Canadian Railroads > Skyline Dome 8500......Bringing Up The Markers

VIA has added a Skyline Dome to the Ocean for the winter. Here's 8500 bringing up the markers on w/b #15 at Truro NS, Sunday Nov. 18, 2012.

6424 F40
6409 F40
7011 Baggage
7228 Coach
7222 Coach
70108* Accessible Coach
7303 Lounge/Service Car
7402 Diner
7313 Lounge/Service Car
79501* Accessible Sleeper
7519 Sleeper
7510 Sleeper
7503 Sleeper
7600 Transition Car
8500 Skyline Dome Lounge

* Recently rebuilt for Barrier-Free Access

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I'm glad to see some sort of lounge on the rear of the Ocean, and I'm equally glad to see VIA helping out Amtrak recover from its recent problems......but it's odd that the Ocean gets Skyline cars while Amtrak gets Park Cars.

The reverse makes more sense....Amtrak could make good use of bidirectional equipment on the Montreal-Albany run, where the Park cars would be the better choice to enhance the long distance train.

The conspiracy theorist in me is wondering whether VIA went out of its way to do as little as possible to upscale the Ocean.

- Paul

crs1026 Wrote:
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> ..........but it's odd that the Ocean gets
> Skyline cars while Amtrak gets Park Cars.
>
> The reverse makes more sense....Amtrak could make
> good use of bidirectional equipment on the
> Montreal-Albany run, where the Park cars would be
> the better choice to enhance the long distance
> train.

The Park Car is the “Signature” car on the Ocean when Sleeper Plus (or Touring Class or Easterly Class.....call it what you want) is offered during the summer and fall. But for now,at least the regular sleeper passenger has a dome in the off-season.

And yes...the Skyline would have been a better car for the Adirondack. Just like the ones CP leased to the D&H in 1974.

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Even with two Park Cars heading to Amtrak, there should be more than enough Park Cars available to operate on the Ocean.

The Canadian is operating twice a week. What does that need two Park Car Domes at most?
The Prince Rupert train is likely operating with Park ar Domes, but again, two at mot to protet that service

So that's four Park Cars VIA Rail Canada is using, with two that Amtrak is using, total of 6 being used.

Another two(?) to offer to the Ocean brings the count to 8 and I think there are at least 12 Park Cars in VIA's fleet.

Now what I don't know is how many were shipped off to get the deluxo renovation and how many of those are "operational" - if any. I believe just three were taken for the deluxo rennoation, but none are really operational - per say......Even if that is the case, clearly there should be enough Park Cars to go around......

As well as Skyline cars........

Where and when are the Park Cars operating on Amtrak? Is this some sort of premium service or is it first come first serve? Are they selling the bedrooms?

They're on the Adirondack for the next two weeks between Montreal and Albany only. Being used as Lounge cars so I don't imagine the bedrooms will be sold.

Follow the discussion here:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,2920766

They didn't lengthen the consist to make up for the reduced frequency.

crs1026 Wrote:
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> The conspiracy theorist in me is wondering whether
> VIA went out of its way to do as little as
> possible to upscale the Ocean.


Park Car vs no Park Car is the difference between VIA or West Jet for me. And I *hate* flying.

- Dave

jp1822 Wrote:
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>...
>
> Another two(?) to offer to the Ocean brings the
> count to 8 and I think there are at least 12 Park
> Cars in VIA's fleet.
>
> Now what I don't know is how many were shipped off
> to get the deluxo renovation and how many of those
> are "operational" - if any. I believe just three
> were taken for the deluxo rennoation, but none are
> really operational - per say......Even if that is
> the case, clearly there should be enough Park Cars
> to go around......
>

As I said on another thread, there are 14 Park cars in VIA's fleet. Four of them are awaiting rebuilding for the deluxe service, so there are 10 available. Many of them have had some minor refurbishment with the dome and observation lounge seats being reupholstered (with a dominate mustard colour), the lounge ceiling painted battle-ship grey and the curtains removed from the windows. The Park car on the train we took to and from Halifax in September was Tweedsmuir Park and it had not been refurbished, so it still had curtains on the lounge windows and the drawing room still had it's pink wall-paper.

ghCBNS Wrote:
-
>
> The Park Car is the “Signature” car on the
> Ocean when Sleeper Plus (or Touring Class or
> Easterly Class.....call it what you want) is
> offered during the summer and fall. But for now,at
> least the regular sleeper passenger has a dome in
> the off-season.
>
> And yes...the Skyline would have been a better car
> for the Adirondack. Just like the ones CP leased
> to the D&H in 1974.

