Happy Birthday, CN Crossing Supplement!

You will not see this post's title on any greeting card. It's an unusual title for an unusual time. One year ago this weekend, CN decided to unilaterally punish VIA Rail Canada by imposing on its new Siemens Venture trains a series of unfounded crossing speed reductions across its Ontario-Quebec Corridor. 

This has caused a year of delays, negative publicity, lost business and over $31 million for provision of  late-arrival credits to its passengers. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars VIA has spent on court cases in Ontario and now in Quebec.

One year ago, I was befuddled and desperate for more news on what was happening. At the time, VIA did little to inform its passengers of the situation, and that lack of information has continued. Passengers still take to social media complaining about their late arrivals, trying to find out which trains are Venture-equipped so they can book an alternate departure, and as we all know bad news travels fast.

This would be a corporate black-eye for any organization, but VIA is a Crown corporation that relies on government funding, one that is introducing its first new purpose-built fleet in over forty years, and it's a fleet that MUST continue in the Corridor as all other Legacy fleets -  HEP, LRC and Renaissance - are slated to disappear in the coming year.

For me as your humble blogger, this has become a legal and jurisidictional rabbit-hole. Once I sought to find out the background, I gained access to public court documents through Access to Information requests, thereby seeing all the supposed proof that CN had assembled, as well as affidavits and documents that VIA had gathered to counter CN's contentions.

The result has been 20+ posts on the Ventures saga. I've been trackside as the first test run arrived at 0222 on 22/2/22, the first revenue run here in 2023, the continuing implementation of Ventures and even attempting to construct on-time performance and serviceability data right up to today...and tomorrow...and tomorrow. My thanks to those who have contributed OS's and other very useful information. I wouldn't say the Venture saga has overtaken Trackside Treasure, but it's certainly made itself at home here!

Who knows where and when this rabbit-hole will end? Perhaps when all 32 Venture sets are in revenue service and the well-worn Legacy fleet takes a well-deserved break and it put out to pasture in museums. Or sees the jaws of an excavator intent on its destruction. 

But this is supposed to be a happy occasion! So happy birthday, redundant and baseless Crossing Supplement! As CN dogpaddles to save face in the public eye, VIA plods along with its Venture implementation and passengers wait for the schoolyard spat to be resolved. Please continue to check back, and with the help of Transport Canada, the new minister and cooler and wiser heads, we won't have to break out two candles for the cake (or pumpkin pie?) next Thanksgiving.

 * * * * *

I'm looking forward to making this presentation in the coming week. Rehearsing it, I'm struck that it contains a lot of locomotive and car numbers. It's not a scenic slide show, and frankly since the audience is likely to be VIAphiles and members of the VIA Historical Association, this seemed appropriate to me. 

There are those who might be expecting glorious photos of VIA trains. I wish there had been an opportunity to include a short blurb or even a full title in the advance schedule of clinics. Perhaps a 'parental advisory' of sorts. I still think it will be enjoyable, I'll try to make it interesting and hey, there will be door prizes!

Pop-up Post: Four Days in September 2025, Day Two

On Day One of these Four Days in September, I was close to home at Kingston's VIA Station. Day Two found me heading west to a familiar crossing - Townline Road at Mi. 193.28 CN Kingston Sub. It was a consistently cloudy day. I was again hoping to catch VIA No 60/50 with its two Venture sets. Turns out I should have left a little sooner. Heading north on Townline Road, guess what cut across the bow?

0856 EB upon arrival VIA No 60/50 (top photo) Sets 18L/Lumi & 2. I consoled my tardy timing with a  timeless Timmies cup and its commiserating, caffeining contents:

EB 0925 CN No 368: First freight of the day led by ex-Citirail 2777.

Mid-train DPU 3177:

0953 WB VIA No 61: 911-3343F(uture)-3xxx-3xxx-3459-915.

Four minutes before No 62/52 passed on the north track, this thing lumbered onto the crossing. Lettered for Platinum Track Services, York ON, the two crew made short work of raising the hi-rail wheels and driving off at the Townline Road crossing. 

