Canadian "Buffer Cars" discussion

[Bob Dylan]

According to trainorders, due to mechanical issues involving structual cracks in the 70 year old cars , the Canadian will be required by the TSBC to run "Buffer Cars" between the Power and the Bag Car and behind the Park Car!!!

This ought to go over big with the Swells that Pay Premium Fares to have Exclusive use of the car in the daytime, and for the folks in Sleeper Plus who can use the car in the evenings and @ night!

 

[jis]

According to trainorders, due to mechanical issues involving structual cracks in the 70 year old cars , the Canadian will be required by the TSBC to run "Buffer Cars" between the Power and the Bag Car and behind the Park Car!!!

This ought to go over big with the Swells that Pay Premium Fares to have Exclusive use of the car in the daytime, and for the folks in Sleeper Plus who can use the car in the evenings and @ night!

So the Heritage Fleet consists now start looking like Renn consists, buffer car and all

I think the big loss is during the daytime in the Park Car. At night while crossing the end less Canadian Shield, or the vast Prairies or the Rockies, there is little to see unless it is a bright moonlit night.

 

[joelkfla]

According to trainorders, due to mechanical issues involving structual cracks in the 70 year old cars , the Canadian will be required by the TSBC to run "Buffer Cars" between the Power and the Bag Car and behind the Park Car!!!

This ought to go over big with the Swells that Pay Premium Fares to have Exclusive use of the car in the daytime, and for the folks in Sleeper Plus who can use the car in the evenings and @ night!

Yeah, that's a real shame for the Park Car. The view out the back helped set the mellow mood in the evening, especially when the Artist on Board was sitting back there singing.

 

[Bob Dylan]

So the Heritage Fleet consists now start looking like Renn consists, buffer car and all

I think the big loss is during the daytime in the Park Car. At night while crossing the end less Canadian Shield, or the vast Prairies or the Rockies, there is little to see unless it is a bright moonlit night.

Maybe Amtrak could return the Favor to VIA and rent them some of the Cars that are sitting the yards all over the US for use as Buffer Cars!

 

[jiml]

Apparently this process started already on "heritage" trains in the corridor, with baggage cars being used in this role. (That explains the baggage car at either end of the last VIA train I saw. I presumed a deadhead move.) As well cars will be added to all trains using conventional Budd equipment. In the interim the first and last cars of these consists are closed to occupancy.

More details here: Breaking News - Buffer Cars on VIA HEP Trains

 

[thully]

Does this impact all consists of the Canadian, or only some of them, and is there a timeframe for the needed work to be finished to remove these? Glad I got to experience the Park Car without any cars attached to the back - while the dome was great, so was looking out the railfan window on the lower level (and unlike the dome, the Skyline car doesn’t have that). I just took the Canadian, so I wasn’t planning another trip imminently, though I would be inclined to wait until these buffer cars are removed.

 

[jis]

Does this impact all consists of the Canadian, or only some of them, and is there a timeframe for the needed work to be finished to remove these? Glad I got to experience the Park Car without any cars attached to the back - while the dome was great, so was looking out the railfan window on the lower level (and unlike the dome, the Skyline car doesn’t have that). I just took the Canadian, so I wasn’t planning another trip imminently, though I would be inclined to wait until these buffer cars are removed.

I suspect this will be for all consists and it is not a short term thing. My suspicion is that the days of trains using the legacy equipment without buffer cars are over. The sort of structural cracks they are talking of are notoriously difficult to fix completely.

 

[jiml]

I believe any train with Budd-style stainless steel coaches. In Canada that covers a lot of equipment, including the HEP-2 stuff from Amtrak. One wonders if there will be a larger impact on cars of this era once other countries' regulatory agencies hear of this, e.g. in the US on tourist railroads, commuter agencies and don't even some of the Carolina services still run with former KCS stock? Many of Australia's premier trains also run with this equipment.

 

[jis]

I believe any train with Budd-style stainless steel coaches. In Canada that covers a lot of equipment, including the HEP-2 stuff from Amtrak. One wonders if there will be a larger impact on cars of this era once other countries' regulatory agencies hear of this, e.g. in the US on tourist railroads, commuter agencies and don't even some of the Carolina services still run with former KCS stock? Many of Australia's premier trains also run with this equipment.

The Carolina agency's heritage stock is scheduled to be replaced by ICT in 5-7 years, but if necessary, in the interim they might be substituted or buffered by Horizon Fleet cars taken out of Mothballs or released from the Midwest I suppose.

I cannot recall if VIA has a re-equiping plan for the long distance fleet. Does it? Where does it stand at present if it does?

 

[jiml]

I cannot recall if VIA has a re-equiping plan for the long distance fleet. Does it? Where does it stand at present if it does?

Not that I am aware of. Unfortunately most of the people I knew at VIA have retired or passed and other than the Siemens purchases there hasn't been a lot of news in this area. I could certainly see LRC coaches that are displaced by the new sets showing up in northern Quebec service (where no sleepers are involved), but longer distance remains a mystery.

