NEW VIA RAIL BOOK: December 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Work Blocks

Work on my book is progressing well. How about a six-hour "work block" transcribing consists, which covered the end of F-units up to the advent of Renaissance equipment? Fuelled by Pepsi and leftover fruitcake, my fingers were flying and my neck swivelling by 0215 hours. I settled my brains for a long winter's nap.

With 1981-2008 covered, all that remains is 1976 to 1981, and 2008 to present. These two remaining blocks of time will tie together the alpha and omega of VIA's existence, linking a CN/CP castoff with tired equipment to a modern intercity network with (relatively) new equipment.

I'm starting to work on bonus features, to round out the book and make it more useful to the VIAphile and modeler alike. Happy New Year and highball!

Friday, December 17, 2010

VIA Christmas Consists

I'll be working on my book over the Christmas holidays. To tide readers over, here's a post from my main blog, Trackside Treasure, originally published in December, 2008.

Elvis sang "I'll have a blue Christmas..." How about a VIA blue-and-yellow Christmas? Bing Crosby sang "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..." Why not a CN black-and-white Christmas?

Extra Christmas ridership usually means that every available car is out of the coach yard carrying passengers homewards and generating revenue. This can lead to some weird Christmas consists. Stormy winter weather, unforeseen delays and heavy passenger loads can make operations unpredictable. Here are some Christmas consists from CN's Kingston Sub, in the CN and VIA eras, each year from 1976 to 1985. Merry Christmas and here's hoping you find some treasure under your tree.

December 24, 1976 1230 E: 3101 - 6633 - 9657 - 5639 - 5394 - 5217 - 5413 - 5423 - 3034 - 5643. Here's VIA 5217 with the early VIA:CN markings:

December 24, 1976 2027 E: (All CN markings) 6537 - 6859 - 3126 - 3109 - 9654 - 5627 - 5589 - 753 - 5589 - 5534 - 4886 - 5588 - 5638 - 5635 - 5471 - 5533 - 2512.

December 26, 1977 1224 E: (Partial consist) 6533 - 3107 - SGU - silver coach (probably one of the ex-Reading Crusader cars that seemed to appear around Christmastime)

December 26, 1977 1302 E: (Partial consist) 6776 - 6871 - VIA 6775 - VIA 9600 - VIA York Club (VIA paint is starting to appear)

December 29, 1978 1330 W (Partial consist) VIA 6516 - VIA 6637 - VIA 6539 - CN University Club - CN 425

December 26, 1979 1545 E (Partial consist) Here's a weird one. VIA even borrowed CP Rail and Ontario Northland coaches for the Christmas rush this year. VIA 6539 - VIA 6621 - CN 5208 - CP 108 - ONR 836. The photo is taken late on a dreary December day, and is mainly presented to show it really happened:

December 27, 1979 1243 W: (All VIA now except as noted) 6761 - 6870 - CN 3112 - CN 5382 - CN 5181 - CN 5491 - 2504 - 5455- Mount Royal Club - Warpath River - 4888 - 5574 - 3032 - 9663. Here's a photo taken the same day of an eastbound Rapido with 6788 - 6624 - CN 3126 and CN baggage car 9604:

December 30, 1979 1546 E: (Partial consist) Another dreary day and another weird one - 6523 - 6635 - CN 304 (silver) - CN 5620 - 5292 - 9483 - Muskoka. This Christmas, VIA was running Toronto - Montreal through trains replacing the normal Toronto-Kingston RDC's:

December 26, 1980 2038 W: CN 4520 - CN 4561 - CN 4560 (stripes) - CN 3118 (stripes) - 15423 - 15473 - 9631 - 5443 - 5449 - 5531 - 2513 - 5298 - 5302 - Empire Club - 3030 - 5652 - 5399 - 5301 - 9632.

December 19, 1981 1203 E: (The Canadian running between Toronto and Montreal, with extra coaches) 6764 - 6619 - 6630 - 612 - Club de la Garnison - 5595 - 5511 - 5654 - 2513 - 5449 - 3215 - 116 - 104 - 507 - 5733 - Chateau Cadillac - Chateau Rouville - Riding Mountain Park.

