Recent content by Trackside_Treasure

Yes, they nare available if needed - on standby. These guard sets would be the first thing to go if there was insufficient equipment. The only thing is, they are regularly called on this winter! I have seen photos taken at Ottawa station showing two tracks with two Venture sets each. Too short...

Not necessarily. The Corridor rotation now includes guard sets: 2 Venture, 2 LRC and 1 HEP. Plus, up to four LRC sets have been lengthened, at times up to eight cars in length.

Already cancelled from Feb 9, 2025 and likely extending into the spring of 2026: several trains just evaporated, due to 'operational constraints' which seem to be late arriving previous-leg trains and less-in-demand trains ,including daily 42/55, 644 on Fridays/Sundays and 645 on Mondays.

IC what you did there. ALTOruistic! :cool:

You heard it here first, but OSEs are the only thing that looks like it will end this particular barrier imposed by CN on VIA.

Why would CN do this? They've hung their hat on the US experience and White Paper and used it to justify their speed reductions in Canada. Plus that policy is what's driven Amtrak to adopt OSEs through an FRA exemption. And we ALWAYS follow the States!

Never thought the government was going to let VIA buy coaches, anyway. Lengthening trains doesn't solve the problem conclusively because CN can bring in different minimum axle requirements. I also don't agree it would be faster. This is untested and unimplemented technology in North America...

At the news conference announcing construction of ALTO's high-speed rail line in 2029, a Le Devoir reporter asked Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon about CN freight trains having priority. "Are you afraid of CN or attacking CN? Why are you talking about 2029 why not force CN to let these...

VIA executives and government ministers were brought before the TRAN[sportation] committee after the VIA train 622 debacle on August 31, 2024. VIA has changed some things: bringing disabled trains into a nearby station, setting a time at which a seriously late train's problems are escalated up...

It was like a flash-freeze last night. Accumulated slush would have been in every crevice. Just not enough fusees to thaw everything?

Interesting timing based on the Brockville tribulations. Anyway, if you've been wondering about just how serviceable VIA's Ventures are, I just published citizen-science figures for the past 11 months: https://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com/2025/12/via-venture-sets-serviceability-in-2025.html

December 10 - No 669 broke down near Mallorytown and had no power. (No 669's equipment arrived in Montreal as No 62 in the morning, departing Toronto 2 hours late, swapped from Set 6 to Set 14 in Toronto, then continuing back west as 669. No 48 (Set 7/25) pushed disabled 669 to Brockville. At...

In days of yore the conductor or trainman was known as a 'baby-lifter' by some. That's because he would literally lift the baby in its carrier up or down to the steps of the coach to the parent(s). Same with luggage, though most was at that time handled in a dedicated baggage car, using various...

KeithZ - First, thank you for what you've given all of us. I hope I am proven wrong. Maybe more cars will be ordered or on-board shunt enhancers. Whatever fixes the problem soonest, vote me in! I hope I'm wrong, and the government proves me wrong, but I'm sure in your line of work (I was...

CP did not have all routes liberated from them with the creation of VIA. Remember, VIA's Canadian continued to operate on CP rails until 1990. If anything, the headache of.passenger operations were removed by VIA cost-wise, yet continued on CP (and CN) rails likely with just as much opposition...