List of Via Rail rolling stock

This is a list of past and present rolling stock owned and operated by Via Rail in Canada. Via Rail owns 78 locomotives and 396 passenger cars.[1] The tables below list that equipment by type and include some information regarding previously-owned and operated equipment. When Via began operation in 1976–1978 it was with a collection of equipment inherited from the Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). Much of this equipment remains in use today. Over the years Via has supplemented this initial fleet with new orders and with new acquisitions of secondhand equipment from other operators.

Locomotives

Current
The GMD F40PH-2 is the mainstay of Via's road fleet.
The GE P42DC is used on Corridor services

Via operates diesel locomotives exclusively. Its fleet of GMD F40PH-2s was recently modernized. The newer GE P42DCs are found only on Corridor services.

ModelRoad numbersIn serviceYears of serviceNotes
GMD F40PH-2 6400–6459 (*6403 was renumbered to 6459 in 2013) 53 1987–present Number 6403 is featured on the Canadian $10 bills issued starting in 2013.[2] The actual 6403 was renumbered to 6459 due to its appearance on the bill. All units in the fleet were rebuilt by Canadian Allied Diesel, which included many modernization upgrades, and the addition of a separate Head-end Power generator at the rear of the locomotive. The rebuild was complete by 2012. Unit 6400 retired and scrapped following a wreck. Locomotives 6454, 6437, 6436, 6416, 6402 wrapped in Canada 150 scheme.
GE P42DC 900–920 21 2001–present GE P42DC locomotives have been retrofitted with High Intensity Discharge lights below the numberboard, these lights were added after successful testing with the F40PH-2Ds in the mid 2000s. Most have been wrapped in Canada 150 scheme, minus the Canada 150 logo.
EMD SW1000 202 and 204 (201 and 203 retired in early 1990s) 2 1978–present Switcher. Originally built 1966–1967. Originally built for Inland Steel.

Future locomotives
Builder and model Photo Build
year		 Fleet numbers Power Notes
Siemens
SCB-40 Charger		 2022-2024 N/A
(32 units)		 4,000 horsepower (3,000 kW)
  • To replace fleet for the Québec City–Windsor Corridor

In December 2018, VIA Rail Canada ordered 32 trainsets - each powered by a Charger locomotive - from Siemens for use on the Québec City–Windsor Corridor.[3]

Former
UAC TurboTrain passing Brockville, Ontario in 1981.
An LRC with prototype "Renaissance" equipment in 2000.

Via inherited a diverse fleet of diesel locomotives from the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways. It also received three of the experimental UAC TurboTrain gas-turbine trainsets. Between 1980–1984 Bombardier delivered 31 LRC ("Light, Rapid, Comfortable") diesel locomotives with matching cars. The last of these was retired in 2002.

ModelRoad numbersBuiltYears of serviceNotes
UAC TurboTrain 1968 1979–1982 Acquired three trainsets from CN. All scrapped.
LRC-2 6900-6920 1980–1984 1980–2001
LRC-3 6921-6930 1980–1984 1980–2001 Coaches remain in service.
MLW FPA-2u 6758,6759 1979–1993 Ex-CN.
MLW FPA-4 1958-1989 1979–1993 Ex-CN. Several acquired by private train operators in US.
GMD FP9 1954-1959 1979-2002 Ex-CN and CP. Later rebuilt as the VIA FP9ARM. 6304 acquired by Trains Unlimited Rail Tours of California; 6510 on static display in Thunder Bay ON. F9B 6633 wrecked in 1986 and retired/scrapped.
GMD FP7 6501, 6509, 6521-6623, 6566 1949-1953 1979 Ex-CP. FP7A 6566 wrecked in 1986 and retired/scrapped.
MLW RS-10 8558 1956 Ex-CP.
EMD E8 1800, 1802 1949 1979-1980 Ex-CP.
Budd RDC-3 6144 Ex-CP and CN. Used for passenger, baggage and postal service. 6144 converted as RDC-1.
Budd RDC-9 6000-6006 Ex-CP and CN. Non-powered and no controls. Passenger use only.
IC3 7201-7202 1997 Test units sent to VIA, did not meet expectations, units sent back to Israel Railways.

Passenger cars

Stainless steel

The core of Via's long-range fleet is a collection of streamlined equipment originally built by the Budd Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1950s. These were rebuilt by AMF to use head end power and thus are often referred to as the "HEP" fleet.

