Kingston to Ottawa aboard VIA Rail - August, 1986

On August 16, 1986 my Dad and I took a same-day return trip from Kingston to the Nation’s Capital, travelling both ways by LRC. Waiting for No 40 at Kingston station, a westbound LRC consist stopped on its way to Toronto (6915-3458-3362-3304-3364). We boarded No 40 (6930-3457-3309-3337-3365) departing at 0936. Passing through Brockville, a westbound CN freight was working the yard behind 9628-4417 with caboose 79917. Nearby was caboose 79208 and Canada Starch tank car CSTX 41. 

Crossing the Rideau Canal bridge into Smiths Falls, we soon observed a westbound CP freight with 5726-4565-4736 in the yard:

Upon reaching VIA's ex-CN Ottawa station on Tremblay Road, we boarded OC Transpo Orion articulated bus 8504 on the 95 Cumberland route, transferring to GM bus 8817 on the 7 route to visit the Hobby House on Montreal Road. Noted: we disembarked near the Romanian Embassy! We spent nearly two hours and $200 there! The biggest purchase was an Atlas Delaware & Hudson RS-3, decorated in the blue, grey and yellow of one of my Dad's favourite underdog railroads, from its days operating at Montreal and Westmount's Glen Yard. Also styrene, detail parts and magazines. Lunch was cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes at a nearby Woolworth’s, and we were soon returning with our purchases, less adventurously this time, by taxi ($4.50 fare) to the station.

After waiting a mere 45 minutes before boarding No 45 back to Kingston (6905-3466-3322-3372) we took our seats in car 3322, departing at 1700. Also on the Ottawa station tracks was VIA 6790, the last ex-CN MLW cab unit to wear the red VIA nose logo. The consist for No 49 (6763-5562-Thunder Bay) was also visible nearby. At Brockville, CN 5295 and caboose 79677 were in the yard. A pleasant evening trip into the sunset ended our day. The price for our tickets was a mere $25 apiece. My Dad enjoying our complimentary beverage, International Plastic Modellers' Society RT magazine in seat-back pocket, as the evening sun shines in the LRC coach window (top photo). We occupied the last two seats in coach 3322 on the north side, here passing a crossing west of Brockville:

Running extra...

VIA's inaugural Siemens trainset is testing out of Montreal. Unexpected daylight snag by these railfans near Coteau in this Youtube video.

I like to give Syndrome names to repeated events. There is Strawberry Syndrome (SS), Lemon Meringue Pie Syndrome (LMPS), and I'll tell you here about Grilled Cheese Syndrome (GCS). After a Picton train show, we went with my Dad to the Picton McDonald's. There, looking at the menu sign with with its little slide-in letters, I asked my Dad what I could order him for lunch. "Oh, I'll just have the Grilled Cheese", was his reply. Grilled Cheese? Wow, I thought, dementia is starting to kick in! I gently suggested the Hamburger or Cheeseburger, knowing that he preferred to order the least-expensive menu item. No, he persisted, the Grilled Cheese would be fine. Desperate to show his misunderstanding, I cast around for a diplomatic son solution. And then I saw it, way up in the top-left corner. "Grilled Cheese $1.29". The GCS occurs when you blindly insist you know better than another person, discounting their unique viewpoint.