What did I see...?

[MasonJar]

I was in Toronto over the weekend, and was able to fit several little side trips, and/or spot a number of train related things:

- The old John Street roundhouse (now home to Steam Whistle Brewery and future home of Toronto Railway Museum)
- CP freights running across Toronto through the old Canadian Northern Station (now a liquor store - on Younge St)
- Lots of streetcars
- VIA trains and Union Station

So my question is - what are the "named" trains that VIA runus in the "Corridor". I saw an eastbound and westbound train with the fluted steel cars running behind old FP's (??) near Kingston. They were not the revived LRC or Rennaissance cars with the new engines. Was I seeing The Canadian out of/bound for Montreal? The Ocean? The Chaleur? Do those originate/terminate in Toronto? VIA's website was less than helpful this morning...

Thanks.

Andrew

 

[galt904]

Lots of the stainless cars run Windsor(or Sarnia) to Toronto. None of the regular corridor trains are named, as far as I know. Weirdest I saw was on Sunday a couple weeks ago, 2 Via trains in 1, back to back, 1 with LRC cars and 1 with stainless, with an F40 at either end. I assume the reverse facing one was being staged for Monday operations. They will also operate 2 trains "elephant style" for staging.

 

[MasonJar]

Chad,

Thanks for the info - but the trains I saw were both east of Toronto (near Kingston).

In Ottawa, they run the morning train back to back from Ottawa west to Fallowfield. Then they split them, with one end going to Toronto, and the other going to Montreal via a return trip through Ottawa Station.

In the evening, the train from Montreal goes as far as Fallowfield, and then is backed back to Ottawa for cleaning and "staging" for the next day.

I have never yet seen a mix of the LRC and stainless cars.

Andrew

 

[Squidbait]

Andrew,

When you say "FP's", I'm assuming you mean F-40PH's? VIA hasn't used FP's in the corridor in a very long time.

The corridor trains used to have names... somewhere around I have a couple of old VIA timetables that showed the names as well as the numbers. They may have done away with that recently, though.

 

[MasonJar]

Sorry - my knowledge of the diesels is not good. I do mean F-40PH (thanks...! ops: ).

Do the named trains originate in Toronto? I believe that The Canadian does, but I am not sure about the others. I just found a picture of a "Kingston to Montreal" train that has the older steel cars in the consist. The ones I saw definitely had something other than the standard coaches (by that I mean the windows were not uniform from end to end on all cars, leading me to believe that it was some sort of diner or sleeper, or combination), and there was also was a baggage car on the head end.

Andrew

 

[Squidbait]

Andrew,

I should have been more clear - I think all the VIA trains had names, not jut the Toronto-Montreal trains. Now it looks like only the big tourist-drawing trains get names: The Ocean, The Canadian, The Chaleur, The Skeena, etc...

 

[Squidbait]

Also, the type of cars has little to do with the train, apart perhaps from speed. I don't know if they still have them, but there were a couple of TO-Montreal "express" trains that did the trip in just under 4-hours. Those would have been LRC-only equipment, because I don't think the SS cars are rated for the 100 mph the LRC cars are.

Other trains offer full checked-baggage service, and will have a SS baggage car in the consist.

 

[MasonJar]

Squid...

Yes, when I am referring to "named" trains, I mean the current roster of named trains, not the historical ones - mostly because I don't know anything about them Although I would guess that, like The Canadian, the other names used today have their origins in CPR and CN and its predecessors.

Andrew

 

[Squidbait]

Well, (I'm just going from memory here), all the trains had names until recently, like between TO and Montreal, there was the "Lakeshore", and "Frontenac", the overnight sleeper to Montreal was called the "Enterprise", I believe, but that was canned a couple of years ago.

I think there was a "Forest City" from TO to Windsor, and the "Essex" as well...

But there aren't any big named trains in the corridor at all, now. They either head east from Montreal (Ocean, Chaleur) or North from Toronto (Canadian, Northlander), or are out west (Skeena) or down east (Bras d'or).

 

[spitfire]

I was in Toronto over the weekend....
Andrew

And you didn't call me? Whaaaaaaaaaaa! :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

 

[60103]

VIA has 2 classes of stainless cars. There are the old Canadian cars and there are some second-hand (or more) that are used for the corridor. The corridor cars are numbered in the 4xxx series; the Canadian are in th 8xxx. And the corridor cars have denser seating and the stripe is yellow and blue; for the others it is just blue.
VIA is not totally fussy about which cars are used; they often mix the 8xxx and 4xxx on the corridor trains.
They also tack deadhead cars on the end of LRC trains, but I don't think they mix active cars.

 

[galt904]

Don't forget the 20mph express called The Hudson Bay!