TypeBuiltYears of serviceIn serviceFleet numbersNotesImage
"Galley" club car 1947–1949 1993–present 10 4000–4009 Built by Budd Car Company and acquired from Amtrak and other operators between 1989–2000, rebuilt by AMF in mid-90s. Seats 56. Designated by VIA as "HEP2" Club cars and primarily used in the Quebec-Windsor Corridor.
Corridor coach cars 1947–1953 1993–present 23 4100–4125 Acquired from Amtrak and other operators between 1989–2000, rebuilt by AMF in mid-90s. Originally built by Budd Car Company. Seats 68. Designated by VIA as "HEP2" coaches and primarily used in the Quebec-Windsor Corridor. Cars 4123, 4124, and 4125 were converted into club cars, numbered 4007, 4008, and 4009 respectively.
Long-distance coach cars 1947–1953 1978–present 43 8100–8147 Mostly ex-Canadian Pacific, some rebuilt from ex-American coaches. Built by Budd Car Company, rebuilt in the mid 1990s by AMF. Seating for 62 (60 for cars 8145 & 8147). Designated by VIA as "HEP1" coaches.
Château series sleeping car 1954 1978–present 29 8201–8229 Ex-Canadian Pacific and built by Budd Car Company. Cars bear names of famed explorers and administrators of the first French and British colonies.
Manor series sleeping car 1954–1955 1978–present 40 8301–8342 Ex-Canadian Pacific and built by Budd Car Company. Cars bear names of famed explorers and administrators of the first French and British colonies.
Park series sleeper-dome-lounge 1954 1978–present 14 8702–8718 Ex-Canadian Pacific and built by Budd Car Company. Named after select Canadian national parks.
Dining cars 1955 1978–present 13 8401–8418 Ex-Canadian Pacific and built by Budd Car Company.
Skyline series dome car 1954–1955 1978–present 18 8500–8517 Ex-Canadian Pacific and built by Budd Car Company.

LRC
An LRC club car.
Main article: LRC (train) § LRC carriages

LRC was a series of lightweight diesel-powered passenger trains built by Bombardier that were used on short- to medium-distance inter-city service in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The LRC family includes both locomotives and passenger carriages designed to work together, though the two can be, and now are, used separately. The last locomotives were retired in 2001 but the coaches remain in service.

TypeYears of serviceIn serviceFleet numbersNotes
Club car 1984–present 26 3451–3475; 3600–3601 44/56 seats. Undergoing refurbishment into 44 seat, bi-directional configuration.
Coach car 1981–present 72 3300–3399 68 seats. Undergoing refurbishment with fixed, bi-directional seating.

Renaissance
A GE P42DC with ten Renaissance coaches laying over in Toronto.
Main article: Renaissance (railcar)

The Renaissance fleet was originally built by Alstom in the mid-1990s for the proposed "Nightstar" overnight service between the United Kingdom and continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. Via acquired the entire fleet in 2000 for C$130 million after the Nightstar concept was abandoned. The cars entered service in 2002. Presently, four sets are in service: two on the Ocean, overnight between Montreal and Halifax, and two in the corridor, between Ottawa and Quebec City.

TypeIn serviceFleet numbersNotes
Baggage car[4] 9 7000–7011 Built out of unused sleeping car shells.
Club car[5] 14 7100–7114 48-seat capacity in a 2+1 configuration.
Coach[6] 33 7200–7232 48-seat capacity in a 2+1 configuration.
Lounge car[7] 20 7300–7316; 7354–7359 Via Rail refers to these as "service" cars.
Dining car[8] 3 7400–7402 48-seat capacity; built out of unused sleeping car shells.
Sleeping car[9] 57 7500–7589 10 double bedrooms. 29 are stored at Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Baggage car/transition[10] 3 7600–7602 Used to transition between coupler styles.

RDC
A pair of RDC-1s at Qualicum Beach on the now-discontinued Malahat service in 2009.
Main article: Budd Rail Diesel Car

The Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC) is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar. These were used extensively by both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways for outlying routes. Via currently rosters seven RDCs and contracted with Industrial Rail Services for C$12.6 million to refurbish and upgrade all six. The upgraded units would include new seating, wheelchair accessible washrooms, LED interior lighting, controls, wiring, heating, air conditioning systems, braking systems and rebuilt engines that meet Euro 2 standards.[11] The rebuilt units have also been modified to remove the control cab from one end of each unit, so passengers are never required to pass through the cab when entering or exiting the train. Following the bankruptcy of IRSI, work rebuilding the RDCs was completed by Canadian Allied Diesel (CAD) at the IRSI facility in Moncton.

