VIA Toronto to Halifax? - December, 1979

On the prolific Railpictures.ca website, I recently viewed this interesting Steve Danko photo. In his caption information, Steve mentioned VIA's willingness to experiment with its services, based on anticipated demand, in its early years. 

THE TRAIN IN THE PICTURE

The photo (link and thumbnail above) shows VIA 6539 (recently purchased from Ontario Southland Rly. by the VIA Historical Association) departing Toronto eastward with an eclectic consist around noon on Saturday, December 22, 1979. Steve describes the consist: 

• GMD FP9A 6539
• GMD F9B 66xx 
• NSC-built baggage 96xx CN livery 
• Pullman 1941-built ONR Polar Bear Express coach 836 (ex N&W 1733)
• CC&F coach 5200-series in CN livery 
• CC&F 1930-built heavyweight 577 club lounge buffet car Lake Couchiching
• two Budd-built 100-series coaches in CP Rail livery, vestibules forward 
• CC&F-built 5500 series coach 
• one sleeping car in CN livery.

Well, it turns out I'd seen this consist in Kingston, four days later than the caption on Steve's photo. His photo would lead me to another of the plethora of intriguing VIA historical mysteries I get drawn to like a tractor-beam in Star Wars. For example, the Sceneramics' tiny lettering and reversing the Skylines.

My notes from that Wednesday - at the train tracks near our home from 1530-1615 with my Dad on a snowless afternoon. Did we know something cool was about to appear? I snapped a photo of the unexpected CP coaches also pictured in Steve's consist (below) unfortunately moving much faster through Kingston so I was only able to write down the highlights:

VIA SERVICE IN THE MARITIMES - REVISED!

October 28, 1979 saw major changes to VIA service in the Maritimes and the integration of services. The Atlantic Limited and the Scotian were replaced by the Atlantic. Steve theorized, inviting corroboration, that the train he photographed was a direct Toronto-Halifax scheduled extra, hence an additional departure, though without the white flags required at the time. The corroboration would have come from the supplemental October 28, 1979 Revised timetable. 

In my collection I have the original 'uncirculated' VIA system timetable as well as the Revised-Revise´ (printed in large black letters on its cover) timetable. The only differences I see between the two are the removal of one Toronto-North Bay train and the rescheduling of the Gaspe-Matapedia service. In the centre is a four-page insert on VIA's Fare For All plan. In neither issue is there any mention of a scheduled 1979 Toronto-Halifax additional service for the Christmas holidays.  

But....the February, 1980 issue of CRHA's Canadian Rail had this news tidbit, really an inquiry, with a typo showing Dec. 22/80 instead of /79. Regardless, it's one of the few in-print references I've found to a through Toronto-Halifax train in 1979. Much respect to the T&Y, but were they the fount of all VIA wisdom? I could find no published follow-up answers to support or deny the theory:

VIA's BUSY 1979-1980 HOLIDAY SEASON

VIA passenger traffic was reportedly up 20% from the previous year, perhaps due to the world energy situation and Canadian gas prices topping $1 per gallon! VIA even borrowed GO Transit bilevel for Southwestern Ontario service on Boxing Day between Toronto-London and Toronto-Sarnia! Maurice Simms, PR director for VIA Ontario, said in a press interview that there are a lot of Maritimers in Toronto who go home for the holidays by train. Part of a nationwide advertising campaign that didn't mention specific services, this December 1, 1979 newspaper ad mentions adding extra cars to existing trains, and extra trains to existing schedules:

This article, published in the St. Catharines Standard on November 24, 1979 listed some additional services for the impending Christmas season, though no through Toronto-Halifax runs:

NOW SOME CONSISTS 

In my first book, Trackside with VIA - The First 35 Years, I found several intriguing, long corresponding consists I'd observed in the 1979-1980 Christmas rush. Westbounds around 1245, eastbounds around 1545 and westbounds around 1615 caught my eye. Being on Christmas break from high school, I was spending a few hours each day trackside. On December 20, I observed a westbound passenger of unknown consist around 1600 with the notation 'Combo'. [Was this a baggage-dorm I was referring to?] It became apparent something different was happening around 4 pm each day! 

