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Caption: The head of a rather unforgettable class is seen rounding the bend by Dundas Peak heading westbound. The Bombardier LRC-2 (and -3) series were a period probably many VIA brass would rather forget. They were failure prone in so many ways, being overly high tech for their time. Engine leaks & failures, vibrations at speed; long runs at high speeds and harsh winters really did a number on them. The LRC-2 and -3 series did not last long on VIA, most of them not more than a dozen years.
When I first saw them; I thought "ugh", but now that their day is long gone, the old photos create historical interest. Production run was from 6900 to 6930.
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Interesting…if I might compare, feels like the same is happening with the Siemens sets. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the what appears to be open sides of the engine, exposed to the climates (especially harsh winter conditions) that make them vulnerable? Oh well…
…for childhoods sake, when I first saw this unit I remember reacting with disgust that only a 10 year old could lol. I mean, how dare you replace the F7, and all those old style units with THIS?
Like you said, within a couple of years of seeing the LRCs I was then fast intrigued with the larger F40 units. Saw my first one at Napanee, in 1989…when my brother and I disembarked our car to meet my grandparents.