TypeBuiltYears of serviceIn serviceFleet numbersNotes
RDC-1 1956–1958 1978–1990s 3 6109, 6120, 6127 Budd built cars. 6109 acquired by CN Rail from Chicago & Eastern Illinois and sold to Ferrocarriles de Cuba in 1998. 6127 acquired from CP Rail and sold to Dallas Area Rapid Transit in 1993. 6120 was ex-CNR D352/6703 and sold to Cuba in 1998
RDC-2 1956–1958 1978–present 2 6212, 6208, 6215, 6217, 6219 Built by Canadian Car and Foundry. All ex-CPR cars (6212 ex-CPR 9105, 6208 ex-CPR 9195 and 6215 ex-CPR 9107). 6208 and 6212 sold to Industrial Rail Services 2000. 6215 still in service.

6217 and 6219 are refurbished and in service (Sudbury-White River)

RDC-4 1955 1978–present 2 6250-6251 A second RDC-4 was added to the fleet in 2013 when ex-CP 9251 was rebuilt into VIA 6251.

Others
One of Via's three Colorado Railcar-built "Panorama" domes on the rear of the Canadian in 2012.
TypeBuiltYears of serviceIn serviceFleet numbersNotes
Canadian Car and Foundry Café-Coach car 1954 1980–present 1 3248 72-seat snack bar ex-CNR 5454. Currently in use on the Keewatin Railway.
Canadian Car and Foundry baggage-coach 1954 1978–present 2 5648–5649 Ex-CNR 5649 and currently in use on the Keewatin Railway.
Colorado Railcar Single-Level Dome dome coach 2000 2002–present 3 1720–1722 Seats 71-74. Referred to as "Panorama" cars by VIA.
Canadian Car and Foundry lounge car 1954 2002–present 1 1750 Originally CNR 5585 became VIA Rail 5585 from 1978 to 1998. Sold to Funtrain of Kelowna, then to BC Rail in 2001. Acquired in 2002 from BC Rail as 1750. Named "Glen Fraser".
Budd observation/club car 1939 2002–present 1 1751 Acquired from BC Rail as 1750 Pavilion. Original built in 1939 as Biscayne Bay, later as Memphis and owned by 8 different owners. Has never entered service with VIA and stored at Montreal Maintenance Centre.[12]
Various Budd baggage cars 1954–1955; 1963 1978–present 19 8600–8623 8600-8617 are ex-Canadian Pacific; 8618-8623 are ex-Union Pacific Budd slab-side baggage cars.
National Steel baggage car 1951 1978–present 1 9631 One of 67 cars of this type once owned by VIA Rail.

Future

The 2018 Canadian federal budget included funding for the purchase of 32 trainsets to replace equipment used in Corridor service in Ontario and Quebec.[13] With money allocated, Via issued a request for proposals in 2018, with delivery of the new rolling stock scheduled for 2022.[13] In December 2018, VIA Rail Canada ordered 32 trainsets from Siemens for use on the Québec City–Windsor Corridor, at a cost of $989 million.[3][14] Trainsets will be powered by diesel-electric Charger locomotives, with passenger car trainsets from the Siemens Venture family.[15] Similar trainsets are in use with Railjet in Austria, and the Czech Republic, and Brightline in Florida, USA.

References
  1. Via Rail. "Overview". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  2. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "Zoom : Canada's new polymer $5 and $10 bills". Retrieved 2013-04-30.
  3. "Siemens Canada secures major order with VIA Rail Canada for new fleet of passenger trains" (Press release). Siemens Mobility. December 12, 2018.
  4. Via Rail. "Baggage cars - Renaissance baggage car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  5. Via Rail. "Passenger cars - Renaissance Club car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  6. Via Rail. "Passenger cars - Renaissance Coach car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  7. Via Rail. "Service cars - Renaissance service car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  8. Via Rail. "Service cars - Renaissance dining car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  9. Via Rail. "Sleeping cars - Renaissance sleeping car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  10. Via Rail. "Baggage cars - Renaissance baggage transition car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  11. "Government of Canada and Via Rail invest in rail service, jobs in Moncton Monday, 29 March 2010 Press Release". Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  12. http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/our-fleet/observation-club-car
  13. "VIA Rail fleet replacement funded". Railway Gazette International. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
  14. "VIA RAIL'S FLEET REPLACEMENT PROGRAM: SIEMENS CANADA LAUNCHES PROCUREMENT PROCESS | VIA Rail". media.viarail.ca. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  15. "New Intercity Trains For VIA Rail Canada". Retrieved 2019-01-19.
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