VIA Rail's 40 YEARS Wraps

An evening at Kingston station on March 28, 2018 gave me a chance to document some of the colourful changes taking place in VIA's rolling stock fleet. We're VIA...it's our anniversary! Well, frankly, any year from 1976 onwards could be viewed as anniversariable! So let's pick 1978-2018 since 1967-2017 was used for CANADA 150. But as with last year's colourful wrap program, this one is getting VIAphiles trackside again! 

One-of-a-kind Business Class car VIA 3476 was on No 44. Since the CANADA 150 logo has been removed, the earlier plated car number now shows above the applied number (above). Quick and dirty, said someone! Who knows what VIA will do with the 'leaves' still adorning both ends of the car, though:

Here's the answer. VIA 3476 at Belleville on May 29, 2018 (Paul Hunter photo). Note the extra grey band at left and central placement of the VIA, compared with coach behind:

Can't get enough of CANADA 150? Well, here's a last, long, lingering look at VIA 6416 on No 68:

The Future is on Board (we don't need no stinkin' capital letters!). VIA 3355 on No 55 -wearing its green cigar band with multicoloured lettering, no lower blue nor green stripe, and the large yellow VIA lettering with 40 Years/Ans logo:

Let the conspiracy theories start about whether there is equal French and English lettering. I ran across tracks to find the city station names on the CANADA 150 cars, but I'll leave this one to someone else. L'avenir est a bord. VIA 3366 on No 46:

I was fortunate to catch both models of VIA power wearing the VIA40 wraps. VIA No 920 on No 46:

Clean and colourful:

 VIA No 3343 on No 46:

Banners with English/French in logo red and white

Notice how the unilingual Years or Ans is part of the tiny logo:

No tripod but a lean against a lightpost will do: VIA 6454 on No 54 at 2004:

VIA 6454 also made it onto the local news. A carload of criminals from Ajax took a detour from Highway 401 onto Lennox & Addington County Road 7 thence east on CN's Kingston Sub at Mi 190! Two hundred yards later, they realized their plight and their auto was autolyzed by VIA No 64. VIA 6454 was heading west and was flagged over the crossing:

Here are the VIA40 first sightings so far: 

Running extra...

First look at Trains and Grains. Bryan, my graphic designer sent the first 27 pages this week, for a layout check. Over 500 photos taken in the Portage la Prairie, MB area 'back in the day'. So Volume 1 - TRAINS is in Bryan's hands. Volume 2 - GRAINS is still in mine and I'm editing and captioning over 250 grain elevator photos. What a trip!

Got rail? Colin Churcher just posted a fascinating post on CP's welded rail plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario.