VIA Rail

[nfitz]

Which makes me curious of how they handled this requirement when they had to detach 42 from 64 (which should have required an additional pilot on the now separated Siemens Train 42):

Re: York/Bala detour, Nov 9-10

groups.io

Oriole is 6 km south of the CN-owned track, well into GO territory.

 

[Urban Sky]

Oriole is 6 km south of the CN-owned track, well into GO territory.

Sure, but both trains needed to pass over the CN-owned York Subdivision to get from Oriole to Pickering Junction…

 

[nfitz]

Sure, but both trains needed to pass over the CN-owned York Subdivision to get from Oriole to Pickering Junction…

Where were they separated? I would have assumed it would have been around Old Cummer. So only one CN pilot. (though hardly a big cost if they have two).

 

[Urban Sky]

Where were they separated? I would have assumed it would have been around Old Cummer. So only one CN pilot. (though hardly a big cost if they have two).

My assumption was that since trains 64 and 42 were supposed to be jayed all the way from Toronto to Oshawa, only a single pilot would have been on board (inside the cab of leading train 64). However, after splitting, a second pilot would have been required (inside the cab of train 42), because the two train now operated seperately rather than combined over the York Sub.

The three possible explanations for train 42 being able to operate over the York Sub would be:

1. A second pilot was on board the train 64/42.
2. A second pilot was dispatched to train 42.
3. The requirement for a pilot to be present on train 42 was either relaxed or disregarded.

I believe that #2 is the most likely answer and suspect that given the proximity of McMillan Yard, a pilot was available within a reasonable delay.

 

[nfitz]

Where did they split?

 

[Urban Sky]

Where did they split?

The train was apparently stranded at MP 9.5 Bala Sub, so before reaching the York Sub:

They had issues Jaying 64 and 42 at Union earlier, left 33 mins behind schedule. And now looks like stalled on hill at Mile 9.5 Bala sub.

Re: York/Bala detour, Nov 9-10

groups.io

 

[nfitz]

The train was apparently stranded at MP 9.5 Bala Sub, so before reaching the York Sub:

Re: York/Bala detour, Nov 9-10

groups.io

I don't think anyone mentioned that here. So it was a northbound? Why combine it from Union to ... about Lawrence?

 

[Urban Sky]

I don't think anyone mentioned that here. So it was a northbound? Why combine it from Union to ... about Lawrence?

It was one of the weekends where GO’s Lakeshore East service was suspended due to trackworks and VIA‘s Lakeshore services had to be diverted over the Bala and York Subdivisions. In order to minimize the impact to CN (in terms of additional traffic on the York Sub and the number of pilots they needed to deploy), trains are routinely jayed between Toronto and Oshawa (and vice versa). One such jayed train were trains 64/42 (the latter being a Siemens trainset) and it didn’t go well, as the combined consist struggled to climb up the Don Valley:

York/Bala detour, Nov 9-10

groups.io

 

[smallspy]

Which makes me curious of how they handled this requirement when they had to detach 42 from 64 (which should have required an additional pilot on the now separated Siemens Train 42):

Re: York/Bala detour, Nov 9-10

groups.io

In the past, the pilots have gotten on at Doncaster, and gotten off at Oshawa for eastbound trains. Westbounds were in the reverse.

I don't know if they were operating like that this past weekend but considering past experience, I would assume as much.

I don't think anyone mentioned that here. So it was a northbound? Why combine it from Union to ... about Lawrence?

Mile 9.5 is a tenth of a mile short of Lawrence.

Dan