How does VIA deal with extreme cold?

[Fenu S]

Interested to know more about how it all works. Amtrak seems to cancel trains, but looks like both The Canadian trains are on their way. Here in Edmonton it's currently -37c (windchill -45c) and it's supposed to reach -45c (windchill -54c) around the time they arrive.

 

[danasgoodstuff]

My memory of having ridden that route home to Saskatoon when it was still rum by the CNR is that they just went ahead and ran it as best they could - often painfully late since nothing runs right in those conditions, and it was kind of cold in the coaches and really cold between cars. I suspect it hasn't changed much.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

I remember riding the Canadian in March 1984 when they were still on the old route via Calgary, I don't recall the exact temperatures except it was around -15° F in Winnipeg. This was in the pre HEP days with steam heat and the cars on our train were always warm no matter what the temperature.

 

[west point]

IMO VIA's method of HEP distribution especially for the Canadian or any multiple loco train is much superior to Amtrak's. VIA much less likely to loose all HEP to every train car.
Note private cars on VIA nust be wired VIA's way.

https://www.gntrains.com/Documents/ViaHEP.pdf

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

You make a commitment to your customers. Then you hope everyone is not a popular social influencer when things go wrong.

 

[Willbridge]

I remember riding the Canadian in March 1984 when they were still on the old route via Calgary, I don't recall the exact temperatures except it was around -15° F in Winnipeg. This was in the pre HEP days with steam heat and the cars on our train were always warm no matter what the temperature.

An Edmonton friend of mine boarded the CPR Canadian in a snowstorm in Swift Current and got a good night's rocking sleep. He woke in the morning expecting to soon see Calgary and his Dayliner connection, but instead was still in Swift Current. The gentle rocking was caused by the wind.

Edmonton - CN Tower Station in steam-heat days.

 

[Steve4031]

I rode the Canadian in the January of 1998. Someplace east of Edmonton we sat for 8 hours because of a broken rail caused by extreme cold.

I remember sitting in the dome as we headed west towards Jasper. Between towns the air and sky were clear. When we passed through a town it was shrouded in fog from the heat generated by the town’s buildings.

The next morning I enjoyed the ride through the Fraser Canyon. I got off at the stop before Vancouver so a cab could get me to the airport in time for my flight back to Chicago. I remember talking to the train manager about getting assistance and not expecting much. I was amazed when he came up with the possibility of calling a cab. I made my flight with no problem.

 

[lordsigma]

Canadian railroads are likely simply better equipped to handle it as conditions like that are more typical. These conditions are less common and more extreme for US railroads. US railroads also have reduced a lot of their capability to keep things moving in extreme situations in their quest for tight operating ratios. Under their operating philosophies it’s probably simply more profitable to largely shut down in the most extreme situations rather than do whatever needs to be done to keep trains moving. Canadian National in Canada is operating in a different country with different laws and a different regulatory regime. With safety being front and center I can understand Amtrak’s reluctance to send trains out in those situations given the attitudes of today’s host railroads. A couple years ago a Coast Starlight made all sorts of news when it got stuck in a blizzard and downed trees in Oregon for over 24 hours. It’s really the perfect example of how the roads simply don’t have the resources these days to respond to a stuck passenger train in a timely manner. Media stories like that are a headache for management and for better or worse they’d probably just rather not deal with it if that sort of thing is a possibility. There’s always going to be someone with a smart phone on board. It’s sad given the history of American railroading but unfortunately at this point it is what it is.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

Canadian, March 1984 our morning stop in Sudbury ON. It was cold. Train was still steam heat.

 

[jiml]

One thing that has been noticeable in the recent cold snap is the seemingly reliable performance of VIA's new Siemens sets. There has been plenty of pictures and videos of snow-caked consists operating, particularly in colder Quebec. Perhaps the delay in introducing them to allow extreme weather testing identified issues that were resolved and is now paying off in service.

 

[Marbleski]

One thing that has been noticeable in the recent cold snap is the seemingly reliable performance of VIA's new Siemens sets. There has been plenty of pictures and videos of snow-caked consists operating, particularly in colder Quebec. Perhaps the delay in introducing them to allow extreme weather testing identified issues that were resolved and is now paying off in service.

Nice videos. Thanks for sharing.

 

[daybeers]

Seems like the Chargers themselves aren't the issue, but rather who runs and maintains them...Amtrak Chicago staff strikes again!

 

[lordsigma]

Seems like the Chargers themselves aren't the issue, but rather who runs and maintains them...Amtrak Chicago staff strikes again!

With all due respect that's pure speculation. There is far too little information publicly available on the failure modes to make such a conclusive assignment of blame. I also see no sign of the state owners blaming Amtrak for the issues they have had. The VIA units (as well as Amtrak's ALC-42s) have the benefit of lessons learned from the Midwest, West Coast, and Brightline Chargers allowing Siemens to make adjustments in the factory. The Midwest units are beginning to enter their initial overhaul program and its been strongly suggested there will be some modifications to those units to address reliability challenges. The more recent programs, including VIA's, benefit from not being the first variant of the Charger out there. So again, Chicago may have had its historical productivity issues over the years, assigning them the blame for all Amtrak's Charger woes is complete speculation. As for the ALC-42's they are the first Charger engines being used in long distance service. So like the Midwest units it's not surprising they also have some "first time" issues to work through that may not crop up in shorter haul service. Most of the available information that I have seen from official sources related to Midwest Charger availability points to premature failure of a number of components and supply chain for those parts and material. Some publicly available factual information: https://ngec.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IDOT-2023-Equipment-Update.pdf https://ngec.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/9.a.-IDOT-2022-Equipment-Update-1.pdf

I would direct your attention to this page in the 2022 presentation:
All Challenges Relate Back to Parts Supply Issues • As noted for major accident repairs • Ability to keep sufficient locomotives available for service requirements continues to be challenging. Amtrak Chicago maintenance crew has done a tremendous job of keeping the fleet running with these challenges. • TSSSA covering locomotives being negotiated, slow progress; Interim Technical Support Agreement executed October 2021.