VIA Rail Canada

CP Rail diesel units acquired.
(except RDC's see link below)

RDC's Budd Cars

NOTE: Preserved diesel units and RDC's:
Subsequent owners See various captions.
See also former owner galleries CN and CP

Movie train

CN 6542 arrived from Toronto destined Montreal. Part of the consist will be taken by VIA 6790 to Ottawa.
Brockville, ON July 28, 1979.

ENLARGE

6767 with a B unit leads its train in Komoka, ON 8/13/1982

Subsequent owner; Cuyahoga Valley Scenic along with 6771 and 6780 hauling tourist trains in Ohio.

6917 with a "J Train" Newcastle, ON 7/31/1987

Two entire consists operating together to/from Brockville. Originating at Montreal and Ottawa.destined Toronto.
(J Train = Joint Train consist combining two sets of equipment travelling together for a portion of their journey).

6540 with a very short train Number 183 coming .............

...... and going. Approaching is 6553 with No. 84. Both trains Sunday Only. Two views at London. 9/17/1989

201 acq. 1987 (ex Inland Steel, East Chicago, IN 115) SW1001 EMD 32395 11/1966. Toronto (Mimico) 9/04/1989.

Sold 6/1995 Stelco 456, Nanticoke, ON. Re-sold 2/2016 MVPX 456.

203 acq. 1987 (ex Inland Steel, East Chicago, IN 117) SW1001 EMD 32587 11/1966
Note 201 coupled to it. South Holland, IL 10/03/1987

Sold 1996 Weirton Steel, St.Louis, MO

6435_6439 eastbound 14 Ocean on CN Newcastle Sub. near Bathurst, NB May 12, 2011

Note unique triple headlight including high intensity beam. Flag added between numberboards
as well as on side of unit. 6439 in new paint scheme. Consist is Renaissance rolling stock
built for still-born UK Nightstar trains through Channel Tunnel to France.

154 Turbotrain westbound stopped at Dorval. July 1980.

6311 (ex 6529 nee CN 6529) with Canadian. FP9A GMD A1201 4/1957 Banff 8/07/1986

6509 westbound No.3 Super Continental with a rag-tag collection of equipment.
Two photos Boston Bar, BC 6/15/1980

Mixture of roads represented include unknown ex US road fluted stainless steel car, two ex CN duplex sleepers,
one still in CN paint and second repainted in VIA colours. Ex CN nee MILW full length dome car and more.

No.1 eng 6525 with a single ex CPR Budd stainless steel car between four ex CN coaches.
Hard to believe Canadian has shrunk this small. Soon it will end its Montreal-Capreol run.

6525 FP9A GMD A1197 4/1957 One of seven A units sold 1995 to Algoma Central becoming 1754.
It was retired 11/2001 and sold (plus 4 other A and 1 B units) 2003 to Pioneer Rail Corp. (PREX)
for their shortline Keokuk Junction (KJRY).

Dramatic angle shot of spotless 6901 on a train in Union Station.

Friendly wave from the fireman on VIA's Canadian

6776_6864 with lengthy train. Moncton, NB 7/18/1986 Paul McGrane Collection
Note lack of lettering on nose.

6907 LRC unit with standard coaches at the "new" CN station built in 1963.

6300 (ex 6524) first of 15 units rebuilt for secondary services.

6313 remanufactured 3/1985 from FP9A 6526 nee CN 6526 GMD A1198 4/1957

6300-6315 upgraded 12/1983 -5/1985 16-645C. HEP equipped 1997.

Note: 6303, 6305, 6312 all now owned by OSR.

6400 F40PH-2D first unit of large order (60 units) of first new power.
3000 HP 16-645E3C 500 KW HEP GMD A4597 1/1986

Rebuilt CAD 2006. Destroyed February 26, 2010 in a wreck St-Charles de-Bellechasse, Quebec.

6569 (ex CP 1425 nee 4069) GMD A370 8/1952
Preserved WCRA Squamish, BC

VIA 6504 leads Canadian being serviced at Revelstoke, BC
Note the portable mountain lights long before ditch lights came along.
8/1989 Three photos Wolf Kirchmeir

Interesting A-B-B-B consist to tackle the rugged mountains.

CN 6617 in VIA paint scheme pre-VIA F9B GMD A1056 2/1957

MLW FPA-4 1800 HP 92 MPH SG equipped

CN 6775 in the transition period with both names and paint schemes in use.
Truro, Nova Scotia Joseph Testagrose Collection

6758 MLW FPA4 with a short train at Brockville November 10, 1986 Jackie McNeil/Ron Visockis Collection
This is one of four units rebuilt upgraded 1800 hp 1958 by MLW ex 6755 FPA2 1600 hp MLW 79202 4/1954.
Note the blue VIA lettering on the nose of unit instead of red. Definately looks better.

