I don't know the exact answer to this question however I was under the impression that the fastest VIA trains at present run on the Montreal-Toronto corridor at speeds of around 100mph (160kmh). A speed of 60mph-ish elsewhere is probably about usual judgng by the journey I took on VIA...which I must say was excellent.
In the corridor, trains with the LRC tilt coaches are able to run 100mph on CN's 65mph track. Elsewhere ... on other lines they can go 85 mph I do believe. Out west on CN's line they are limited to 85mph because of the non tiliting BUDD coaches.
I think the BUDD coaches are limited to 85mph. Anything lower than 100/85 is subdivision special speed restrictions.
And btw, VIA does not have cab signalling to my knowledge.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
85 mph for The Canadian!! Wow! I thought they only go 65-70mph. I know the corridor P42DC's and older Bombardier coaches go quite fast, near 100mph. And i think the newer Rennaisance trains with the P42DC's go about 75mph, they even have European coaches on them and wireless VIA1 internet cars in the nicest paint scheme since Diesels brought colour to railway engines.
Who has produced films and videos of these fast VIA Rail Passenger Trains?
This has to be seen.
Are there turbojet aircraft pacing the trains in the videos?
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Here in the States, years ago, our Department of Transportation limited passenger trains to a top speed of 79 miles per hour (roughly 130 k/ph), unless the engine was equipped with a cab-signalling device. That did (and does) effectively restrict high-speed rail to what we now call the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The first time I rode a train in Canada (1971), I noticed on the Kingston-Montreal stretch of the Toronto-Montreal corridor that the train ran faster than any 79 mph, and at that time CN (pre-VIA) was using nothing but typical North American-made rolling stock -- the kind Amtrak inherited from the sponsoring roads when it was formed that same year. Further visits reinforced my first impression that conventional equipment could do quite well under the right circumstances -- top-notch roadbed, modern signalling.
Technologically speaking, and leaving aside for the moment the fact that the newer low-slung European equipment is generally safer faster, does the USA still really need a 79mph restriction? It was (and is) generally conceded on the old Santa Fe mainline that when the crack passenger trains like the Super Chief ran late, if the roadbed on that stretch warranted they could cruise at 85, 90 mph -- in some cases close to 100 mph. The most technologically advanced cars of the rolling stock, were highliner coaches that debuted on the El Capitan and later merged into the Super Chief/El Cap -- whose basic patents went back to the Fifties. Amtrak is essentially using fresher versions of "highliner" or bi-level in its western "Superliner" sleeping cars.
So I for one think the 79mph rule is silly because (a) it doesn't have to be observed in the breech; and (2) with a wider application of CTC and the much more frequent use of voice command as a warrant, to me whether or not the lead engine has cab-signalling is increasingly beside the point. (The Canadian situation also shows that corridor trains can be run at a right good improvement of speed without electrification.)
What do you think about the 79mph restriction? I do realize that right now this is a moot point on overcrowded freight lines with track restrictions that can be as low as 50mph or lower -- but should the 79mph restriction still be considered sacrosanct?
Ideally I'd like to hear from both sides of the border on this one. -- al
Hi
Locomotives with cab signals may run at what ever speed the track will allow.
The FRA states that a passenger train without cab signals and is in CTC,(centralized traffic control) ABS (automatic block signaling) areas may run nomore than 79 MPH. In the case of Cab signals in the locomotive, the train may run what ever speed the track is recommended for. NEC (North east corridor), all of the Acela trains have cab signals and are running speeds in excess of 150 mph. So it all depends on how track conditions are and whether or not there are cab signals. Otherwise trains may run up to 79 mph.
Happy railroading
James
Barraclou.com, you must be Jean Paul Brulotte, i love your site, as you can tell, lol, and you are a great railfan photographer, i especially love your GWWD pics, and you're Quebec Central pictures, and CPR 2816 pics. You can see some of my photos and videos @ http://trainman.cardboardcreations.net and go to Contributed Photos and Videos and click on "Curt Wakeman"
barraclou.com wrote:At least, 80mph, if we look at the sign on the following picture. I think the actual maximum is 95 mph, but I am not sure.
If you look at that pic it means the trains with Genesis units and LRC coaches can go 80mph and trains with BUDD coaches I do believe are 70mph. The F40's can go 80mph so that is just a restriction for the BUDD coaches.
But VIA's maximum speed on the corridor is 100mph. They have no cab signals to my knowledge, just standard canadian CTC signals. I still am not sure whether out west if its 80mph or 85 since i havn't checked in a while.
I fully agree with you. As I wrote, VIA operates at least up to 80mph on the corridor (probably faster on some stretches), but theirs current road engines are all equipped for maximum speeds up to 90-100mph. I took a look in the Canadian Trackside Guide and the F40PH-2s have a maximum speed of 95mph (90mph for some units). The LRC-2 maximum speed was 125mph and 103mph for the LRC-3, but they were restricted to 100 mph in service. Sorry, I don't have the P42 datasheet on hand, but it was remember to have read that it was somewhere between 90 and 100mph.
Curt: Yes, I am. Thanks for the nice comments. I visited your site too and I enjoyed what I saw. The CEMR engines are good catches since they're hard to expect. I always missed them when they crossed the city by the station and the forks.
Thank you Jean, yeah i was amazed when i saw it coming, it's a really hard train to catch, unless you live in the small towns where it goes. Some good vantage points to catch it are at their shops at the end of Day.St in Transcona in the former CPR yards, and near the Transcona Bioreserve at the end of Winona.St and Larche.Ave in Transcona, or Pine Junction which is off Gunn Rd. A lot of people liked the videos of the CEMR cause it's a GP9rm with the 567c engine instead of the 645's on the GP9u's, plus the mixed consist, and an old Santa Fe boxcar thrown in for good measure, plus the rail is all 85lb rail.