Canadian Railroads > Via Woes in British Columbia

Rainfall in biblical proportions fell over southwest British Columbia Jan 30 to Feb 1. The weather people dubbed it an “Atmospheric River”. Rivers were overflowing and hillsides were sliding. Inevitably the railways through the Fraser Canyon were affected with a major mud slide over CN track at mile 20 Yale Sub reported in the wee hours of Jan 30. Trains were stopped at Boston Bar including Via #1 which was running on time at that point. Passengers and crew were taken by bus and taxi to Vancouver while the equipment sits tied down in Boston Bar now 80 hours later and still not moving as of this writing.

Then on Feb 1 a large wash out was discovered on CN close to Hope that will take massive amounts of fill to repair which has delayed opening the Yale Sub and keeping Via trapped with at least 8 other trains.

Meanwhile CP track was still passable so trains were being fleeted through with westbounds running against the now normal current of traffic.

Via cobbled together enough equipment on hand in Vancouver for an on time departure Friday Jan 31. Not far out of town Via encountered a mud slide over the tracks near Glen Valley on the CN Yale Sub. Train #2 was delayed 7 hours until the track was deemed passable. Through the night Via slowly ran the gauntlet of trains in the Fraser and Thompson Canyons and finally gained CN track at Coho near Ashcroft around 8am Saturday. In the Black Canyon area they started encountering mini mud slides which they plowed through (!). Around a corner at Cornwall and a large  rock on the track. Train stopped safely. CN crews brought a big Hiab crane truck to lift the rock off the track. Via finally passed through Ashcroft at 11:00 now about 12 hours late. (Note! Some of this information came from a local railfan in Ashcroft who was listening to the radio. I can’t vouch for the accuracy but the time line of train movements seem to fit his story)

Later in the day on Feb 1 CP track was blocked by rock slides in the Fraser Canyon so things have come to a standstill. In Ashcroft 10:00 to 16:00 there were two CP eastbounds, two CP westbounds and Via #2 on CN. That was it! No CN trains at all.

CN is detouring train 355 on BC Rail which is mainly lumber from Prince George. That has been super rare in the CN era on BC Rail.

To top off the Via woes the next train #1 that arrived in Kamloops on time on Saturday evening was annulled there and has been turned to become #2 on Monday night. Presumably passengers were and will be bused to points west to Vancouver if the highways are open, which they were not most of the day Saturday.
 
1 & 2 & 3  Via #1 tied down, shut down, cold and empty in Boston Bar on Friday. As of this writing on Sunday morning its still there since 01:30 Thursday Jan 30.


cp1400
 

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4. Via #2 twelve hours late at Ashcroft Sat Feb 1st shortly after encountering a rock in the Black Canyon west of here.


cp1400

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/20 12:29 by cp1400.

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5 & 6. Via #1 annulled at Kamloops Saturday night Feb 1. Parked on the lead to the Rocky Mountaineer facility in CN North Kamloops Yard close to midnight.


cp1400



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/20 20:56 by cp1400.

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Good summary, thanks for the efforts.

Great nite shot at Kamloops.

t4p.

Photos five and six are magazine center spread quality.
Bob

Thanks for all the weather and railroads info.  That last shot is really nice!

refarkas Wrote:
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> Photos five and six are magazine center spread
> quality.
> Bob

+1..!!  I like the last one!!

There should be ample equipment at the Vancouver Yard to put together an extra train set - #2 that left Jan 31, 2020. Surprisingly, there's a Park Car at the rear, and then a number of sleepers in view (plus a diner) per picture posted, but a Skyline Dome car is not in view. Typically there'd be a Skyline Dome Car adjacent to the Diner for those in Sleeper Plus Class, however, it is off season, so Prestige and Plus sleeper passengers get equal access to the Park Car. Did this VIA #2 that left Vancouver only have a Skyline Dome Car near the head-end (between coach and sleeper passenger cars) and then tail-end Prestige Park Car?

VIA has 16 of the Skyline Cars in the fleet. I believe there are three to four Skylines that hold down the Hudson Bay trains (in total). All remaining Skylines are allocated to the Canadian! Finding extra Skylines in Vancouver has typically not been a problem, but maybe VIA wanted to be cautious since it's off-season and I am sure all passengers would be fine with just the Prestige Park Car anyway...... Just an observation. The CP used to just run the Canadian with one Skyline and one Park Car!