Here's Club St-Denis, one of the few cars remaining in CN paint, December 1981 - note the steam, stepbox and markers:

Of course lots of passengers means lots of baggage. Here's skis and other items being loaded aboard baggage car 9662:

January 4, 1982 1541 E: 6786 - 6629 - 6521 - CN 3126 - 9603 - Laurier Club - 5726 - 5447 - 5494 - 2503 - 5618 - 5495 - 5558 - 5610 - 2505 - 5634 - 5640 - 5635 - 5517. Here's 6521 MU'd in the middle of that four-unit locomotive consist:

December 28, 1982 1146 E: (The Canadian, again with more coaches than usual) 6532 - 6612 - CN 3118 - 612 - Club de la Garnison - 5545 - 3223 - 5455 - 5519 - 5443 - 3213 - 5627 - 107 - 503 - 5720 - Chateau Varennes - Chateau Brule - Banff Park.

January 8, 1983 1143 W: 6760 - 6870 - CN 15476 - CN 9657 - 5446 - 3037 - 3232 - 5519 - Club de la Garnison. SGU 15476 has a small VIA decal before its number:

December 23, 1983 1551 E: 6786 - 6634 - 5590 - 3219 - 5588 - 5532 - 5750 - 5483 - 5500 - 2503 - 5725 - Chateau Laval

December 21, 1984 1225 W: 6782 - 6865 - York Club - 108 - 5545 - 5486 - 2510 - 5494 - 5562 - 5574 - 3211.

December 21, 1985 1203 E: CN 4362 - 6624 - Tweedsmuir Park (running backwards) - 612 - Boulevard Club - 3210 - 5495 - 5541 - 759 - 117 - 3200 - Chateau Laval - business car 95:

Maybe some CN bigwig was heading home for Christmas, or maybe going to a Habs game in Montreal with some customers...

December 30, 1985 1455 W: 6783 - 6780 - Empire Club - 5516 - 3209 - 5468 - 2503 - 115 - 3237 - 105 - 3231 - 5610.

Running extra...

Looking for a gift that gives enjoyment all year long? I've been fortunate to receive the Bytown Railway Society Branchline - Canada's Rail News Magazine for several years now (thanks D&S!). Each month it brings a wealth of information, photos, recollections and data for the discerning rail aficianado. Check it out at: http://www.bytownrailwaysociety.ca/

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Western VIA Consists

In the 1980's, I made several trips on VIA to Winnipeg, Vancouver and Prince Rupert. I'll be including these consists in my forthcoming book. They've been the topic of discussions on Yahoogroups recently, as group members try to recall the Kingston Sub Canadians of this era.

I'll also include notes on cars that I saw stationed at various VIA terminals: Winnipeg, Vancouver and Toronto. These cars were either in the trainsheds, or in Winnipeg's case, spares or serviceable cars stored in CN's East Yard near the station. The variety of cars was startling: ex-Milwaukee domes, RDC's, minor fleets of second-hand sleepers, and railway business cars.

Above: VIA No 1 at MacGregor, Manitoba. Highball.

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Praise for Research & Recollections

"I have all of your books and they are excellent! I have truly enjoyed each and every book you have done" - NH

"The book is looking great & am looking forward to reading it." - RA

"I just got the books. This is exactly what I was after. These are a gold mine. Great work!" - CAW

"Eric is a meticulous record-keeper and it shows in his stories and the level of detail is very impressive" -PB

"It was great to be able to pick up Eric's book en route (in part, to have some excellent reading material for the trip ahead!). -TH

"I really enjoyed going over the sheer volume of data and the wonderful photos. Brought back many memories of rides on The Canadian. Congrats on your latest opus and hope to see others in the future." - JB

"I spend time
with your new
book whenever
I get a chance.
Thanks again
for the book.
We are both
enjoying it." - ER

"I picked up my book order today, and I still haven't put it down. You've really outdone yourself with your fourth book about VIA, and I must say 'Congratulations!' " - AF

