VIA Rail

[Admiral Beez]

I've done Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa on VIA. If you wanted to do a two night stay from Toronto somewhere and take VIA instead of driving, where would you go? USA is out of the question. Is there anything to see in London, ON? I suppose there's Niagara Falls, but I don't gamble and I've seen the Falls a hundred times. About thirty years ago I took Amtrak to Stratford to see a show, so that's a possibility.

 

[smallspy]

A no-whistle crossing. Also, consider whether the plow was 'stuck' on the crossing and couldn't move. Train speed was about 28 mph per the tracker.

The plow was stuck at the time - the operator had exited the vehicle before the train was in sight.

Dan

 

[Trackside_Treasure]

The plow was stuck at the time - the operator had exited the vehicle before the train was in sight.

Dan

Wonder if he had the presence of mind to phone via 'the blue sign'...

 

[micheal_can]

A no-whistle crossing. Also, consider whether the plow was 'stuck' on the crossing and couldn't move. Train speed was about 28 mph per the tracker.

All the more reason to get rid of level crossings on some of our busiest subdivisions.

The plow was stuck at the time - the operator had exited the vehicle before the train was in sight.

Dan

Well, that is good.

 

[rbt]

I've done Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa on VIA. If you wanted to do a two night stay from Toronto somewhere and take VIA instead of driving, where would you go? USA is out of the question. Is there anything to see in London, ON? I suppose there's Niagara Falls, but I don't gamble and I've seen the Falls a hundred times. About thirty years ago I took Amtrak to Stratford to see a show, so that's a possibility.

Kingston can be a pleasant town to walk around in the late spring. Lots of old [for Ontario] limestone buildings.

London is decent for a budget golfing holiday but the 20+ courses are outside city limits; so you'd probably be renting a car for that. There are abundant riverside bike trails as well but few bike rentals so you'd want to take a bike. In both cases VIA isn't an optimal way to visit London.

Napanee was interesting to walk around for a weekend; it's not really setup for tourists though (restaurants, etc.).

I've not been to Belleville and Cornwall but both seem to attract a few tourists making short trips in the summer.

GO + e-bike [with spare batteries] adds more options for a 3-day weekend. Guelph->Blyth, Uxbridge->Haliburton, Barrie->Penetanguishene, Niagara Falls->Fort Erie, Hamilton->Port Dover [Long Point]

 

[Admiral Beez]

Kingston can be a pleasant town to walk around in the late spring. Lots of old [for Ontario] limestone buildings.

London is decent for a budget golfing holiday but the 20+ courses are outside city limits; so you'd probably be renting a car for that. There are abundant riverside bike trails as well but few bike rentals so you'd want to take a bike. In both cases VIA isn't an optimal way to visit London.

Napanee was interesting to walk around for a weekend; it's not really setup for tourists though (restaurants, etc.).

I've not been to Belleville and Cornwall but both seem to attract a few tourists making short trips in the summer.

GO + e-bike [with spare batteries] adds more options. Guelph->Blyth, Uxbridge->Haliburton, Barrie->Penetanguishene

I drove solo to Brockville last year and thought it was a cute town for a visit. The train tunnel is something else.

 

[lenaitch]

I drove solo to Brockville last year and thought it was a cute town for a visit. The train tunnel is something else.

Architecturally, I like a lot of the eastern Ontario cities and towns due to their use of limestone. We seriously considered Brockville as a retirement option until family plans changed. I really like its downtown and waterfront. Kinston is nice except the federal pens attract a lot of 'associates'.

 

[lead82]

London has a decent downtown and Western university. They also have the Factory as a new attraction for kids and adults. Not much else to do there. Windsor would be another possibility as it’s across from Detroit and has a casino and a kids water park. Via is a bit far from the core so you’d need to Uber / taxi around unless you stay right downtown.

Another option is Parry Sound in the summer as the Canadian goes there. There is the 30K islands tour and a small northern town vibe.

Belleville is an option if you want to go to PEC but while they have buses to Picton you need a car to explore PEC as it’s huge.

 

[McGillicuddy]

I've done Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa on VIA. If you wanted to do a two night stay from Toronto somewhere and take VIA instead of driving, where would you go? USA is out of the question. Is there anything to see in London, ON? I suppose there's Niagara Falls, but I don't gamble and I've seen the Falls a hundred times. About thirty years ago I took Amtrak to Stratford to see a show, so that's a possibility.

Out of Toronto, the Stratford Festival's own bus to Stratford will always be more cost-efficient and better scheduled than the VIA offering. (And downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake is also reachable via the Shaw Festival's own bus.)

Niagara Falls is worth a visit IMO: the touristy downtown is walkable and good for an afternoon, especially if you enjoy photography, and there's a reachable city beyond there with some surprisingly diverse restaurants. Get a hotel room with a hot tub, visit the very cool bird sanctuary, and you've got the makings of a weekend trip. That being said, GO Transit offers a better schedule and a more reliable service than VIA/Amtrak.

 

[a2z]

Kingston can be a pleasant town to walk around in the late spring. Lots of old [for Ontario] limestone buildings.