More consists follow. I will include the photos of the trains if I have them. Otherwise, the photos show other trains photographed by me or my Dad during our Christmas break time trackside. The photos were taken using 126-format Instamatic (L.C. Gagnon photos) and 110-format Kodak Hawkeye by your humble blogger. Most days were overcast, one was sunny, and in the late afternoon in December when these interesting trains were scheduled, the light is already failing. 

I can't confirm the train numbers as correct, but they match the schedule times closely enough for me to give them a 'probably, likely' designation.

We were at the Kingston VIA station from 1100-1400 on Thursday, December 27. Three L.C. Gagnon photos follow.

Looked like it might be a special train, but more probably just No 53 with a sleeper in the consist (above). An earlier eastbound, likely No 44 with 6787-6612-CN 3123 and 12 cars at 1218 as your humble blogger crosses the yellow line!

A late-running No 62 with 6788-6624-CN 3126 and 15 cars at 1333. Sun!

The next day likely No 652, and we headed home from the tracks just after it passed:

On Saturday, December 29, I observed what were probably VIA Nos 43 Engs 6537-6858-CN 3114 with 11 cars;  No 62 Engs 6770-6866-CN 3127 with 15 cars and No 52 Engs 6765-6871-6862 - three of eight trains passing between 1240 and 1400. 

The following day, Sunday's probably No 652 with a Crusader car (below). I noted "running two trains at 4:00 instead of 1 RDC [consist Toronto-Kingston return]

and probably No 655, with 5303 in CN colours:

Monday, December 31 - probably No 652:

Probably No 652 with a 9400-series baggage-dorm and Crusader car behind the power (above) and No 655 (below) on New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1. We made our way to the tracks and were there 1515-1630. At this point, I noted that Toronto-Montreal and Montreal-Toronto trains had replaced the normal Toronto-Kingston-Toronto afternoon RDC.

On Wednesday, January 2, I observed the likely VIA No 62 Engs 6540-6519-CN 3105 and 15 cars (below - taken from just north of the tracks in Amherstview) at 1258, and three minutes earlier No 63 Engs 6784-6762-CN 3125 with only nine cars.

By January 6, I noted VIA 6208-6006-6115 westbound at 1620 pencilling in the notation "No more passengers at 4:00, RDC's now". The extended runs of VIA Nos 652/655 had made their last trips two days earlier.

About the weather...we're currently experiencing a green Christmas. Global warming is playing a part, but the above photos belie an earlier green Christmas. Records show that Kingston only received 4 cm of snow over three days December, 1979 the last being 1.8 cm on December 18. Daily high temperatures were above freezing every day after December 21.

This photo is an outlier. Captioned by me as January 1, taken by my Dad from the earthen berm near the Amherstview water tower west of Mi 182 Kingston Sub. My photo, captioned the same day, is overcast. And I doubt the two of us would be not standing together. It's likely December 30th's VIA No 652. But enjoy the glorious sun! VIA 65xx-66xx are followed by a Crusader car and a CN-painted coach likely 5620, showing that these unusual consists stayed together, likely for the duration, perhaps making one trip each way each day.

SO WHAT TRAINS WERE THESE ?

