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While the only VIA  action down towards Niagara is Amtrak equipment - on occasion VIA equipment is used - in this case - VIA 690 returning from St. Catharines on an employee special. In years past there was one train with full stainless and even a dome car - a train resembling #1/2 - but this paltry train is what counts for the employee special today. Three measly cars!
Copyright Notice: This image ©Stephen C. Host all rights reserved.



Caption:

\m/ \m/
"Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown"
\m/ \m/

While the only VIA action down towards Niagara is Amtrak equipment - on occasion VIA equipment is used - in this case - VIA 690 returning from St. Catharines on a private charter with Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson from the legendary band RUSH \m/ \m/ on board. RUSH was aboard as part of the Grapes for Humanity fundraiser (http://www.grapesforhumanity.com)

In the background - Hamilton, the Skyway, and CN/SOR's Hamilton Yard. In front - you can see grading for the new right of way for the James. St. North GO station. The CN Engine house was here.. plus more tracks and the old LCL freight shed - all gone. Cargo flo appears to have been changed to a west facing switch since that spur is not to be seen. Any members of the Hamilton UCRS chapter viewing this - what a difference, eh?

Additional information: Click here for a pic of the boys in front of the train
Click here for more about RUSH and Grapes for Humanity - raising money for the less fortunate around the world

Photographer:
Stephen C. Host [1502] (more) (contact)
Date: 09/27/2014 (search)
Railway: VIA Rail (search)
Reporting Marks: VIA 909 (search)
Train Symbol: VIA 690 (search)
Subdivision/SNS: Hamilton (search)
City/Town: Hamilton (search)
Province: Ontario (search)
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Photo ID: 15466

Map courtesy of Open Street Map

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16 Comments
  1. I’m impressed you even caught a freighter coming under the lift bridge entering Hamilton Harbour!

  2. How in the world did I miss this? Rush is one of my favorite bands!

  3. Interesting, I’ll have to mention this to Mr. Lifeson next time I see him at work!

  4. Tell him to do it again while you’re at it! Haha

  5. Didn’t even know about this. When first viewing the image, I thought it must have been from back in the VIA days around this part of the world. Great shot!! (Be a nice place at the end of that street to live, eh, HTG?)

  6. CLOSER TO THE HEART

  7. I guess 690 used a few Subdivisions to reach the destination ;-)

  8. Too bad VIA doesn’t have a 2112 engine…

  9. Michael: I don’t know how you work with Mr. Lifeson but that’s just cool :) Tell him he has a LOT of fans on railpictures.ca and somehow RUSH and TPB should get together for another epic episode.

  10. Amazing how Canada’s greatest tourist destination (Niagara Falls) doesn’t warrant a dedicated regular passenger rail service from its largest city (Toronto). And with VIA and the federal gov’t continuing to spew the same tired old “privatization & profit” garbage while Americans invest in passenger rail and flock to it in record numbers. The fact taxpayers give private companies a blank cheque to maintain our highways (to the tune of $27 billion/yr while the US with 10 times the population and USDOT-maintained roads only spends twice that amount), the fact that Amtrak is taking over maintenance of the Acela from private vendors after cracked disk brake rotors grounded the entire fleet, and the fact that VIA’s meager funding is nothing compared to what the gov’t spends on other modes of transport- roads, airports, marine terminals, sidewalks, ect that aren’t expected to break even let alone make a profit, should be enough to flush the “privatization of passenger transport” nonsense down the toilet for good. With better funding and legal protection requiring a vote in Congress before changes are made, Amtrak has far more immunity from anti-rail polticians’ brain farts about cutting services than our own beloved VIA does in this country. The litigation giving Amtrak the right to dispatching priority is proof that US rail passengers are benefiting from a far more forward-thinking leadership than the know-nothing caricatures we elected, yet that still have the power to cut services without a vote in parliament. Dedicated funding, legal protection and True Crown Corporation status for VIA Rail now! Hiawatha Pete. http://northamericabyrail.info , Cheers, Pete

  11. FYI, For those interested in visiting Niagara Falls from Toronto or elsewhere in southern Ontario, Amtrak’s Maple Leaf provides excellent service year-round (in contrast to GO Transits’ summer only service) and tickets can be booked through VIA Rail. For details check out my website at http://northamericabyrail.info , Cheers, Pete

  12. YEAH RUSH!

  13. H. Pete: If you want to see an EXTREME squandering of funds; you have to see the adventure in spending known as “The Busway” currently under construction in Mississauga. Endless extravagant glass-enclosed stations every half mile or so; way behind in construction; this project is so extensive it is dizzying. Yet there are not two steel coated nickels for badly needed rail transit outside of the GTA. Your comment about VIA to the Falls is dead on…..I was aghast when the announcement to cancel trains between to T.O. and Niffles was made public. If you are going to cut, make sure an alternative is in place; but currently GO to the Falls is only seasonal. We have come to expect this stupidity after so many years of bumbling by so many inept levels of government.

  14. Thanks for you reply about my comment, A.W. I know Canadian taxpayers spend more on roads than any other type of transport infrastucture but was not aware about the particulars of the Mississauga busway. I’m sure the staggering capital costs will no doubt add to the already bloated highway budget, and don’t forget the operational costs: 1 single bus causes as much damage to pavement infrastructure as thousands of cars yet one bus only carries 50 people. Oh, but I’m sure the decision to go with road transport was made with expert consultation and in no way was a political one to sprawl pork & gravy to those companies who would benefit from the busway while our existing rail system languishes on a starvation budget. Too bad our vital passenger rail services live or die by the whim of our elected buffoons, er, mp’s, and that they do not have to answer to anyone, least of all the travelling public. What would they ever do if they had to face an effective and organized pro-rail advocacy group like NARP in the US or any of the scores of regional rail transit advocacy groups there who call out anti-rail politician’s nonsense by responding in the media and tell them where to put their balony?

    Well, at least we still have Toronto-Niagara Falls-New York City Amtrak through service. As for the Mississauga busway, this train rider will never use it. Cheers, Pete. http://northamericabyrail.info

  15. http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/4751929-road-ahead-don-t-let-phantom-bullet-trains-derail-bridge-plan/
    Can you stomach this, Pete? Buffoons indeed!!!
    (courtesy of Don McQueens “FROTH” #35)

  16. Interesting link, the part that got me going the most was the statement by the columnist “in a nation whose people prefer to drive or fly”. I guess the 4 million people who ride VIA every year don’t count. And according to the following poll 80% support restoration of VIA service to the Niagara Peninsula: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2013/02/12/welland-mp-to-host-roundtable-on-via-rail-service-cuts-in-niagara

    Cheers, Pete

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