# A 'Mixed' VIA Ocean for the Summer



## NS VIA Fan (May 21, 2019)

After a derailment this past winter plus another incident where a CN maintenance crew left track material within the gauge the westbound Ocean struck:

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/no-injuries-after-via-rail-train-strikes-debris-near-debert-1.4344724

……VIA is now short of sufficient equipment to operate the expanded summer consists.

Beginning in June and through September…..VIA will operate a ‘Mixed’ Budd Stainless-Steel and Renaissance Ocean. (Yes, I know it always runs with a Budd Park Car but now they’re also adding Budd Coaches and Sleepers) Here’s a sample consist that was posted elsewhere:


F40PH2
F40PH2
F40PH2
Budd Baggage
Budd Coach
Budd Coach
Budd Coach
Ren Transition Car 
Ren Service/Lounge Car 
Ren Dining Car 
Ren Service/Lounge Car 
Ren Accessible Sleeper (Line #30) 
Ren Sleeper (#31) 
Ren Transition Car 
Chateau sleepers (#33)
Chateau sleepers (#34)
Chateau sleepers (#35)
Chateau sleepers (#36)
Chateau sleepers (#37)
Chateau sleepers (#38)
Chateau sleepers (#39)
Budd ‘Park Car’ Dome Obs (#40) 

So if you want to sample classic Budd equipment or the modern smooth riding Rens…..now the time to book a trip on the Ocean.


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## Seaboard92 (May 21, 2019)

I’m on the Ocean on the 31st I believe I’m on the all Budd train Naturally.


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## Skyline (Jun 15, 2019)

As per ticketing I received back in the early Spring I'm on 14 leaving Montreal 8/14 (car 1437 unit 05); on 15 leaving Halifax 8/23 (car 1536, unit 06). How can I tell if these are Ren or Budd? If I was ticketed on Ren but am being moved to Budd, will they send me a new boarding pass with updated accommodation info? 

I'm kinda hoping I'm on Budds...


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## NS VIA Fan (Jun 16, 2019)

If you look at ReserVIA for Aug 14....it's showing a mixed Budd/Ren consist and referring to the consist posted above....unit 37 is a Budd Chateau Sleeper. On Aug 23....ReserVIA is showing an all Ren consist so unit 37 is a Ren Sleeper. But it's all subject to change and I'd check with VIA a day or so before you travel.


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## Skyline (Jun 17, 2019)

NS VIA Fan said:


> If you look at ReserVIA for Aug 14....it's showing a mixed Budd/Ren consist and referring to the consist posted above....unit 37 is a Budd Chateau Sleeper. On Aug 23....ReserVIA is showing an all Ren consist so unit 37 is a Ren Sleeper. But it's all subject to change and I'd check with VIA a day or so before you travel.View attachment 13906
> View attachment 13907




Thanx for the explanation. If this holds, it's perfect. I have been on their Budds on the Canadian and like them fine; brings back memories of pre-Amtrak in the US. Never been on a Ren so this might be a win-win.

I do hope the rolling stock in the derailment is not lost forever.


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## Urban Sky (Jun 17, 2019)

Skyline said:


> I do hope the rolling stock in the derailment is not lost forever.


From what I recall, all cars could be repaired, but it will be up to the government to decide whether it deems that it would be an economically sound decision to commit the capital funds required to do so...


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## Skyline (Jun 18, 2019)

Urban Sky said:


> From what I recall, all cars could be repaired, but it will be up to the government to decide whether it deems that it would be an economically sound decision to commit the capital funds required to do so...




I don't know how these things work in the US or Canada, so need to ask: Are public transit accidents covered by insurance?


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## Siegmund (Jun 18, 2019)

Skyline said:


> I don't know how these things work in the US or Canada, so need to ask: Are public transit accidents covered by insurance?



Can't speak specifically to VIA or Amtrak... but many large companies are "self-insured," i.e., they don't buy insurance but instead (are supposed to) set aside funds to cover expected losses. It's very common for employee health insurance, at any firm with thousands of employees --- but the same general idea applies to any company with thousands of pieces of more-or-less identical equipment. 

In my opinion VIA is a little too small for that to be a good practice on rolling stock. But it makes a great deal of sense for a freight railroad that may have thousands of identical coal hoppers.


