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Date: 02/01/25 08:03
White River RDCs
Author: cn6218

The recent discussions about the White River RDCs remind me that I need to book a trip on this train before it's gone (Transport Canada has set a hard date for the retirement of all the Budd equipment, whether it can meet crash standards or not).

My only visit was in 2017, and we had other items on the agenda, so no ride was possible and only got a few photos.  One of them was a few miles into the westbound trip, at Sprecher on August 5.  The 3-car train is about to go under two bridges, the first carrying a pipeline and the second Inco's plant railway.  The RDCs on this day were 6217, 6219 and 6250.

GTD




Date: 02/01/25 08:20
Re: White River RDCs
Author: NiagaraMike

Nice shot-The area is called Sprecher ! Where trains to Levack interchange with CP.



Date: 02/01/25 09:06
Re: White River RDCs
Author: jp1822

Transport Canada set a date? What's the date - year 2035? I thought that was just VIA Rail maintenance department's plea that they needed to replace the legacy (Heritage) equipment by this date....... Course right now, the ex-CP and "legacy" equipment is working better or more reliably than the new Sieman's junk. 



Date: 02/01/25 09:07
Re: White River RDCs
Author: poshell

Stealth grey nose on VIA 6250 in July of 2023. Sometime between your 2017 shot and my 2023 shot it lost its VIA logo decal.
No red marker lights. Just a red coupler paddle.

Pic 1   VIA 6250 trailing unit on VIA #185 at Sudbury, ON July 27, 2023

Pic 2   VIA 6250 leading unit on VIA #186 at CPKC Swanson, ON Mile 88.8 CPKC White River Sub. July 28, 2023






Date: 02/01/25 11:11
Re: White River RDCs
Author: refarkas

Fascinating photos.
Bob



Date: 02/01/25 11:23
Re: White River RDCs
Author: symph1

On the inside, are these different from any other Budd coach?



Date: 02/01/25 11:40
Re: White River RDCs
Author: PumpkinHogger

Ironic graffitti in the background.

Still annoyed I didn't ride the BC Budds before they went, but I was distracted with other more pressing things.



Date: 02/01/25 13:07
Re: White River RDCs
Author: poshell

On the inside ....
Pic 1   On board VIA #185 Budd RDC VIA 6105 July 27, 2023
Pic 2&3   On board VIA #186 Budd RDC VIA 6219 July 28, 2023



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/25 13:14 by poshell.








Date: 02/01/25 15:20
Re: White River RDCs
Author: joemvcnj

Look more comfortable for overnight service than the REN cars. 



Date: 02/01/25 16:00
Re: White River RDCs
Author: jp1822

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Look more comfortable for overnight service than
> the REN cars. 

They look extremely comfortable, especially from their original seat configuration. These cars are built like tanks so I am a bit surprised the RDC's are being pinpointed for "crash-worthiness" retirement as well. BUt it is waht it is. 



Date: 02/01/25 18:39
Re: White River RDCs
Author: NiagaraMike

There was a suggestion that the older equipment displaced by the new Sieman sets were replacing the Budds within a yr or two anyway!



Date: 02/01/25 18:52
Re: White River RDCs
Author: shortlineboss

How many RDC's does VIA have?  Was the control compartment upgraded?

Mike Root
Madras, OR



Date: 02/01/25 19:19
Re: White River RDCs
Author: poshell

Inside the cab ....
Pic 1   Drefal, ON   Mile 51.9 CPKC Nemegos Sub.   from VIA 6105   leading RDC on VIA #185   July 27, 2023
Pic 2 & 3   VIA 6105   trailing RDC unit   on VIA #186   departing White River, ON   July 28, 2023








Date: 02/01/25 19:56
Re: White River RDCs
Author: DrawingroomA

I am pleased to see restraining mesh on the overhead bins and also curtains on the windows.  The new Venture cars do not have these.  I am surprised Transport Canada has allowed the Ventures to have open overhead shelves with heavy luggage.  



Date: 02/02/25 05:50
Re: White River RDCs
Author: joemvcnj

DrawingroomA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am pleased to see restraining mesh on the
> overhead bins and also curtains on the windows. 
> The new Venture cars do not have these.  I am
> surprised Transport Canada has allowed the
> Ventures to have open overhead shelves with heavy
> luggage.  

When I rode a VIA Venture trains last summer, the service attendants were walking through the cars shoving luggage back on the shelves so none were close to the edge. It would be very hard to retrofit Venture luggage racks since a portion of them are made of glass. They look nice for a Hollywood movie set and PPT slide show performance, but otherwise are quite ridiculous. 

Lack of luggage restraints, such as bars that were installed on all Amtrak equipment decades ago, and luggage rack doors on the Acelas, HEP-II's and LRC's, to constrain luggage from flying in derailments, goes to show that all Siemens customer passenger railroads bought a bill of goods and were too bureaucratic, lazy, and stupid to question anything they were buying, whether it be this, track lighting and seating, poorly aligned seats to windows, narrow business/first class 2+1 seats, and hard seats that barely "recline".

Maybe they should yank the seats out of scrapped LRC's and at least upgrade the First Class Venture cars with them. It wouldn't sacrifice aisle width for accessibility. 


 



Date: 02/02/25 15:16
Re: White River RDCs
Author: jp1822

shortlineboss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How many RDC's does VIA have?  Was the control
> compartment upgraded?

I still remember the impressive and expansive fleet of Budd RDC's that VIA once had and operated!!!! It was really impressive. Sadly, those days passed and that chapter of VIA's mighty RDC days shut with the 1990 cuts. Still remember seeing all the RDC's piled up and lined up in the Halifax Yard. They held down so many routes that were cancelled in teh Maritimes, and elsewhere before and after the 1990 massacre. Really sad as they were meant for all these branch lines and met the need perfectly. I think VIA is down to just like five (5) or so RDC Budd units now aren't they? One was sacrificed in the crash worthiness test. The ones that got the overhauls, weren't they largely the ones that were working on Vancouver Island? I was in Jasper and saw VIA trying to test the RDC's on the Jasper to Prince Rupert line; and then the corridor project that was on the drawing boards from Moncton (???) to Halifax. 



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