An Old But Ugly Friend

Thursday's VIA Canadian had an old friend on it. Not a pretty friend, but an old friend.

I shot VIA 1 at about mile 9.5 on the CN Rivers subdivision as it was leaving Winnipeg.


The lead unit was VIA 6443, a refurbished unit, but the old ugly stepsister was the second unit, the Loto Québec VIA 6414.


Maybe I'm too harsh, but most railfans think the Loto Québec wrap is the ugliest wrap VIA has ever had.

I first saw VIA 6414 in the Loto Québec scheme in Amherst on the eastbound Ocean on November 3, 2006.


I saw it the next day in Halifax as the second unit on the outbound Ocean.


That was it for a couple of years, until May 26, 2008 at Nepisiguit Junction outside Bathurst, NB where it was leading the westbound Ocean.


Anyway, enough about that brown unit. One unusual car in the consist was VIA 1721, one of the three ex-BC Rail cars that VIA purchased.

As usual you can view the complete consist in my sightings database.