[I've let the cat out of the bag a few times above, so just play along!] Even though VIA had launched a national advertising campaign promoting additional services for the upcoming Christmas rush, our local newspaper included notice of a Corridor-specific service enhancement. The ad below was published in the December 7, 1979 Kingston Whig-Standard. The existing Toronto-Kingston-Toronto RDC train had its run lengthened on most days between December 18 and January 4. On those specified days, eastbound Toronto-Kingston VIA No 652 would now run through to Montreal, arriving at Kingston at 1545. Its westbound Kingston-Toronto counterpart VIA No 655 would be running all the way from Montreal to Toronto, arriving at Kingston at 1605. Note that snack and lounge services were being provided on these trains, hence the presence of the ex-CN Lake-series Club Lounge Buffet cars in the above consists:

CONCLUSIONS...DRUMROLL, PLEASE

So, having checked the usual sources - railfan newsletters and newspaper clippings of the time, social media and various historical sources - I feel confident that trains observed at the above times seem to indicate that the train Steve and I observed and photographed were VIA Nos 652/655 rather than a Toronto-Halifax service.

Unlike the 1980 Toronto-Halifax direct VIA Nos 111/112, widely described as the first such Halifax-Toronto through trains in VIA history, the presence of sleepers in the above trains seems to be coincidental, perhaps with the sleeper space sold to coach passengers. After all, every car was being pressed into service, according to VIA's publicized plan. Unlike the following year's trains, the 1979 consists show minimal lounge and food-service cars in the consists. Also, no diners, Dayniters and no more than one sleeping car. Where would the passengers eat and sleep on that overnight-plus run? Not to mention the presence of those tantalizing ONR, CP, ex-Reading Crusader cars. I'm sure I would have recorded any additional sleeping cars, even at 15 years old, visibly unusual to this young railfan's eyes.

One other clue - each of those 1980 trains for which I've collected consists had an FPA4 in the lead of the three-unit locomotive consists. MLW's were the usual leaders in service to the Maritimes, and in 1980 operated through to Halifax.

Yet another clue - VIA widely publicized its additional 1980 trains in newspapers, including this column in the Kingston Whig-Standard on December 10, 1980. And it says, another drumroll please, "...for the first time ever..."

I think the above explains what is in Steve Danko's intriguing photo!

Running extra...

Hoping your new year has been good so far! PBS specials featuring Josh Groban, Cynthia Erivo and friends were better than ABC's Times Square and CBS' modern country music offerings.

A cool concept - Home Shops freelance rolling stock. Ever wanted a Cat Mountain & Santa Fe covered hopper? To find out the story behind some of these colourful lines' rolling stock, the Home Shops blog tells the story of each railroad's car release.

Nobody expects websites to last forever. Not long ago, the comprehensive Mountain Railway website of CP locomotive images was taken on by a new website owner. Not sure Ray Kennedy's equally-comprehensive Old Time Trains will be:

A Headlight Dimmed, Ten Years On

A headlight dimmed, a fire dropped, a stack capped, rods lashed to running boards - signs that a mighty steam locomotive had rolled its final miles. 

When my Dad snapped CPR 3632 at Montreal's Angus Shops days before its scrapping, he likely spoke of watching it work Glen Yard in Westmount.

I've previously written about the impact that my Dad's life had on me and others. Before humans began to chisel and to write, it was left to offspring, and to future generations, to speak often of departed family members. They believed that if they didn't, the departed would no longer inhabit the after-life. Now we have biographies, headstones, obituaries and many more ways to mark the legacy of people important in our lives. Ten years ago tonight, we got word...

Trackside Treasure had turned five years old when my Dad left us. I'd already been missing him for years, and I dedicated the year 2014's posts to him. Now, as I write a post ten years on, I think back to his gift of documenting things - family history, correspondence and photography, newspaper and magazine clippings - and I think what kind of blog would my Dad have hosted? Imagine some of the topics he would have covered, and the scholarly, but not dry, and definitely well-written approach he would have taken to each one. His blog would have been the very best blog on the internet.

Both my parents had journeys through the world of long-term care. The least I could do to regularly visit the two people who had given me so much. But it was not always easy. As I turned from Queen Street onto Sydenham Street, the same thought always came to me. I was about to see my Dad, and I would focus on the light in his eyes. Those same eyes that beheld me as a newborn, viewed with interest my little accomplishments in life, that beamed proudly at our wedding and at his grandchildren.