"What a great book!" - MAP

"This is not a coffee-table picture book, but it is very accessible and easy to read.
I think by now you can tell that I really like Research and Recollections. The stories at the front really give a good flavour for what travelling on VIA Rail was like in the 1980s, and the many research pieces and photos - especially the colour ones - provide a great deal of deep information on many aspects of VIA past and present." - SB

"Another excellent volume! I especially like Mark Perry's anecdote, the Switching Schematics about the Corridor Canadian, and your trip reports." EH

"Looks great - a lot to absorb. You certainly outdid yourself." - BS

"An excellent read so far! A fascinating read - very well done!" - MP

"WOW OH WOW. Very impressive. There is a lot of information in the book for me to absorb. This will keep me busy for the next week or so." - BS

"Book looks great and it arrived quite quickly after ordering." - DM

"This is the fourth book he's published and I think it's going to be a great one. Like Eric's other books, it's likely to be chock full of data, odd consists, and plenty of stuff you didn't know about VIA Rail. Pricing is $35 for Canadian addresses, including postage, which is a good price in my opinion.I highly recommend you go buy the book if you have any interest in VIA Rail!" - SB

"Looking forward to settling down to some reading and remembering. Any glimmerings of a volume 5 in the future?" - JB

"Your books are fantastic!" - DA

"I'm enjoying your book. I'm just starting the 1984 Canrailpass trip. I don't have the exact knowledge of the equipment as you do, but a lot of the details you mention are helping me picture the items. The pure 1981 Super Continental consist would have been nice to experience.... lots of good stories, including the universal vestibule cat and mouse phenomenon." -DJG

About Me...

Eric Gagnon was born in Montreal, Quebec and has lived in Kingston, Ontario most of his life. Much time was spent trackside when not in school, college or practising as a medical laboratory technologist. Married with two children, Eric is also an HO-scale modeller, musician, avid reader and blogger, having launched his Canadian railfan blog Trackside Treasure in 2008. Eric's first book Trackside with VIA:The First 35 Years, published in 2011, was followed by two more in 2012: Trackside with VIA:Cross-Canada Compendium and Consist Companion. Eric released Trackside with VIA - Research & Recollections, in April, 2017 followed by his two-volume Trains & Grains series in June, 2018. Eric's books can be found in museum gift shops, hobby shops and in the hands of VIA Rail enthusiasts across Canada, the United States and worldwide.

Praise for Cross-Canada Compendium

"The book arrived early this week. It's really well done. Thanks and congratulations on the work." - MG

"An excellent book that's hard to put down. Lots of information and great pictures!" -WM

"Wow, what a great memory trip. A thoroughly enjoyable read. There's one helluva lot of data in those pages. Thanks for the memories." - ER, Trackside Guide editor

"First of all I must commend the packaging for transit , and it is so nice to receive books totally undamaged and pristine condition for a change. Perfect! Secondly, what a wonderful detailed account has been encaptured by you. Invaluable and I am so relieved not to have missed out on these works. Detailed VIA Rail material is so thin on the ground, and what you have achieved must bring pleasure to so many enthusiasts. Very many thanks, and I hope that there may be even more material to come in the future!" - RC

"I thought I'd share my appreciation for what you have put together. I am not sure where to begin, but the combination of photos, rosters and written analysis make it a very interesting read and provide a lot of context for those of us attempting to model in some sort of a reasonably plausible way." - JV

"You've done a commendable job. Your books fill an essential niche for avid VIA fans, railway modelers and historians." - TG

"Your three books were so much more than I ever thought they'd be" - KW, ex-VIA employee

"You have not only enlightened me on issues on which I was either unclear
or incorrect, but you have also taken me back and heightened wonderful memories
of earlier trips, for which I am grateful." - DT

"These books are filled with an amazing amount of VIA history and details that will be of use to modellers now and in the future. I would encourage anyone with an interest in VIA, either as a passenger service or as a subject for modelling, to invest in these books (and their predecessor). In my humble opinion, you won't be sorry." - HM