I wondered if that was you, lurking about as we came into Truro yesterday. My wife and I were two of about only half a dozen riders in the dome Sunday.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we would have a dome on this trip. When I booked it almost two months ago, it looked like the train would be dome-less. My only complaint about the Skyline is that the front seats in the dome face backwards, unlike the Park car, where the front seat actually gives you a good view. 8500 has a new, darker interior, which I thought was quite nice. It may be hotter in summer, but was fine at this time of year.

In addition to the dome, the Skyline also offers a basic snack bar. If it wasn't on the train, passengers in the last sleeper would have to go forward four cars to get refreshments. I think 8500 was the usual Skyline on the Chaleur, and was equipped to prepare meals. That isn't the case now. Maybe it lost the kitchen in the refurbishment.

Wasn't 500 (now 8500) the Skyline leased to the D&H?

I'm looking forward to seeing the Adirondack Wednesday morning, leaving Montreal with the VIA cars.

GTD

CP 500 & 507 were leased to the D&H in the 70's

Bill Miller
Galt, ON

Does the Chaleur running to New Carlisle (on a truncated route) still have a Skyline Dome in the consist? Even when it was truncated, VIA used to keep the Skyline in tow. Course when it went all the way to Gaspe - in recent years and in peak period - it even had a full Diner.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> They didn't lengthen the consist to make up for
> the reduced frequency.

I can't find the speech, so I will have to paraphrase; VIA's CEO Marc Laliberte has said about the Ocean that running three days a week it will carry as many or more passengers than it did when operating six days a week. All consists I've seen listed and photos/videos have shown the typical off-peak consists of two or three coaches and four sleepers. The four sleepers have 10 rooms in each, but the passenger load can't be too high because the crew are accommodated in those cars. Also, many rooms are sold for single occupancy because of the modest surcharge of 15% above the per person double occupancy rate.

The Ocean may be quite long over the Christmas season. The Sleeper Plus service is back and, according to Reservia, there is at least one Château sleeper in the consist as well as the Renaissance sleepers. It is unclear if there will be a Park car or a Skyline on the train. When the Park car is operated in Sleeper Plus service bedrooms C&D are sold as "twin cabins for 2" and the drawing room A is called "large cabin for 2." For the Christmas season Reservia is not showing the suite and the drawing room (which could be in either a Château or Park) is called "cabin for 3."

David Othen has put on Youtube his video of the off-peak Ocean arriving in Halifax with the private car Pacific:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgN8ERbjA4U&list=UULuBVD8it8jmRJRET8e3__g&index=3&feature=plcp

jp1822 Wrote:
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> Does the Chaleur running to New Carlisle (on a
> truncated route) still have a Skyline Dome in the
> consist?

The Chaleur has still had a Skyline dome for the past year, even though it has been short turned. I don't think it has had a diner during that period. The Skyline is the only lounge space on the train.

GTD

cn6218 Wrote:
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> I wondered if that was you, lurking about as we
> came into Truro yesterday.

'Twas I.

Until a couple of weeks ago, on Sundays I would follow #15 up to Folly Lake......wait then catch #14 e/b. Now on the new tri-weekly schedule the first e/b #14 is the next day!

cn6218 Wrote:
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>
>
> The Chaleur has still had a Skyline dome for the
> past year, even though it has been short turned. I
> don't think it has had a diner during that period.
> The Skyline is the only lounge space on the
> train.
>
> GTD

Figures! As soon as I write this, VIA goes and takes the Skyline off the Chaleur.

This morning's (Wednesday) 15/17 arriving in Montreal only had one Skyline on the end of the train. The Chaleur section did have a diner however, so there was the potential of improved food service at least.

With the short turn, the Chaleur doesn't see much daylight anyway. They arrive in New Carlisle at 9 am, and don't leave until 6:30 to come back the next day.

GTD