Three-point turning and parking beside me, the tandem hi-rail truck was soon joined by a brand-new CN Ford F550 welding truck. Two VIA trains and two freights passed before the crew could head back onto the south track.

1046 EB VIA No 62/52 on north track. Sets 26 & 6. This is a screenshot from my YouTube video here.

1058 WB VIA No 643 on south track. 903-3452-3 LRC cars (like I can possibly get car numbers at that speed!)-3305R(en).

1124 EB CN No 372: 3031-3366. I noticed the engineer dimming the headlights, and I wondered why since the train was approaching two other level crossings west of me. After a few moments I looked to the east and found a westbound freight doing the same thing. MEET!

Meeting westbound No Unknown led by 2860-xx44 at 1124 right in front of me.

The welding truck pulled up to the signal bungalow as the tandem truck headed back onto the south to distribute rail for welders along the south track west of the Townline Road crossing. Both trucks returned, cleared the crossing and headed off by noon.

1158 WB VIA No 63. Set 27 in the all-day overcast that permitted north/dark-side photography! And every train looks like two...a-comin' and a-goin'.

1247 EB VIA No 40: Set 5.

1310 WB VIA No 45: Set 14.

1354 WB VIA No 65: 904-3335-6 LRC cars-3467-912.

1357 WB CN No 271: 8836-2684. All empty auto racks, all the time!

Big Creek Road, just to the west at Mi. 193.68, was another location I'd visited 15 years ago as a Then and Now post.

1425 WB VIA No 65: Set 13. One has to walk the road this far north of the north track to see the limestone abutments, clear of the usual usurping CN stockpiled shrubbery.

1432 WB VIA No 64: 918-8 LRC cars-913.

1456 WB CN No 305: 2899.

Mid-train DPU 3259 lumbering westward:

1503 WB VIA No 47: 6413-5 HEP cars including 4114-4009. The HEP cars' demise was greatly exaggerated. Looks like they'll be supplanting the implementing of the Venture fleet for a while yet.

1542 EB VIA No 644: Set 10.

1612 EB CN No 730: 2945-2821 with thousands of tons of pink productive potash on the pin.

Mid-train DPU ex-Citirail 3944:

Tail-end DPU 3852:

Day Two Total: 6 CN, 12 VIA. 

On Day Three, we edge ever so slightly eastward to elicit and engage every train that can be evinced!

First past the post...

It's challenging being a volunteer. Thanks to John Spring (TH&BHS), Jim Little (CPHA), Glenn Courtney (CNRHA) and Chris Greenhaw (VHA) and the rest of the organizing team for being behind the Real Rails 2025 convention this coming week in Burlington, ON. I'm pleased to be a presenter under the aegis of the VHA, along with 35 others. Of course you'll read more here on Trackside Treasure in the coming days!

Pop-up Post: Four Days in September 2025, Day One

Because this is a pop-up post, the first of five, it receives little effort from your humble blogger once the photos are selected, edited, and put in the post. So little that I'll even re-use some previously-published text...

Like last year, I encouraged my good wife to enjoy a four-day Crop & Create online crafting event that included live sessions over four days beginning last Friday, September 26 with Day Four being last Monday, September 29. The fact that this intense kraftravaganza would keep her fully-occupied during daylight hours - and thereby allowing me some extended time trackside in some awesome late-September weather - had absolutely nothing to do with my enthusiasm. Nothing. Okay, nearly everything. I took the opportunity to visit some previously paid-a-visit-to haunts in the Kingston area and watch whichever CN and VIA trains came by. Over the next five pop-up posts, you'll see what I observed and photographed, listed by time, direction, train number, Heritage Fleet consists and notes.

0820 EB CN No 372: Driving to the VIA station via the Centennial Drive overpass, I could see a freight train stationary underneath. Arriving at the station, ex-Citirail 3979 soon led the eastbound into the station, with 60 cars of grain on the head-end:

Mid-train DPU 3409:

0905 EB VIA No 60/50: YouTube video of the J-train's departure here. Sets 18/Lumi and 28.

0927 WB VIA No 61: 903-3452-3471-3311R(en)-3338(F)uture-3305R. One of the few trains without a locomotive on the tail-end right now.

