Comments on: Christmas season Special. Certainly a different VIA than we are experiencing today… Early in VIA’s tenure management had the railways’ cooperation to experiment with services, per passenger demand… and early VIA had sufficient equipment to add service(s) where deemed necessary…. An eclectic consist it was: GMD FP7A 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 built coach 5200 series, CN livery CC&F 1930 built heavy weight (88.5 tons) #577 Club Lounge Buffet (club seats 27; lounge 19) series: Lake Couchiching two Budd built 100 series coaches, in CP Rail livery, vestibules forward. CC&F built 5500 series coach one sleeping car, CN livery. VIA Rail #11 ‘Atlantic’ departing Union about noon hour on a very grey Saturday December 22, 1979 Kodak negative by S.Danko. So sleeping car and coach through service: Toronto to Saint John and Halifax, did happen ! This scheduled Special (hence no white flags / markers) was listed in a supplemental seasonal Timetable (anyone able to confirm?) issued after Thanksgiving, operating eastbound from Union with at least 2 departures: Thursday & Saturday. Attribute #577′s (& sisters 574 – 578) longevity to the CC&F 1930 built car constructed with electro-mechanical air conditioning – a rarity for the time period. sdfourty http://www.railpictures.ca The BEST Canadian photos on the Internet, eh? Fri, 22 May 2026 19:36:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Conrailcam http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53556#comment-65869 Conrailcam Tue, 23 Sep 2025 18:51:46 +0000 http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/img569-3-1280x719.jpg#comment-65869 Great photo great memories. Great photo great memories.

]]> By: sdfourty http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53556#comment-61776 sdfourty Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:26:45 +0000 http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/img569-3-1280x719.jpg#comment-61776 Yes, I was surprised too and what's Interesting: The Atlantic, origination Toronto Union....stumbled upon Bruce Owen Nett's four page article January 1982 Railfan and Railroad, “A night to remember“ describing the December 21 1980 night photography at Brownville Junction, VIA Rail trains #11 and #12, both operating with two sections. Noteworthy: the second sections of both trains were Toronto Union departure / destination and did NOT serve Montreal's Central Station - by passing same. While my pic here of #11 departing Union December 22, 1979 do note this train became the second section of #11 and very likely bypassed Central Station. sdfourty Yes, I was surprised too and what’s Interesting:

The Atlantic, origination Toronto Union….stumbled upon Bruce Owen Nett’s four page article January 1982 Railfan and Railroad, “A night to remember“ describing the December 21 1980 night photography at Brownville Junction, VIA Rail trains #11 and #12, both operating with two sections.

Noteworthy: the second sections of both trains were Toronto Union departure / destination and did NOT serve Montreal’s Central Station – by passing same. While my pic here of #11 departing Union December 22, 1979 do note this train became the second section of #11 and very likely bypassed Central Station.

sdfourty

]]> By: jk_eaton http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=53556#comment-59661 jk_eaton Thu, 28 Dec 2023 19:13:31 +0000 http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/img569-3-1280x719.jpg#comment-59661 Amazing. I knew they'd run Toronto-Halifax Christmas trains in 1980, but not in 1979 from Toronto to Saint John. Amazing. I knew they’d run Toronto-Halifax Christmas trains in 1980, but not in 1979 from Toronto to Saint John.

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