"I received my book on Monday, and I wanted to tell you how pleased I am with it. I really liked your first one, but your second one is even better!" - AF

"I must say they look fantastic! Certainly a worthy successor to your first work. The extra compendium of consist data is really a very clever addition, and one that I appreciate the value of. Just like your first book, I'd put these on the list of must-haves for all of us VIAphiles, and really anyone interested in knowing more about VIA Rail operations, or trying to model them." -TH

"I have bought both your books to go with the first one and I have to tell you I'm glad I have them. Thanks for doing this work - it makes me just want to model the early VIA years." -DW

"Your VIA books are great! It's about time someone did this. Answers many questions and brings back lots of memories. I'm well known as a detail freak, so your books are definitely appreciated! Congratulations on some fine books. Filled a big void!" - CC

"I just received my Consist Companion and wanted to say how much I love it! I was a little unsure about this book at first, but it's a real wealth of information. Thank you for putting this together - worth every penny!!" - DA

"This is, by far, the most exhaustive and detailed book of Canadian railroading that I have ever seen or read. The breadth and depth of the detailed information and consists...I could not possibly have imagined. The books came in good condition. Well-packaged and protected" - SD

"Those books all arrived, and are excellent!" JB

"A very good book, very detailed and with a great variety of photos depicting the various eras of VIA. A great addition to my vast railway book collection. Thank you for a job well done." - JC, former CPR conductor

"My copy arrived in today's mail and I have been happily perusing it over lunch. It is excellent! Lots of fascinating information on VIA's evolution, lots of photos both B&W and colour, and even a few consists :-) make it more of a 'read' than its predecessor while still being a valuable reference. If you haven't ordered a copy yet, you are missing out." - BG

"VIA enthusiasts are in for a real treat. Looking forward to spending some time digging in to these books." - MS, VIAphile

"This is a great book to understand and consolidate VIA's complicated and often troubled history. So much has happened over the years that it is impossible to remember all the details you have researched, sorted out and presented. The tables of what happened to equipment summarize things really well - very handy and interesting to finally understand how things fitted together. Your book has a lot of enduring value as historical documentation of the various systems and processes which kept the system going. Personally, my favourite was the Ticket to Ride section." - DG, Rolly Martin Railway Library

Wow! Looking forward to a good read tonight and it certainly looks like it will be. Your first book was great and this one looks even better. A great mix of photos, text and data. The Consist Companion ...another fine read. You certainly have excellent coast to coast coverage for all time periods." -GH

"The whole package is spectacular. A home run, worth every dollar. Fantastic!" - BS

"I have flipped through the book enough to proclaim it awesome." -JM, UberVIAphile

"Today's mail brought a copy of Eric Gagnon's new book...and it's another amazing book. I can't recommend it highly enough, and at the price I can't imagine a reason to not purchase a copy." - CM

December 2 Update

Canadian Railway Observations' December online edition includes a review of my new book, reviewed by Michael Berry in his 'Off the Shelf' page:

If you are a hardcore VIA Rail fan, then you will find much to love in Eric Gagnon’s “Trackside with VIA: Cross-Canada Compendium”. If you are mostly just interested in full colour photo books à la Morning Sun books, this is not for you. VIA Rail has gone through many, many route, motive power and car changes over the years, and you get a wealth of detail about these changes in this book.

Consists for selected trains from certain dates are informative, as are information about when certain locomotive classes were retired, as well as when certain CN & CP locomotives were leased by VIA. For example, if you ever wanted to know when VIA Rail renumbered, painted and then later retired their two E8A’s, that information is covered in the book.

One of the more interesting sections is a long list of VIA Rail “special trains,” ranging from funeral trains to an NHL draft special train from Ottawa to Montreal which had 13 LRC cars with an LRC engine at each end (apparently the longest LRC train ever recorded). If you are interested in the disposition of VIA’s once very varied car and motive power fleet, then this book is a must have.

The pictures are mostly quite small and are almost entirely roster shots. The vast majority are black and white, the only exceptions being the front and back of the book and an 8 page colour section in the middle of the book.