Walking up to the head-end...

0948 WB CN No 149: 3040-3179. Not much warning and few opportunities to get better light on the south side while waiting in the van!

...refrigerated white boxes with CN container generator...

1033 WB VIA No 643: 6411-3307R-3359F-3364(F 40(years)-3470-3477-6410. All but a handful of LRC consists have locomotives on both ends.

To the distracted trackside photographer (and perhaps the unwitting Trackside Treasure reader!) this bidirectionality gives the impression of twice as many trains! Same with Venture-equipped trains - locomotive on one end and cab car on the other - both ends can appear to be leading. Visible tail-end clues include red marker lights and pulled sunshades.

1111 EB VIA No 62/52: Venture Sets 26 & 23.

Pulling into station.

An eastbound freight stopped up the hill at Centennial Drive overpass got a signal to proceed on 62/52's block after its departure.

1125 EB CN No 372: 3255-2805-2220-2916 with 30 black covered gondolas on the head-end.

Mid-train DPU 2870:

1143 WB VIA No 63: Set 5. One of the four to six trains (Nos 40 and 63 each day, plus some days' 46, 53, 64, 66, 67, 69) this weekend that were supposed to be LRC consists but were instead equipped with Ventures. Perhaps due to cracks and resulting inspections being conducted on the LRC fleet. There were 17 coaches and 10 Business Class cars that I did not observe on any of the four days I was trackside.

1154 WB VIA No 43: 905-3308-3302R-3354R-3478-909.

1210 WB CN No 271: 8917 with a real 'BAMP' horn-2332. Overcast to broken cloud conversion.

1236 WB VIA No 45: Set 19 seen from the south side with John Counter Boulevard overpass in the background.

That sign makes for challenging photo composition...

The view that the yellow line has (above and below).

1301 EB VIA No 40: Set 27.

1316 WB CN No 305: 3882 and mid-train DPU 3904.

1335 WB VIA No 65: 913-3352F-3323R-3371-3366F40-3334-3333-3456-3464-918. One of four daily seven- or eight-car LRC consists.

1400 WB VIA No 53: Set 14.

1419 EB VIA No 64: XL Set 24, with two cars added from Set 25 - one of two XL sets and a further DXS 'leftovers' set concocted to try to counteract CN-imposed crossing speed reductions.

1445 WB VIA No 47: 6413-4115D(&H scheme)-4114D-4118-4009D-4004D-919 - prior to September 22's Corridor rotation change, it was suggested that there would no longer be HEP consists east of Toronto. However, most days there are one, and occasionally two! On October 3, Nos 48 and 54 were combined from Toronto to Ottawa: P42-5 HEP and P42-5 HEP-P42! 

1603 WB VIA No 67: 902-3455-3466-3314R-3353F40-3316F40-3370-3350F40, one of only four P42's still in original paint (901, 902, 915, 917).

1637 WB VIA No 645: Set 21.

I returned to the station during my good wife's online evening classes after supper. I wanted to capture as many LRC and Venture numbers as I could, up-close.

1810 EB VIA No 46: Set 20 working off the north track.

Forget the end views of Ventures - I needed at least one photo showing the true raison d'être for these trains - embarking and disembarking passengers after all. Or as VIA clumsily calls it, boarding and de-boarding!

1848 WB VIA No 647: Set 29, behind which non-stop No 646 passed at speed during 647's station stop at 1855 (with the same consist as the morning's No 61).

1927 EB VIA No 68: 909-3478-3354R-3302R-3308-3325 deadhead - 6415, under a crescent moon.

1938 WB VIA No 69: Set 18/Lumi.

Day One Total: 5 CN, 19 VIA.

Read about Day Two in a this post.

First past the post...

Day Four was to be the debut of the recently-ballyhooed direct express pilot project by VIA. Fellow blogger Michael Hammond has covered this really well on his blog, The Beachburg Sub and I'm thankful for that because his excellent report saved me publishing one. I was hesitant to do so because it appeared about to be a, well, train-wreck. And it was, cancelled on the eve of its debut. I was on hand to see the on-then-off 'express' trains, coming in Day Four's post!