CN Turbotrain Part 3 1970 Film

This is it. The 1970 24 minute film on the CN/UA Turbotrain. It is in 3 parts and it is taken from a digital master. The Turbo was Canada's first and only high speed train and this film is fantastic. Enjoy watching this great piece of Canadian passenger rail history. For more information go to: highspeedrail.ca

[@rockybudgeboa]

I used to love riding in this train. It was amazing

[@yanbras]

Wow... How many times did I have to make up my choice between flying the joyful orange First class cabin aboard Air Canada's Super DC 9 to Toronto or Ottawa or ride the very sophisticated black leather seats bathing in an mustard corduroy style carpeting TurboClub Car!!!! I never had a more pleasant train ride in Canada since the sad withdrawal of CN / VIA Rail Turbo Trains. Thanks for posting this precious yet most appreciated archive document.

[@boweandrew3]

this film is a classic I am glad it is still up where did highspeed rail canada get this film this is the untold story of Turbotrain this is awsome simply a classic movie

[@Intransitman]

I was born in 1979. To this day, I can still remember being on my fathers shoulders and seeing the Turbo in Via Rail paint at Dorval, it was being towed by a CN locomotive.

[@RogerDiotte]

This is what my life in Canada was and always will be...I still grip this analogy of what I grew up with passion...My heritage and family values keeps me strong! Glad I watched this today...I'll always remember the dream!

[@jslasher1]

I don't recall the Turbo Club hostess on the inaugural trip ex Toronto. We were served by Pierre, who had been employed by CN for over a decade.

[@henryrapoport8608]

They had one of these trains in the us on the northeast corridor. In the 70s when amtrak started and still uaed GG1s.

[@pipey61]

OMG! Don Draper from "Mad Men" @ 4:29!

[@canuckrcp]

Thank you so much for this upload!!! I have been searching for a long time for the marketing material I knew had to have been produced for this service. It was absolutely wonderful to watch. Its a great shame that the equipment didn't work out, and that the service was soon withdrawn. This would have been the early momentum to have ensured that we would have continued to have competent and competitive rail service in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, and elsewhere. A true case of "if only..." And the concept of "Turbo Class" service was wonderful. You would be hard pressed to be that well taken care of on an Air Canada flight between Montreal and Toronto!! Haha!! Thanks again for the upload. Greatly appreciated and greatly enjoyed.

[@Highspeedrailcanada1]

thanks it took me 5years to get this footage. Check out the rest of the High Speed Rail Canada Turbo Train videos. It is the largest in the world!

[@tjmfishing]

Like the Avro Arrow, the Turbo Train was truely a great Canadian invention that was years ahead of it's time.

[@NorthHollywood]

And died quickly.

[@bluecomet390]

Ah, the 70's - TurboClub service, exciting hostesses, boutique fashions, and the hairdo's! Check out the food! You can't get this on Eurostar. And "the sophistication and excitement of the city"? Too cool, man. Where are these trains now? In a museum I hope.

[@rexremedy1733]

bluecomet390 at least you can buy them as model railroad sets now.

[@oldclip70]

Pierre Trudeau's Canada: Never mind the FLQ Crisis of the same year, 1970. How avant-garde can you get?? Fashion Designer for the employees?? Boutique flare?? Day and Evening wardrobe?? Interior decor?? This must be Canada's version of Soul Train, "The hippest trip in Canada". I'm from California and this have San Francisco beat.

[@briansokoloski776]

I have seen CN Turbo Train set parked on the siding outside Union Station in Downtown Toronto in the 1970s while riding with the father along Lakeshore Blvd

[@howardchey892]

#BringBackTheTurboTrains

[@pcressma]

I think that the video hit on a key point that we are missing....Turbo wasn't the final solution...it was a step in the right direction - I think that the next step was the LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) fleet that went ahead with active tilt technology and took a step back by going back to a diesel prime mover.

[@Neville60001]

The next step was standard steel rail Shinkansen bullet trains, _not_ that shitty LRC thing.

[@luvmusic592]

The Turbo has never derailed in Canada

[@aaronfilion1384]

It caught on fire once.

