VIA Siemens Venture's First Visit to Kingston

VIA's first Siemens Charger trainset made a nocturnal visit to Kingston at 2:22 on February 22. That's 0222 22.2.22! Operating as VIA train No 627, the 'test train' departed Montreal around 2230 on February 21. Later than expected, one goal of this trip was to take the Charger consist for its first trip west along CN's Kingston Sub as far as Cobourg, making all stops. Testing up to this point had been Montreal-Morrisburg and Montreal-Ottawa, some runs captured on video by a fellow intrepid enthusiast. That same intrepid videographer recorded No 627 here. I had previously caught the consist's move east from California to Montreal on September 29, 2021.

Passing freights during the wait, none with DPU:

2255 EB CN No 148 Engs 2995-3096

2330 WB CN No 321 Engs 2614-2341

0005 WB CN No 377 Engs 3905-2512

0035 WB CN No 369 Engs 3278-3098

0200 EB CN No 306 Engs 5667-5654

VIA is attaching a certain amount of secrecy to these test trips, hence the zero-dark-thirty times. Also, test trips need to be co-ordinated with CN. Like night work blocks, these late hours keep the wayfreights and numerous VIA trains to a minimum. Goodness knows CN wouldn't want another tiny movement clogging up their double- and triple-tracked mainline and keeping all those 35 mph key train (almost-underpowered freight monsters) from making it to their destination just-in-time! On continue/but I digress! Speed east of Kingston was 71 mph, so I'm sure 100 mph was reached farther east.

Video of the arrival. Apologies for wind noise. It was a very windy night with rain expected the next day and wind out of the east. Temperature -4C but felt colder with the wind. Departing eastward.

After meeting 306 in Queens south service track, 627's headlight and ditchlights could be seen as the tail-end of the freight cleared, and the 'test train' crossed over to the north track for its station stop. Perhaps the first traveller to ever detrain from a Charger at Kingston:

Tail-end of the westbound 'test train':

There were tests of the door mechanisms and measurements taken at platform level. 

Business Class car with plastic still covering the unsat-in seats:

Those karacteristic Kingston hockey-stick lights have seen RDC's, conventional, LRC, Turbo, Renaissance, and now Chargers beneath their ghostly glow. Coach view:

You can see inside! As bright as a disco (above) and cab (below):

The engineers preparing to switch ends to the cab car:

The next move was back into Queens, for a trip around the wye and return east to Ottawa (ETA approx. 0530) as VIA No 628, making stops at Smiths Falls and Fallowfield, again with the locomotive first after wyeing. An intrepid videographer's video of the departure here VIA staff and running trades employees on board numbered about a dozen. Tail-end upon arrival, before leading east for the movement to wye at Queens: 

Right now, this exists as a bit of a pop-up post because it's 0400 and now to bed!