VIA Rail ex-Skeena Jasper-Prince George

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Swadian Hardcore

Swadian Hardcore

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Joined
Feb 7, 2012
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I'm planning to ride the old Skeena route this summer from Jasper to Prince George, as part of my Western Canada loop in conjunction with Greyhound. I'm going for one of the runs without Touring Class because that way I can pay a Coach (Economy) fare and still get access to the dome.

But I have second thoughts after hearing the non-touring Skeena consists may be operated with RDC's. Since RDC's likely lack the power to haul a Skyline Car around, rumours are rampant that it will just run as two RDC's with no Skyline Car. Then I heard that the RDC testing on the Skeena was "unsuccesful" so it's still led with a F40PH-3 (for now).

I have a few questions about this train:

1. Any news on the Skeena RDC's?

2. If the Skeena does not use RDC's, what is the likely consist for a summer Skeena with NO Touring Class?

3. What are the most scenic sections of this route?

I would really like to know that consist, I've done research on scenery and it appears to be lots of trees with mountains jutting out from them, plus quite a few bridges. The consist is interesting though, a lot of pictures show HEP2 Budd Coaches second-hand from the US with rebuilt interiors. You rarely hear about these cars, it's always about the original CP Budds. Any info?

Thanks for any information.
 
I haven’t heard anything recently about the RDC’s being used on the Skeena. But if I were you, I would confirm that there will be a Dome in the consist on days when Touring Class is NOT operating. Otherwise you might end-up with a F40 hauling just a couple of coaches.

I know you are coming a long way......so to be sure of the dome......go for a day that Touring Class will be offered. You have to splurge every now and then! :)

As for scenery.......Great! Especially west of Jasper where Mount Robson (highest peak in the CDN Rockies) will be just to the north.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Robson

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The HEP2 Coaches and First (Business) Class cars are from the second HEP rebuilding programme in the 1990s and come from such varied roads as Amtrak, Western Railways of Alabama, Louisville & Nashville, Southern, Pennsylvania etc.

The HEP1 programme was mostly the xCPR Budd cars.

The HEP2 cars can be distinguished by the Blue/Yellow band above the windows. The HEP1s have a solid blue band.

The HEP2s were rebuilt with LRC type interiors and are used extensively in the corridor.

HEP2 Coach 360deg view:

http://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/360/Stainless_steel_Economy_corridor/index.html

HEP2 First (Business) Class

http://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/360/Stainless_steel_car_Business/index.html

VIA uses the HEP2 coaches on the Skeena as they have a Galley for meal preparation.
 
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The RDC’s were in Jasper when I passed through on my VIA Canadian trip in early December but I haven’t heard of their status since. Here’s a shot On Dec 3:

DSCN2487.JPG


If the Skeena run wasn’t successful, perhaps the RDCs will head east. The run to Jonquiere and Senneterre, Quebec would be great spot for them. It would make for an easy split/combine operation at Hervey Jct.

.......and also an opportunity for me to ride a “Railiner” again (as CN then VIA called them). Rode them just about every Friday and Sunday evening when I was going to college. They were used extensively in the Maritimes:

77-05-Truro%2520May%25201977.JPG


76-09Scan10015.JPG
 
Aw man, I'm already paying enough money on this trip, so I won't splurge for Touring Class. Heck, I hear it's not worth it, overpriced for the bad food.

Do you have to book in advance for VIA Rail Coach or can you just buy close to departure? I could just wait until June when the summer non-Touring consist starts rolling out and see if railfans report it with a dome or now.

I never even heard about Western Railways of Alabama, let alone their streamlined Budd cars. What routes did they have?

Are the 4000-4009 ever used on the Skeena? I see that they use 4100-4125. How do the Corridor Coaches compare to the Long-Distance Coaches?

Ugh, information on the Skeena is really sketchy.

BTW, great pics again!
 
NS VIA Fan said:
The RDC’s were in Jasper when I passed through on my VIA Canadian trip in early December but I haven’t heard of their status since. Here’s a shot On Dec 3:

DSCN2487.JPG


If the Skeena run wasn’t successful, perhaps the RDCs will head east. The run to Jonquiere and Senneterre, Quebec would be great spot for them. It would make for an easy split/combine operation at Hervey Jct.

.......and also an opportunity for me to ride a “Railiner” again (as CN then VIA called them). Rode them just about every Friday and Sunday evening when I was going to college. They were used extensively in the Maritimes:

77-05-Truro%2520May%25201977.JPG


76-09Scan10015.JPG
Click to expand...
In case there was any doubt.... ;) ........Love them 'Railiner's'........ :)
 
Ah, that's what your username was named after! I never knew it was "Railiners" that ran for CN. Well, do you prefer a Railiner (RDC) or a F40PH-hauled Budd consist?

I know you love Budd, I do too, as a Philadelphian railfan there could not be doubt.....
 
On a long-haul, the locomotive hauled train would be preferred--especially if it had a dome car.....

