Special VIA liveries:

 

            VIA Rail Canada has often wrapped some of their F40’s in various advertising liveries. This page shows just some of the various liveries. The first such wrap was in 1990 when VIA wrapped F40 #6400 for Diet Pepsi. Unfortunately, I never took a photo of the unit.

 

            The second F40 to be wrapped was #6429. In 1992, the unit was wrapped by Home Hardware for a promotion. The unit remained in that livery for 10 years. While it was the Home Hardware unit, I was able to get some photos of it.

 

 

            Next, VIA wrapped a half dozen units for Kool-Aid, a popular sugary fruit beverage. Unfortunately, I never photographed any of those units until after they had had their liveries removed. So, I have included a Microsoft Train Simulator screenshot of F40 #6433 to show what the Kool-Aid scheme looked like.

 

 

            In 2002, VIA finally removed 6429’s Home Hardware wrap, but they wrapped it in a livery to advertise Telus, a phone/internet company. The unit still wears the wrap today. I’ve photographed it a few times and I’ve heard at least one person call the unit “The booger”!

 

 

Also in 2002, it was the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s 50^th anniversary. To celebrate this, VIA wrapped F40 #6403 in a special promotional scheme. The unit led a special train across Canada before being released to the regular fleet where it still wears the wrap.

 

 

            In 2004, with the release of Spiderman 2, VIA wrapped F40s #6401, 6406, 6408, 6413, 6424, and 6434 in a livery promoting the movie. They even had a contest called “Spot the Spiderman train” where you could win a trip. I entered, but didn’t win. Today, four of the units still wear the Spiderman 2 livery: 6401, 6406, 6408, and 6434.

 

 

            Some point later, VIA wrapped F40 #6411 into a livery promoting Operation Lifesaver and Direction 2006. I was able to photograph that unit on a couple occasions.

 

            Ironically on November 4, 2006, 6411 was leading the Ocean when it struck a car at a railway crossing! The two occupants of the car survived, but one can’t help but note the irony!

 

 

            In late 2005, Budweiser paid to have a unit wrapped for a promotional “Superbowl Tailgate train” which was run to Detroit for Superbowl 2005. Former Spiderman unit #6424 was chosen for the task. After the unit was released into the regular VIA fleet. I only saw that unit once in the scheme on my Arizona trip, but I was unable to get a photo of it. That advertisement was short lived because by May, VIA had removed the ad leaving 6424 in the regular VIA livery.

 

            VIA’s latest wrap is for a Quebec based lottery. F40 #6414 is the unit carrying the wrap. I have photographed that unit a few times.