As the Oprah generation, our emotions are to be on full display. What's the danger of that? Our grieving can become the focus, not the life of the one we're grieving. We're no longer a death-marking society; we are now a death-denying society. At Cataraqui Cemetery, looking at the lettering carved into that polished black surface, my eyes went to the linked wedding rings and date that my Mom had had added in the centre. I focused on how happy my Mom and Dad must have been on that day.

You won't often read posts like this on Trackside Treasure, so thank you for reading and thanks for your indulgence. It's just how I decided to mark this date, ten years on. But in the end... 

The headlight has not dimmed. It still burns bright.

Thoughts on Train Shows

Last October, our Associated Railroaders of Kingston (ARK) group hosted our fourth Rail Fair train show over six years (top photo). For two years - 2020 and 2021 - there was no show due to the pandemic.

My thoughts on train shows? It's all about the letter 'V':

• Venue
• Vendors
• Volunteers

I opened the floor to discussion. Thoughts of others:

• [ad]Vertising, Viewing Visitors, Visibility

And there were copious compelling comments contributed:

The rising cost of renting a hall and paying for insurance have made it much harder to host a train show than it used to be. I saw a lot of enthusiastic kids at the Kingston show. There aren't many other ways for kids to get exposed to the hobby other than train shows, and I am not one of the doomers who thinks the hobby should be for older folks only. So, I hope train shows keep finding ways to survive, because they fill a need that nothing else does. - Andrew Jeanes

Kingston Rail Fair 2023 was a small show but it was an excellent mix of layouts, vendors, and memorabilia. The fan demographic was certainly predominantly “senior” but those are the people the “newbies” need to talk to for hobby advice and just stories. I’m certainly glad to have attended. - Merrick Redden 

The Kingston show is still a good show. I live east of Toronto, and the shows out this way have shrunk over the years. I think many of the vendors have aged out and haven't been replaced, understandably. I really enjoy the shows and occasionally travel to attend them. The shows west of Toronto are much bigger and I find more stuff for sale that interests me, meaning old and oldish kits and oddball stuff, which makes sense, as more population means more stuff. These shows seem to have more individuals or club members selling as opposed to dealers or basement-based retailers. My pre-pandemic favourites  were St. Catharines and Hamilton/Ancaster and I plan to go to at least one of them this season. Regardless, the shows are still a nice way to get out of the house and spend a couple hours looking at model trains - Joel S.

Craftsmen! Some shows are glorified flea markets however I go to see/watch/speak to the many very talented craftsmen working on items during the show. I'd pay just to see them. - Doug Bailey

The Ancaster show and sale is another outlier that keeps growing with excellent variety of vendors and private sellers. I’d love to see more 3D printing examples and resources at shows. - Christopher Greenlaw 

Supertrain  in Calgary was forced by the pandemic to be off for three years, and we were blown away by the attendance when the show restarted. We’ll find out if it was a bounce next year. Calgary Model Railway Society aims to make enough to pay the bills, pay something to the exhibitors, and fund the society’s other events through the year. Last year’s show was definitely a financial success. - Jon Calon

I think they are taking a big hit due to the aging demographic of model railroaders. Most kids these days, all of there entertainment is digitally-based. They don’t play with the same toys we did as kids that ultimately led us into this hobby. I still try and walk thru train shows but life happens & right now I’m on a modeling sabbatical, - Chris Carlson

Digital does open up more avenues for kids and young adults entering the hobby. Now they can watch tonnes of train videos on Youtube of trains on-demand without ever having to wait trackside, view thousands of photos of every era without having to go to the drug or book store to buy magazines or train photo books. They can watch product reviews and layout videos on YouTube without ever having to visit a layout or train show in person. But probably the easiest way into the hobby is thanks to the digital era: they can buy models on their phone, without ever having to visit a train show or find a hobby shop nearby. And they can usually find what they specifically want (CP SD40’s, CN C44-9’s, etc), as opposed to taking or leaving whatever they may find in person sitting on a shelf or table. - Dan Dell'Unto