CN 6787 bound for Ottawa. Transition period when VIA was part of CN. Coteau January 3, 1978. Ron Visockis

Turbo train from Toronto races past the station without stopping enroute on CN to Montreal. Brockville February 3, 1979

Check out that ladder track on the right. The Canadian Pacific had this neat little yard and the long lead that heads into the distance used to be a wye for turning CN passenger engines, which, by the way, back then, were mostly MLW FPA's. A single unit would come down the CP branch from Smith Falls, drop cars to be added to the next mainline CN passenger train, then turn itself for the reverse move back up the branch once the opposing CN passenger dropped cars for Smith Falls and Ottawa. Several times per day, this junction was alive with action.

6767 westbound with a fresh paint job in the early years of VIA. CN 3713 with freight.
Coteau, QC. January 17, 1981 Ron Visockis

6756 still in CN paint scheme leads VIA painted B unit and consist around a sweeping curve at Kingston. 1/1979
Tom Carver/Joseph Testagrose Collection

This at first looks to be a CN passenger train. A closer look reveals the truth of this undated photo. That blue and yellow baggage car tells it is a VIA Rail train. Note mileage board on shed at left. M.115 on the Kingston Sub. is Prescott, ON.

6868 one of 10 units (6860-6871) FPB-4 1800 HP MLW 82585 1/1959

CN 6762 painted VIA and lettered CN illustrates the interim period following creation of VIA in 1976 as a marketing scheme for federal government passenger service and the formal creation of VIA Rail Canada Inc. on April 1, 1978. Following which the CN initials were removed. Spadina roundhouse shop tracks in Toronto. May 24, 1977 Mike Woodruff

Some early views of MLW "Alcos" doing what they did best. Smoking it up!

All CP equipment (locomotives and rolling stock) acquired 9/28/1978.

1410_1961

B units painted with a simple pair of yellow lines to match A units on either (or both) ends.
See below for more details of B unit renumbering.

Sure looks like one heck of long locomotive! E8A 1898 just renumbered (6/80 ex VIA 1800) nee CP 1800 acq. 9/28/1978.
One of only two VIA E units. It made its last run on #1 Canadian arriving Calgary May 26, 1982. 1899 likewise June 7th. Both were retired and sold back to the CPR where they were dismantled for parts (having had major engine upgrades). Unfortunately, efforts to preserve one unit were not successful and both were scrapped thus ending a unique career.

Canadian No.1 Dorval July 5, 1980 Ron Visockis

Only Road Switcher on VIA. It was turned over by CPR to fulfill requirements for a certain quantity of passenger units.
RS-10 1600 hp MLW #81484 2/1956 White River April 30, 1981 Ron Visockis

Planned to be re-numbered as 3160 in the CN number system as were all other VIA units, it didn't last long, in fact, it was
just a month away from a crankshaft failure on May 31st. working #2 at Kenora, ON when this photograph was taken in White River, ON on April 30, 1981. Photo below compares colour photography results of same unit. Winnipeg 7/1979

1418 GMD FP7A (ex CP 1418, nee 4060) with CP 8477 MLW RS-10 and 1898.
Dorval July 10, 1980 Ron Visockis

Presently on display at Medicine Hat, AB CPR station as CP 1418 along with 1424.
Story about how these photos got here.

Note: To avoid conflict with existing CN diesels VIA had to use a higher block of numbers for these B units.

This what they looked like when repainted. Note lack of VIA on B units.
VIA 1961 ex 1900 ex 4473 nee 1900 GMD A600 1/1954

No.1 Canadian Carleton Place, ON 8/1979 Olie McKee/Bruce Chapman Collection

VIA 1962 F9B ex 4474 nee 1901 GMD A601 1/1954

VIA 1964 ex CP 1905 ex 4477 nee 1905. F9B GMD A605 3/1954 Calgary 2/11/1979 Doug Phillips

Movie train

"VIA 757" (BCR 757) leads a movie train northbound at Squamish. 6/24/1989
US movie Narrow Margin starring Gene Hackman.

Preserved

6309 (ex CN 6528) GMD A1200 3/1957. Expo Rail. May 28,2023

Highway Coach

4701 on Moncton to Charlottetown, PEI connecting service twice daily.
Moncton, NB 10/01/1989