The rumours started back around 2001 when a senior VIA Rail manager attended a public meeting in Guelph Ontario. The meeting was to protest the elimination of the new Flexliner train. It was extremely rare for VIA Rail to even agree to show up at a public meeting. The senior manager mentioned his dream that Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) would run up and down this line like they used to.
The senior manager disappeared back into the VIA Rail dark hole and his dream of RDCs running from London, Stratford, Kitchener, Guelph into Toronto went with him. Periodically over the last eight years various passenger rail fantatics, and VIA Rail insiders say it is going to happen. Just maybe this time it will happen.
What is a RDC? The Budd Company in Philadelphia, PA designed and built RDCs starting in 1949. This light-weight, air-conditioned, stainless-steel, twin engined (280 h.p) car. The four standard models available were: RDC-1 - 90 passengers, 2 toilets, RDC-2 - 71 passengers,1 toilet, 17ft. baggage section, RDC-3 - 49 passengers, 1 toilet,15ft. mail section, 17ft. baggage section, RDC-4 - 30ft. mail section and a 31ft. baggage section. They were built to an 85 ft. coupled length.
Operating costs (compared to conventional trains) are reduced due to inherent design features and use of a two man crew for single car operation.
The RDCs began service in 1953 in Canada and were built in Montreal starting in 1957. They used to run on the Canadian National North Main Line from 1953 til the federal government cuts in 1990. As well RDCs ran on the Canadian Pacific rail line from the 1950s til the 1970s through what is now Cambridge. The CP RDCs were called “Dayliners”. I have loaded a short video clip showing the Dayliner RDCs passing by the Galt CPR Station in 1956 to give you and example of what they look like. This is a three car consist, but they could run individually or linked to up to 10 other RDCs.
A Moncton NB rail firm Industrial Rail Services Inc. , which currently does work for VIA Rail, owns a larg number of RDCs and the above picture is an example of an RDC they have completely refurbished after stripping it down to the stainless steel shell. Passenger rail fans say a contract is pending with Industrial Rail to refurbish the RDCS for the NML and the Niagara Falls VIA service.
Why has it taken so long for the RDCs to return? There are the usual excuses. VIA Rail is running on tracks owned by a freight rail operator whose main business is not to promote the pasenger rail service on the line. In this case Goderich-Exeter Railway is a short line that leases tracks from CN. It is unclear why after two years, no agreement as been reached between the two parties. The federal government has made available for improvements along the line.
VIA Rails adds to the problem with no clear vision for passenger rail plan for the future. VIA keeps their plans secretive for reasons unknown. (Compare this to Amtrak in the USA, where Amtraks plans for the future and expansion are publicized and aggressively promoted).
Another excuse given for the delays is that Canadian National has found that the RDCs do not trip the signal switches along the line. This is interesting point since they ran in Ontario for decades and also still run on remote Northern Ontario lines flawlessly.
Will the RDCs be popular if they run on the line? Frequent passenger rail service to and from London into Toronto on the NML will be hughly successful if VIA Rail can solve two fundamental problems they have. 1. The cost to take a VIA Rail train is prohibitive to the average Canadian. and 2. VIA Rail historically does not know how to promote increases in rail service. They typically have an opening day ceremony and then leave it up luck for the public to find out about the new service.
The ultimate solution for the problem is for the government to buy the NML line like GO Transit did on the Toronto-Barrie rail line recently. Consider this fact. If VIA Rail and Go Transit follow through with suggested schedule improvments for the NML there will be a total of approximately 20 passenger trains going to and from Kitchener to Toronto and only 8 freight trains. The primary user, the passenger trains should own the line.
I am hopeful the problems will be solved and I will be among the first on board the RDC at the station.
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