VIA Rail Locomotives – Your Railway Pictures

Older VIA Diesels of Canada
Please note that we are trying to show only old diesels that were produced prior to 1990

Note: The VIA Railiners are shown on a separate page

This notice was posted inside the Calgary VIA station prior to abandonment in January 1990 as well as all the VIA stations west of Winnipeg.

This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones

A small crowd gathered at the 11 St x 9 Ave crossing downtown Calgary (Mile 1.1 CP Laggan Sub), to witness the departure of the very last westbound VIA train to
Vancouver after supper, January 16th, 1990. The Calgary VIA Station was thereafter forever closed (see my station page http://yourrailwaypictures.com/TrainStations\
/indexCentral.html )

Passenger service between the two cities was started by the Canadian Pacific Railway
in 1883, as a way of bringing visitors to their luxury hotels in Banff and Lake Louise. Before 1950 and construction of the Trans-Canada Highway, the CPR was the main
way of travel to Vancouver through the Southern Rockies. In 1978, VIA Rail took
over all transcontinental passenger service and now operates out of Edmonton,
(2 hours north of Calgary) thorough Jasper on CN track.

F40PH-2 locomotive VIA 6453 was built by the General
Motors Diesel Division of London, Ontario (EMD) in May 1989 (Ser# A4854) and is
seen here with two headlights. It acquired a third one early in the 2000s, to match the
rest
of the fleet. VIA 6453 was one of the last F40PH-2 locomotives to be rebuilt in
November 2012 by Cad Railway Industries http://www.cadrail.ca/; emerging as
an F40PH-3 with the current VIA “Renaissance” scheme. Sharp eyes will notice change
of horn and a new bulge in the back to accommodate a small generator used as
Head End Power (HEP) to provide extra electricity to the coaches.

View the loco with its third headlight at http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=384382
&nseq=11 and in the “Renaissance” scheme, at http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=484646
&nseq=0

VIA’s LRC

The Turbo Train

	On a bitterly cold day just before Christmas, VIA’s “Ocean” from Moncton crosses the Lachine Canal as it approaches Central Station in Montreal. Although a heavy train, swollen with holiday travelers, No. 15 is on time…arriving just after a similarly sized “Atlantic” from Halifax. Soon, Wellington Tower will be setting switches and lining signals for a THIRD train from the east…”the Chaleur”, a seasonal extra that only runs from Gaspe at Christmas and New Year’s. Those not staying in the Montreal area will be able to make connections for trains to Ottawa, Toronto and other points in Ontario or make the long trip to Vancouver on “the Canadian”. So much has changed in the 29 years since this photo was taken
This picture was submitted by John Eull Dec 24 2013
	VIA 3 (Super Continental ) just west of the station site (highway overpass in background) of Rainbow BC. This picture was taken by Phil Mason and submitted by Jean Guy Hamel, Quebec, Canada
This picture was taken by Phil Mason and submitted by Jean Guy Hamel, Quebec, Canada
	Leading the “Canadian” VIA 6408 has just left Lake Louise and is now at the Great Divide on the Alberta-BC border, late 1980s. In about 10 minutes, the train will pass through the upper portal of the Lower Spiral Tunnel, westbound to Vancouver. This portion of the line saw the first Canadian Pacific Railway train, back to 1883. Above the hill to the left is the Trans-Canada Highway. Sink Lake is to the right. The Trans-Canada Highway we know today didn’t exist there before the early 60s and trains were the only way through. Passenger service on the line was abandoned in January 1990 and VIA trains now travel through Jasper. In heavy use day and night, the tracks continue to be used by CP freight and other special runs.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA 6436 and VIA 6454 on July 16th, 2010, from the Young Avenue overpass in Halifax, just leaving as #15 (The Ocean) Previously known as the “Ocean Limited”, is is the oldest continuous “named” passenger train running in North America, starting in 1904 with the Intercolonial Railway of Canada (IRC), which became the Canadian National. VIA took over train operation in 1978 on the overnight trip to Montreal, which takes 21 hours in either direction, the counterpart being #14. The train runs 3 times per week (down to the former 6 times a week) and covers 1,346 km (836 mi). Its main consist is most always composed of “Renaissance” cars, with a “PARK- named dome at the tail end. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_(train) (At the beginning of 2014, there was talk of either modifying or abandoning the service) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/end-of -the-line-for-daily-via-rail-service-in-maritimes-1.1146257 Photo: Massey F. Jones
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	Freshly outshopped, VIA 6436 and VIA 6454 lead the VIA Rail #15 (The Ocean) out of Halifax. The FPH-2 locomotives were manufactured in 1989, by General Motors Electromotive Division, in London. Ontario. SerialA4837 became VIA 6436 and Serial # 4855 became VIA 6454. After toiling on “The Canadian” and other trains, both were rebuilt as FPH-3; VIA 6436 in January 2010 and VIA 6454 in March 2010. Along with repainting and the addition of a third headlight; the rebuild made them “green”, as boldly painted on the side of each loco.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones

	VIA 6307 CP Laggan Sub Calagary AB Aug 1998 “The Canadian” out of Calgary.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA 6550 just departing the Calgary downtown core westbound with “The Canadian” in the mid 80s. What separates this engine from the rest of the fleet is that it had a long life and eventually led the “Royal Canadian Pacific” luxury train. The 6550 was built in 1953 by General Motors Diesel as CP 4099. It was renumbered to CP 1400 in 1954 and See my page: http://yourrailwaypictures.com/OldDiesels/index-CP.html sold to VIA Rail in 1978, who renumbered it 6550. Its next move was to the US as Nebkota NRI 55. Canadian Pacific Railway reacquired it in 1998, renumbered it CP 1400 and used it to head a crack train, along with the 1401, seen somewhere else on the page in the Great Hall at the Calgary RCP Headquarters.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA EMD FP9a #6510 This old VIA train is located at the Kaministiquia River Park, Thunder Bay Ontario.
Tim Lukinuk, Thunder Bay, ON

	VIA #3 (Super Continental ) Tail End Rainbow BC.
This picture was taken by Phil Mason and submitted by Jean Guy Hamel, Quebec, Canada
	VIA #3 at Snaring AB
This picture was taken by Phil Mason and submitted by Jean Guy Hamel, Quebec, Canada
	VIA #3 at Snaring AB
This picture was taken by Phil Mason and submitted by Jean Guy Hamel, Quebec, Canada

	VIA 1418 “VIA #1 The Canadian” exiting a small tunnel, just west of the famous Spiral Tunnels, heading for Vancouver. This picture was taken in 1978 just after VIA took over the CPR passanger trains
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA FPA4, 6776, at Brantford, Ontario; September 1980. VIA Rail was then only 2 years old. Notice the difference in livery between the two cars. At the back is CN 1247, an SW1200RS switcher equipped with Flexi-coil trucks and the same tractive power as the larger GP-9 units.
his picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	Likely leading a railfan trip in December 1978, as evidenced by the flags and persons looking out of the baggage car is VIA 6782 making a runpast; usually before the right of way is abandoned. The alternate is that the train is running in a “freight-only” subdivision, one that never sees passenger trains. VIA 6782 was built by ALCO in March 1959 (Ser#83160) and became CN 6782 before being transferred to VIA in 1978. By 1989, all FPA-4 locomotives had been abandoned by VIA about as fast as they could replace them with their brand news F40PH-2 locomotives. About 18 of the VIA FPA4 locomotives were preserved in Canada or sold in the US to lead dinner trains. VIA 6782 wasn’t selected.
Massey F. Jones collection
	VIA 6506 in front of Lake Louise Station when it was in use, prior to 1990. Right of the train is the “High Line”, used by westbound trains, while eastbound continue using the track that 6506 is running on. 6506 was rebuilt to Algoma Central 1751 then sold for disposal. View it in its AC paint at http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=315949
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA EMD FP9A Southbound along the Don Valley in September 1980, probably out of Moosonee, Ontario into Toronto Union Station; leads cars in Ontario Northland, CN and VIA liveries.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	After VIA Rail 6512 has passed this crossing, it will be at the end of the Banff station platform on September 30, 1985, leading the CANADIAN eastbound. Note the cable coming out of the nose into each ditch light which, at that time, were just coming into service on long range trains. Most of the CN/VIA 6500 diesel units were rebuilt into the VIA 6300 series and all were either retired or sold by 1992
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	Not yet sporting permanent ditch lights. VIA 6514 is at the CN Calder Yard in October 1984; with CN 9173, still in the red-nose and noodle paint scheme in the far left background. Calder Yard is now known as “Walker Yard” and situated in Edmonton. 6514 continued in passenger service with VIA Rail until the early 1990’s, when it was stored and put up for sale due to the VIA cuts at that time. It was then purchased handle excursion passenger service on the Algoma Central (AC) Railway, becoming AC 1762. Presently, it is at the Alberta Railway Museum (ARM) in Edmonton. View it in AC livery at http://www.albertarailwaymuseum.com/about-us.html
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	Westbound VIA 6566, just short the Banff AB station platform, with “The Canadian”, early 1980s. It is rebuilt from ex-CP/VIA 4066/1422. The original VIA 6566 was destroyed at Hinton, Alberta http://blog.traingeek.ca/2011/02/remembering- hinton-disaster.html
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	6304 is a remanufactured FP9, formerly CN 6509, built in December 1954 (Ser# A639). It was sold to IFE Leasing of Saugus, California in 2002 for use in movies or excursions. A view of 6304’s new home is shown at: http://www.movie-trains.com/recentacq.html
This picture was submitted by Massey F. Jones
	This “Made in Canada” PVC penny bank was offered for sale to VIA Rail customers, in the late 70s for $7.00, as a promotion for their VIA logo, then just entering service on passenger trains. The coin bank was made in Canada and costs $7.00; probably around $20.00 today.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	A close up showing the slots in the bank
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones

	CN 6516 VIA Tecumseh Ontario May 1977

	CN 6526 VIA No 81 at Hyde Park 6/25/77

	CN 6524 VIA No 84 at Hyde Park 6/25/77

	VIA Rail EMD FP9A Near London Ont. Sept 1989
This picture was submitted by Jim Parker and is part of the “Frank Smeltzer Collection”
	VIA Rail EMD FP9A #6506 Near London Ont. Sept 1989
This picture was submitted by Jim Parker and is part of the “Frank Smeltzer Collection”
	VIA Rail EMD FP9A #6305 London Ont. Sept 1989
This picture was submitted by Jim Parker and is part of the “Frank Smeltzer Collection”
	During the transition of passenger service from CP and CN to VIA Rail, the motive power paint was a mix of just about everything. This train is out of Toronto around 1978.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones

	There is more than meet the eye in this view of VIA #1, westbound out of Calgary, early winter 90s (Kodachrome slide not dated). Leading is VIA 6423, no longer of this world. It was wrecked with injuries at Thamesville Ontario on April 23, 1999 and retired the following July. A very lenghty report of the accident plus technical photos of the wreck and diagram is available at http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/ Helper GP38 CP 3014 is apparently still in service somewhere VIA 6510 is dislayed in a park in Thunder Bay Ontario. View a picture of her at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx And 4th from the head end is, the steam generator; a relic of past railroading, when steam provided all heat we appreciated in the dead of winter.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	A fine picture of VIA F40PH-2 #6447, about 2 miles west of Calgary shortly before it was wrecked at Biggar Sask in November 1997; while leading “The Canadian” #2 (eastbound) and retired in 1998. Here is a summary of the Transportation Safety Board findings: On 03 September 1997, at approximately 0150 mountain daylight time, VIA Rail Canada Inc. Train No. 2, travelling eastward at 67 mph, derailed at Mile 7.5 of the Canadian National Wainwright Subdivision, near Biggar, Saskatchewan. Thirteen of ninetee cars and the two locomotives derailed. Seventy-nine of the 198 passengers and crew on board were injured, 1 fatally and 13 seriously. Approximately 600 feet of main track was destroyed. The Board determined that the derailment immediately followed the fracture of the lead axle on the trailing locomotive. The axle fractured as a result of an overheated traction motor suspension bearing that failed due to a lack of lubrication Read more and see an official aerial view of the wreck (with the cars all numbered) at http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/1997
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA F40PH-2 #6447, about 2 miles west of Calgary shortly before it was wrecked at Biggar Sask in November 1997
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA 6402 eastbound somewhere around Mileage 125.0, CP Laggan Sub around 1987. It emerged from Upper Spiral Tunnel inside Cathedral Mountain to the left about 10 minutes ago and will shortly reach Lake Louise. VIA Service on the line was abandoned in January 1990. To the very right is the Trans-Canada Highway. The roof of a camper can be seen above the grass berm.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones

	The English language version of a Bombardier promotion pamphlet, for its LRC train. Its French language counterpart is partly seen behind as a separate issue. Each opens in 3 large panels, with several photos and charts. When folded, the handout is 8 ½” x 11″ and printed on glossy heavy weight paper on both sides. To understand the LRC concept, we have to start at the beginning. The LRC was designed to be the direct competitor to the United Aircraft “Turbo Train” (shown on this page), then on the way to retirement. The name “LRC” was selected, so that it could translate well in French and English. In French, it is “Léger Rapide Comfortable” or the “Le train LRC” for short. Rather than being one which operated with a jet aircraft engine such as the Turbo, the LRC was going to use a standard “off-the-shelf diesel engine , as well as an aluminum frame and have a tilt mechanism on curves. The tilt mechanism was its strongest selling point but it encountered several problems before being redesigned. Bombardier (pronounced Bom-bar-dee-ay), a maker of recreational products (the “Ski-Doo”), purchased Montreal Locomotive Works (at 1505 Dickson St in east end Montreal) in 1975; so that it could acquire the manufacturing rights for the ALCO/MLW diesel engine and use it as the basis for its locomotive. The LRC was conceived in 1968 by a consortium of Dofasco, Alcan and Montreal Locomotive Works (later Bombardier). While Bombardier’s main contract was mainly with VIA Rail for the production of a lightweight train for use within “The Corridor” (Windsor-Quebec City) for high speed operation on existing track, to units were specifically built for Amtrak in the US (# 38 and 39). All units were B-B locomotives (European BoBo), and all used the same power plant. Bombardier produced 31 LRC locomotives between 1981 and 1984. Two models were destined for VIA Rail: the LRC-2 (6900-6920), built 1981-82 and the LRC-3 (6921-6928), built in 1983. VIA LRC locomotives and coaches operated steadily in Ontario and Quebec, until about 1988, when problems, which required extensive maintenance were encountered. Gradually, most of the locomotives were withdrawn from service and only 2 were preserved in Canada. Ex-VIA 6921 is at ExporailThe Canadian Railway Museum at St. Constant QC (just south of Montreal) and ex-VIA 6917 is now an artifact of the Toronto Railway Historical Association (TRHA). There’s a video of the 6917 being started up after 13 years at: http://www.trha.ca/LRC/ and a photo of the 6921 at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=604368 Other locomotives were put up for sale “as is, where is”. Most of the LRC coaches were upgraded and kept by VIA Rail and now used behind the newest VIA P42C locomotives, mostly within the Corridor for business travelers.
Massey F. Jones collection
	The tilt mechanism of each car on the curve was the LRC’s biggest seller; designed to provide a smooth ride on freight track in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor More at http://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php?title= Bombardier_LRC as follows: “The trains were intended to increase the speed of passenger train service over conventional non-high-speed railway tracks. They do this using active-tilt technology to reduce the forces acting on passengers when a train travels at higher speeds around a curve in the railway tracks, and thus increase passenger comfort without the need to build new, straighter tracks as is required for high-speed trains ¨C892C ¨C893C ¨C894C ¨C895C ¨C896C ¨C897C ¨C898C ¨C899C ¨C900C ¨C901C
Image from the Bombardier promotional pamphlet – Massey F. Jones collection
	A view from LRC cab is included in the Bombardier promotional pamphlet.
Massey F. Jones collection
	The front and back of the welcome card for the LRC, with snack service prices on the reverse. Beer was $1.75; tea coffee, milk, soft drinks and fruit juice were all 65¢ and cigarettes (when it was still p ermissible to smoke on trains) were $1.65 per pack. The card measured 5 ¼ x 11 inches (13.5 x 28 cm). In addition to showing the seat features, it indicated how to work the individual reading lamps. Wi-Fi and plug-ins was not yet a feature of the LRC train.
Massey F. Jones collection
	There was some also some interest expressed in the US. Two locomotives and ten coaches were leased to Amtrak for testing in the Northeast and Midwest between 1980 and 1982. The Northeast tests were mostly on the “Beacon Hill” train, between New Haven and Boston. In the end, due to restructuring and other factors, Amtrak declined an option to buy the LRC units and they were returned to Bombardier. Here, we see a telephoto shot of former Amtrak demonstrator #38 in primer paint against a wall in of the Bombardier plant on November 1st, 1983. Note the way the number was applied to the side and a red tail light on top of the cabin. View an excellent shot of it in AMT livery at: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id= 69783&nseq=2 and being put into position with its cars for departure, by RS-3 unit AMT 144, at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx ?id=2600656
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	VIA 6911 leaves Ottawa in this undated shot of the mid-1980s. View photo of some “dead” LRC locomotives on a bit of track, at http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id= 3902958 There was one destined for South Africa but it never made it there after being modified electrically and fitted with narrow gauge trucks. http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=5630
Massey F. Jones collection
	VIA 6911 leaves Ottawa in this undated shot of the mid-1980s.
Massey F. Jones collection
	VIA 6911 leaves Ottawa in this undated shot of the mid-1980s.
Massey F. Jones collection
	Some of the yard of the Bombardier plant at 1505 Dickson St, in east-end Montreal, on November 1st, 1983. Visible (L to R): CN 2104, AMT 38 and AMT 39 and VIA 6923. Bombardier eventually sold the plant to General Electric and the building went through a series of transitions including a fire, after which the entire area was razed and a brand new building constructed on part of the site.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	Bombardier displayed this photo to showcase its new LRC prototype (LRC-1). It appears to be having been taken on a bridge between Montreal and the West Island (just past the P-E Trudeau airport). There is a long bridge in the area, in daily use by commuter trains.
Contributed by Massey F. Jones from a wall photograph
	VIA 6923, at the Bombardier plant in East-central Montreal, 1 Nov 83. The locomotive is an LRC-3, the last type produced by Bombardier.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones
	The Bombardier plant; during a winter; shot with a telephoto lens from the nearby CN Joliette Sub. This is a negative scan, taken sometime around 1980. Here we see the LRC prototype (LRC-1) and a MLW M-630W #723, still in the BCOL two-tone paint scheme.
This picture was taken and submitted by Massey F. Jones