The author clearly has a deep passion for VIA Rail and this passion is evident in the minute details which go into the book.

Second Book Table of Contents

* Sections with photos

**Sections with lots of photos

-Riding VIA Rail*

-VIA's Tumultuous History

-Equipment Progression

-The LRC Program*

-'Operation Axle' 1992*

-The HEP Program*

-The Renaissance Program*

-VIA's Locomotive Fleet**

-Ex-CP Equipment*

-Motive Power Surveys

-Car Roster

-VIA's Unique Cars*

-RDC Roster and Assignments*

-Western RDC Runs

-VIA's Named Trains**

-Switching En Route*

-Special Trains

-Rescue Trains

-Notable Derailments*

-VIA's Shops

-Equipment Disposition*

-triVIA

-Eastern Trains Colour Section

-Western Trains Colour Section

-Named Trains Colour Section

-Locomotive Fleet Colour Section

-F40PH-2 Colour Section

-E & F-Units Colour Section

-RDC Colour Section

-Cars Colour Section

-Eastern Trains**

-Corridor Trains**

-Western Trains**

Book Reviews of my First Book

"Perfectly packed, promptly sent, professionally printed and bound. And the contents? Tremendous! This book is not festooned with page after page of pictures (though there is a respectable number of them), but it is filled with detail and above all, years and years of VIA consists. It certainly equals and possibly exceeds Kalmbach's current effort on Amtrak's 40th anniversary. Anyone who has not yet ordered this book would be well served by doing so now. Eric - my congratulations. You should feel very proud. Thanks so much." - Derek

"I received the book in good condition. It's great, exactly what I was looking for. I plan to model VIA in the early 80's because of the mixed bag of equipment - all the stuff Rapido is releasing, and memories of travelling on VIA at that time to Montreal. It'll be a great reference for me. There are some really cool pictures, too."

- Tom

"Eric Gagnon has compiled and released a new 114-page book intended for Canadian railway enthusiasts or passenger train fans, specifically targeting interests in passenger train numbers and consists. For these individuals, this book will be a valuable reference source. In soft cover and perfect to bring trackside, Eric is offering the book for the low price of $25 (this includes shipping in Canada)." - Canadian Railway Observations August 2011 issue

"My copy of Eric's book arrived in today's mail. For anyone seeking a reference
for accurately modelling VIA trains this book is what you need. I am amazed at
the amount of detail it contains and it is worth every penny of the $25 price.
I am also amazed that a book of this size and quality can be produced in Canada
for such a low price in this day and age.

Congratulations to Eric for this valuable piece of research."-Hugh McCormack

"Great book - thanks!" - Rick

"The author has taken a different path in looking at the history of VIA. This is not done by narrative, but there are brief write-ups, nor is it done by photographs, but a smattering of photos (50) are found throughout the volume. The author has taken an historical look at VIA by examining the equipment that could be found making up VIA trains.

"Trackside with VIA will appeal to those who have an interest in knowing exactly what VIA passenger trains consisted of between the years 1976-2011. The professionally-printed, soft-cover, 114-page book will be most valued by modellers who wish to match and operate accurate consists of VIA locomotives and passenger cars to a specific-era train. It is an excellent reference guide and detailed history of this specific aspect of Canadian passenger train history.

Eric Gagnon's book follows the real meat-and-potatoes, 35-year history of VIA passenger trains after the 1976 'merger'. He admits it is not a coffee table book nor a corporate history. The book serves its purpose with lists of train consists as recorded by the author over the 35-year period. It is broken down into 6 specific eras, listing train consists within that time frame and shows how VIA progressed to where it is today. The book covers are in colour and there is a limited selection of black and white locomotive and passenger car photographs throughout the book, along with a brief explanation of the era following. Also included is a complete roster of locomotive and passenger cars used by VIA from its beginning, along with corridor schedules, paint transition data that will be of interest to modellers, and a recommended reading section. The foreword is written by Jason Shron, president of Rapido Trains, a VIA enthusiast himself."