Where I live, there are a number of large train shows, a bunch of smaller shows, plus an annual prototype modelling meet. The smaller shows have been proliferating, and the larger shows have held steady or maybe lost a bit of attendance compared to pre-pandemic levels, but certainly far from a fear of closing. I think the key to survival for both the hobby and for train shows is to find ways to engage the younger audience. With DCC from a phone app, to using Raspberry Pi and Arduino devices to control the layout, to turning model railroading into a game by introducing prototypical operation, I think there's a lot of ways to get people hooked on the World's Greatest Hobby. - Don Head

I'm no longer sure direct exposure to trains are exactly the right vector. Many people found hobbies in the last few decades through technological means. Woodworking, painting, clothing, etc... and trains too. When I look online, I see a lot of young folks picking up this hobby because they saw it online and it triggered something. Mediums change, passion remains. I don't believe in that "dying hobby"... Maybe purchasing broken Tyco car in a Rubbermaid tub is dying, but if it was the entire hobby we wouldn't see manufacturer rivalling to create countless new models of high quality. Nobody invests in a dying horse. When I was young, all my friends had HO trainsets... none picked up that hobby, except me. But I've met many people that discovered it later in life. - Matthieu Lachance

We found in Edmonton that nixing the swap tables helped the show by attracting more vendors, as they weren't being undercut by the swap tables. There is a separate swap meet twice a year. - Brian Griffin

I've never understood the swap meet concept. I suppose some vendors swap stuff with other vendors or customers. I know there is haggling and dickering, because I've engaged in those practices. Hey, everybody wants to feel like they're getting a bargain. During the pandemic, I even hosted my own virtual train show, looking at pictures of items for sale, imagining walking past the tables of the early grain cars because they're asking 25 bucks each. But, then two mixed-up tables of Athearn and cheaper cars appeared at only 5 bucks a pop...hmmm, through the eyes of a self-confessed train show bottom-feeder, maybe a virtual sale!

First and foremost, the 'type' of show will dictate the audience, the response, and success. Most shows are a mix of club layouts, vendor tables, and perhaps manufacturer booths. Some are purely 'swap meets' or more precisely, selling one's stuff to others. Very, very few are Prototype Modelling meets dedicated to one region or railway. 

ARK Rail Fair co-ordinator (above, with his layout at Picton train show) Paul Hunter and I had a chat about the show, its success and its future. Rail Fair always runs with a wait list of vendors. The show venue is suitable for our show format, though divided into two 'rooms' we have overcome the challenge of attendees missing the other room. Hall rental costs will increase, though profits returned to the club and attendance numbers are stable. 

So what is the purpose of a show? Well, judging by the name, to...show...stuff!! That pertains to vendors, clubs, manufacturers, individuals. Is the purpose of the show to recruit people to the hobby? Indirectly. Is the purpose of the show to sell stuff by instilling a deep need in modellers to buy stuff? Maybe. I think its highest purpose is a social setting. Period. Lots of attendees buy nothing, just taking in the whole scene. Without a show, that opportunity is just not there.

With many hobbies and interests dying off (I saw a three year-old in a No Frills shopping cart playing a game on Mom's phone, so not at home setting up a 4x8 of plywood!) steady attendance is increasing attendance, at least in relative terms. Making a profit, by adjusting table cost or hall rental options (one-day, two-day, Sunday) is increasing profit, again in relative terms. A volunteer cadre to help with set-up, take-down, front desk and vendor services is the key.

I could likely start a successful separate blog all about train shows. The number of shows is not decreasing, it seems to be some sort of ferroequinological equilibrium. One cadre dies off, another one starts a new show. Two thoughts that come to mind as I approach any train show:

• I will be happy at any train show at which I can pay my five bucks to get in and find 'that find'. 

