Budd Ocean for Xmas

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Back on March 4 and 5 (Canadian-Passenger-Rail messages #75190

Reservia is showing #15, the westward Ocean, leaving Halifax
on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sunday, instead of the current
Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, effective the last week of May.

Two exceptions: #15 will run on Tuesday, Dec 23 and 30 instead
of Wednesday, Dec 24 and 31.
[#14] too will avoid departures on Xmas and New Year's
Eve, by leaving Montreal on Tuesday, Dec 23 and 30.

So it's long been planned to run the Ocean on Tuesday instead of
Wednesdays during the holidays. The Friday and Sunday trips were
to run as usual. But until now, there were no indications that
there would be any additional trains.

That has now changed. Reservia now shows three extra runs in
each direction: #14 (Montreal to Halifax) on Thursday, Dec 18,
Monday, Dec 22 and Monday, Dec 29; and #15 (Halifax to Montreal)
on three consecutive Saturdays, Dec 20, Dec 27, and Jan 3.

Those runs will be operated with a Budd trainset, and only
coach and Sleeper Plus (meals included) classes will be offered,
no sleepers without meals. The other runs will be with Ren
sets, with coach, Sleeper (no meals) and Sleeper Plus (meals)
classes.

Here are all of the departure dates currently shown in Reservia
for the period from Dec 14 to Jan 7. The extra Budd trips are
starred.

#14: Dec 14,17,18*,19,21,22*,23,26,28,29*,30,Jan 2,4,7
#15: Dec 14,17,19,20*,21,23,26,27*,28,30,Jan 2,3*,4,7

As always, VIA's plans could change between now and then.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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Posted by: Tom Box <tbox-***@public.gmane.org>
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[xcnken-/[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Thanks to you Tim ya got me goin'.


If there's either a skyline or a park ( hey I'm not fussy ! ) on any of those starred consists I just might do it.


An after Xmas departure would be ideal. But layover dates for the return in either class are too long around the New Year. All of those dates being subject to change.


Invaluable information indeed. Your thoughtful analysis is very much appreciated Tim.


K. Wadden Pointe Claire Qc


............over the years maybe the biggest omission I' ve ever made was not ridin' that mini-Canadian to Gaspe on a Park equipped 616-617 ? !

[Tom Box [e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Post by xcnken-/***@public.gmane.org [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]
If there's either a skyline or a park ( hey I'm not fussy ! )
on any of those starred consists I just might do it.

Reservia says they will have a Park car. The Park rooms are for
sale in the usual way for Sleeper Plus class on the Ocean: drawing
room A is called a "large cabin for 2", and bedrooms C and D are
sold together as a "twin cabin for 2".

I can't tell if there's going to be a Skyline, but my guess is
that there will be. There is going to be coach class, and I
expect they will want some lounge space and take-out food service
for the coach passengers. During the transition period when the
Ocean ran with Ren cars on some days and Budds on others, the
Budd trains always had a Skyline.

I don't know with absolute certainty that the train will be
all-Budd, with no Ren cars. Reservia doesn't let you distinguish
reliably between Ren and Budd coaches. If the train was using
Ren coaches, it might also have the dreaded service cars (lounge
seating from hell) instead of a Skyline. But it appears that all
the sleepers will be Budd, and it's my guess that the whole train
will be, including a Skyline and a real dining car. I hope the
kitchen will be staffed by cooks, not just attendants serving
reheated food, but I really don't know if that'll happen or not.

Tom Box
tbox at ncf dot ca
Port Hope, ON, Canada


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[tim_hayman-FFYn/[e-mail] [Canadian-Passenger-Rail]]

Excellent, thanks for letting us know Tom.

It's wonderful to see VIA actually running extras for Christmas, as I could never figure out why they didn't do that in the first place when they went to 3 trips a week. I have no doubt these will do well.

Also very exciting to see full Budd sets coming back, I hope that does in fact work out that way!

Tim
Halifax, NS