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## zephyr17 (Jun 18, 2019)

I do not know about VIA but Amtrak is "self insured" up to a very high level. Amtrak also has a hold harmless agreement with the host railroads, so that Amtrak is responsible for its own losses, regardless of whether the host railroad is at fault.


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## jiml (Jun 22, 2019)

zephyr17 said:


> I do not know about VIA but Amtrak is "self insured" up to a very high level. Amtrak also has a hold harmless agreement with the host railroads, so that Amtrak is responsible for its own losses, regardless of whether the host railroad is at fault.


Most Canadian Crown Corporations (of which VIA is one) are self-insured for most things except buildings (for fire, flood, etc.). This means other losses such as theft have to be absorbed. Not sure how this translates for VIA in the current discussion, but I'd bet they're on-the-hook for the damage barring court action for negligence or similar.


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 14, 2019)

A poster at the Can-Pass-Rail Group provided a link to some photos on Blogspot that show the Renaissance Cars within the ‘Mixed’ Budd Ocean consist. The other Ocean consist remains all Renaissance except for a Chateau sleeper (for crew) and the Park Car on the end.

The Ocean is now too long to fit the platforms in Halifax and is being split on two tracks. VIA has adjusted the departure time from Halifax to 12:45pm instead of 1:00pm so everyone will be aboard and they can start combining the sections. All times west of Halifax remain the same. 

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxV0iUAi...7bCVcMRlm0NAlZ1iF2wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5223.jpg

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IYnoyi2...RCXu4iMaNyWoW82bYJACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5235.JPG

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mDumDuVL...3dF5VoF4QdjanFDGwCLcBGAs/s1600/cut_cover2.jpg


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## velotrain (Aug 29, 2019)

I mentioned this elsewhere, but I was once on the platform at Matapedia when they combined the Ocean with the Gaspe train, which I had come in on (after a clockwise Gaspe tour). It took somewhere between 12-20 moves to get it all sorted, and I kept riding my bicycle back and forth trying to watch all of it - quite a show. I just looked at a Quebec City to Montreal ticket and it was $200, so the full route prices at the top of the thread blew me away. Is it a question of just booking early, or also for very early in the season? Must be the former, as I see reverse tickets for August around $140.


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 30, 2019)

velotrain said:


> I just looked at a Quebec City to Montreal ticket and it was $200, so the full route prices at the top of the thread blew me away. Is it a question of just booking early, or also for very early in the season? Must be the former, as I see reverse tickets for August around $140.




I don’t know where you were looking…..but here’s the fares between Quebec City and Montreal for today (Friday of the Labour Day Holiday weekend) from VIA’s booking engine. If you hurry....you could still get a $51 coach fare. Later today it’s $87 but why not splurge with Business Class for $113…hot meal with beer and wine included!


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## jiml (Aug 30, 2019)

NS VIA Fan said:


> I don’t know where you were looking…..but here’s the fares between Quebec City and Montreal for today (Friday of the Labour Day Holiday weekend) from VIA’s booking engine. If you hurry....you could still get a $51 coach fare. Later today it’s $87 but why not splurge with Business Class for $113…hot meal with beer and wine included!


Those seem to be really good fares for that route. We looked at a Quebec City add-on to a Montreal trip earlier this summer and fares were much higher. VIA had a Labour Day weekend sale earlier this week too, so the possibility would have been even lower.


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 30, 2019)

It's supply and demand....yield management and you've gotta look at each train/each day!!


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## velotrain (Aug 30, 2019)

NS VIA Fan said:


> I don’t know where you were looking…..but here’s the fares between Quebec City and Montreal for today (Friday of the Labour Day Holiday weekend) from VIA’s booking engine. If you hurry....you could still get a $51 coach fare. Later today it’s $87 but why not splurge with Business Class for $113…hot meal with beer and wine included!



I forget which day it was - I selected it at random to compare with corridor fares, as I've found I don't like their seats or speed.

BTW - this is all in the future, meaning next year.


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## Seaboard92 (Aug 30, 2019)

Is one of the Ocean’s returning to all Budd after the season? Or are we sticking with the mix


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