Canadian Railway Modeller August-September 2011 edition

Enjoyed the book. Very useful reference. -Paul

The book is divided into six major time frames, and the book presents consists of VIA trains for each of these periods. Most of the spotting was done in Kingston, Ontario, but there are consists spotted on several tips to western Canada. The time frames used generally relate to major changes in equipment used by the company.

The book contains 114 pages and probably 90% of the volume is listing of consists. For the consist information the author presents: date, location, time, direction of passage, train number, locomotive(s), cars and any pertinent remarks. If you are interested in what could be found on VIA trains at pretty much any point in the history of the company, it can be found here, at least for the major trains in the corridor.

There is information on paint schemes, a roster of equipment and power and some schedule information. This volume is certainly aimed at the hard core VIA fan but it is extremely useful for the modeller who wishes to portray a specific VIA train in a certain year. With all the VIA and CN equipment available in the marketplace today, especially that from Rapido Trains Inc., this could be done accurately and without too much effort.

While I found the book interesting, it mainly covers the operations in Ontario. I did not note any coverage for Atlantic Canada, but then again I did not examine every consist so there may be a few entries. There are probably well over 4,000 consists listed in the book. This is a true labour of love and will be appreciated by the fan of passenger service in Canada since 1976." - Bytown Railway Society Branchline September 2011 issue

"On a swift glance through it certainly looks as though you have produced a very useful and vastly needed compilation of VIA data and information. You are to be congratulated." - Terry

"I got my copy this week and I love it! I found it to be a great read. The information before the consists in each chapter is clear and thoughtful, with Eric’s passion and love for VIA coming through every word. The occasional inclusion of GO, Ontario Northland and Amtrak consists shows that he isn’t a one trick pony either. It should be in every rail fan’s collection! Well done!" - Adam

""Good news - the 4 books arrived in good order on Friday. """Thanks again for the signed copy of "Trackside with Via". I've found it to be a treasure trove of information and enjoy flipping through it to

find various consists that I may have worked or possibly ridden as a child. Thanks again for producing such a valuable tool for Via Rail fans to use!' - Terry B

It's next on my reading list!! Can't wait!!" - Ian

"The book is fantastic. You have done all VIA fans an excellent service and should be very proud of what you have accomplished. Expect some questions about some of these consists, you managed to catch some really cool stuff. I am a big fan of the Canadian operating on the Kingston Sub. Thanks for making such an effort to record these consists." - Matt

"It's certainly the bible of VIA Rail consists since its inception in 77/78. I purchased 2 copies at my local hobby store...great reading for one, put the other away for a keepsake. Worth the $ for sure!" - via4ever

"The book arrived today. It adds proof to what I have always known - that, at heart, my interest is in passenger rolling stock. In the 70's and 80's in particular I had a lot of trips within the corridor, mostly on business, and have fond memories of those journeys, especially those on the Club Galley cars." - Julian

"I received my book yesterday and I want to thank you and Jakob for making this information available to your fellow modellers." - Peter

"I got your book on Friday and it is terrific." - Will

"He's recently published a book called Trackside with VIA: The First 35 Years, which is essential reading if you model VIA. It is chock full of consists, as well as some really useful facts, presented by none other than our good friend, Jakob Mueller." - Jason

"Received your book today. Superb, merci."

-André

"I got the book last week, Eric. Lots of information in there that will be very useful for planning passenger operations as well as what equipment was around at a particular year." - David

Are you a VIAphile?

Are You a VIAphile? Page 2

You might not be a VIAphile if...

You think Spadina is the capital city of Saskatchewan.

You think "F-unit" is either an expletive or a rapper.

You think "getting your ticket punched" is a phrase only used by Don Cherry. Same with "coach".

You think Super Continental is a free upgrade to your hotel breakfast.

You think "Park Car" is an instruction you give to your 2012 Ford Focus.

You think the Pepin cuts were tasty pieces of beef prepared by a famous French chef.

You think TMC is that TV show where they talk to celebrities at the airport.

If you the above phrases don't sound quite right, you might be...a VIAphile. And you might enjoy this book.