Caption: Here's a treat for VIA passenger car fans: all 33 of the unused Nightstar passenger car shells, that never joined VIA's Renaissance fleet, stored in Thunder Bay on various tracks around Keefer Terminal. Most are visible parked in small groups (I count 29), but 4 are hiding behind one of the warehouses on the upper right. Some maintenance of way equipment is also visible scattered here and there.

A total of 139 cars built for the proposed-but-not-realized UK "Nightstar" overnight service through the Channel Tunnel were acquired by VIA Rail in 2000, after being built and stored for a number of years. As I understand it, there was some political pressure to purchase these cars for a song, but there were a number of compatibility issues between them and North American rail standards. They were sent to Thunder Bay where 106 were modified by Bombardier into various types of cars to operate in VIA service as their "Renaissance" fleet. The 33 remaining shells were stored here at Keefer Terminal near the Bombardier plant for possible future conversion, but no further cars were ever needed or rebuilt.

The stored cars languished here until they were removed from Keefer terminal a year later in August 2008, lifted from their trucks, and the bodies stored in a field nearby. All were then cut up for scrap. Judging from some photos posted of their insides, it appeared they were just empty shells with no interiors installed (there's another RP.ca member who did time in Thunder Bay who may have more photos of the ordeal).