Cab ride on VIA No 1 "The Canadian", Montreal to Ottawa.

In 1989 I was a Brakeman at VIA Rail Canada. I was returning to CN at the change of card and decided to take a Busman's Holiday before my pass was revoked on returning to CN. This video was made from the cab of No 1 from Montreal Central Station to Ottawa. There was track work going on around Coteau and the train was routed via the freight track, a very unusual move for a passenger train.

[@HavelockYard]

This is railroading. Love it! Thanks for posting

[@digitalshackonthelane]

Smoking in the engineer's Cab.. Yup.. 1989 for sure! I think the no smoking policy and smoke dectors were install around 1991.....Memories are a tad fuzzy...

[@jfmezei]

I took the Canadian in 1983, 1985 and 1989, and know one of thsoe 3 we went through Ottawa Chalk River to Sdbury (the others via Toronto) and always wondered which year it was. Now I know it was 1989 thanks to your video ! The last year Canada had transcontinental service *and your video is one of the last ones since colour of leaves indicate early October and schedule change was at end of october back then.

[@daveyboy_]

When my dad retired from cn in the 90's he told me that they wanted to take his train pass. No way he said . Lol when I took a VIA with my Mom two yrs back she still had his pass - buying the ticket was something out of the ordinary for the ticket takers. My friends dad engineered for VIA got to ride in the cab . One of my great memories

[@burnuts007]

Awesome video! That CN meet looks like Alexandria. Those were the days

[@johnwallington6127]

It was Alexandria.

[@dontown-lb5ke]

I 1st took "The Canadian" from Ottawa-Vancouver in June 1964 from the Old Union Station. A month before in May I took a ride in a brand new coach-lounge straight from Canadian Car Co. There were some extra screws on the window sill beside my seat. It was being taken down to Montreal to be put on "The Super Continental" that afternoon. My very 1st train trip by myself was in a Parlor Car behind steam in 1955 Maxville-Ottawa. Since then I have traveled over 250,000km mostly here in Canada 2 yrs in a row I went Vancouver-Halifax & return & in 2000 even went all the way to Sydney,NS. I also spent a month in May 1987 riding trains all over Australia & in June 1990 I got a 2 wk Brit Rail Pass & rode all over UK 1st class. Yes I'm a "train-a-holic" I lived in Almonte,ON 1957-62. Sadly the rails "The Canadian" used to travel on through there have been ripped up & made into a walking path. Cheers from Vancouver.

[@johncho8766]

Great video! Thanks for sharing it.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

Love the Old CN Turcot Yard the CP RAIL MLWs etc

[@seediddy]

Great video! Do you have any more footage?

[@trainrover]

it's taken decades to spy a train race chez le Canada..! we used to take this summertime from Windsor stn to Sudbury

[@BCAmtrak1]

I have to ask, what was that siren or alert going off as the commuter train scooted past?

[@johnwallington6127]

Could you identify the location in the video by giving me the time in the time-line.

[@NJT6050]

Hello Would you give me permission to use this video for Train Simulator? I made a VIA Rail horn on my YT channel but I would like to do more

[@johnwallington6127]

If I haven't already answered, yes you can use it.

[@MrMASSEYJONES]

The way a video should be shot. No geewiz comments by some railfan foamer; riding the cab, like it's his very first time on a train!

[@johnwallington6127]

Thanks for the comment. I was at the time and am a Railfan. There was no owing and awing as I had hired on by then and cabrides were nothing new, I even got paid for having cabrides!

[@draganasselin8602]

How they know want to stop if i was VIA driver i was passing all stations

[@stephenp448]

It's on the schedule.. :)

[@michlo3393]

Look at that, no dynamic brakes. Back when you had to run without a crutch.

[@jamielacourse7578]

"notch eight, suh......if you please. The sound is most pleasing, what?"