Comments on: Not very often I shot off of this hillside in the winter. Reason, freezin’. One could really feel the north wind while hanging out in such a prone location. Too bad, because often a good shot was to be had. This one I liked: VIA 6782, CN 3126, VIA 6612 east. Was this #72? Not sure. But in the short days of February I wager this is what it had to be.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:08:40 +0000

Ian, you’ll note the track on the left is where I shot the long string of auto racks shown in a previous offering. This is a nice area for watching traffic.
Thanks.

By: Ian Malenfant-Picard

Ian Malenfant-Picard — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:31:54 +0000

FPAs, blue coaches and S curves, this picture has it all! Great shot Arnold!

By: awmooney

awmooney — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 18:51:46 +0000

I was hoping an “authority” would come thru regarding that question. Thanks, Jakob.

By: Aitch

Aitch — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 18:45:33 +0000

Jakob, thanks very much for the detailed answer to my query !

By: Jakob Mueller

Jakob Mueller — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 14:28:37 +0000

Yes, and a single baggage car wouldn’t be out of place here in this era. At least one train that provided connections to/from transcontinental services would have been scheduled to have checked baggage service. Even into the 2000s, one Windsor train kept a baggage car (an ex-UP stainless car at that point). You could check a bag from Windsor to Halifax and VIA would guarantee your connections in Toronto and Montreal.

This train might have some deadhead equipment, because at the rear we see a baggage car, a Club Galley (series 650-663), and a second baggage car, which is unusual. There is a remote possibility the second baggage is carrying mail; even at this time, the overnight Toronto-Montreal “Cavalier” sometimes had extra sealed CN-owned baggage cars with overnight mail – it’s feasible a car could be forwarded, but I don’t know if that ever happened under VIA.

On the other end, the first coach in this train is from the small series (5283-5307) of welded “Balloon Top” coaches, the second is a standard “EM” coach (5437-5654), and the third is a riveted “Balloon Top” (5180-5229).

By: Aitch

Aitch — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 01:35:48 +0000

That’s a classic scene that never gets old. Are those baggage cars near the tail end ? I didn’t know they were used in the Windsor-Toronto corridor.