The Ocean - Renaissance or Heritage HEP?

Question - I have been trying to sort this out on VIA's website, and not coming up with a clear response. I had heard that the Ocean will be converted to all Renaissance equipment some time after July 5th. But has this now occurred earlier? I know there are currently some Ocean consists equipped with the old Heritage HEP equipment, while other trainsets were using Renaissance. I was thinking of heading back up to Halifax to experience one of the last trips with the Heritage HEP equipment. Will the Heritage HEP equipment be operating in early July - specifically the first weekend in July? I will try and call VIA directly to sort it out - but thought I would ask here. I will miss the Park Car and Domes when the Ocean goes to all Renaissance equipment - let alone the triple bedrooms. The triple bedrooms were a nice luxury for two people.

But the Gaspe will still operate with the Heritage HEP equipment even after the Ocean converts to Renaissance equipment?

jp1822 wrote:Question - I have been trying to sort this out on VIA's website, and not coming up with a clear response. I had heard that the Ocean will be converted to all Renaissance equipment some time after July 5th. But has this now occurred earlier? I know there are currently some Ocean consists equipped with the old Heritage HEP equipment, while other trainsets were using Renaissance. I was thinking of heading back up to Halifax to experience one of the last trips with the Heritage HEP equipment. Will the Heritage HEP equipment be operating in early July - specifically the first weekend in July? I will try and call VIA directly to sort it out - but thought I would ask here. I will miss the Park Car and Domes when the Ocean goes to all Renaissance equipment - let alone the triple bedrooms. The triple bedrooms were a nice luxury for two people.

Via Rail's online reservation system shows that the Ocean will be operating all-Renaissance July 2004. I assume this is accurate, as they've set this summer as the target date for conversion.
Coincidentally, the first weekend of July is the 100th anniversary of the Ocean.

jp1822 wrote:But the Gaspe will still operate with the Heritage HEP equipment even after the Ocean converts to Renaissance equipment?

Apparently, this is so. The Chaleur is usually engines-baggage-sleepers-Skyline-coaches.

When the Ocean is exclusively an all-renaissance equipped train, will that mean that VIA will keep one set of Budd-built equipment in Halifax just for the one-roundtrip-per-week Bras d'or?

VerMontanan wrote:When the Ocean is exclusively an all-renaissance equipped train, will that mean that VIA will keep one set of Budd-built equipment in Halifax just for the one-roundtrip-per-week Bras d'or?

That seems to be the plan. Also, VIA has announced that a second weekly round trip of the Bras d'Or will be added for the 2005 season. The second trip will likely depart Halifax on Saturday and return Sunday.

If the Bras d'Or is going to make two roundtrips per week in 2005, at least the equipment would be used on 4 of 7 days, but this year when it is only used for two of seven days in a week, can't say that's a good utilization of equipment. On the other hand, it must mean that VIA must currently have its optimum level of equipment if it can spare this set for this use! Still, couldn't help but notice in the post about the long Canadian that there were only two coaches on that train!