Montreal to Halifax via Via Rail

[miyakoji]

A nicely done video about the Ocean overnight service...

 

[Densha]

Is it just me or do the coaches look like British Rail Mk4?

Edited November 6, 2016 by Densha

[Socimi]

Is it just me or do the coaches look like British Rail Mk4?

 

That's the first thing i thought.

Edited November 6, 2016 by DavideTreni

[trainsforever8]

That's actually because they were supposed to be delivered to a British railway but the order was canceled so VIA Rail bought them if I am not mistaken, I read that somewhere I remember!

[bill937ca]

The Renaissance shells were built in the UK and they were refused and then bought several years later. They are hell to ride: no legroom, almost no carryon luggage room and high exposed entrances. I think some of uncompleted shells were scrapped recently.

 

 

http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/our-fleet/renaissance-coach-car

[miyakoji]

They are hell to ride

 

I don't know why this expression never crossed my mind before, but I'm probably going to use it a lot from now on

Edited November 6, 2016 by miyakoji

[keiichi77]

You really get to see the difference in British and North American loading gauge when they couple the Renaissance cars up to standard Budd cars.

 

I think some of uncompleted shells were scrapped recently.

 

You are correct, VIA scrapped 30+ unused sleeper shells, the cars would have cost a small fortune to convert, even if converted the cars are costly to operate over the much older Budd cars.

[velotrain]

_{The Ocean was part of a Maritimes bike tour in 2008.  We took the Amtrak Downeaster from Boston to Portland, Maine, and then the ferry to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  We cycled up the SW coast and on to Halifax, where we had a free day.  Then we took the Ocean to Charny, SW of Quebec City, arriving a bit before 5 AM - I recall the ride as comfortable.  We rode to Levis and took the ferry across the river, and spent a couple of days in Quebec City, before cycling up the St. Lawrence to Sorel and then south through Vermont.}

 

_{VIA cancelled the Chaleur several years ago, and I suspect that this service will never resume.  I did an earlier bike tour around the Gaspe Peninsula while it was running, and one night watched the westbound train get switched into the Ocean at Matapédia for the combined run to Montreal.  As I recall it took over a dozen separate movements to merge everything, and about a half hour.  I rode my bike up and down the platform, trying to catch everything.}

 

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

These are the old 'Nightstar' carriages. This was the proposed sleeper service to use the Channel Tunnel. The concept floundered, leaving the carriages, a specifically modified fleet of diesel locomotives and several class 92 electrics with no work. Already quite small due to our loading gauge, they were made even smaller (and heavier) by the enormous amount if additional safety equipment required for the tunnel.

 

Their weight rendered them useless for domestic sleeper trains, so they were flogged off to the Canadians. They are very specific beasts, not originally built with Canadian winters in mind!