Canadian Railroads > Car sequence for the off season Canadian

VIA is running the winter Canadian -- one diner and all the sleepers between the Park Car and the diner, Are the sleeping cars numbered (x10,x11,x12,...,..) upwards from the diner going towards the Park car or upwards from the Park Car (actually the prestigous sleepers) towards the diner.

Thanks
WP17

Sorry I can't answer your question.  But a quick call to a friendly VIA agent should provide the answer. VIA seems to change the car orders on a yearly basis. But another question. VIA is going to re-furbish four Budd diners. That's enough to protect the train when two consists have only one diner. But what about during peak season when each consist has two diners and there is a third departure Vancouver to Edmonton each week? By my count that would necessitate at least six diners. So why not re-furbish enough to equip all trains?

Okay, what I found on my October trip westbound just before the change to winter consist, sleepers were numbered from low numbers going higher back to the Sleeper Plus Skyline and then the diner and  then Prestige.  Returning east on the downsized winter consist that was reversed--Sleeper Plus Skyline, then low numbers up to the 214 next to the coach Skyline.  Yesterday, however,when I booked Vancouver - Toronto I was told the 212 sleeper was the furthest back sleeper towards the diner.  Source of confusion to me as I really want and requested whatever sleeper would be nearest diner and then Park Car.  So I hope the 212 being furthest back is correct as that is the way it was on previous winter trips.

By the way, on no trip did I find the Sleeper Plus sleepers (except for maybe a crew sleeper (Chateau)) between the diner and Prestige sleepers.  Believe they want Prestige sleepers as close to diner as possible.  Now with all that said, believe for reasons unknown to me, car locations and order of numbers change at time.

I too booked passage on #2 next February (who could resist the Black Friday sale) and received contradictory information from the two res agents I talked with. Three sleepers so far on my train (210,211, 212) and since I've been assigned 211 it's not an issue at this point. 

Incidentally I was in Jasper station on Oct 6th getting ready to ride the "Rupert Rocket" and I took a shot of the lineup for that afternoon's #1. It shows cars 110-119 from the front diner to the rear diner and 130-132 ahead of the fron diner. In each case car numbers increased from front to rear.

viatrainrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Okay, what I found on my October trip westbound
> just before the change to winter consist, sleepers
> were numbered from low numbers going higher back
> to the Sleeper Plus Skyline and then the diner
> and  then Prestige.  Returning east on the
> downsized winter consist that was
> reversed--Sleeper Plus Skyline, then low numbers
> up to the 214 next to the coach Skyline. 
> Yesterday, however,when I booked Vancouver -
> Toronto I was told the 212 sleeper was the
> furthest back sleeper towards the diner.  Source
> of confusion to me as I really want and requested
> whatever sleeper would be nearest diner and then
> Park Car.  So I hope the 212 being furthest back
> is correct as that is the way it was on previous
> winter trips.

During the high season when there are two diners, the rear diner is placed between the prestige sleepers and the regular (non prestigous) slleepers. And yes that is done to reduce the distance from the prestige sleepers to the diner.  
However in the winter consists, there is only one diner and it would be placed between the coach(es) and the all the slleeping cars. On the off season consist you were just  on, wouldn't the regualr sleepers be behind the diner that is between the diner and presitge sleepers.


viatrainrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> By the way, on no trip did I find the Sleeper Plus
> sleepers (except for maybe a crew sleeper
> (Chateau)) between the diner and Prestige
> sleepers.  Believe they want Prestige sleepers as
> close to diner as possible.  Now with all that
> said, believe for reasons unknown to me, car
> locations and order of numbers change at time.

VIA has again switched the order of the sleepers. There is no point in asking VIA agents. The information they have in the computer is often wrong. On my recent trip most of us were booked in car 212 which should have been the rear-most sleeper ahead of the dining car. The order was reversed which wasn't a big problem because of the short consist. Three years ago I was on a peak-season train that had the numbers reversed. Our carefully chosen car 222 which should have been the last of the non-Prestige sleepers was, in fact, the first despite what VIA agents said was on their computer right up to the day before.

I have seen the train a few times recently and there is (for now) some consistency. This is the order after the Economy Class Skyline:
13 (if necessary - even more can be operated but it is rare.)
12
11
10
Skyline
Dining car
00 (deadhead Chateau sleeper for the crew)
30 (Prestige)
39 Park car

  The train I was on had a car 213 but it was deadhead.

Yes, that is what I found on my a recent trip east from Vancouver, reversed from when I was westbound and listed below for #2 eastbound:

Deadhead non-prestige Park Car
Baggage
2 coaches
Econ Skyline
214 sleeper plus
213
212
211
210
(One of the above a Chateau extra and/or for crew.)
Sleeper Plus Skyline
Diner
2 Prestige
Park car
And, per DrawingroomA, this all can change.  I had requested sleeper closest to the diner and Park and given the 214.  By the time I traveled it was the sleeper all the way forward.
Two days ago I requested being closest to the diner and Park and given 212 which now appears also to be all the way up forward next to the econ Skyline.  Oh well, I will love the journey!