VIA Corridor Consists 1976-1981

VIA inherited CN's passenger equipment for use in the Corridor. Consists were virtually unchanged from the CN era, including baggage cars, club cars and meal service cars. Some sample consists from the pre-VIA era:
April 17/76 WB: 6532-6620-9650-Empire Club-5478-5503-2512-5634-5544-5651-5452-5489-5573 (above left).
April 17/76 EB: 6771-6777-9657-Hamilton Club-5642-5529-2511-5654-5598-5531-5620-5498.
June 11/76: 6762-6860-6862-8106(baggage)-Club Laurier-5650-5506-5637-5573-5186
Aug 21/76: 6771-6616-3124-9603-Boulevard Club-5534-5651-2503-5452-5542-5635-5622-3038 (above right)
Aug 28/76: 6788-6782-9603-Boulevard Club-5508-5569-2509-5650-5511-3034-5402-Bonheur(club lounge)

The VIA/CN corporate image was unveiled in April, 1976. VIA could be used in either English or French, and initially implied that passengers would travel "via [by]CN". First VIA-painted cars seen: 5525 on June 21; 2508 and 5437 on October 11; Saint James's Club on November 7. First VIA-painted locomotives seen: 6516 on July 28; 6618 on July 29; 6628 on July 31; 6858 on November 11; 6787 on December 12; 6765 on December 19.

Aug 29/76: 6780-6616-9673-Club Laurier-5649-5473-2501-5648-5602-5587 (above left)
Sept 4/76: 6782-6625-9652-York Club-5537-5636-2503-5452-5610-3032.
Sept 4/76: 6777-6623-6870-5220-9673-Club Laurier-5648-5649-2501-5508-5654-5219.
Sept 12/76: VIA 6516-6634-6786-9653-Boulevard Club-5663-5596-2509-5621-5651-5635-5637 (above right)

CN and CP stopped advertising individual passenger services in March 1977, and VIA was fully responsible for managing passenger services, including all CN's passenger cars by June 1977. Painting was well underway, with May-June 1977 seeing the first all-VIA consist, while all-CN consists could also be seen. Other equipment used in the CN to VIA transition era included the CN Turbos and Railiners:
Aug 11/76 at Belleville 1157 WB: Turbo 126-151 (above left)
Aug 1/76: 6114-6002-6118 (above right)
Apr 15/79: 6351-6001-VIA 6117-VIA 6003-6121

Mar 24/77 6760-6869-VIA 9600-VIA Saint James's Club-VIA 5536-5446-VIA 2512-VIA 5591-VIA 5508-5574-Great Slave Lake. GSL was one of six buffet-club-lounges: Caribou, Muskoka, Ontario, Lake Couchiching, Lake Makamik, in service in Corridor from at least May/76 to Sept/78.

The years 1977-1979 saw most of CN's equipment painted into blue and yellow. In 1979-80, there were still consists with two to four CN cars, but by 1981, many trains only rostered one CN car. The majority of locomotives received the VIA scheme by mid-1980.
Apr 13/79: VIA 6780-6860-6519-4105-all VIA...9602-Saint James's Club-5732- 2512- 5536-5441-5542-5633-434-5489-5574-5452-5573-5580-5631 (above)
Apr 29/79: 6513-VIA 6611-VIA 6624-VIA Muskoka-VIA 5733-VIA Club Laurier(partial consist):

The Turbos were suffering increasing unreliability, and were temporarily pulled from service after an onboard fire on May 29, 1979. The Turbos were replaced by short conventional consists, without baggage cars:

June 9/79 Turbo Replacement: VIA 6537-3112-VIA 5447-VIA 2502-5584-VIA 5504-VIA Club de la Garnison

June 15/79 Turbo Replacement: VIA 6516-VIA Club de la Garnison-5584-VIA 5447-VIA 2506-VIA 5504:

Units still in CN paint had their nose logos painted out, such as 6770 and 6773. The diagonal yellow nose with CN logo gave way to the vertical yellow nose, then red and in a few cases, blue VIA nose logos.

