...MY SINCERE THANKS!
To celebrate the Scintillating Seventeenth anniversary of my little corner of cyberspace - in which I first rolled out my shag carpet and plugged in my lava lamp in 2008 - I need to first turn to my blog partners whose chocked-full-o-content blogs you've read to the right over the past year. Steve Boyko, George Dutka/Don James/the late Peter Mumby, David Gagnon, Stephen Gardiner, Michael Hammond, Bernard Kempinski, Matthieu Lachance, JD Lowe, Chris Mears, Marc Simpson and Jim Sloan.
Thanks also need to go to all those who read, contribute, tolerate, comment, and most importantly keep coming back week-after-week. If you weren't here, I wouldn't be here. Well, I would be here because I live here, but it would be considerably lonelier for me and leave me asking, "Eric, what's the point?". Instead, I fire up the laptop every week with a fire in my belly (ooh, too many baked goods!) and a burning desire to share more.
A BIG ANNIVERSARY PRESENT
Mere days ago, and nearly four years since the first delivery, VIA's 32nd Venture set made it to Montreal. Here's my YouTube link (screenshot above).
THERE'S ALWAYS A CONTEST
Anniversarially speaking, there are one, two and/or three ways to win! Just answer one or all of these questions.
They all pertain to some marketing initiatives I've been mulling over...
1. Trackside Treasure T-shirts and merch - Suggest a logo or image!
2. Trackside Treasure needs a mascot. What would the best mascot name be?
3. Trackside Treasure soundtrack. Which song title most closely resembles the feeling you get reading Trackside Treasure?
Simply answer by email to mile179kingstonATyahooDOTca, or as a comment to this post. It's just that easy! Entries close at noon Eastern Time, Thursday August 21, 2025. A winner will be randomly selected from any and all entries, and memorable entries will be published in a postscript! Now, rush to your device to enter! The prize will be the oft-desired Trackside Treasure anniversary prize pack!
RULES: There always have to be contest rules - I always like to throw some in to make the lawyers earn their rather steep retainer. Contest not valid in places ending in '-stan'. Odds of winning are roughly one in...whatever. No skill-testing question required. You're alive - that takes a certain amount of skill all in itself! Trackside Treasure reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this contest if in its sole discretion a virus, bugs or unauthorized human intervention occur, or if we find out participants are not being a generally good person with a kind heart, nice hair and matching socks. Not valid in states of utopia or dystopia. No promotional emails will be sent. Heck, we're still shaking our heads that you're still reading this. No applicable tariffs!
<POUR PARTAGER LA PISTE>
Seriously though, if that's possible at this point, I believe in giving back. Oddly enough, one reason I started blogging was because when I began in 2008, blogging was pitched as a money-maker! Turns out it's only lucrative with a huge fan base, tons of posts daily and hosting advertisements. Um, no thanks. So I started blogging my own way, pleased to have no editor or rules. There are inevitably nitpickers, but if I don't want them here picking nits, I can and do keep them out. If it weren't for Trackside Treasure, there would be no loyal Trackside Treasure readers. There would be none of the amazing connections I've made with like-minded readers, and the amazing opportunities and interactions with you that I continue to enjoy. There would be none of the eight books I've created that enabled me to share information with other enthusiasts offline. There would also not be my Nespresso machine and the cupboards full of espresso coffee capsules, my one-each collection of iPhones, my driveway full of electric cars, my 122-inch large screen TV in my great room, nor my collection of fine European cheeses in my grate room.
To give back and to celebrate Trackside Treasure's Crystal Anniversary, I proudly announced The Trackside Treasure Annibursary. Each August anniversary forthwith and thereafter, I will bestow upon a fellow blogger, enthusiast, reader or preservationist group a modest bursary to fuel their initiative, interest and ingenuity in blogging or other activity. The bursary can perhaps be used to pay for expenses incurred in sharing information, research costs for travel or materials or any way the honoree so chooses. The honoree and/or Trackside Treasure will be free to publicize this award as they so choose.
TIME TO CUT TO THE CUT CRYSTAL
The Trackside Treasure Annibursary comes with a curvaceous crystalline trophy inscribed with the recipient's name and year as well as the fancy French motto that describes all railway bloggers and researchers and loosely translates as "To Share The Track". No-one controls cyberspace alone, we need to share: knowledge, enthusiasm and information. That is our lofty goal to which all railway bloggers and researchers ascribe. (Oh, and the trophy is only a jpeg file, so don't look for a soapstone carving, gold-plated trophy or any achingly-weighty tchotchke in your mail, nor some huge brown paper-wrapped package you have to pick up at the post office, or arriving at your door with accompanied by an armed escort. It gets sent to you with domestic First Class Postage!
The 2025 recipient and third recipient ever, is...the VIA Historical Association!
The VIA Historical Association (VHA) was founded in 2020 by a group of dedicated VIA Rail Canada enthusiasts and historians. Building upon the collection assembled by model railroad manufacturer Rapido Trains Inc., the VHA aims to assemble a representative collection of VIA train cars and locomotives to fulsomely interpret the history of Canada’s national passenger railway. The VHA's unique mission includes preserving and restoring examples of VIA Rail Canada rolling stock and locomotives for public exhibition and operation, educating the public about VIA's vital role in Canada's transportation network, and documenting VIA's history through archival materials, exhibits and publications.
As VIA approaches its 50th anniversary, members of the VHA believe it is long past time to celebrate and interpret the history of our nation’s passenger railway. The VHA collection will allow VIA’s history to be preserved, and their aim is to maintain the equipment in operational condition. The VIA Historical Association also looks forward to sharing VIA’s history and in person at railway-related events across the country. VHA members participated at the recent Ocean 120th anniversary celebrations in Halifax.
While VIA modernizes its fleet to serve the travelling public of the future, the VHA will celebrate the equipment, people and stories of VIA’s past. That unique mission, stated on the VHA website is one that is very timely. In the past year, the VHA has not only been able to stabilize its current collection, but also to show it can grow its collection, obtaining several serviceable pieces of VIA rolling stock and rejuvenating them cosmetically. Their acquisitions and activities have been well thought-out, well-done and there is pent-up interest in seeing them well-travelled.
I don't ever see myself sanding the side of a sleeping car, cleaning cobwebs from a coach or asking, "WTF is this hunk of steel?" underneath an F-unit. So, in my own small way via Trackside Treasure, I'm providing some net-equity if not sweat-equity to the cause. I wish the VHA well in its future endeavours, and yes, Endeavour was a VIA E-series sleeping car!
Well-earned congratulations to the VIA Historical Association!
Running extra...
This is a real page-flipper. Rapido's virtual catalogue. There's also a virtual catalog for US readers. There are 28 pages showing primarily US models, 11 Canadian.
First past the post...
Though there are several members on the VHA team, I know the ones I've had the pleasure to meet are devoted to the cause: Steve Boyko, Chris Greenlaw, Tim Hayman, Andrew Jeanes and Jason Shron.
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