Christmas On The Ocean

[NS VIA Fan]

Here's VIA #15, the westbound Ocean at Truro, NS this afternoon, December 23, 2012. The 18 car consist included 4 Coaches and 8 sleepers plus diner, lounges and a Skyline Dome bringing up the markers.

Note the wrapped coupler on the Skyline. Not much snow in Truro but when the Ocean reaches Matapedia, Quebec this evening it will be caked in ice and snow and this will facilitate attaching Train #17 from New Carlisle. Its F40 plus several coaches and sleepers will just couple onto the rear of the Skyline and run combined to Montreal. (an interesting sight with the F40 running in the middle of a 25 car train)

Maritime Bus.....the new intercity bus service in the Maritime Provinces now uses the VIA Station in Truro. Here's the bus from Cape Breton connecting to the Ocean.......something that hasn't been possible for a couple of years.

And a comparison......the Ocean in 1975 at roughly the same location at the photo above:

 

[railiner]

Nice shots.....the mixture of the Budd cars with the Ren cars look strange. And is that bottom center headlite on the 6415 a gyra-lite?

Glad to see that Maritime bus is using full size Setra's, rather than minibuses. I hope they do well, and perhaps restore service to St. Stephen for a Calais-Bangor connection.