A Quick Trip to Montreal, 1996

On August 22, 1996 I made a quick trip to Montreal*.

VIA No 52's four-car consist was led by 6919 and I was effortlessly ensconced in coach 3339 after boarding at Kingston at 0910. At Brockville, CN 3576 was coupled to VIA 6427! Two CN units could be seen switching the DuPont operation at Maitland. We met two long westbound CN freights and a westbound VIA train between Cornwall and Lancaster. Ottawa-Montreal VIA No 32 was waiting to join the CN Kingston Sub at Coteau Junction, where we met another westbound. 

A westbound CP freight on parallel tracks through Ste Anne de Bellevue was led by CP 5630-5590, with a blue leased unit between them. At Pointe Claire, MUCTC 1304 was leading three gallery cars and two CC&F single-level coaches. At Dorval, a westbound CN freight: CNNA 6024-5063-9484-9xxx. CN 7016-7022 were at Hibernia with a long cut of well cars (top photo). 

CN 7277-slug 277 were at Pointe St Charles, where former VIA Carleton Club was serving as a stationary office inside the curve (below) with Montreal's downtown skyline fast approaching. I noted VIA 6907-3467-3460-3320 in Central Station - ontime arrival at noon.

Inside the station just after a McDonald's supper but just prior to boarding No 69, the Departures board lists my train just above No 14 set to depart shortly thereafter.

Soon enough, it was time to wend westward to Kingston: 6410-34xx-3307-3350...I was in the second car. Our train is leaving Central Station's Track 15, with No 14 for Halifax fittingly on adjacent Track 14, led by VIA 6435-6436: 

SW-type switcher AMF-01 was at Pointe St Charles to serve the AMF former-CN shops there. Speeding past the ex-CP MUCTC station at Valois:

We met MUCTC 1304's train again, this time at Beaconsfield, then 1312 with an EGU and Bombardier single-level coaches at Dorion. Our train met eastbound VIA trains at Cornwall and Prescott - as darkness fell on the way back through Ontario to Kingston.

*I made this trip nearly three decades ago, now. It's about time I blogged about it! Due to the brevity of this post (and the fact that I'm all hopped up on Kirkland K-cups) I've decided to make use of the extra room to include some asterisks** in the intervening increasingly bilious blogging.

Running extra...

• Wait! Well worth watching. Switching on the Waites River Railway (photo above!)
• A new Budd car video - Sudbury to Dog Lake Missanabie

**Watch for something special for Trackside Treasure's 1,000th post. You're reading #997. Here on the fount of free speech, there's no need to worry about the McCarthy Era! This is coming to you from Canada, after all, so comment can mean...well, comment...but Comment can also mean How in French? It's not about me, it's about we, but We also sounds like...yes, in French. Oui! Blogging is a team sport and there's no 'I' in team, though there is an 'I' in WIN!***

Speaking of speaking French, CAD Railway Industries in Lachine now has VIA sleepers Chateau Argenson (below - centre) and Brock Manor (below - left) in its shops. These are the first two cars of a 56-car refurbishing project, formally launched this past week, extending into 2030 and costing $150+ million dollars, comprising all VIA's Manors and all but two Chateau cars. Translation of Scope/Major Systems: Structural and systems repair/Bodywork, interior, electrical, air conditioning, water systems, plumbing, brakes. Image from Global News:

***A common idiom emphasizing that team members should prioritize collective goals over personal ego or ambition. The phrase highlights that a "team" consists of members working together for a shared purpose, rather than individuals acting alone. I could Ask Jeeves about the idiomatic origin of this team-building phrase, but that three decade-old website ceased operation on May 1, replaced by two gals named Siri and Alexa!****

****So it turns out that there IS and 'I' in team. It's hidden in the a-hole and every team seems to include at least one of those!

First past the post...

Kudos to Rapido Trains Inc. for encouraging clubs with their Rapido Trackside Community Outreach (six free cars) and young modellers under 25 with Rapido The Next Generation (a free boxcar) as introduced in Rapido's latest newsletter. There are one or two unonerous rules to participate, but these programs seem genuinely generous!