[@andybowe]

what a groovy film great job I think this should be shown to the Midwest highspeed rail assocation in Chicago IL maybe The US and Canada could work on highspeed rail together

[@nicolelatour7829]

Wow... si ce train pouvait devenir fonctionnel au Canada... Je viens d'effectuer un voyage en Europe où les trains font toute la différence pour éviter les circulations dysfonctionnelles dans plusieurs villes ou campagnes. Que ce soit en France, en Suisse ou en Angleterre, ces réseaux sont super efficaces.

[@Highspeedrailcanada1]

C'est vrai!

[@shmoker2010]

The ginger designer and his seamstress both have the same hair!

[@sheltv100]

This was the time when Canada was ahead, competing with Japan building high speed trains. Now Japan has moved so far ahead that this spring they will launch a new high speed train on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line. As for the Toronto-Montreal service corridor, I don't see the Turbu train running from both cities for the 5 PM express service. Canada has fallen way behind. I want to know what happend to the CN/VIA rail Turbo train?

[@Neville60001]

VIA can always buy this train; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JetTrain

[@eottoe2001]

They came to Cincinnati when I was a kid. Thousands of people showed up to look at the Turbo Train. There was that much interest. If we hadn't been bogged down in one of our many wars, high speed rail would have been possible then. Republicans were more progressive then including Nixon. Watching this I can see why this didn't work. It was too much like airplane travel even down to the food. I took the Amtrak Zephyr from Chicago to SF about ten years later, that was some kind of travel. Food was great. Much better than a plane though a slow ride.

[@frankdenardo8684]

At least you got to see the United States of America on the ground.

[@KP-oe8sk]

I grew up in Brockville ontario and I seen the Turbo for about 2yrs.1970-72.I know that 3 turbo trains caught fire and one was brought to the Brockville yard and I think there was a problem with those sway bars that levelled the train on a curve?.The train was a flop from the start.

[@Frankfurtdabezzzt]

Great film, great train. so retro hahaha

[@aeyb701]

NotIce the “war is over” poster downtown Toronto, ca 1970 where John and Yoko first displayed it.

[@robertblackman1070]

That sign was on Yorkville Ave. / the Village . Your comment of its being first displayed here is very interesting. Can you say how you know this ?

[@caltrain910]

Does the Turboclub service have an airline-style seating?

[@Kane615]

So does anyone know where the original prints for this film are located? The CN or Exporail archives?

[@KODATHEDOG]

6:18 taking the Turbo to see a Russ Meyer flick - that's a night on the town!

[@juliapeter]

exactly!

[@OwenConcorde]

The TurboTrain was a American/Canadian version of the British Rail Class 43 HST. Sadly the Turbo failed but the idea was the same. The idea is to create high speed rail without the use of electrification.

[@bobjohnson205]

If CN had paid as much attention to the design and operation of this train as they did to the hostess's wardrobes then it might have had a chance of success.

[@robertgray7010]

More than once

[@jocolope]

StratCatGenius, Powers(Mike Myers)is another canuck. This guy @1:21 is more like Martin Short from the Father of the Bride's movies

[@choirboyfromhell1]

I think they were semi-permamently coupled. I like the microwaves....Amtrak is still using these types....

[@herautdeDieu]

Was the turbo train an entirely Canadian project and realization ?

[@bagelboi66]

Most excellent video series! I love those train sets I always wanted to ride in one but I grew up on Vancouver Island, a long way from the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. By the time I was old enough to get to Toronto myself, they'd stopped running. it is hard not to notice the stereotypes of the times. All the porters were people of colour, and all the attendants were pretty young females, in designer frocks no less. Racial and woman's equality had a long way to come

[@boweandrew3]

@bluecomet390 unfourunitly they have all been scrapped I think

[@Trackagerights]

Shame to hear, (not surpriseing) I think the PC scheme was the best of the lot. I think somewhere I saw a picture of a PC Turbo in 4 car.

[@trainsforever8]

They must rebuild this train and make it electric!~

[@RonMcMahonVideo]

Well, that is most unfortunate. It would appear that S. Dean Peterson, credited as the producer of this film has died. Here's his obit. www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestar/obituary.aspx?pid=170412419 It would seem that the opportunity to interview and discuss this great mid-20th Century technology with those involved with it is quickly passing.

[@steveevans4093]

Ah . . . the 70s

[@theromulanwarhawk]

What happened to the locomotives and the cars?

[@PaulLangan]

scrapped

[@frankdenardo8684]

@@PaulLangan bummer

[@gregorykayne6054]

Is there a version of this film in French?

