Canadian Railroads > F Unit Friday

On Dec 29, 1978 I caught Via's Atlantic at Adirondack Jct, on the last leg of its journey from St John, New Brunswick and Montreal. These were early days of VIA, and I braved frigid temperatures to capture the former CPR FP9 in VIA colors. CPR units initially recieved a slightly different scheme to CN's FP's.

Alas, the Atlantic was terminated in 1993.

Brian N.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/20 08:42 by briancdn.

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V-v-v-v-very nice.  You were brave.

Under VIA.....the Atlantic had an interesting history. In October 1979 the Atlantic began using Central Station in Montreal so it no longer passed through Adirondack Jct. It ran on CN to Lennoxville Quebec where it crossed back to it's original CP route to Magentic...... then across Maine to Saint John where it now continued on through to Moncton and Halifax.

It was discontinued in November 1981 but returned in June 1985. The Atlantic was finally discontinued for the second and last time in December 1994.

briancdn Wrote:
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> On Feb 29, 1978 I caught Via's Atlantic at
> Adirondack Jct, on the last leg of its journey
> from St John, New Brunswick and Montreal. 

Once again great photos both of the Atlantic and the RDCs on your other post.  Thanks for posting them.

Brian could you please check the date on your slide.  There was no VIA on February 29, 1978 nor was it a leap year.  At the point of time there was VIACN and CP Rail.  CN passenger personnel and most of the equipment became VIA on April 1, 1978 with CP Rail relieving itself of inter-city passenger services at the end of October. 1978.

My second question, was the 2200 series coach added to the train in Sherbrooke, QC?   I did not ride The Atlantic as often as I liked to have as I was still a student but my girlfriend had just found a nursing job in Saint John, NB so I did manage to save my shekels in order to make 2 or 3 trips a year from 1974-1976.  At that time I remember the coach being added but I do not recollect one ever being dropped off on the eastbound trip.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

Date corrected Gerry, thanks. Dec 29, 1978. I had mis-labelled the slide. 
No idea about the coach.
Brian N.
 



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/20 08:42 by briancdn.

Excellent photos. I enoy the CPR 2200 series coach on the rear. Is that a window on the end?

A friend worked as an CP operator at Seaway Tower, along with a bridge operator for the Seaway canal and a security guard.

Adirondack Junction and the Seaway tower are in the Kanestake First Nation. The security guard was a member of the Mohawk Nation. The reason he was employed was to keep trespassers off the railway bridge. Keep in mind that Mohawk workers were famed for building skyscrapers in New York because of their lack of fear of heights.  Kanestake is across the St.Lawrence river from Montreal, usually accessed by the Honore Mercier highway bridge. The highway bridge did not have pedestrian sidewalks and was very busy. So, the railway bridge saw a lot of unauthorized pedestrian traffic. The railway bridge has a lift span over the St.Lawrence Seaway. When the lift span was open, the pedestrians would simply climb the steel towers.

In order to dissuade this practice, the security guard would contact the tribal police if he saw anyone near that tracks, including the station site at Adirondack Junction.  As a result, I have few images taken at Adirondack Junction after the mid 1970's.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A friend worked as an CP operator at Seaway Tower,
> along with a bridge operator for the Seaway canal
> and a security guard.
>
> Adirondack Junction and the Seaway tower are in
> the Kanestake First Nation. The security guard was
> a member of the Mohawk Nation. The reason he was
> employed was to keep trespassers off the railway
> bridge. Keep in mind that Mohawk workers were
> famed for building skyscrapers in New York because
> of their lack of fear of heights.  Kanestake is
> across the St.Lawrence river from Montreal,
> usually accessed by the Honore Mercier highway
> bridge. The highway bridge did not have pedestrian
> sidewalks and was very busy. So, the railway
> bridge saw a lot of unauthorized pedestrian
> traffic. The railway bridge has a lift span over
> the St.Lawrence Seaway. When the lift span was
> open, the pedestrians would simply climb the steel
> towers.
>
> In order to dissuade this practice, the security
> guard would contact the tribal police if he saw
> anyone near that tracks, including the station
> site at Adirondack Junction.  As a result, I have
> few images taken at Adirondack Junction after the
> mid 1970's.

Very true. It didn't help that somebody torched the station that had stood at Adirondack Jct until 1975. I had no trouble with the indian peacekeepers. That changed in 1979 when a small group of railfans were escorted off the property, which was fair enough. As many good locations had always been 'trespassing' by the letter of the law, the railroads were tolerant up to a point. The Mohawk peacekeepers were not.
The junction itself was up until that point a great place to watch trains, with the ex NYC line to Massena still active. I never did get PC or Conrail at the Jct, something I regret now. Brian N.

Awesome winter photo scenes.  Thanks for braving the weather.
ALLEN

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Under VIA.....the Atlantic had an interesting
> history. In October 1979 the Atlantic began using
> Central Station in Montreal so it no longer passed
> through Adirondack Jct. It ran on CN to
> Lennoxville Quebec where it crossed back to it's
> original CP route to Magentic...... then across
> Maine to Saint John where it now continued on
> through to Moncton and Halifax.
>
> It was discontinued in November 1981 but returned
> in June 1985. The Atlantic was finally
> discontinued for the second and last time in
> December 1994.

At the time the train was reinstated in 1985, I was living in Albany at the time.  Somehow, I learned that VIA assigned FPA4 locomotives to the Atlantic and I spent Labor Day weekend of 1985 going to Montreal on the Adirondack, riding the Altantic roundtrip and returning on the Adirondack.  I loved the ride on the Atlantic.

Several years later, I moved to Pittsburgh and when I learned in 1994 that the Atlantic was going to be discontinued, I returned to Montreal in October for one more ride.  I remember that being a nice ride, but I enjoyed the 1985 trip more.