If I was going to ride the Skeena, I would just have to ride it the whole route to Prince Rupert, and then time it to connect with an Alaskan Ferry back down to Bellingham if at all possible.....
 
The Alaska Ferry does not serve Prince Rupert going south to Bellingham. You can take a BC ferry to Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. I think there is a bus connection. I took that ferry north with my car. You could take an Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. , then southbound to Bellingham. Keep in mind that these services are anything but daily and must be planned carefully.
 
greatcats said:
The Alaska Ferry does not serve Prince Rupert going south to Bellingham. You can take a BC ferry to Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. I think there is a bus connection. I took that ferry north with my car. You could take an Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. , then southbound to Bellingham. Keep in mind that these services are anything but daily and must be planned carefully.
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I know, I could take the Skeena all the way to Prince Rupert then BC Ferries to Port Hardy, then Greyhound to Nanaimo, another BC Ferry to Vancouver, and Greyhound back home.

But I would like to go through the Fraser River Canyon and VIA Rail take it at night so I'll have to ride Greyhound's Prince George-Vancouver route. So I'll get off the Skeena at Prince George, overnight, cut across to Vancouver on Greyhound, overnight again, then head home.

I'll consider the Prince Rupert option with the ferry, but, uh, budget's getting a bit high.....

Anyway, can I book VIA Rail Coach at the last minute and still get the $66.15 fare? I may need to just for confirming the dome car on non-Touring trains.
 
greatcats said:
The Alaska Ferry does not serve Prince Rupert going south to Bellingham. You can take a BC ferry to Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. I think there is a bus connection. I took that ferry north with my car. You could take an Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. , then southbound to Bellingham. Keep in mind that these services are anything but daily and must be planned carefully.
Click to expand...
Well in that case, I would take the Alaska Ferry from Bellingham to Prince Rupert, and then take the Skeena to Jasper.....
 
railiner said:
greatcats said:
The Alaska Ferry does not serve Prince Rupert going south to Bellingham. You can take a BC ferry to Port Hardy on the north end of Vancouver Island. I think there is a bus connection. I took that ferry north with my car. You could take an Alaska ferry from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. , then southbound to Bellingham. Keep in mind that these services are anything but daily and must be planned carefully.
Click to expand...
Well in that case, I would take the Alaska Ferry from Bellingham to Prince Rupert, and then take the Skeena to Jasper.....
Click to expand...
You can't buy a ticket between Bellingham and Prince Rupert, look at this: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/doc/fares/S13W14_SETariffs.pdf. Bellingham and Prince Rupert are parallel on the fare table, there's no fare between them!

The ferry is going to be too expensive, I'm going for the Prince George-Vancouver bus instead. Just can't do it, man!
 
Hmm, well, I just saw an Express Deal on VIA's website that they're selling Edmonton-Vancouver sleeper tickets for 50% off, except the offer is invalid for travel after 15 June, so I can't use it now. But the next time something like this pops up, maybe I'll got for the Canadian after all.....
 
I wonder why they don't publish a fare from Bellingham to Prince Rupert? It appears to be a difference of about $35 from the fares published to points north of them. Wonder if they would sell it.....can't think of any possible restriction of traffic due to any regulations. Might be they only want to serve those going to or from Alaska.....
 
Swadian Hardcore said:
But I would like to go through the Fraser River Canyon and VIA Rail take it at night so I'll have to ride Greyhound's Prince George-Vancouver route. So I'll get off the Skeena at Prince George, overnight, cut across to Vancouver on Greyhound, overnight again, then head home.
Click to expand...
If you want a guarantee of a dome, why not ride the Canadian from Jasper to Kamloops. You’ll have access to the Skyline and with a 2:30pm departure from Jasper and the longest days of the year, there’ll be daylight ‘till nearly 10pm for mountain viewing.

Stay overnight in Kamloops and take Greyhound the next day through the Thompson and Fraser River canyons……or just stay on the Canadian to Vancouver. A bright, moonlit night in the dome, watching the car lights ahead of a 25 to 30 car snake through the canyon, headlight on the rock walls and the signals changing is something to experience too.

If you do stay overnight in Kamloops, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a hotel room for your budget. For a city its size, it has a huge number available being a highway and Rocky Mountaineer overnight stop.

http://www.tourismkamloops.com/accommodations/list/index
 
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I won't get off at Kamloops 'cause the stupid Kamloops North station is in the middle of nowhere and if the train is late I'll be getting off lost at 2 AM.

All Greyhound buses from Kamloops to Vancouver take the Coquihalla, which I might take on the eastbound run anyway to get to Kelowna, since the Penticton/Osoyoos bus via Crowsnest Highway departs Vancouver at 6:00 AM, too early for me.

Penticton-Calgary also departs at 6:00 AM the next day as a through run from Vancouver, but departs Kelowna at 8:00.

If I try riding through the Fraser River Canyon on Greyhound in daylight, I would have to ride from Prince George or take a Kamloops-Cache Creek bus then transfer to that same bus from Prince George.

