Day One of Real Rails 2025 was spent getting from Kingston to Burlington, ON as well as making my presentation on VIA Rail consists from the early years of 1976-81 and taking in others' presentations. I was expecting Day Two would comprise more presentations after a tour of VIA's Toronto Maintenance Centre (TMC) in Mimico.
The day got complicated by a GO Transit Lakeshore West two-day weekend closure, albeit one that would be lifted later on Sunday to allow for Jays fans to ride to the game! I found out on Thursday, after innocently seeking some trip advice online, that this closure was taking place. It not only affected activity at GO and VIA at Mimico, but more importantly, my trip back to Toronto Union Station thence Kingston from Burlington! More about that later and in a third post in this series!
The 30 attendees who had registered for the TMC tour, each paying $35 in addition to their registration fee, busted out to muster in a cluster around the bus at 0730 (above). Peter and Cathy Ely are at left, with shepherds Ed Molenkamp and Chris Greenlaw at right. Ed and Chris did a roll-call and PPE check - we had to supply our own for this tour. I wore a white hardhat because I figured if I had to buy one, I might as well be 'a Foreman'! Off we went, hurtling down the Queensway toward Mimico in our school-bus. As in most school-bus trips, there was a lot of excited banter on the way there.
Once we reached the TMC gatehouse, Chris disembarked to meet the security guard, and unlike the GO Willowbrook tour the day before, they were expecting us! There was even a standby list for this tour. The size of the tour was pegged at 30, and we went inside in two separate groups - the other group waiting by the bus outside. I was on Team Frontofbus, so in we went!
We were told there are 25 miles of track at the TMC. The trackage in this section east of the shop buildings is not in use and is where the VIA Historical Association, under whose aegis I attended the convention as one of their presenters, posed their 6539 and blue & yellow cars.
Things were very quiet at the TMC. A few crews arrived and left by shuttle van, but nothing was moving due to the Lakeshore West GO Transit line shutdown. An upcoming post will show where VIA was stabling its trains as a result! The benefit to this quietude was that we could actually hear our tour guide and talk without the din of banging, grinding, hammering, idling, accelerating or other noises necessitating our ear protection that we were required to bring along with safety boots, hardhat, eye protection and safety vest!
Outside: 905, 6421 (went out on the Canadian October 23), 4116, 4118, 8119, 8135, Butler Manor, Set 17.
We met David Imbeault, VIA’s Government, Community, and Indigenous Relations Officer who travelled from Montreal just for this tour. He accompanied our tour guide, Jose Morales the TMC's Manager, Mechanical and Maintenance. Jose has been with VIA for 15 years, previously a car technician and equipment maintenance supervisor. He was most approachable, answered all questions, did not dispense corporate spin, and if he didn't know the answer, would phone a colleague to get it!
After being welcomed and the obligatory safety briefing (first aid, muster point, active shooter), we entered the TMC offices, noting a plaque and classrooms named after the three VIA crew that perished in the 2012 Aldershot incident. We were told we could take photos but not employees. A tour participant asked if we could access the Siemens simulator. I thought chances would be slim to nil. Slim had left town, so the best I could do was a highly-reflective photo through the glass hallway window.
We then entered the first shop building. Inside: Business Class car 4005 jacked, 4103 sitting over the drop pit nearer the roll-up door, Venture Set 21 one track over.
There ensued a discussion that showed the relative age of our tour participants to our tour guide. When someone does an instantaneous internet search for 'marker lamp brackets', Jose admits he had no idea what those fixtures were until that moment. Use it, or lose it, or don't lose it. They're still there!
Peter kindly snapped a photo to show how far we'd ventured into the shops:
Set 21 with windshield being repaired. Jose noted that ongoing issues with windshield cracks and supply-chain issues were being resolved by bolting, not gluing, new windshields into place.
I have a proclivity for saving what some would call scrap lumber, considered unusable. Apparently I'm not the only one - see how handy scrappy pieces of 2x4 can be?
Do these look like windshields to you? Their location next to the above makes me think this is where Venture windshield replacements get done.
Our tour passing 4005 then 4103:
Passing the end of the drop pit, we exited into nice fall morning sunshine, eventually finding locomotive 2217 on the other end of Set 21. The new run-through Venture service building begun by Buttcon over two years ago has risen at left, after two TMC bays were demolished to make way.