London is decent for a budget golfing holiday but the 20+ courses are outside city limits; so you'd probably be renting a car for that. There are abundant riverside bike trails as well but few bike rentals so you'd want to take a bike. In both cases VIA isn't an optimal way to visit London.

Napanee was interesting to walk around for a weekend; it's not really setup for tourists though (restaurants, etc.).

I've not been to Belleville and Cornwall but both seem to attract a few tourists making short trips in the summer.

GO + e-bike [with spare batteries] adds more options for a 3-day weekend. Guelph->Blyth, Uxbridge->Haliburton, Barrie->Penetanguishene, Niagara Falls->Fort Erie, Hamilton->Port Dover [Long Point]

Yeah London has some nice trails along the Thames (and Western is a nice campus, as another comment mentioned), but I struggle to see how this would justify anything more than a day trip.

I only just realized you could reasonably do a Guelph -> Kissing Bridge -> Elmira -> St. Jacobs (+ the farmers market!) -> KW & Cambridge -> Paris -> Brantford (absolutely nothing to do here though) -> Hamilton -> Toronto bike trek into 3 days (~220km total), with nearly all of it being on rail trails (and the lakeshore trails for the final bit). I'd like to believe this would give a nice combination of urban and rural attractions, especially for that first half.

My next VIA excursion will be combining Montreal with the P'tit Train du Nord marathon (point-to-point course down a linear park, that appears to have attracted nothing but positive reviews. Plus its downhill lol)

 

[Trackside_Treasure]

While wondering how many Venture sets would be getting the F40-insurance, in three days it's been only one set. Set 14 with 6413, operating on a regular slot in the rotation. The first day, leading. The next two days, trailing in each direction, so wye-d in Ottawa.

THE F40 add-ons to Ventures as potential HEP backup seems to be on hiatus.
FINAL TALLY:

• 6413 with Set 14 Jan 5-9
• 6408 with Set 19 Jan 9-12
• 6405 with Set 26 Jan 12-13
• (possibly 6433 with Set 29 Jan 7+)
• ...and no F40s after Jan 13.

 

[Bordercollie]

THE F40 add-ons to Ventures as potential HEP backup seems to be on hiatus.
FINAL TALLY:

• 6413 with Set 14 Jan 5-9
• 6408 with Set 19 Jan 9-12
• 6405 with Set 26 Jan 12-13
• (possibly 6433 with Set 29 Jan 7+)
• ...and no F40s after Jan 13.

Maybe they figured that the added fuel costs, axel counts and slowing the train to 95mph wasn't worth it?

I guess we don't have enough spare Genesis locomotives to spare since that would at least allow them to run at 100mph minus the speed restrictions.

Or it could have been a way to gather data. And once sufficient data was gathered they don't need it anymore.

 

[Towered]

London has a decent downtown and Western university. They also have the Factory as a new attraction for kids and adults. Not much else to do there. Windsor would be another possibility as it’s across from Detroit and has a casino and a kids water park. Via is a bit far from the core so you’d need to Uber / taxi around unless you stay right downtown.

Another option is Parry Sound in the summer as the Canadian goes there. There is the 30K islands tour and a small northern town vibe.

Belleville is an option if you want to go to PEC but while they have buses to Picton you need a car to explore PEC as it’s huge.

London does not have a decent downtown.

 

[lenaitch]

Cross-posted from the Ontario Northland thread. The claim from an MTO spokesperson is the Northlander will have shunt enhancers and they are good to go in Canada. Seeing as it is a bit of a topic with VIA in the corridor, I thought I'd pass it along since some of you might not follow that thread.

Correct, shunt enhancers were added to the train sets. However I wanted to keep the column easy to understand for the average person, hence the term equipment.

Success or failure depends how the Northlander is reintroduced

Psst. Have you heard the latest news about the Northlander? The Government of Ontario says it’s bringing it back in 2026. No gimmicks. No more of the same old song and dance. Sometime this year, On…

northerntracks.blog

The MTO says the Northlander «will not be subject to speed restrictions» by CN thanks to some specialized equipment that «improves the train’s electrical interaction with the track circuits».

 

[Trackside_Treasure]

Cross-posted from the Ontario Northland thread. The claim from an MTO spokesperson is the Northlander will have shunt enhancers and they are good to go in Canada. Seeing as it is a bit of a topic with VIA in the corridor, I thought I'd pass it along since some of you might not follow that thread.

Success or failure depends how the Northlander is reintroduced

Psst. Have you heard the latest news about the Northlander? The Government of Ontario says it’s bringing it back in 2026. No gimmicks. No more of the same old song and dance. Sometime this year, On…

northerntracks.blog

Interesting MTO comment - thanks for noting it! Shunt-enhancers have not been approved, tested or implemented in Canada. That approval would have to come from Transport Canada, as it did through the FRA in the US. Does Northern Tracks have more proof than an anonymous MTO spokesperson that 'will have shunt enhancers' means they do or plan to have shunt enhancers??

CN has not to my knowledge commented on ONR Ventures, with or without shunt-enhancers, operating on their trackage north of Toronto. The only reason those subdivisions were even added was for detour purposes, not because the ONR would be operating there. Many have commented that lower speeds than much of the Corridor mean that crossing protection device activation may or may not be an issue.