VIA’s Light-Rapid-Comfortable (LRC) high-speed train made its debut at Toronto Union Station on July 30, 1981 and was toured by 3,200 guests. Familiarization trips for VIA employees were made from Toronto to Oshawa on August 8 and 9, and I was able to see this train at Kingston’s Montreal Street station on August 12, 1981 before it travelled to London and Sarnia. The consist of this train was: 6901-3309-3308-3306-6904. (David Woodhead kindly shared his black & white image of the display train at Kingston - top photo.) For more photos, see these previously-published posts: the LRC Debut and LRC's in Service. Fully bilingual, LRC translated to French as Leger-Rapide-Confortable.
The first batch of LRC-2 locomotives 6900-6920 and 50 LRC coaches 3300-3349 were built in 1980-1982, with LRC-3 locomotives 6921-6930 and 50 more LRC coaches 3350-3399 built in 1983-1984. Coaches 3375-3399 were converted to club cars in 1985, renumbered 3451-3475. Of these, 3451 and 3452 were re-converted to coaches in 1986 to their original numbers 3375 and 3385, then converted back to club cars 3451-3452 in 1991. Coaches 3373 and 3374 were converted to club cars in 2002, renumbered 3600 and 3601.
Locomotives 6900-6904 were initially assigned to Spadina, appearing for the first time in GO’s Willowbrook yard on January 7, 1982: 6902-5 LRC cars-6904, also 6908 and 6909. An early LRC revenue run was VIA train No 83 on September 4, 1981: 6901-6 LRC cars-6904. The LRC locomotives’ home shop assignments were split between Toronto and Montreal. VIA 6903 was featured in early VIA publicity:
LRC PROBLEMS
Throughout the early years, the untried LRC equipment faced a host of mechanical and operating challenges. Train riders were on board to fix what defects they could. The banking system required constant vigilance and was often deactivated. A wheel bearing failure on December 2, 1983 led to all 50 cars then in service being sidelined six days later for bearing inspections. Bearing replacement was done around the clock, with a goal of having 80% of the fleet in service by December 19. Replacement bearings were stockpiled for use in the next 50-car order.
In April 1988, two LRC locomotives and five cars travelled to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor as demonstrators between Boston and New York: 6907-3470-3350-3357-3358-3363-6909.
LRC LOCOSTORAGE
By July 1990, LRC locomotives were already entering storage, bumped by newer F40PH-2’s. With windows covered by plywood, and air intakes and exhaust covered by plastic, VIA’s Ville St Pierre facility held 6908, 6910, 6911, 6913, 6918 and 6929. By 1991, only eight LRC locomotives remained in service, assigned to Montreal: 6902, 6903, 6905, 6912, 6916, 6919, 6920, and 6921. LRC cars were refurbished between 1991 and 1994.
In 1992, Operation Axle sidelined the LRC cars, returning VIA trains in the Corridor to blue & yellow once again, if only temporarily.
For the rest of the locomotive fleet’s service life, eight to twelve 6900’s would be in service at any one time, with the remainder stored. In March 1992, 6907 and 6917 returned to service. In March 1993, 6909 and 6914 returned to service, and there were likely other temporary changes in status as units were stored or reactivated.
By 1997, nine locomotives were in service: 6902, 6903, 6907, 6909, 6912, 6914, 6917, 6919, 6921.
In August 2000, eight locomotives were in service: 6902, 6903, 6905, 6907, 6914, 6917, 6919, 6921.
In February 2001, there were seven: 6903, 6905, 6907, 6909, 6917, 6919, 6921.
In March 2001, 6909 was stored, replaced by 6914. The last LRC locomotives in service in late 2001: 6903, 6905, 6907, 6914, 6917, 6919, 6921. By September, 2003 the last seven were being offered for sale, as is. Interestingly, 6927, 6928 and 6930 had been stored at Montreal and not operated since 1990.
My last LRC locomotive sighting was on August 30, 2001 as VIA No 67’s four cars were powered into the setting sun by 6921. Bumped by the arrival of VIA’s new P42DC’s, the 6900’s swan song came in December, 2001. Last trains led by the remaining LRC locomotives: 6919 leading Quebec City-Montreal No 23 on November 2, 6905 leading Toronto-Montreal No 66 on November 25, 6903 leading Toronto-Montreal No 68 December 4, 6921 leading Ottawa-Montreal No 30 and 6914 leading Toronto-Montreal No 64 both on December 10, 6917 leading No 27 on Dec 11, and 6907 leading Quebec City-Montreal No 27 two days later. The seven units were later moved to Toronto on CN freight train No 309, arriving at the TMC for storage in January, 2002.
LRC VIA1 car 3461 was painted in a red-white-blue scheme promoting ‘Wireless Internet on board’ in the summer of 2003.
In 2009, a $100 million contract had been awarded to Moncton's Industrial Rail Services Inc. (IRSI) to completely overhaul 98 LRC coaches, providing a more energy-efficient car with a more comfortable interior environment. Initially planned to begin delivery in May 2010, with the last car completed by December 2013, the project was dogged with delays. The first cars arriving at IRSI in Moncton in late 2008 were: 3315, 3317, 3319, 3328, 3329, 3346, 3348, 3362 and 3601. Unfortunately, the refurbishing program would be put on hold as problems were identified by VIA, involving the structural integrity of some of the 10 delivered rebuilt cars.
In March, 2011 the first refurbished LRC coach, 3315 was released from IRSI, in service on VIA train Nos 22/23 in April. Although VIA had produced Business Class ‘prototype’ car 3451, seen below on VIA No 66 at Kingston on March 10, 2014, LRC coach 3315 was deemed the ‘true prototype’ (coach) car, and this prototype designation was the subject of subsequent legal wrangling.
Tendered as a 23-car contract, VIA planned the refurbishing of two Business Class cars to be completed each month between August 2013 and August 2014. In June 2013, Business Class car 3475 was released from refurbishing, the first of all such cars to be redone. The cars now featured 2+1 seating. On October 8, 3451 was released. Eleven of 26 upgraded Business Class cars were completed by March 2014, with the last one expected in November 2014. Cars 3600-3601, converted from coaches 3373-3374 in 2002, were renumbered 3476-3477, with one more car joining the series: 3478.
In the summer of 2015, LRC coach 3368 was tagged by graffiti vandals along its lower body. VIA shop forces painted over the offending ‘artwork’ with a blue-grey paint making this car unique. Evening sunlight on August 3, 2016 shows off 3368's unique paint-scheme (above).
In 2016, seating in the LRC cars was changed, actually returned, to 50/50 with all seats facing toward the centre of the car. This was intended to promote bidirectional consist operation, with reduced need for wyeing. My first observations were coaches 3323, 3363 and 3370 on January 2, 2016.
LRC STATESIDE
An interesting off-shoot of the LRC fleet was a trainset built for Amtrak service in 1980. Locomotives Amtrak 38 and 39, coaches 41-44 and 46-49 plus club cars 40 and 45 were operated by Amtrak in a lease/purchase agreement for two years. Returned by Amtrak, the trainset was later renumbered as VIA 6941 and 6942, 3501-3504 and 3505-3508 plus 3511 and 3512 respectively. In 1988, nine of the ten 3500’s (except 3502) were removed from storage at Ville St Pierre and moved to Bombardier’s plant in La Pocatiere, Quebec to be rebuilt for service on the Toronto-Chicago International, though the locomotives did not operate again. Operating into the 1990’s, and not compatible with the rest of VIA’s LRC fleet, the orphans were removed from service and stored at VIA’s Montreal Maintenance Centre (MMC). The possibility of rebuilding the cars to fleet standards was abandoned in 1993, and the cars were eventually sold to IRSI in Moncton in 2004. In August 1989, Amtrak 38 and Amtrak 39 were moved from the east-end Montreal Bombardier plant to MMC and stripped of parts, being sold to Century Locomotive parts in Lachine, Quebec in late 1990. The 3500’s were retired in late 2001.
Running extra...
No comments:
Post a Comment