N
NS VIA FAN
Guest
Back in the ‘60s, CN was tacking an “O” on the end of the names of their fastest trains. The corridor had the Rapidos and Tempos (and the UA Turbo too)
The Rapidos were conventional trains on fast schedules and the Turbos…..even faster.
The Tempos were introduced in 1968 between Toronto-London-Sarnia-Windsor…..eventually going to VIA and then to the Colorado Ski Train. Now they’ve come full-circle, back to CN for service on the Algoma Central’s Agawa Canyon Tour Train.
Here’s a Tempo at London with one of the MLW RS18s which were rebuild to provide HEP to the cars.
The Tempos even ran through to Chicago in joint Amtrak-VIA service. Here’s the International at Port Huron in January 1983 with an Amtrak F40 for power.
And Newfoundland had the “Expedo” but it wasn’t a train.
When the narrow-gauge Caribou (a.k.a. The Newfie Bullet) passenger train was discontinued in 1969, it was replaced by a fleet of CN operated buses named Roadcruisers. The express run was the “Expedo”. It covered the 900 km between St. John’s and Port-aux-Basque (port oh bask) in 13 hours……the Newfie Bullet had taken 22 hours. The Caribou had been a full service train with coaches, diners and sleepers……the buses now made meal stops along the way.
The old CN Station in the above photo is still there. It’s now the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal but you would have to peel back the steel cladding and modern expansion across the front to find it (two story section at the rear) The bus platform is where the tracks once were.
CN sold the bus service to DRL in 1996 and it continues today. The bus from St. John’s has just arrived to connect with the overnight ferry to Nova Scotia, Marine Atlantic’s “Atlantc Vision……1000 passengers and 500 cars. Marine Atlantic was originally CN Marine, operating the rail-car ferries to Newfoundland.
The Rapidos were conventional trains on fast schedules and the Turbos…..even faster.
The Tempos were introduced in 1968 between Toronto-London-Sarnia-Windsor…..eventually going to VIA and then to the Colorado Ski Train. Now they’ve come full-circle, back to CN for service on the Algoma Central’s Agawa Canyon Tour Train.
Here’s a Tempo at London with one of the MLW RS18s which were rebuild to provide HEP to the cars.
The Tempos even ran through to Chicago in joint Amtrak-VIA service. Here’s the International at Port Huron in January 1983 with an Amtrak F40 for power.
And Newfoundland had the “Expedo” but it wasn’t a train.
When the narrow-gauge Caribou (a.k.a. The Newfie Bullet) passenger train was discontinued in 1969, it was replaced by a fleet of CN operated buses named Roadcruisers. The express run was the “Expedo”. It covered the 900 km between St. John’s and Port-aux-Basque (port oh bask) in 13 hours……the Newfie Bullet had taken 22 hours. The Caribou had been a full service train with coaches, diners and sleepers……the buses now made meal stops along the way.
The old CN Station in the above photo is still there. It’s now the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal but you would have to peel back the steel cladding and modern expansion across the front to find it (two story section at the rear) The bus platform is where the tracks once were.
CN sold the bus service to DRL in 1996 and it continues today. The bus from St. John’s has just arrived to connect with the overnight ferry to Nova Scotia, Marine Atlantic’s “Atlantc Vision……1000 passengers and 500 cars. Marine Atlantic was originally CN Marine, operating the rail-car ferries to Newfoundland.
Last edited:
