VIA Rail ex-Skeena Jasper-Prince George

[Swadian Hardcore]

Thanks for the info, NS VIA Fan, I have a short stopover so Kelowna wins over Penticton. A long stopover is impossible for the Okanagans on this trip, considering my packed schedule.

Very nice fan page for the Skeena, too bad so many of the links don't work.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

How's ridership and OTP on VIA Rail's Skeena? What about Greyhound in Western Canada? I'll be riding these so I would like to know. Greyhound OTP in Reno is extremely high.

I really want to know my chances of getting a seat in the dome and getting the overlooking second-row seat on Greyhound, assuming I get a DL3 which seems very common in Canada.

I'm also interested in the history along this route, I can find a lot of info about the Grand Trunk Pacific but very little about the train itself, which year it was streamlined, historic consists, schedules, etc.. All I can find is that it used to be Trains 9/10.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

I'm also interested in the history along this route, I can find a lot of info about the Grand Trunk Pacific but very little about the train itself, which year it was streamlined, historic consists, schedules, etc.. All I can find is that it used to be Trains 9/10.

Here’s a little history:

Trains were generally a through Jasper-Prince Rupert service (first timetable below is from Oct 1960.

I did find a timetable from Oct. 1964 when Jasper-Prince George was and overnight train connecting to a daytime RDC Railiner between Prince George & Prince Rupert.

Here’s one from Oct 1975

.....and Summer 1980 along with a sample consist from that era:

VIA#10 at Jasper

CN 9176 FP9

15407 Steam Generator Unit

9482 Baggage Dorm

5548 Coach

1342 Diner

Green Hill 6-6-4 Sleeper

In November 1981, the Super Continental was discontinued, eliminating passenger service between Winnipeg and Vancouver on the route VIA’s Canadian uses today. VIA then extended the Skeena to Edmonton from Jasper.

On June 3, 1984 the “Panorama” was introduced between Winnipeg and Edmonton. Returning passenger service to the CN line via Melville and Saskatoon. It also replaced the Skeena between Edmonton and Prince Rupert......Basically a through Winnipeg to Prince Rupert train (tri-weekly west of Edmonton)

Around this time, fall/winter 1984-85, VIA leased an Amtrak Superliner consist to evaluate and used them on the Panorama between Winnipeg and Edmonton. I’ve never seen anything to indicate the Superliners ran through to Prince Rupert so a change of cars was required in Edmonton.

VIA #3 Panorama, arriving Edmonton on Sept. 28/84

Amtrak 319 F40

Amtrak 31041 Superliner Coach-Baggage

Amtrak 34030 Superliner Coach

Amtrak 38025 Superliner Diner

Amtrak 32019 Superliner Sleeper

VIA 15301 HEP Generator Car

On June 1, 1985 the Super Continental was re-launched. Replacing the Panorama between Winnipeg and Jasper and extended through to Vancouver. Returning passenger service to the CN line between Red Pass Jct. (Jasper) and Vancouver for the first time since Nov. 1981. The Skeena name returned as a through Edmonton to Prince Rupert train which was attached to the Super Continental between Edmonton and Jasper tri-weekly. (Engine+Cars+Engine+Cars) This was the way the trains were operating at the time of the Hinton disaster in Feb 1986.

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

In the mid 1990s, VIA split the train into the separate daylight runs it still operates as today.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

How's ridership and OTP...........What about Greyhound in Western Canada? I'll be riding these so I would like to know. Greyhound OTP in Reno is extremely high.

I really want to know my chances of ...........getting the overlooking second-row seat on Greyhound, assuming I get a DL3 which seems very common in Canada.

Why not join the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board.........They have a Greyhound Forum.

http://www.cptdb.ca

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Wow, you really answered this one! So what are the trains with the "M" prefix? They seemed to have ran Prince George-McBride. I see there was only one train along most of the current Skeena route, except this one ran 6 time a week. Look like the "M" trains stayed around till some time between 1975 and 1980.

Those 4-8-4 and 6-6-4 sleepers are interesting too, I've heard of them a few times long ago but they seem like rare designs, though suffice to say the "Chateau" and "Manor" sleepers were probably the rarest build by Budd.

