VIA Rail is sending a Veterans train @ 300 Vets on a special train to Rememberance Day ceremonies in Ottawa Nov… 11, the train will consist of 32 cars,20 sleepers, 3 dining cars, baggage, etc. This will be one of the longer passenger trains we will see in Canada. So if you’re near the tracks on Nov.9 go down and take a look.
CBC News (where I work) has a camera crew on the train. So watch The National if you miss it in person.
Robin
Near what tracks where ??? From what direction is the train arriving in Ottawa ??? When does it arrive in Ottawa ? Through what towns will it pass ?
Departs from Halifax around midday today as a longer version (~30 cars) of Train 15 - the Ocean. Cross-platform transfer at Montreal for the Ottawa leg, apparently also an extended version of a regular train (I don’t know which number).
Departure from Ottawa Saturday, 12 November and arriving into Halifax Sunday, 13 November, again as the Ocean - train 14.
Oh - and 15/14 - the Ocean includes the consist of the Chaleur (train 17/16, I think) as far as Matapedia, Quebec.
Its nowhere near me, I wonder if they have one coming from the west.
Arrives Ottawa 10 Nov 2005 at ~12:30pm, according to local radio.
Andrew
Nicely done, Via Rail!
In these times one has to wonder how many more years are left for the WWII vets [?] I have several family members who served with the Canadian forces and also U.S. as well. My admiration to them all and profound respect for those who never made it back.
I noticed that someone seemed a bit frantic regarding the route of the train to Ottawa. Would not it be rather simple to check the Via Rail web site for the schedule [?] It is available and shows all of the station stops between Halifax and Montreal for the “Ocean.” Also the train to Ottawa departs from Montreal - again those stops are shown too under the “Corridor” trains.
BK
Calm down Bud. The original posts didn’t give anything but the destination.
And 30 cars seems a lot for vets from Halifax; I would expect that many if they were coming from Vancouver and picking up all the way.
Why Halifax?
The CBC story on the train is now posted on the website, with Real Video and Quicktime versions of tonight’s National news item
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/11/09/remembrance051109.html
The veterans train leaves Halifax, detrains in Montreal then on to Ottawa. Why not Halifax??? there really are other cities in Canada than Toronto and Vancouver, also the train was sold out long before departure and they did stop and pick up people on the way, it really is a sight to see and it is l o n g. In Truro they had to back up twice as it was far too long for the platform.
I wouldn’t be surprised if next year you see some leave Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax. It turned into a great story and I bet the Vets really are having a great time.
as explained in the video Halifax is where the vets arrived by train before taking ships across to england and the war . it wasn’t mentioned but i guess many of the vets riding the train flew or drove to halifax to get on the train . the 3 fellows featured in the news clip were from a new brunswick regiment , assuming they went back there after the war it wouldn’t have been a long drive to halifax for them
It’s unlikely to happen again. This year was the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII - that was the impetus for the special.
Really great to see this happening, sort of offsets the latest setback for US passenger service with the firing of Amtrak’s David Gunn.
That depends upon whether they’re from Aulac (217 km from Halifax) or Edmundston (707 km from Halifax) [:o)]