[micheal_can]

The line to Fredericton was abandoned by its freight owner. Keeping the ROW would have required the taxpayer to buy it. I understand rail-banking but it would be a stub line to city smaller than Barrie and beyond commuting distance to anywhere else. No doubt they deserve it though.

Even if it was allowed to be abandoned, all rail ROWs should have been protected. Rail trails are great till they need the line active again.

 

[lenaitch]

Even if it was allowed to be abandoned, all rail ROWs should have been protected. Rail trails are great till they need the line active again.

How far back do you take that? The country, particularly southern Ontario and the prairies, is covered in rail lines that have been abandoned over the years. The taxpayer can't be expected to pour money into every ribbon between every town in the land.

 

[micheal_can]

How far back do you take that? The country, particularly southern Ontario and the prairies, is covered in rail lines that have been abandoned over the years. The taxpayer can't be expected to pour money into every ribbon between every town in the land.

We maintain all the parks. This would be no different. Pull the rails up. Clear out the ties and ballast. Then put a layer of gravel. Require the companies to do this if they wish to abandon the line.

 

[Urban Sky]

We maintain all the parks. This would be no different. Pull the rails up. Clear out the ties and ballast. Then put a layer of gravel. Require the companies to do this if they wish to abandon the line.

The moment a railroad has successfully completed the abandonment process and sold off any of its ROWs, it is solely the responsibility of the respective municipalities to decide whether they want to preserve the old ROW or not. You can fault CN and CP for many things, but not for the roads, houses and shopping centers the municipalities have developped (or allowed to be developped) over their discarded ROWs…

 

[lenaitch]

We maintain all the parks. This would be no different. Pull the rails up. Clear out the ties and ballast. Then put a layer of gravel. Require the companies to do this if they wish to abandon the line.

You're talking about 'now/going forward' - but didn't answer the question.

all rail ROWs should have been protected

Do we condemn politicians of the 1920s or 1950s for lack of foresight, a level of foresight they couldn't have hoped to envision? There was line between Whitby and Port Perry that was abandoned before WWII because it was unprofitable. Curse those damned politicians for not spending pre-war taxpayer money to protect the ROW for some unknown future use.

 

[Allandale25]

Can high-frequency rail help growing transport woes in Ontario and Quebec? - National | Globalnews.ca

As Canada's population continues to grow, high-frequency rail could play an important role in helping ease transportation woes — and help tackle climate change, experts say.

globalnews.ca

 

[Bureaucromancer]

You're talking about 'now/going forward' - but didn't answer the question.



Do we condemn politicians of the 1920s or 1950s for lack of foresight, a level of foresight they couldn't have hoped to envision? There was line between Whitby and Port Perry that was abandoned before WWII because it was unprofitable. Curse those damned politicians for not spending pre-war taxpayer money to protect the ROW for some unknown future use.

I'm inclined not to, but that's not to say I won't be bitching about them either.

 

[just east of the creek]

I'm inclined not to, but that's not to say I won't be bitching about them either.

Some would say that we are doing a fine job…after all Canada's total governmental debt is somewhere around 2.1 trillion dollars (courtesy of a Fraser Institute report) through 2022, and surely we spent vast portions of that money on projects that will serve generations to come. No?

 

[reaperexpress]

Never going to happen, again. There was a Maritimes-wide passenger system, in our grandfathers lifetime. This is why I often think, being born. In 1971 and arriving here in 1976, that I got to live at the final era of Peak Canada.

Indeed. My grandfather had a summer job laying track on a CN railway in rural NB, my grandmother worked at the CPR hotel in St. Andrews and briefly at the CPR station in McAdam (and l have a couple very nice CPR butterknives she nicked as a souvenir). When they moved from London to Fredericton in 1953 they took an ocean liner to Halifax (?), then CPR to Fredericton Junction and were shocked to see what appeared to be London Transport subsurface stock pass through while they were waiting for the shuttle to Fredericton (TTC Gloucester cars)*. My father grew up in a house backing onto a railway in downtown Fredericton, a short walk from Fredericton CPR station. He would apparently take the train to Montreal or Halifax via Fredericton Jct, including the brief 1980's revival with direct service to Halifax.

Literally none of these passenger services exist anymore. It is remarkable how much life used to revolve around the railways in southern NB and now most of the railways don't even exist anymore, let alone have passenger service. The only railway at all is the former CPR line from Montreal to Saint John via McAdam and Fredericton Junction, which is now operated by the Irvings (like seemingly everything else in southern NB).