• I will again promise myself that I will not buy anything, and I will come home with my two reusable shopping bags filled!

Running extra...

Here's hoping you had an enjoyable Christmas Day, a small slice of which here was watching the King's Speech. Ukraine moved Christmas to December 25. Slava Ukraini! Now it's time, this December 26, to box everything up. 

Coming soon in Rapido Trains Inc. boxes are red TTC subway cars. And in the new year just a few days away, it'll be Rapido's 20th anniversary year. A company history that reads like a rags-to-bellbottoms story, one of their first projects was the wobbly Turbo, which Jason described as operating like a "pregnant hippo on crutches"! They've gone from one staff member in 2004 to four in 2009, now 30, so they're keeping up a good Tempo and releasing models on streetcar headways! (Did I say streetcar??)

No matter if you're celebrating the anniversary of your model train company, your 23rd trip to the refrigerator for leftovers, or the fifth birthday of your pet frog Ferg, on behalf of all the staff of Trackside Treasure and me (well, that's just me!) here's wishing you all the best for 2024. May you have the year that you wish it to be.

Happy New Year!

--Eric

Merry Christmas 2023

Peace. Placidity. Harmony. Restfulness. Goodwill. Concord*

As I sit here on my sofa ruminating and marinating in a beverage, I am at peace. A quick press of the remote buttons reminds me that all the world is not so. The Holy Land is an unholy mess. Homes and lives ripped asunder. Well, at least it's not here!

Or is it? Are we at peace as individuals, as families, as a country, and as a society this Christmas season? I hope so, but I fear not. Until we are at peace within ourselves, the world is a dangerous place full of dangerous relationships. But all is not lost!

My Christmas wish is that we find this Peace. This placidity. This harmony. I will do my part here on Trackside Treasure to convert controversy, to facilitate facts with a smile, to inform introspectively as well as retrospectively. 

This is my annual opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas to my fellow bloggers: Steve, Dave, Stephen, Michael, Bernard, Matthieu, Jim, Chris, Derek, Marc, and Don/George/Peter! One need only read their written and pictorial offerings to see it's a big world out there replete with respectful relationships. All truly is not lost!

Peace. 

Merry Christmas!

And again, Peace.

--Eric

*obligatory Monty Python reference: "On, Concorde!" [Concorde, an arrow with note hitting him in the torso:] "Message for you, Sir!" "Oh dear, sweet Concorde, you shall not have died in vain." Concorde: "I'm not quite dead yet, Sir! I think I might pull through."

Winnipeg phothoggerapher Mark Perry is suggesting members of his photography group post their favourite 5 (or 10, or whatever) photos taken in 2023. Photos do not have to include trains. I thought it was a good challenge and it got me going through my photos from 2023. Here are the ten photos I selected, many of which have appeared on Trackside Treasure.

 

Season's Greetings received so far:

Jim Parker: 

Ira Silverman:

Bernard Kempinski:

Lance Gleich via mail!...

The inimitable Bob Fallowfield and a 

SPECIAL BONUS GREETING from Bob at the Waterloo Central Railway:

Brent Larson:

 From the White River Division crew, Peter Mumby, Don Janes and George Dutka:

Mike Robin's Ontario Northland:

Steve Bradley:

Kingston's own Paul Wash:

John Reay, photo taken at Port Hope, ON:

Meanwhile, at Toronto Union, Emmerson Case:

Who says you can't mix church and scale? Religion writer and model railroader John Longhurst:

Steve Hoshel:

Rapido Trains Inc...

Cameron Wales' moody, foggy Christmas Eve at Brockville station:

Merry Christmas and Hobby Holidays from Lodge 1:87 somewhere between Sudbury and White River - Jeff Keddy:

VIA Historical Association - Glenn Courtney photo:

The Amazing Andre Gerow saying it so well: