HEP Buffer Car Corridor Consists

While tracking the VIA buffer cars in use not only in the Corridor, but across VIA's network, I noticed frequent changes in the unoccupied buffer cars as well as the passenger-carrying cars in the six HEP Corridor consists. The buffer car implementation began in mid-October 2022, and January 31, 2023 was the date by which the results of the NRC structural integrity testing of Chateau Richelieu and 8138, as well as the CAD tear-down testing of 4006, 6208, Alexandra and Chateau Rouville, were to be communicated to Transport Canada. So that seemed like a natural timespan in which to book-end my tracking of these ever-changing consists.

Included in the six-car (and a few five-car) consists are HEP1 ex-CP coaches: VIA 8102D, 8103, 8105, 8109D, 8110D, 8116, 8122, 8123, 8126 and 8129D, HEP2 Business Class cars 4000D-4009D (except 4006D long sitting forlornly at CAD in Lachine, QC in poor shape) and HEP2 coaches 4100-4122. In December, ex-CP Manor cars Brant Manor, Bliss Manor, Craig Manor, Drummond Manor and Lorne Manor were added as tail-end buffer cars. As always on Trackside Treasure, the 'D' after a car number pertains to "D&H" designation for the schemes applied to refurbished HEP cars: teal/yellow on coaches 4105D, 4111D, 4112D, 4113D, 4114D, 4115D (top photo) and the grey/yellow on the Business Class cars. Otherwise, the HEP1 cars have a blue letterband and the HEP2 cars have a yellow/blue letterband.

The consists presented below are randomly assigned the arbitrary designations HEP1 to HEP6, based on the order in which I first recorded them. Most mornings on the CN Kingston Sub, it's possible to catch up to five HEP consists on trains 40, 50, 52, 60 and 62. Some days, later trains 42, 44 and 45 (above, in December 2022), and still others in failing light later in the day. Some of the latter are heading westbound after being eastbound in the morning. While there is a somewhat-predictable Equipment Cycle that VIA uses, it is not ironclad, and can be altered by operational exigencies. 

Here are the six consists and their progression over the last 3+ months. Notes are at the end:

While some have taken the buffer car implementation as an opportunity to slag VIA, including me when VIA kept the initial issues under tight wraps, the buffer cars have actually made VIA trainwatching more interesting! Some day we will look back at the Buffer Car Bonanza as we do Operation Axle - as just another Hail Mary moment in VIA's history!

Running extra...

Charles Cooper's Railway Pages continue to be a useful website with useful information like upcoming shows, a railway newsletter archive and new railway books. Also an author, Charles kindly helped publicize my books on VIA Rail. He died this past Monday though the site lives on, at least for now.

Cries from the wilderness are already being heard, dreamers putting in dibs on Budd ex-CP Canadian cars. Summer cabin, tiny home, the possibilities are endless. All one needs is good road access, a heavy-equipment moving guy, local municipality approval (optional?), oh and some money. 

I was thinking this past week of someone I knew that had a nicely-outfitted 'grouch house' in his former garage, in which to do his woodworking. Source of heat/AC, concrete pad, electricity, and a bar fridge would do it. He was a Priest, and a father, and a brother, but he wasn't even Catholic, so I guess you could say nun of the above!