# Turbos - Tempos - Rapidos - Expedos



## NS VIA FAN (Jun 12, 2010)

Back in the ‘60s, CN was tacking an “O” on the end of the names of their fastest trains. The corridor had the Rapidos and Tempos (and the UA Turbo too)












The Rapidos were conventional trains on fast schedules and the Turbos…..even faster.






The Tempos were introduced in 1968 between Toronto-London-Sarnia-Windsor…..eventually going to VIA and then to the Colorado Ski Train. Now they’ve come full-circle, back to CN for service on the Algoma Central’s Agawa Canyon Tour Train.

Here’s a Tempo at London with one of the MLW RS18s which were rebuild to provide HEP to the cars.






The Tempos even ran through to Chicago in joint Amtrak-VIA service. Here’s the International at Port Huron in January 1983 with an Amtrak F40 for power.






And Newfoundland had the “Expedo” but it wasn’t a train.

When the narrow-gauge Caribou (a.k.a. The Newfie Bullet) passenger train was discontinued in 1969, it was replaced by a fleet of CN operated buses named Roadcruisers. The express run was the “Expedo”. It covered the 900 km between St. John’s and Port-aux-Basque (port oh bask) in 13 hours……the Newfie Bullet had taken 22 hours. The Caribou had been a full service train with coaches, diners and sleepers……the buses now made meal stops along the way.











The old CN Station in the above photo is still there. It’s now the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal but you would have to peel back the steel cladding and modern expansion across the front to find it (two story section at the rear) The bus platform is where the tracks once were.











CN sold the bus service to DRL in 1996 and it continues today. The bus from St. John’s has just arrived to connect with the overnight ferry to Nova Scotia, Marine Atlantic’s “Atlantc Vision……1000 passengers and 500 cars. Marine Atlantic was originally CN Marine, operating the rail-car ferries to Newfoundland.


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## railiner (Jun 29, 2010)

Thanks to those above for their great contributions. I especially enjoyed those photo's.

The not mentioned Jetrain?

I believe it was a name given by the Rock Island for those unique lightweight turret cabbed locomotives GM's EMD built that were intended to power the Aerotrain consist.

They were conventional diesel-electrics. The "jet" in their name was a misnomer.


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## rrdude (Jun 29, 2010)

As always NS VIA FAN, your posts are great reading. Keep it up!


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## Eric S (Jun 29, 2010)

railiner said:


> Thanks to those above for their great contributions. I especially enjoyed those photo's.
> 
> The not mentioned Jetrain?
> 
> ...


Wasn't there also a "Jet Train" or something like that developed by Bombardier (perhaps in partnership with FRA) maybe 10 years ago or so? A diesel (or at least non-electric) version of the Acela?


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## railiner (Jun 29, 2010)

Eric S said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks to those above for their great contributions. I especially enjoyed those photo's.
> ...


You are correct. Found this link on google...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQQ/is_1_41/ai_69709358/


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## railiner (Jun 29, 2010)

Thinking back again, I believe The Rock call its version of GM's Aerotrain the "Jet Rocket". Or something like that.


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## rrdude (Jun 29, 2010)

I swear, they couldn't have come up with a funkier looking train in Hollywood, than good ole NYC's Jet Powered Train.


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## railiner (Jun 30, 2010)

rrdude said:


> I swear, they couldn't have come up with a funkier looking train in Hollywood, than good ole NYC's Jet Powered Train.


And after almost a half-century, that speed record still stands, in the USA for steel wheels on rails.

Amazing!


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