Walking west, we passed 6421 which went west on No 1 the following Wednesday.
West-end doors of the Venture building (below). Jose confirmed that staff training was well underway, meaning that maintenance on Venture sets could be done here, no longer limited to only watering and fuelling when Ventures started frequenting the TMC. Siemens staff and resources were on hand if needed, all part of a contract with the global transportation conglomerate. The key missing piece for the TMC was still the stand-alone Wheel Lathe Facility, not yet completed. Any such work required meant the Venture set still had to be sent to the MMC.
If VIA 1 begat Business Class, this carried small businessmen:
I took a moment to reflect on my tour experience. Literally. At home I have a room full of mirrors and sometimes I go there...just to reflect.
HEP2 cars 4102, ?4109, 4120 and six others:
Looking back at the new Venture maintenance building.
Back inside, we had another Venture to venture past. This is the most ill-fated and also most elusive set to be seen, Set 1. After its delivery in September 2021, the set was tested primarily between Coteau and Ottawa, later wending it way westward through Kingston in April, 2022 and again that summer. Then, as other sets arrived, Set 1 stayed in Montreal. There were various reports of it being used as a test bed, for troubleshooting, even for a parts source, or that its sensors had been fried and then a report in July, 2024 that the set was so messed-up that it was going back to Siemens' plant in California! On November 12-13, 2024 Set 1 was towed to Toronto. It's unknown when it moved inside. Plastic still covers coach seats!
Walking alongside Set 1, Jose answered numerous questions, soon summoning the team lead for rehabilitating Set 1 who kindly answered yet more questions and granted our group access to the cab. All who wanted could take photos inside and/or have their photos taken at the controls!
After initially eschewing access, I climbed the steps for okay, one cab photo:
Thanks again, Peter!
Set 1 was inside the shop and actively being worked on to resolve long-existing problems. The set has still not been officially accepted by VIA, though SIIX reporting marks on the car side numbers have been removed. A locomotive cab view with Set 31 (above).
This is one long building, with room for two Ventures nearly end-to-end!
Unknown (unreadable number) baggage car at left. At this point, while waiting for the other tour group to re-emerge, we spent an enjoyable hour outside in the sunshine talking trains and trips, imagining passing GO trains and VIA switching, with the only movement being a Trackmobile pushing a couple of covered hoppers to Lantic Sugar.
Heading back to the hotel, we passed VIA 6251. The bus driver kindly agreed to stop on the access road on our way out. The bus seemed to tilt on its springs as almost everyone crossed the aisle and lowered windows to get The Shot. I stayed in my seat, having caught its prior movement west, enjoying photographing the photographers instead!
Buttcon's construction entrance and railfan-unfriendly construction fencing as we start heading back to the hotel:
Lantic's spurs ending at New Toronto Street, south of the TMC:
As in most school-bus trips, there was a lot less excited banter on the way back. A third post in this series will profile how I got myself to and from Toronto. It was not stress-free, unfortunately!
Running extra...
It's been said that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language. Same in Canada. Apparently the recent government shutdown* has led to US air traffic controllers "calling out sick". Well, I've never called out sick before, but I have called in sick several times. There may have been a time I called out in discomfort before calling in sick. (*Maybe it should be called a startup?) Our two great nations also can't agree on the date for Thanksgiving. Is it October or November? Perhaps the US celebrates New Year's Day in February? Or Labour Day in December?
You know Springer, and Scherzer, and Bieber and Barger...
Schneider, Santander the list gets even larger...
But do you recall?
The Jays' biggest slugger of all?
'Vladdy' Guerrero Junior had a very pow'rful swing,
And if you stood near home plate, you would probably hear it ding,
All of the other players used to have good at-bats,
But when Guerrero homers, please stand and remove your hats.
In the fifth World Series game, 'Yesavage!' they did shout!
Freddie, Shohei, Teoscar and Mookie - he soon struck them out!
Then came Game Six and Seven, - to the Skydome they went in,
This is one World Series the Blue Jays deserve to win!
Goviaorgohome has been virtually wrapping VIA locomotives to support team that currently inhabits Spadina (1978/present image from Historic Aerial Imagery Toronto - above):
First past the post...
Many thanks to Chris Greenlaw for his nearly two years of effort, working with VIA to secure the Toronto Maintenance Centre tour for Real Rails 2025!
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