on a TH&B Geep once).

[D40LF]

We all make typos now and then. In this case, VMC should be MMC.

Just because it has frame damage, it doesn't mean it can't travel on its own wheels dead-in-transit (likely done as a special move under supervision). However, any kind of bent/twisting of the frame could affect the alignment of various internal components (like the engine-generator connection) as well as carbody components, not to mention make repairing more difficult because they have to straighten out the frame, if it is cost effective and doable. Other railroads have done so in the past (CP did some frame corrections on a TH&B Geep once).

Wow you admitting you make mistakes! j/k

I remember hearing about the TH&B GP.

So what about 6457? No one seems to have heard anything about this one either.

[stage driver]

VIA seems to, on a regular basis, move passengers between London and Sarnia and on occasion between London and Windsor by bus; especially when the passenger numbers are on the low side, say less than 10 passengers for Sarnia. Is this a regular happening as it appears to be to me? Is this a business decision because chartering a bus is less costly than operating a train for the service? Just wondering. Curiosity has me thinking. Do the trains run into operating troubles such that this can happen as often as it seems to happen and only when there are low passenger volumes. Again, just a general question I thought I would toss out for feedback.

[Tom1122]

VIA tarped the wrecked and written off 6423. I believe the tarp covering 6400 may have been the same one that covered 6423 which I believe was scrapped.

I've seen a photo of 6400 at the MMC with a tarp of its body. From my experience VIA doesn't tarp anything unless they want to keep it. Generally the unwanted stuff is left uncovered and the wanted stuff is covered if to be stored over a long time.

[D40LF]

VIA tarped the wrecked and written off 6423. I believe the tarp covering 6400 may have been the same one that covered 6423 which I believe was scrapped.

I was told that 6423 was tarped because of a criminal investigation, after all the two in the cab were killed.

[dowlingm]

As a VIA Preference member, I received a link to a survey during the week asking how many trips (all modes) I had taken to Ottawa and Montreal, my opinion of putative extra express services to Montreal and Ottawa, when the best/worst times would be, whether I would use more services to Kingston, possible Toronto-Ottawa-Dorval-Montreal services (6hr and change) and whether I favoured faster speeds over shorter times between services.

The flaw in the survey is that it doesn't allow you to specify that you had taken zero trips to MTL this year (I have gone to Ottawa by air and road, Kingston by rail but Montreal not at all). This means to answer the rest of the survey you have to answer incorrectly. At the risk of entering political waters, this was a poorly drafted "census".

For me, I think VIA's sweet spot in the next decade is 200-250km trips like Toronto-Kingston, Toronto-London, Kingston-Montreal, Kingston-Ottawa and especially Ottawa-Montreal where with some further investment and high frequencies the train can really compete with air travel. Worrying about Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal is nice but until average speeds improve significantly by removing speed restrictions and choke points it's not going to make inroads into the air competition.

[rollsign29]

As a VIA Preference member, I received a link to a survey during the week ...

I got this survey and had issues with it as well, resulting in a few "lies" on my end just to make them look good.

One of my biggest beefs with VIA is the lack of pre-boarding like european-style rail services (especially if there is reserved seating). I do not enjoy waiting (err, standing) in a long line at Union for boarding like I'm cattle heading for the slaughterhouse! I would much rather enjoy a seated waiting area, and then a general announcement (and signage) that boarding is taking place, and you just go at your own pace. Give passengers a 1/2 hour window or something to board before departure. That way, if I want to lounge around a bit longer, finish off an email, keep chatting with someone, I can.

My other big beef with VIA is that they only send the service cart around at the beginning of the trip. I would really like to see a new standard set where the cart makes a return appearance about 1/2 way through the trip. For those longer trips (like Ottawa to Toronto), having the cart come around Smiths Falls isn't going to do me any good when I want a drink around Kingston or Belleville. A 2nd trip would be a huge benefit to most, so we dont need to "stock up" early on or go find the cart mid trip.

In an ideal world, VIA should introduce snack cars on the corridor, by retrofitting a select few LRC coaches, so that the last 1/3 or 1/4 of the car is strictly a self-serve snack bar, where the attendant stays after doing a trip with the cart, and if you want something, just go the length of the train and get something. I can't see this happening, simply because of loss of revenue space on a car.