June 19/79: 6758-6862-VIA 9602-VIA Mount Royal Club-VIA 5727-VIA 5571 (partial consist):

By 1981, the Turbo's demise was looming, while the LRC's debut was on the horizon. Some units retained CN colours, such as 6866 and 6867 in October 1982 and some would be retired still wearing them.

Feb 9/80: 6785-VIA 6620-baggage-rest of consist VIA (below, at Benjamin's cut Mi 184 Kingston Sub)

Mar 14/81: 6535-all VIA...6614-9613-5482-5618-2502- CN Club St-Denis-all VIA...3024-5649-9641.

Finally, here comes a matched consist of blue and yellow, passing through the limestone rock cuts at Queens, Mi 174 Kingston Sub. May 9/81: all VIA...6523-2509-5580-5494-5654-Club Laurier :

West of Toronto, CN Tempo equipment carried on, with the Tempo cars receiving blue and yellow striping. June 22/81 Bayview Jct WB: 3150-321-343-367-354-361-362:

Battered CN units helped out too. June 23/81 Bayview Jct EB: 4017-3107-VIA 5433- CN 5423-all VIA...5641-5630-4888-5562-2508-5594-5506-9628

Some all-VIA consists round out this pre-LRC era:

Sept 12/81: 6528-9628-5522-3035-5474

Oct 24/81: 6787-5748-765-5504-5486-5437

Nov 15/81 6533-6635-5542-3200-4888-5518-5465-5504-5641-2514-5737

Those clean yellow noses look pretty good in the morning sun, as the head-end crew brings their coffee back from the club car:

From November 1981 until 1985, VIA's Canadian ran Montreal-Vancouver. Below, an eastbound combined No 2/No 44 makes it station stop on the north track at Kingston. A partial consist of one of the first such trains, totalling 14 cars:
Nov 21/81: 6542-6634-6532-baggage- CN Club St-Denis-all VIA 122-116-118-505-Ellerslie-Chateau Salaberry-Strathcona Park

VIA in its infancy experienced more corporate change than equipment change. While necessary, new equipment waited until VIA gained its footing, although its mandate has remained murky. This brings to a close VIA's Corridor consist series, spanning the six eras of VIA trains in the Corridor. Someday I'll collate all the consists I have from VIA's various eras. No doubt this era's consists would be the most interesting.

Running extra...

Listening to Stephan Talty's Empire of Blue Water. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum, ye dogs! It's the tale of Captain Henry Morgan and some fantastic feints of strategy against overwhelming odds. Buried treasure meets Trackside Treasure.

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Pieces of eight, you say? The Empire Builder, Great Northern's pre-eminent streamliner, passed through eight states, or at least pieces of eight, and was also the nickname of James J. Hill. Omaha Orange and Pullman Green adorned the cars, with the train's name writ large, in script larger than "Great Northern".

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Am I the only person in North America who hasn't seen that freaky movie Avatar? Reminds me of a switching crew's radio transmission about to make the joint "half a car". That'll do.

CP Ballast Train on the Minnedosa Sub, September 1985

CP 5923 is applying sand, with white extra flags flapping, as it attempts to lift its heavy ballast train across the Eighth Street crossing and out of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, at 0930 September 18, 1985. 5923 and 5742 are on the north lead, next to CP's two mainlines and the elevator lead:

Tank car UTLX 312 is carrying fuel, likely for Jordan spreader CP 402892:

Van 434526 is at the tail-end of the 45-car ballast train as it passes CP Rail 382177, Canadian Pacific script and CPWX "Coke can" covered hoppers being loaded at the United Grain Growers elevator. The tail-end trainman is already on the rear steps of the van:

After dropping down to the ballast in the shadow of the elevator, the trainman lines the mainline switch and runs like h&%$ to get back on the van. The train was not slowing down as it started to curve westward then northward.

As the train accelerates its Branch Line Rehabilitation program hoppers across the already-harvested wheat fields, it produces an interesting visual pattern:

Late the next day, a rainy afternoon, a westbound freight behind 5852-8657 pulled into the yard and added 5923 and 5742 to their power consist before continuing westward.

Running extra...

Tracklaying is complete for now on my Vancouver Wharves layout. "Coke-can" grain cars as mentioned above don't fit into my mid-70's era. Banished to storage. Taking their place are CPR 40-foot boxcars, and some idler flats for the Vancouver Island car ferry operation.

