For the first time in five years (June 2019) I found myself on a VIA train. Why? Because we heard the phrase "kids travel for 20 dollars" in the Corridor! Our thoughts turned to our grandsons, ages 6 and 4. None of this just-go-one-stop-and-get-off stuff, no. We were going to the Big Town, the Queen City, Hogtown, the Centre Of The Universe to get our money's worth out of our 20 bucks! VIA No 61 arrives: 6438-3462-3465-3369-3311Ren-3318-3367. VIA No 60/50 was in the station as well.
Boarding was incredibly slow. About 30 people at one door. This included people with big suitcases to manoeuvre up the Venture stairs, and a young couple with a toddler and a stroller. Car attendant, "Sir, you'll have to collapse the stroller". Passenger, "OK". This was six feet from the stairs, and it finally happened with some delay at the stairs. Meanwhile, Canada's busiest mainline, thousands of tons of freight, hundreds of passengers, is waiting for a guy to collapse a stroller he should have already collapsed?
Oh, there were a few revenue cars, like these two AEQX, ex-B&M covered hoppers that get loaded with roofing granules just north of Belleville yard...
...and three cars loaded with outbound product from Kingston's Invista: SRLX 45099-INVX 38611-ACFX 37249 that would have arrived on Belleville-Kingston turn CN No 518 (below). With CN's emphasis on operating ratio and pruning of everything that doesn't contribute, there are not a lot of opportunities to show our grandsons passing rail activity. We resorted to, "Who will be the first to see cows?" and "Who will be the first to see horses?"
The lack of yard power in Belleville meant that a wayfreight was out of Belleville somewhere on CN's Kingston Subdivision. We suddenly passed it switching the compact Cobourg yard. Their pallet lumber and plastic pellet cars were just west of the tanker being marshalled by CN 4796-4136 for the trip to Port Hope's Cameco, its destination. Grandson noticing switching at Cobourg:
Notwithstanding the three pre-beered Jays fans that boarded at Belleville sitting just ahead of us, numerous Jays were boarding GO Transit at Oshawa.
Two mothers and toddlers in front of GO 637, both apparently pointing and saying, "Look, it's a train!"
When I rode to Toronto pre-retirement, I could monitor the progress on the construction of GO's sprawling Lakeshore East Whitby Rail Maintenance Centre. It all seems to be in service, with two old soldiers the first to come into view:
The Centre of the Universe, anchored by the CN Tower and a BMW dealership, comes into view from our four-seater, Car 3 quad seats 9A-9B, 10A-10B:
Our day in Toronto was planned to be short. After all, the destination WAS the journey. Ripley's Aquarium was suitably nearby and within walking distance. Disembarking under the newer, brighter train shed:
VIA 2311 (Venture Set 12) was also under the train shed:
First stop - fast food for the famished four. The third level down in the York Concourse, home of McDonald's was successfully found. Happy meals happily consumed, crossing the Skywalk to Ripley's we could see Union-Pearson Express and GO trains. Blue Jays fans were flocking to the ballgame.
In Part 2, we'll return to Kingston and sample the new Siemens Venture equipment.
A graphic record of our trip up and back. What passes for on-time (No 61 arriving in yellow - above) and what passes for late (No 46 arriving in red - below). VIA sent me a survey to complete several days later. I commented on the slow boarding at Kingston and the lack of useful announcements on the platform concerning which car to board. But overall, the trip was convenient, comfortable and reasonably on time. A late arrival would have capsized our barely-three-hours time in T.O.
Running extra...
Not only did this CN Zero is Possible safety train this past week (one of three operating toward Winnipeg, with borrowed private cars decaled Zero is Possible) in the U.S. have wafer logo'd CN 3309, it had a new one - Canadian Northerish logo'd 3331 as well! Original mccoy79 video here. Screenshots:
With heads-up information en route from Jesse, Lion and Malcolm, I caught CN P007 at Collins Bay. My Youtube video here and screenshots below. P008 is Jasper-Winnipeg NSRX cars, video here and P009 (above) from Baton Rouge to Winnipeg, the latter comprising mostly CN's own business-car black & white fleet.
Two run-bys in Northern Ontario. The train from Jasper was laden with even more Private Varnish goodness. Even though the first four cars of P007 were adorned with wet-noodles, not so Caritas, showing a 'charitable' approach. All across the system, operating employees got to ride on the rear platform!
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