posted
For the past couple of years VIA has been using the new “Renaissance” equipment on one or two of the three consists required for the “Ocean”. The other consist was “Budd” equipment that always included a “Skyline” Dome and a “Park” Dome-Observation. The “Renaissance” consists didn’t include domes.
Now VIA has launched a new “Easterly Class” service on the Ocean that will include a “Park” Dome-Observation attached to each “Renaissance” consist also. This required modifications to the coupling system of a Renaissance transition car to allow attaching the “Park” car.
The “Park” might look a bit out of place compared to the profile of the Ren equipment and painted smooth sides vs. stainless-steel. But VIA does this in the corridor all the time by mixing Budd HEP2 cars with LRCs and even placing boxy P42s locomotives in the centre of “J” trains. And have you seen Amtrak’s Florida trains: a mixture of Amfleet, Viewliner and Heritage.
Here’s some Text From a VIA Press Release:
MONTREAL, June 1, 2005 - Today, VIA Rail Canada launched its overnight Easterly Class service on the Montreal-Moncton Halifax train, the Ocean, creating a rail journey that immerses travellers into the romance of the Maritime provinces. Educational and enriching, the new and improved Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience will celebrate this history-rich region while pampering passengers with the amenities they'd expect from a premier class sleeper service.
Operating June through October 31 of 2005 and May through October beginning next year, the new Easterly Class service will be a seasonal upgrade to the Ocean's already existing Comfort Sleeper class, which will continue to run year-round.
Another feature exclusively for passengers in the new Easterly Class is the use of VIA Rail's signature tail-end panoramic Park Car with a charming, elevated domed viewing area from which passengers can watch the scenery roll past. Downstairs, they will also have sole access to the Park Car's two lounges: the Mural Lounge - so named because it features a wall mural by a Canadian artist and the Bullet Lounge, a wonderful place to relax. The inception of the new Easterly Class: A Maritime Learning Experience will mark the first time that the Park Car / Domes are available on VIA Rail's Renaissance equipment.
Décor aboard the new Easterly Class section of the train will also be revamped. The service's Renaissance equipment will feature Sleeper Cars with Maritime-themed artwork - a separate theme for each car.
Other rail cars will also be decorated with artwork representative of the region, including the train's elegant yet unpretentious Dining Car. Here, the dining experience itself has also been enhanced. Dinner, which will be included in the ticket price for Easterly Class passengers, will feature impressive cuisine inspired by local specialties and products, and a variety of fine Maritime wines available for purchase......
Posts: 239 | Registered: Feb 2004
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Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
The last time I took the Adirondack to Montreal, the sparkling, "all Budd" version of the Ocean was parked right across the platform when we pulled in. I spent a few minutes walking along the line of windows, peeking into the Ocean's spectacularly refurbished sleepers, coaches, diner, and dome.
What a train! Each car was more beautiful than any private varnish car I've ever seen. By comparison, the poor old Adirondack's string of Amfleets, directly across the platform, looked as if they were headed for the scrap yard.
It's a shame that Amtrak saw fit to sell off most of its cars from the 1940s and 50s, often at fire sale prices. With a bit of TLC and a wise use of public cash (surely less cash than it would cost to build an equivalent number of new cars from scratch), VIA Rail has turned Amtrak's unwanted orphans into works of art.
Posts: 793 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by dilly: The last time I took the Adirondack to Montreal, the sparkling, "all Budd" version of the Ocean was parked right across the platform when we pulled in. I spent a few minutes walking along the line of windows, peeking into the Ocean's spectacularly refurbished sleepers, coaches, diner, and dome.
What a train! Each car was more beautiful than any private varnish car I've ever seen. By comparison, the poor old Adirondack's string of Amfleets, directly across the platform, looked as if they were headed for the scrap yard.
It's a shame that Amtrak saw fit to sell off most of its cars from the 1940s and 50s, often at fire sale prices. With a bit of TLC and a wise use of public cash (surely less cash than it would cost to build an equivalent number of new cars from scratch), VIA Rail has turned Amtrak's unwanted orphans into works of art.
Actually, only some of the coaches on the Ocean are "Amtrak's unwanted orphans". All sleepers, diners, and dome cars (and some coaches) were built originally for the CPR's The Canadian of 1955 and transferred to VIA in the late 1970s.
The Ocean is indeed a splendid train. Sadly, the food in the dining car has recently been downgraded, but it has been reported that there has been some improvement with the new menus that started on the 1st of June. Other than the quality of food, the train is very much like the Canadian, but considerably cheaper. There is a full range of sleeping car accommodation on the Budd equipment: berths, roomettes, bedrooms and drawing rooms. The Renaissance equipment has only double bedrooms. There are two types; the deluxe rooms are very slightly larger and offer a shower.
Posts: 216 | From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 2000
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