AAPRCO 'The Scotian-Maple Leaf'

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NS VIA Fan

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Sep 24, 2011
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Nova Scotia
Let's go back 15 years to 2005 when the AAPRCO Convention (American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners) was to have been held in Halifax that October with an array of Private Cars I had only dreamed of ever seeing.....making their way east in a special train: the ‘Scotian-MapleLeaf’

The operating plan posted to the AAPRCO web page back then makes for an interesting read......

Route east was from Chicago on CN with Amtrak providing the power to Port Huron MI where VIA would have taken over. On to Toronto and Montreal then following the Ocean’s ‘Intercolonial Railway’ route via Campbellton to Truro. Out to Sydney on the Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway then back to Truro and onto Halifax for the convention.

Westbound it would have used CN’s freight route.....the NTR (National Transcontinental Railway).....fast and CTC via Edmundston NB. Then at Quebec it would have crossed the Quebec Bridge and Cap-Rouge Trestle to run on the north shore via Hervey Jct to Montreal.














 
The page below was from the initial planning for the event early in 2005 and it had the eastbound train running instead on the former CPR route across Maine to Saint John NB.... and an interesting note here: VIA “will operate the train as long as it is an Amtrak train while in the United States. They will lease their locomotives to Amtrak for a nominal sum” This is interesting as the route across Maine was once VIA's (Atlantic Ltd)...never Amtrak's. So I’m wondering if that and the logistic of 2 additional border crossings scuttled that idea.

But something else also happened in Summer 2005 as the 'Scotian-Maple Leaf' never operated and the convention in Halifax was cancelled. (was this around the time VIA banned the operation of PV's ??)








Here's the list of the Private Cars that had planned on attending. The cars would have been parked at VIA's Halifax Station. A very convenient location as the station is adjacent to and directly connected inside to the Westin (a former CN Hotel) where the convention was to be held.








The VIA Station and Westin Hotel where the AAPRCO Convention would have been held.......








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Great post, thanks!
Fascinating close up, that just begins to scratch the surface of the extensive behind the scene's planning that producing one of these entails.

I knew Jim Larson, when he was VP at Amtrak...
 
Actually from what I've heard from someone I trust completely VIA still accepts PVs. But one of the rules is the PV can't run behind a Park car. So you can't run on the Canadian, Skeena, or Ocean (maybe after November??) unless you have Canadian style HEP then you could run on the head end.

That would have been a great route, and I wish that AAPRCO would do that again. It is unique, good rare milage, and it sure beats Burlington, VT a second time.
 
Great photos of the Halifax VIA train station -
In the background note the NCL cruise ship JADE
Have cruised this twice on the NCL DAWN autumn Canada New England Boston Quebec
A short walk from the ship and a walk through the hotel lobby to the corridor to the station.
There is a back door entrance to the station.
The station is only manned when a train is present.
Walking the track platform is not permitted.

Recently posted something about wyeing the train set for the next day departure.
Train does not operate daily.
Train consist appears to be 2 locomotives 10-15 cars and the Park Observation type car at the end.
 
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