When did VIA switch from the smooth-sided CN to the stainless CP equipment on the Skeena? Was it the same time the Canadian got all-stranless equipment with CN seating put in the CP cars? Also would love to see what the original interior of the CP cars were like.

How's ridership and OTP...........What about Greyhound in Western Canada? I'll be riding these so I would like to know. Greyhound OTP in Reno is extremely high.

I really want to know my chances of ...........getting the overlooking second-row seat on Greyhound, assuming I get a DL3 which seems very common in Canada.

Why not join the Canadian Public Transit Discussion Board.........They have a Greyhound Forum.

http://www.cptdb.ca

I did, but I still can't access the forums. I actually watch CPTDB's Greyhound spottings all the time, even though their roster is outdated.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Wow, you really answered this one! So what are the trains with the "M" prefix? They seemed to have ran Prince George-McBride. I see there was only one train along most of the current Skeena route, except this one ran 6 time a week. Look like the "M" trains stayed around till some time between 1975 and 1980.

These were “Mixed” trains……..Freight trains with an old coach or combination coach/baggage car on the end.

Most were gone by the ‘70s but one still exists today in Manitoba between The Pas and Pukatawagan. It’s operated by Keewatin Railway to serve a remote First Nation Community. VIA provides the passenger cars which you’ll see around 1:20 of this video clip:






http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/our-fleet/combination-baggage-coach-car

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Wow, rare locomotives and rare railcars, that train would be very intertesting to ride if I ever get up to Winnipeg. Not on this trip, because I'm packed around Western Canada already.

Now looking at VIA Rail rosters, it seems they have lots of rare railcars, like 8130-8147, which were Budd Long Distance Coaches purchased from the US then rebuilt to the same interior as the other Long Distance Coaches. I would really like to find out some history on these, I know a few were P85D's from the Pennsy, and three were from the NYC. But a full list with history, or at least the original operator, would be very useful.

 

[NS VIA Fan]

[SIZE=10pt]Here's the consist of the "Skeena" departing Jasper on Friday Apr 4 (as reported in the Canadian rail news group)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]F40 6411[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]8135 Coach (xNYC, xPC, xAmtrak, xCR)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]8703 Banff Park Dome Observation (xCP)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Short and Sweet especially with that Park Car![/SIZE]

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

That must be a nice little train! How do the F40PH's get spread around? I thought the higher-numbered ones with 90 mph gearing run mainly in the West and the lower-numbered ones with 95 mph run mainly in the East, but I see that is not the case.

 

[jis]

I wonder if that train can ever get positive fare box recovery. Maybe if run by volunteer crew or some such?

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Jishnu, don't you know that most passenger trains run at a big loss? I agree that reducing the losses will be important to the survival of the Skeena, though.

It's a day train with a big tourist market that could be exploited without the troubles of Sleeper and Diner operation, something that affects the Canadian and Ocean, presumably also what killed the Chaleur even though it was a viable tourist route.

VIA Rail needs to market the Skeena more, bring back its official name, but don't cut the already-limited amenities. Market it as a fun daytime tourist ride, different from the transcontinental "rail experience" that the Canadian is seen as.

I suggest an extension to Edmonton or a bus connection.

 

[jis]

Isn't Skeena run mainly as an essential service? Has it ever had a significant ridership? Tourist or otherwise?

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Isn't Skeena run mainly as an essential service? Has it ever had a significant ridership? Tourist or otherwise?

You've hit the problem right on target. It's never really had many passengers. Probably not even in the golden days of CNR. But we need creativity to save VIA Rail, and marketing it as a tourist train could be a very successful boost that VIA Rail is missing outon by possibly focusing too much effort on the Canadian. Again, I bielive it should be marketed for "fun" rather than "experience".

I might want to tell you that Greyhound service along the Skeena route only runs overnight and has pretty much zero tourist potential since it hits Jasper in the pitch dark. On the contrary, Greyhound's Vancouver-Calgary routes have gained lots of tourists.