 

[GDRRiley]

I cannot recall if VIA has a re-equiping plan for the long distance fleet. Does it? Where does it stand at present if it does?

I don't belive they have any publicly although I've heard some people push for them to join amtraks new LD order with California

 

[TheMalahat]

Not that I am aware of. Unfortunately most of the people I knew at VIA have retired or passed and other than the Siemens purchases there hasn't been a lot of news in this area. I could certainly see LRC coaches that are displaced by the new sets showing up in northern Quebec service (where no sleepers are involved), but longer distance remains a mystery.

Via is in the Request for Information process for long distance car equipment replacement. Practically speaking, if everything went perfectly, that means we are about eight years from new equipment actually rolling.

https://www.merx.com/viarail/solici...Fleets-Renewal-Market-Day/0000214849?origin=2
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/via-long-distance-fleet-replacement.81247/

 

[jiml]

Via is in the Request for Information process for long distance car equipment replacement. Practically speaking, if everything went perfectly, that means we are about eight years from new equipment actually rolling.

https://www.merx.com/viarail/solici...Fleets-Renewal-Market-Day/0000214849?origin=2
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/via-long-distance-fleet-replacement.81247/

I've always loved your optimism! Hoping it happens.

 

[desertflyer]

Having just dropped a decent chunk of change to book to the Canadian next month, this is a bit disappointing.

 

[user 5784]

https://tracksidetreasure.blogspot....oc2Zqxe8bzq_8VZCqYkhTt1dvZRAhn1oz5t34cQuHjoXA

 

[Devil's Advocate]

One wonders if there will be a larger impact on cars of this era once other countries' regulatory agencies hear of this, e.g. in the US on tourist railroads, commuter agencies and don't even some of the Carolina services still run with former KCS stock? Many of Australia's premier trains also run with this equipment.

US tourist roads use cars that predate the streamliner era and never passed formal safety criteria so that would be a big change. In the case of Australia it seems like there is limited long haul passenger service and little or no freight traffic on prestige routes. Perhaps that would be enough to keep things as-is.

 

[GDRRiley]

US tourist roads use cars that predate the streamliner era and never passed formal safety criteria so that would be a big change. In the case of Australia it seems like there is limited long haul passenger service and little or no freight traffic on prestige routes. Perhaps that would be enough to keep things as-is.

equipment in the US has been required to be buff strength for over 100 years now. 1945 changed it from 400,000lbs to 800,000lbs

if the limit is due to cracking that should be a caught item during inspections

 

[MARC Rider]

US tourist roads use cars that predate the streamliner era

Uh, I just rode the Western Maryland Scenic Railway last summer. I rode in an ex- UP streamliner car, they had an ex-UP lounge car, they had the ex-Amtrak, ex-GN Ocean View dome car, and an ex-MARC, ex PRR Budd coach, that I think was converted from a sleeper. Of course, the train never went more than 19 mph, if that makes any difference.

 

[MARC Rider]

Looks like I'm going to need to take a ride on the Canadian soon, even without the view from the Bullet Lounge, if I want to experience a ride on the Budd cars of my youth.

I guess if I want to experience the view from the end of the train, I'm going to have to settle with the railfan window riding business class on the Northeast Regional, that is until the new Siemens trainsets replace all the Amfleets.

 

[west point]

For us structural novicies what is the function of the "buffer" cars? Buffer against what? How will they prevent problems?

 

[user 5784]

For us structural novicies what is the function of the "buffer" cars? Buffer against what? How will they prevent problems?

buffer from a train hitting it from behind i guess.

 

[user 5784]

Looks like I'm going to need to take a ride on the Canadian soon, even without the view from the Bullet Lounge, if I want to experience a ride on the Budd cars of my youth.

I guess if I want to experience the view from the end of the train, I'm going to have to settle with the railfan window riding business class on the Northeast Regional, that is until the new Siemens trainsets replace all the Amfleets.

no railfan window in the siemens trainsets?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

equipment in the US has been required to be buff strength for over 100 years now. 1945 changed it from 400,000lbs to 800,000lbs if the limit is due to cracking that should be a caught item during inspections

Who is crash testing ancient wooden passenger stock and converted freight stock?

Of course, the train never went more than 19 mph, if that makes any difference.

I believe it does make a difference. You can see videos of really old trains and really bad track but they're all moving at a snails pace relative to Amtrak or VIA.

 

[GDRRiley]

Who is crash testing ancient wooden passenger stock and converted freight stock?

were talking early streamliner and heavyweight cars by the 1920s

For us structural novicies what is the function of the "buffer" cars? Buffer against what? How will they prevent problems?

buffer cars are cars designed to take the brunt of an impact or separate crew from hazmat

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

I saw a YouTube video of someone riding the Ocean (Halifax-Montreal) earlier this week, and it looked like its consist included both newer sleeper cars (where the content creator's room was; he described them as "Eurostar hand-me-downs", but they looked pretty nice) and the older Chateau sleeper cars. How long would it take to put the newer sleeper cars on the Canadian, and how would that alter the trip experience for passengers?