What are they doing with the freeded up Cars?

Group,
What is VIA Doing with the Freeed up cars from the Ocean going to the Ressiances? I would like to see a train along the CP on days the Candian doesn't run but Daily Service between Vancouver-Calgary. Your Thoughts?

AmtrakFan wrote:I would like to see a train along the CP on days the Candian doesn't run but Daily Service between Vancouver-Calgary. Your Thoughts?

I'd like to see this too but it isn't going to happen anytime soon. There are too many factors weighing against it - costs, politics, etc..

For now, these cars are being used to makeup longer trains on the Canadian and other routes.

Freeing up the cars will also allow for renovation of the cars, without totally distorting capacity. If VIA gets funding, I think you'll see another round of restoration, with some reconfiguration, of the "ole" Budd Heritage sleepers.

Amazes me how VIA can keep these Budd built Heritage (Stainless Steel)cars maintained, with HEP and retention tanks, but Amtrak can't maintain its remaining Heritage fleet and decided to sell/scrap what it inherited from predecessor railroads. VIA and other railroads bought former Amtrak Heritage cars!

jp1822 wrote:Freeing up the cars will also allow for renovation of the cars, without totally distorting capacity. If VIA gets funding, I think you'll see another round of restoration, with some reconfiguration, of the "ole" Budd Heritage sleepers.

Amazes me how VIA can keep these Budd built Heritage (Stainless Steel)cars maintained, with HEP and retention tanks, but Amtrak can't maintain its remaining Heritage fleet and decided to sell/scrap what it inherited from predecessor railroads. VIA and other railroads bought former Amtrak Heritage cars!

And I find that fact depressing, especially after my recent excellent experiences on the last remaining Budd Ocean trainset and an HEP-II Budd set on a Montreal-Toronto corridor train. In fact, going by the window arrangement on the HEP-II coach I rode, I was surely on an ex-Amtrak coach. All in all, I think VIA did a better job on their equipment than Amtrak ever did on the rebuilt Clocker coaches.