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marquisofmississauga wrote:... That consist is returning to Montreal today. ...
timberley wrote:I'm one of those who will gladly take a Budd any day, so I'm not complainingRattle and shake as they might, I love everything else about riding them...
NS VIA FAN wrote:Enjoy!......I hope others are as accepting of a downgrade to that old Budd equipment as you are. Sure those Budds are 'Purdy' to look at but the majority riding are not railfans.
Even on a Business Class trip to Quebec City last weekend......the ride quality of the refurbished LRC was lacking in comparison to the smoothness of the Ren consist on the return trip to Montreal
marquisofmississauga wrote:I'm not sure the reason for this substitution of equipment tonight. The e/b Ocean of Sunday 26th March had engine trouble and one unit was removed at Drummondville, causing a four-hour delay. The train got later and the arrival in Halifax was over six hours late at 00:10. That consist is returning to Montreal today. If I find out the reasons for today's substitution I will post it.
timberley wrote:I'm one of those who will gladly take a Budd any day, so I'm not complainingRattle and shake as they might, I love everything else about riding them...
NeoArashi wrote:So do I, but as I just booked a Cabin for 2 trip for early May, I hope they won't try to pull off the same s*** they tried to pull on the TC. Granted, it's only for the going trip. Booked a good ol' regular bench for the return trip, so I'll gladly take a budd if that's what they have to offer.
timberley wrote:...
What I've found very interesting over the years is seeing the different opinions from various people who ride that train. I've been riding regularly for 10 years now (coming up on the 10th anniversary of my first trip later this year!), and I've talked to a lot of people on board over those years - the majority of them average folks, not railfans. I have heard a pretty wide variety of opinions about the types of equipment. Just like you, I've heard some people complain about the Budds because they don't ride as well as the Rens, and they have an older feel to them. But I've also talked to a lot of people who liked the different accommodation options in the Budds, found the beds and coaches more comfortable, liked the Skyline for coach passengers, appreciated some different food options in the proper diner, etc.
So at the end of the day, I guess it just depends what things are most important to you
timberley wrote:NeoArashi wrote:So do I, but as I just booked a Cabin for 2 trip for early May, I hope they won't try to pull off the same s*** they tried to pull on the TC. Granted, it's only for the going trip. Booked a good ol' regular bench for the return trip, so I'll gladly take a budd if that's what they have to offer.
What dates are you travelling? If you follow the current rotation, you can figure out if that would be Budd or Ren. Right now the Budds will be on #15 out of Halifax tomorrow, and then on #14 out of Montreal on Friday. Since there are only two sets of equipment running, it will be a simple back and forth (i.e. each date at each end will alternate equipment types, so from Halifax this Wednesday will be Budd, Friday Renaissance, Sunday Budd, Wednesday Renaissance, etc...opposite for Montreal)
Once it's uploaded into the online system you can see by selecting a trip and looking at the drop-down for sleeper accommodations (if you see berths and cabins for 1, it's Budd), but so far only trains up to next Sunday have been updated. I've been told it's a very slow manual process, so it could take a while to get them all in.
Right now the last trains that I know for sure are supposed to be Budd equipped will be #14 on April 26th and then #15 on April 28th. But that could change as the date approaches, depending on just how much work they need to do on that Ren set...
NeoArashi wrote:Doing Montreal-Halifax in a "Cabin for 2- Shower" on may 5th
Doing Halifax-Sainte-Foy in econimy class on the 10th of may.
marquisofmississauga wrote:I can't recall how many trips in Ren. sleepers I have taken. I stopped counting at 30 or maybe 35. Several of those trips were on the now-discontinued "Enterprise". I have never had a serious problem with my cabin. Once I had an electrical outlet that was dead and once there was some minor flooding from the shower. I wish I could say the same for the Budd sleepers, even the recently refurbished Manor sleepers used on the "Canadian." I have had to change rooms several times due to toilets that don't work, a sink that was causing major flooding, and air vents that were seized in the off position. (Sometimes a crunched paper cup can be shoved into the vent to prop it open.)
marquisofmississauga wrote: Opinions on the Ren. sleepers do indeed vary. A certain consistency is that those who have the cabin for double occupancy prefer the Budd bedrooms (especially room F in a Manor sleeper) but those in single occupancy prefer the Ren. room over a "cabin for 1" or roomette as many of us still call it. There was only one person of the many I have spoken to who said it didn't matter whether he had a Ren. double or a roomette and no-one preferred a roomette (except one person who made it clear he was a railfan).
marquisofmississauga wrote:Further to my informal surveys of paying passengers: all of those who had a shower-equipped room liked that feature and everyone liked being able to lock the door from the outside. Women like being able to lock their purses in their accommodation. I concede the shower in the Budd sleepers is better than the one in the toilet annex of Ren. sleepers, but I have never had a Ren. shower freeze in winter. My experience with winter trips on the "Canadian" and the former "Chaleur" is that some and often all showers freeze. The other problem with the one shower in the Budd sleeper is that it is often so busy in the morning some can't use it before breakfast. I can't be seen in polite society without a shampoo so if I can't get access to any shower on the train I have to wash my hair in the sink.
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