* The year does match the delivery of the TTC G Stock trains but the sources I found said they were delivered to the port of Montréal in which case they wouldn't have passed through Fredericton Junction. It's possible their steamer actually arrived in Montreal and they saw the trains there, but that would be a pretty big embellishment considering the whole point of the anecdote was how surreal it felt being exhausted from the long trip from London and seeing what appeared to be a London Underground train trundling through the remote wilderness of New Brunswick.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Indeed. My grandfather had a summer job laying track on a CN railway in rural NB, my grandmother worked at the CPR hotel in St. Andrews and briefly at the CPR station in McAdam (and l have a couple very nice CPR butterknives she nicked as a souvenir). When they moved from London to Fredericton in 1953 they took an ocean liner to Halifax (?), then CPR to Fredericton Junction and were shocked to see what appeared to be London Transport subsurface stock pass through while they were waiting for the shuttle to Fredericton (TTC Gloucester cars)

My grandparents lived on the Isle of Wight, and the trains there even today are old London underground cars.

Back in 2004-2007 I would ride my 1969 Triumph down to McAdam just to see the fantastic train station. The wife and kids and I would also often drive down to St. Andrews NB for tea at the Algonquin Hotel you mention above. One year we crossed to Minister’s Island where the head of CN had a fantastic house and property. Just watch the tides as you must drive across the ocean floor to get there and back.

Historic Site | Ministers Island | St. Andrews NB

Ministers Island is an island like no other. Drive across the ocean floor. Visit a National Historic Site of Canada. Hike our nature trails with spectacular ocean views. Attend a Sunday Island concert.

www.ministersisland.net

There’s a photo in the below link of the last VIA train arriving at McAdam in Dec 1994.

Historic McAdam Station Restoration

I recently took a trip to McAdam New Brunswick and had an opportunity for a guided tour to see the progress in the historic station restoration project there. McAdam is located 6 miles from the US Border and was an important junction on Canadian Pacific’s line across Maine to Saint John…..390...

www.amtraktrains.com

 

[lenaitch]

which is now operated by the Irvings

Might as well. If they don't own something, the McCains will.

Back in 2004-2007 I would ride my 1969 Triumph down to McAdam just to see the fantastic train station. The wife and kids and I would also often drive down to St. Andrews NB for tea at the Algonquin Hotel you mention above. One year we crossed to Minister’s Island where the head of CN had a fantastic house and property. Just watch the tides as you must drive across the ocean floor to get there and back.

It is a superb station and a lot of local work ans sweat equity has gone in to preserve and restore it. I, too have ridden through there and I worked with a guy who is from McAdam (there can't be many). Minister's Island was one of VanHorne's getaways, GM of CP.

 

[micheal_can]

You're talking about 'now/going forward' - but didn't answer the question.



Do we condemn politicians of the 1920s or 1950s for lack of foresight, a level of foresight they couldn't have hoped to envision? There was line between Whitby and Port Perry that was abandoned before WWII because it was unprofitable. Curse those damned politicians for not spending pre-war taxpayer money to protect the ROW for some unknown future use.

I am speaking of the lines that have been abandoned in the 1990s and since. We do not need to condemn them so long as we can learn from them. I also talk of the 1990sVia cuts as well. Simple things like an overnight train between Toronto and Montreal would be nice. But instead we will just keep adding lanes hoping traffic doesn't get too bad as we also shrink seat sizes and even have stand up seating on planes trying to cram more people in them to make more profit.

 

[lenaitch]

I am speaking of the lines that have been abandoned in the 1990s and since. We do not need to condemn them so long as we can learn from them. I also talk of the 1990sVia cuts as well. Simple things like an overnight train between Toronto and Montreal would be nice. But instead we will just keep adding lanes hoping traffic doesn't get too bad as we also shrink seat sizes and even have stand up seating on planes trying to cram more people in them to make more profit.

Then say that. Broad, sweeping statements are part of why you lose other participants.

 

[sacred]

Is anybody aware of which trains currently consistently run with venture sets from Toronto to Montreal?

 

[Admiral Beez]

Is anybody aware of which trains currently consistently run with venture sets from Toronto to Montreal?

I was expecting to ride the Venture from Montreal to Toronto last Tuesday. But no, we rode the Venture from Quebec City to Montreal on its way to Ottawa. From Montreal it was a clapped out LRC.

Here's a photo I took last week of our Venture set at the Quebec station. We traveled this train backwards from Quebec to Montreal. I assume from Montreal to Ottawa it went forwards, since the trains must backout of the oneway Montreal station.

TBH, I prefer the refurbished Budd cars over the Ventures.