As for the train set that is "stuck" on the CN tracks or "hunkered down" - I am to understand there's a slide blocking the tracks ahead and a slide blocking the tracks behind? At least the three train sets seem to be in good company! Nonetheless, VIA often "deadheads" equipment between Toronto-Winnipeg-Vancouver in the winter time so having the train set tied up is not the best situation for VIA! Hopefully British Columbia gets a relief from the rains and no major injuries occur from all this!

refarkas Wrote:
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> Photos five and six are magazine center spread
> quality.
> Bob

YES! Really crisp and brings out the Stainless Steel in the train's consist!

From the photo I see that is a non-Prestige Park car on the "make-up" consist of #2.  During the off-season three Prestige Park cars are needed.  Last year the fourth one was often in Montreal for servicing. 

jp1822 Wrote:
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> There should be ample equipment at the Vancouver
> Yard to put together an extra train set - #2 that
> left Jan 31, 2020. Surprisingly, there's a Park
> Car at the rear, and then a number of sleepers in
> view (plus a diner) per picture posted, but a
> Skyline Dome car is not in view.

There was a skyline car behind the coach near the head end. Train had 12 cars.

Note the Park Car on this make-up consist is non-prestige. as there wasn't one available.

>
>
> As for the train set that is "stuck" on the CN
> tracks or "hunkered down" - I am to understand
> there's a slide blocking the tracks ahead and a
> slide blocking the tracks behind? At least the
> three train sets seem to be in good company!

CN opened the track west of Boston Bar on Sunday morning but before the Via consist could move a new washout was discovered at mile 7 which may take several more days to fix. The floor inside a rock shed slipped out leaving rails hanging in the air. Not sure how they will fix that one. There is no rock slide blocking the tracks east of Boston Bar but there are 6 other trains blocking the track. A decision would have to be made to get six freight trains out of the way and back to Cisco down the connector to CP to continue west or get the train hauled east to Kamloops by CN. (or run F40s long hood forward!) For the moment it looks like this train set will remain trapped in Boston Bar until the track west opens.


cp1400
 

Not surprisingly, VIA has embargoed the sale of every category of coach seat, berth , and cabin on the Canadian due out of Vancouver tonight (the 3rd). This applies to stops along the way, right up to Sudbury Jct. on Friday the 7th. In rare cases it is possible that a long-distance train is actually totally sold out, but usually this is VIA’s way of indicating a train is not operating without saying so on Reservia.
 
It is interesting to see that the return departure from Toronto on Sunday the 9th is still being booked. To my knowledge there is not a set of the Canadian in Toronto. Over the past few days I have seen two Manor sleepers, one Prestige sleeper, and a dining car in the Maintenance Centre yard. There could be a lot of equipment in Montreal.
 

My wife and I are flying into Toronto this weekend and are ticketed on #1 on Sunday to Winnipeg. I would hope things are worked out enough to not affect our trip.

Posted from Android

P Wrote:
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> My wife and I are flying into Toronto this weekend
> and are ticketed on #1 on Sunday to Winnipeg. I
> would hope things are worked out enough to not
> affect our trip.
>
> Posted from Android


I would be checking with Via. It shouldn't affect your trip, but you know what happens when you assume.

Yikes !!! My brother and I are scheduled out of Toronto on February 9 to Vancouver also!
We also have scheduled 48 hours in Vancouver before our flight back to Toronto !
Crossing my fingers !!! :):):)

P Wrote:
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> My wife and I are flying into Toronto this weekend
> and are ticketed on #1 on Sunday to Winnipeg. I
> would hope things are worked out enough to not
> affect our trip.
>
> Posted from Android

Photo 6 is Killer Kool!

It appears from Transitdocs.com/Reservia that 2(3) is out and running on time.  Did it originate in Kamloops?

1(2) shows about three hours late approaching Melville, Saskatchewan.  Will it terminate in Kamloops?  Any updates on the CN track repairs?

https://asm.transitdocs.com/map

It was reported on another discussion site that passengers left Vancouver by bus Monday afternoon. Although the train is apparently running from Kamloops, VIA has still embargoed the sale of tickets on this train.  Plenty of coach seats and berths and cabins are available on the return from Toronto on Sunday the 9th.