Canadian Railroads > VIA 2 The Canadian Vancouver - Toronto

Notice on VIA car info 2 departing 12/15 Vancouver carried only one skyline car. This car available to both coach and sleeper passengers?

All passengers (or none) are in line for amenities such as champagne?? Or coach passengers blocked from the skyline. Or sleeper passengers served in the park car??

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The VIA car info and even the Reservia sites are wrong.  I am surprised that VIA's own booking system does not show the Sleeper Plus Class Skyline which is operated ahead of the dining car.  I was on the train a few weeks ago and I see one of the Toronto arrivals every week and also the consist list posted on another forum.  There is always a mid-train Skyline. It is staffed with an activities co-ordinator who provides the snacks, coffee, etc. and also the bar service.

According to this site - https://traincar.info/ - which I have found to be accurate, this is the consist in question:

Train 2 on 2025-12-15 from Vancouver to Toronto

• Car BAG - 
• Car 4 - HEP1 (Economy) 
• Car 3 - HEP1 (Economy) 
• Car SKY
• Car CREW 
• Car 13 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
• Car 12 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
• Car 11 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
• Car 10 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
• Car DINER
• Car 30 - HEP (Prestige Sleeper) 
• Car 39 - HEP (Park Car) 

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to this site - https://traincar.info/ -
> which I have found to be accurate, this is the
> consist in question:
>
> Train 2 on 2025-12-15 from Vancouver to Toronto
>
>

• Car BAG - 
  >
• Car 4 - HEP1 (Economy) 
  >
• Car 3 - HEP1 (Economy) 
  >
• Car SKY
  >
• Car CREW 
  >
• Car 13 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 12 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 11 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 10 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car DINER
  >
• Car 30 - HEP (Prestige Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 39 - HEP (Park Car) 

This is the site referred to by both the original poster and DrawingroomA. As the latter states, it is not always accurate. At the other forum he refers to, most arrivals of No. 2 at Toronto are reported by trackside observers who provide detailed consist lists, and there is always a Skyline ahead of the dining car.  Perhaps there will be such a report when No. 2 of the 15th arrives there, although it is much delayed as I type, down 10 hr, 12 min at Biggar, Sask., which could mean a nocturnal arrival at Toronto, rather than the usual mid-day. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 13:31 by railsmith.

Further to my reply immediately above, I checked the listing for the No. 2 of December 12, which was observed by a Toronto railfan near the end of its run on December 16. The train car info site shows this as a 13-car train with no Skyline ahead of the dining car.

But the railfan's post with car details listed shows that it was a 15-car train, with sleeper Elgin Manor deadheading in front of the baggage car and Skyline 8504 ahead of the dining car.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/25 18:46 by railsmith.

Switching does happen in Winnipeg so what it leaves Vancouver with may differ from arrival Toronto.

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Switching does happen in Winnipeg so what it
> leaves Vancouver with may differ from arrival
> Toronto.

Certainly as far as adding deadheads goes, but there would be no rationale for adding the in-service Skyline ahead of the dining car just for the Winnipeg-Toronto leg.

railsmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PumpkinHogger Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Switching does happen in Winnipeg so what it
> > leaves Vancouver with may differ from arrival
> > Toronto.
>
> Certainly as far as adding deadheads goes, but
> there would be no rationale for adding the
> in-service Skyline ahead of the dining car just
> for the Winnipeg-Toronto leg.

If they had to drop the Skyline on the trip west it only makes sense to add it back to the consist on the return leg east if the car had been fixed.

PumpkinHogger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to this site - https://traincar.info/ -
> which I have found to be accurate, this is the
> consist in question:
>
> Train 2 on 2025-12-15 from Vancouver to Toronto
>
>

• Car BAG - 
  >
• Car 4 - HEP1 (Economy) 
  >
• Car 3 - HEP1 (Economy) 
  >
• Car SKY
  >
• Car CREW 
  >
• Car 13 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 12 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 11 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 10 - HEP (Manor Sleeper) 
  >
• Car DINER
  >
• Car 30 - HEP (Prestige Sleeper) 
  >
• Car 39 - HEP (Park Car) 
  >
  
  I appreciate the effort that is put into the traincar.info site and find it accurate as to corridor consists.  But the information is received from VIA and VIA's Reservia site is not always accurate regarding the Canadian.  When making an enquiry on Reservia, i.e. starting the booking process, a consist appears above the diagrams.  This has not been showing the Skyline ahead of the diner in the off-peak periods..  It does, however, show the two Skyline/diner combinations for the peak season.

There is a Facebook group moderated by VIA employees.  It has been made clear there is a staffed Skyline ahead of the diner.