I'd rather just ride the Skeena and directly then cut south on Greyhound. Plus, the Skeena seems like a nice little train and it's got a higher chance of getting cancelled than the Canadian.

Again, if the summer Non-Touring consist (Skeena) gets spotted without a dome, then I'll go for the Canadian. In that case, if I can get a good deal on a Sleeper, I'll ride all the way to Vancouver, if not, I'll ride Coach and get off in Kamloops, then try to find a hotel that's close to the station.

But that's Plan B so it's at the very back of my head. The question is, do I have to book in advance for VIA Rail coach? That's what I want to know, so I can wait for the consist to get spotted.

railiner said:
I wonder why they don't publish a fare from Bellingham to Prince Rupert? It appears to be a difference of about $35 from the fares published to points north of them. Wonder if they would sell it.....can't think of any possible restriction of traffic due to any regulations. Might be they only want to serve those going to or from Alaska.....
Click to expand...
Considering it's owned and operated by the State of Alaska, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.
 
railiner said:
I wonder why they don't publish a fare from Bellingham to Prince Rupert? It appears to be a difference of about $35 from the fares published to points north of them. Wonder if they would sell it.....can't think of any possible restriction of traffic due to any regulations. Might be they only want to serve those going to or from Alaska.....
Click to expand...
Two different ferry boats, both part of the Alaska Marine Highway system:

--one travels from Bellingham to near Anchorage, with first stop heading north/last stop south in Ketchikan, Alaska

--other originates/ends in Prince Rupert and connects only with points north, in Alaska

Ferries from Prince Rupert south are run by BC Ferries.
 
Swadian Hardcore said:
Hmm, well, I just saw an Express Deal on VIA's website that they're selling Edmonton-Vancouver sleeper tickets for 50% off, except the offer is invalid for travel after 15 June, so I can't use it now. But the next time something like this pops up, maybe I'll got for the Canadian after all.....
Click to expand...
Just finished my bucket trip on the eastbound Canadian last night (8 hours late into Toronto). Seemed like everybody in the sleepers had at least 50% off on their tickets, but still there were only 34 passengers spread among the four Manor cars and Park Car for most of our journey.
 
This is about Greyhound, but it's for the same trip. On the way eastbound from Vancouver to Calgary, I can choose between a quick stopover at Kelowna or Penticton. The Kelowna route appears less scenic but has better timing compared to the Penticton route (which continues to Osoyoos).

After the stopover, I'll be getting on 5006 either way, which goes through Penticton first, then Kelowna, on its way to Calgary.

I pretty much scoured the entire Western Canada section of Greyhound's System Timetable and have narrowed it down to these two options.
 
railiner said:
On a long-haul, the locomotive hauled train would be preferred--especially if it had a dome car.....

If I was going to ride the Skeena, I would just have to ride it the whole route to Prince Rupert, and then time it to connect with an Alaskan Ferry back down to Bellingham if at all possible.....
Click to expand...
Hey, wait a minute.....I just took another look at NS VIA Fan's photo's....and it appears like in one photo, the Railiner's are hauling a dome car! :cool:

Probably just cars parked together, but it does look interesting....... :)
 
railiner said:
railiner said:
On a long-haul, the locomotive hauled train would be preferred--especially if it had a dome car.....

If I was going to ride the Skeena, I would just have to ride it the whole route to Prince Rupert, and then time it to connect with an Alaskan Ferry back down to Bellingham if at all possible.....
Click to expand...
Hey, wait a minute.....I just took another look at NS VIA Fan's photo's....and it appears like in one photo, the Railiner's are hauling a dome car! :cool:

Probably just cars parked together, but it does look interesting....... :)
Click to expand...
The cars were together on a siding but there was a slight gap (not coupled) between the RDC's and the baggage and dome cars.
 
Swadian Hardcore said:
No one here has been to Penticton and Kelowna? Ah, I guess I'll go for Kelowna, the schedule times are better.
Click to expand...
How long of a stopover would you have in Penticton or Kelowna then I could make a suggestion. Both are lake side cities in the semi-arid Okanagan Valley.

The CPR once operated an extensive steamboat and train ferry service on the lakes of southern interior British Columbia. One Paddle-wheeler is still on display at Penticton:

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6777

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR/ships/LandR/history.htm
 
NS VIA Fan said:
Swadian Hardcore said:
No one here has been to Penticton and Kelowna? Ah, I guess I'll go for Kelowna, the schedule times are better.
Click to expand...
How long of a stopover would you have in Penticton or Kelowna then I could make a suggestion. Both are lake side cities in the semi-arid Okanagan Valley.

The CPR once operated an extensive steamboat and train ferry service on the lakes of southern interior British Columbia. One Paddle-wheeler is still on display at Penticton:

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6777

http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR/ships/LandR/history.htm
Click to expand...
Not very long at all, half a day touring time and an overngiht stopover.
 

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