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This will be one layout without the cliche' pier/fish reefer/tugboat scene. Also, no non-terminating highway overpasses. I always wonder where the cars would drop off, if they were actually driving on such overpasses, often featured in model magazine articles as scene dividers.

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Ricky Gervais did a ho-hum job hosting the Golden Globes. The only beer-swilling awards show host I've ever seen. At least Penelope Cruz and Kate Winslet were there to save the evening.

VIA Corridor Consists 1982-1986

By 1982, Turbo, LRC and short F-unit conventional consists co-existed in the Corridor. The LRC's entered service in early 1982, and the Turbo's last revenue run was in October.

August 18/82: 146-151
September 18/82 149-154 (above, eastbound at Mi 184 Kingston Sub)
Ex-CP Canadian equipment operated in the Corridor in two services. One was the Montreal-Vancouver Canadian, running as VIA Nos 1/55, and Nos 2/44 Montreal-Toronto between 1981 and 1985. In addition, coaches and baggage cars were mixed with blue&yellow consists.

March 5/84: 6787-612-3229-108-3241-Saint James's Club (above)
May 7/84: 6781-9664-5546-3219-126 (below)
May 18/84: 6775-6867-124-115-118-5580-5569-5504-2508-5532-5649-Club Richelieu-5729.
VIA Nos 1/55 smoked its way out of Kingston on May 7/84:
6775-6863-617-3229-108-5649-760-123-3228-Thompson Manor-Edgeley

A typical westbound consist included baggage, coach, Dayniter, meal service cars, sleepers and dome car for the transcontinental, plus coaches for Corridor service. This westbound didn't include a Park car, with Edgeley bringing up the markers:

LRC locomotives also pulled SGU-less conventional consists in warmer weather, or teamed up with F-units.

May 25/84:6908-6632-617-3234-5558-752-101-3218-Dawson Manor-Chateau Dollier

July 28/84: 6908-9 blue&yellow cars (below)

July 28/84: 6911-5719-2512-5437-5467-5488-3222

Occasionally, CN passenger Geeps powered conventional consists, like this one pulling in to Kingston station then accelerating westward after its station stop:

August 26/84: 4361-6632-602-5458-3217-5594-5487-5595-3202-Union Club

On a sunny October 20/84, 6758 was eastbound with six cars, east of Napanee:

and 6781 was westbound with four cars:

On December 21/84, the pre-Christmas rush is on, and two long trains meet at Kingston at 1220:

EB: 6530-6864-University Club-5734-5447-5586-2512-5483-5516-3216-5700

WB: 6782-6865-York Club-108-5545-5486-2510-5494-5562-5574-3211

Two typical LRC consists pass through Napanee:

February 10/85 EB: 6923-6 LRC cars-6921

March 30/85 WB: 6928-3382-3368-3362-3349-3329

GP-9 4366 smokes it up with an eastbound at Kingston, punctuated by VIA pseudo-markers:

April 27/85: 4366-6624-9653-5452-5618-750-Club Richelieu-3226-5617

July 28/85: 6314 (GPA-18b)-5506-3201-5519-3225-9614

August 31/85: 6540-3223-5455-3248-604-Osler Manor(deadhead)

October 14/85: 6900-6505-5443-3229-5569-3218-5514-5471-3205-5642-3236-5728-5722-5455

On a pleasant June evening, 6784 is lifting a four-car consist westward out of Kingston:

June 14/85: 6784-5647-5452-3243-9616

Soon the F40's will arrive. In the meantime, 6762 has a westbound five-car consist in tow, including an ex-CP baggage car.

Running extra...

This leaves only one more post in the VIA Corridor Consists six-part retro series: 1976-1981. Arguably one of the most popular eras, at least according to our Trackside Treasure survey.

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A couple of interesting blogs to recommend. Will Van Dorp's New York Harbor:
http://tugster.wordpress.com/ and the Open Passage team's sailboat passage through the Northwest Passage: http://www.openpassageexpedition.com/index.html

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Hear that sucking sound? That's democracy leaving our nation's capital as Parliament is prorogued. What's next, should we build a (Red &) White House for our executive branch?