Canadian Railroads > Bufferless VIA No. 2

Following the lifting of the Ministerial Order on May 18, VIA trains formed of stainless-steel consists have begun to operate without unoccupied buffer cars at front and rear.

The first unbuffered No. 2 since the order was rescinded departed Vancouver on May 19, and is seen looking east from Sorenson Street grade crossing in Abbotsford, BC, at Mile 0.8 of CPKC's Page Subdivision at 17:30.  Instead of a buffer car, Prestige-class dome-observation-lounge-sleeper car Prince Albert Park is displaying the markers. The train will soon cross CPKC's bridge over the Fraser River at Mission and make a stop at Mission (Harbour Road) station. The double-track at right is CN's Yale Subdivision, at Mile 88.6.

The requirement for buffer cars was imposed by VIA management on October 12, 2022, on the recommendation of a consulting engineering firm. An order by the federal Transport Minister on October 19 required VIA to continue operating with this measure and carry out a detailed inspection and testing program. The results of that program have resulted in the lifting of the order.

The first running of No. 2 with buffer cars occurred on October 14, with sleeper Cameron Manor marshalled behind Laurentide Park. That train is seen here at the same location from a different angle.

---

---

Thanks for posting the photos.

  Number 2 arrived in Toronto Friday afternoon with Blair Manor as the rear buffer car. I expect it will be removed before the departure of this consist on Sunday. The ex-BCR Panorama car #1720 was in the deadhead position between the locos and the baggage car so would be considered the forward buffer car.

Wonderful!

Have Panorama cars ever been east of Winnipeg before?

Posted from Android

Hooray!  Will be riding westbound in October and was hoping we wouldn't be gazing at an end door from the Park car.  Thanks for posting the pics.

Question about the red disc (marker) on the rear coupler:  Is it illuminated at night or does it just reflect?

-John

jcaestecker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Question about the red disc (marker) on the rear
> coupler:  Is it illuminated at night or does it
> just reflect?
>
> -John

Canadian regulations do not require the rear marker to be lit.  Reflective is sufficient.   BSB

I asked this on another thread, not sure if others saw it:

Doesn't Rocky Mountaineer have a bunch of ex-CN CC&F built daynighter cars from the 1950's, something like our Pullman-Standards ? Why were they exempted from having unoccupied buffer cars and destroying a few to prove they were not structurally defective ?
 

Thanks BSB!

-John

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Have Panorama cars ever been east of Winnipeg
> before?
>
Occasionally I have seen them deadhead on the Canadian and on corridor trains going to and from Montreal.

I really like that first photo - great composition.
Fred

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I asked this on another thread, not sure if others
> saw it:
>
> Doesn't Rocky Mountaineer have a bunch of ex-CN
> CC&F built daynighter cars from the 1950's,
> something like our Pullman-Standards ? Why were
> they exempted from having unoccupied buffer cars
> and destroying a few to prove they were not
> structurally defective ?

The decision to conduct tear-down inspections and compression testing of VIA's stainless-steel cars was made by VIA itself. Transport Canada did not initiate this, it simply reinforced VIA's own decision.

In general, the focus was on concerns about points in a car where dissimilar metals (in this case, stainless steel and carbobn steel) are connected (which does not apply to Rocky's ex-CN cars). These concerns came to light during an earlier refurbishment program.  VIA engaged a consulting engineering firm to examine the issue, leading to recommendations that included the use of buffer cars as well as the testing program, and VIA accepted those recommendations and acted on them.  
 

Nice shots! I took the westbound with a friend from Toronto to Vancouver last February. We had a great time, although it sucked having the buffer car on. At least, we got to our destination early and safely. I look forward to being able to take the Canadian a few more times while the Park Car is still available. Next April, some friends and I are going to take the Hudson Bay up to Churchill from Winnipeg and possibly back. It would be neat to have a Park car on that train. My next few trips on the Canadian will be in the next five years. I plan to take Eastbound # 2 from Vancouver to Jasper with a switchover there to the Skeena which I would take to Prince Rupert. I also plan to do a trip where I ride the Sudbury-White River route with the RDCs and then take eastbound 2 back from Sudbury Jct to Toronto.