"Park" Dome Car.....Last Runs For This Season

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NS VIA Fan

Conductor
Joined
Sep 24, 2011
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Location
Nova Scotia
 

It’s Thanksgiving Weekend and the end of Sleeper Plus (Touring Class) for another season.......also the last runs for the “Park” Dome Observation Cars on the Ocean until next June (they return briefly at Christmas on several departures)

 

VIA intends to run one “Budd” consist on the Ocean this winter which includes a “Skyline” Dome and it will cover two departures each way per week. The other four departures each way per week will use the Renaissance equipment which doesn’t include a Dome.

 

The Montreal <> Gaspe train (the former Chaleur) continues to include a Skyline Dome year ‘round but on days it runs combined with the Ocean, there is no access between each train.

 

Here’s the Ocean at Truro NS on warm, summer-like Thanksgiving Sunday, October 9 with the second last westbound “Park Car”

 

 

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It’s a week later (Oct 16) and the Parks are gone.

Transport Canada regulations require a Red Marker (need not be lit) to be displayed on the rear so today’s Ocean is well protected. It does have 2 red lights, a red reflective dot above the door, a reflective paddle in the coupler and a “Hunter’s Orange” door panel.

Consist:

2 F40

1 Renaissance Baggage

2 Ren Coaches

1 Ren Coach Lounge

1 Ren Diner

1 Ren Sleeper Lounge

5 Ren Sleepers

 

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So they should lease it to Amtrak to run in the Adirondack from MTR to ALB for the winter!
cool.gif
All joking aside, it's a shame that Amtrak couldn't lease a pair of them off of the Ocean for a few weeks on the Adirondack so they weren't stuck having to juggle their dome such as they have to now.
 
So they should lease it to Amtrak to run in the Adirondack from MTR to ALB for the winter!
cool.gif
All joking aside, it's a shame that Amtrak couldn't lease a pair of them off of the Ocean for a few weeks on the Adirondack so they weren't stuck having to juggle their dome such as they have to now.
IIRC, Amtrak and Via's HEP systems are incompatible.

Amtrak never should have dumped all their domes but one in the first place.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It’s a week later (Oct 16) and the Parks are gone.

Transport Canada regulations require a Red Marker (need not be lit) to be displayed on the rear so today’s Ocean is well protected. It does have 2 red lights, a red reflective dot above the door, a reflective paddle in the coupler and a “Hunter’s Orange” door panel.

Consist:

2 F40

1 Renaissance Baggage

2 Ren Coaches

1 Ren Coach Lounge

1 Ren Diner

1 Ren Sleeper Lounge

5 Ren Sleepers
Good to see that it loses the Renaissance buffer car with the Park Car.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So they should lease it to Amtrak to run in the Adirondack from MTR to ALB for the winter!
cool.gif
All joking aside, it's a shame that Amtrak couldn't lease a pair of them off of the Ocean for a few weeks on the Adirondack so they weren't stuck having to juggle their dome such as they have to now.
IIRC, Amtrak and Via's HEP systems are incompatible.

Amtrak never should have dumped all their domes but one in the first place.
I wasn't aware Amtrak and Via HEP were incompatible....

IIRC, On the old International train between Chicago and Toronto that they jointly operated, sometimes there would be VIA locomotives pulling Amtrak cars, although I cannot be sure, but they could have been the lone LRC set that Amtrak ran at the time, or perhaps Amfleet--can't recall for sure.
 
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