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VIA Rail

Going back in time if IRSI didnt go under and they where able to rebuild the LRC cars would they be around for another 5-10 years? Are the rebuilt cars in better condition than the ones that where not? Could they keep just the business class cars for extra's in the corridor?
 
Bordercollie said:
Going back in time if IRSI didnt go under and they where able to rebuild the LRC cars would they be around for another 5-10 years? Are the rebuilt cars in better condition than the ones that where not? Could they keep just the business class cars for extra's in the corridor?
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The LRC cars are finished. There is no justification to keep them on the (rail)road once you have received enough new fleet to retire them...
 
Urban Sky said:
The LRC cars are finished. There is no justification to keep them on the (rail)road once you have received enough new fleet to retire them...
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IRSI may have done us a great service by making it clear that life-extending the LRC fleet is just not doable. The urge to save a few bucks by life-extending and not investing in a new fleet would have sat well with some in Ottawa.

The LRC's had a great track record, and I will miss them, in a purely nostalgiac way, but - acquiring the Siemens stock is a much better outcome.

- Paul
 
Is there any work being done on the HFR project beyond the contracts issued to Arup and Systra? I know progress is glacial but I'm now looking at as a soon to be engineering graduate.
 
crs1026 said:
The LRC's had a great track record, and I will miss them, in a purely nostalgiac way, but - acquiring the Siemens stock is a much better outcome.
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I agree! The LRCs have had a good run, but it is time for them to be replaced. I will not miss the Reanasanse or HEP II cars though.

If VIA does end up replacing their long distance fleet, I will similarly (to the LRCs) miss the HEP I cars, but the are even more overdue for replacement than the LRCs.
 
roger1818 said:
I agree! The LRCs have had a good run, but it is time for them to be replaced. I will not miss the Reanasanse or HEP II cars though.

If VIA does end up replacing their long distance fleet, I will similarly (to the LRCs) miss the HEP I cars, but the are even more overdue for replacement than the LRCs.
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The LRC's can be much praised as a durable, HEP-equipped fleet which kept VIA credible over the past few decades. I have never heard hard data on their cost - ie whether they were reliable or economical to maintain relative to other brands of the era eg Amfleet, Horizon, or such - or whether they had any major technical bugs in the design that had to be retrofitted in big ways. (Wheels and axles had problems early on, but once fixed those bugs disappeared. The tilting thing didn't work out, but that really wasn't fatal given higher speed track never became available). Subjectively they were certainly pleasant cars to ride - good ride, quiet, big windows, good lighting.

The HEP I fleet is at end of life, period. Personally I will be heartbroken see the dome experience disappear, it seems to me to be a superior travel experience to just about any railcar anywhere. (OK, those Colorado-built open-porch double deckers used in Alaska and on RMTR are nice too). But realistically, all things must pass. It's hard to say anything negative about a design that has lasted this long, and esthetically I like 50-s style design touhes, but the 50's-designed accommodations and power/HVAC and running gear have to be discarded for something more modern. I'm just not sure if the travel experience will be as marketable with a Superliner or Viewliner replacement, or similar.

The Ren and HEP II, I will have forgotten about the day they disappear... or maybe their memory will wake me up occasionally when I have bad dreams.

- Paul
 
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crs1026 said:
The LRC's can be much praised as a durable, HEP-equipped fleet which kept VIA credible over the past few decades. I have never heard hard data on their cost - ie whether they were reliable or economical to maintain relative to other brands of the era eg Amfleet, Horizon, or such - or whether they had any major technical bugs in the design that had to be retrofitted in big ways. (Wheels and axles had problems early on, but once fixed those bugs disappeared. The tilting thing didn't work out, but that really wasn't fatal given higher speed track never became available). Subjectively they were certainly pleasant cars to ride - good ride, quiet, big windows, good lighting.

The HEP I fleet is at end of life, period. Personally I will be heartbroken see the dome experience disappear, it seems to me to be a superior travel experience to just about any railcar anywhere. (OK, those Colorado-built open-porch double deckers used in Alaska and on RMTR are nice too). But realistically, all things must pass. It's hard to say anything negative about a design that has lasted this long, and esthetically I like 50-s style design touhes, but the 50's-designed accommodations and power/HVAC and running gear have to be discarded for something more modern. I'm just not sure if the travel experience will be as marketable with a Superliner or Viewliner replacement, or similar.

The Ren and HEP II, I will have forgotten about the day they disappear... or maybe their memory will wake me up occasionally when I have had dreams.

- Paul
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I'm sure that new equipment can be modern but nostalgic at the same time.

And although the domes likely won't return there maybe a type of car the gives panaramic views to enjoy the scenery. Given that this is the exact reason why people take the train it would be stupid note to replicate this experience in some way.
 
Received from a friend yesterday:

Another VIA screw-up for you: Yesterday I went out in the super-blustery, freezing conditions to shoot VIA 84 between Limehouse and Acton. Checked its train status twice before leaving and it showed as being on time (surprisingly enough). But there was no sign of it within an hour of its supposed time of passage, so I checked again. Still showed as on time at Gtown, Brampton, etc, but the map showed it went via the Dundas Sub east of London — meaning there was no way it would stop at those stations. Same thing again today. What would a passenger without Internet access do? Freeze until nightfall….?
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I don't think you could even buy a ticket for those stations this weekend. The booking engine would show an error:

Service not available on the date requested. The next available date offered is Monday Feb 21, 2022.
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VIA 87 is about to do some offroading according to VIA Moving Maps
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Due to flooding between Stratford and Kitchener, it's actually attached to VIA 75 which is running Toronto-London via Brantford. It will disconnect at London and then run its normal schedule to Sarnia.

A fun fact is that this diversion looks like it will produce an on-time arriva in Sarnia, something which hasn't happened in ages due to the speed restrictions between London and Kitchener.

In other news, VIA 73 and 76 are both running 3 hours late. Any ideas what happened here?


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