[@Highspeedrailcanada1]

Not that I am aware of. We could only find this version. But it makes sense there was a french one.

[@Nortekman]

That guy looks like Clay Aiken

[@vestaxwax]

@4:25 don draper makes a cameo.

[@pipey61]

@garlizzo Wrong! Check out the waiter at 5:35!

[@Trackagerights]

I heard from somene that they actually fixed that "little" problem, but it was too late to change media's minds? Yes No?

[@TrainmasterCurt]

That corridor will go high-speed electric yet

[@bobjohnson205]

Still waiting...

[@kovenilluminati]

OMG Gwyneth Palthrow al 4:31

[@Neville60001]

No, that wasn't her.

[@ACLTony]

Wow, sorry about the UK. It did shock me when I learned that many good citizens in England have actually been jailed for defending themselves against criminals with weapons. Crazy. But regarding this subject, yes I agree that the turbo was a beauty with good potential.

[@choirboyfromhell1]

And all we got was Penn-Central and a lousy three car train bouncing between New Haven and Boston. Like those stewardess uniforms though....

[@ccaammiinniiito2]

Why wasn't this project a success? Like a kid with a brand new toy, I took the TurboTrain as often as I could between Providence, R.I., and Boston. A completely new sensation from that I had experienced on board the El Capitan/SuperChief, especially the banking, which reminded me of my travels aboard a 747. I was most disappointed that it was not a success this side of the border. Even more disappointed that it wasn't a success on the other side, either. When will those poor industrialists come to their senses? lol!!!

[@wilfstor3078]

It was a success but fuel prices were too high. The reason why us canadians had turbos longer was because via could deal with the fuel prices due to the ammount of people riding. It was maintenance and lack of parts that killed the canadian turbos. Amtraks turbos generally only had 3 to 5 cars making them too expensive.

[@briansokoloski776]

If Turbo Train did not work so good in winter conditions could have been put in service in warmer climate somewhere rather than scrapped and what was the cost of Turbo train

[@frankdenardo8684]

Should have been put in a museum.

[@aeyb701]

Travelled mtl to tor summer of 70 (69?) when I was 6 or 7, also the first time I had a coffee crisp bar. Travelled again the next winter, when it broke down near Belleville or brockville. Had to wait for a tow by a freight engine from the nearest division point. Blankets, hot chocolate. Nowadays they send a bus. I’d sooner stay on the broken down train. Anything to do with trains I remember best.

[@Highspeedrailcanada1]

Thanks for sharing your memories

[@drampadreg1386]

It's a shame they tried to run this train on tracks built for steam engines, it derailed several times before it was scrapped. I used to be on a yard gang for CN and this thing came out of nowhere because it was much quieter than other trains. Even today the tracks are terrible along the Montreal-Toronto corridor, we used to hand tamp the tracks and we found up to 10" of nothing under the ties from frequent train travel. Instead of scrapping our first and last high speed train they should have invested in concrete with rubber aggregate for the ties to sit in, then the Turbo could have done the Toronto to Montreal in 2 hours safely. Now I don't take the train much because of my back and the constant side to side motion from the wheels moving up and down as they pass over the ties. But we scrapped the Avram Arrow too, some very poor decision making in Canada. Now we have Tar Sands to deal with, and that is simply insane. Sometimes I think they use more fuel to extract that nasty tar from the sand then they produce. Oh Canada, WTF ya doin'?

[@concorde2003]

Airline food on a train...the worst of both worlds.

[@briansokoloski776]

dtoeppen TV dinners in a plastic tray instead of a tinfoil tray

[@ccolimon]

These trains ran in the US near my house. On one trip, some idiot dropped a big rock off a bridge onto the turbo. It smashed through the windshield of the rear power unit, killing a passenger. Regrettable.

[@Nate-zy1qr]

Did you see it?

[@uncinarynin]

All this effort for such short service. It's not really high speed rail, the infrastructure was never up to it even by 1960s standards (when the Japanese Shinkansen was the first and for a number of years only high speed train of the world). Some of these films claim that the Turbos were economic to operate - really? I thought they were costly and highly complex, which led to their retirement.

[@Jemalacane0]

+unci narynin What's intricate in an engine with one moving part? These could go up to 170 miles per hour whereas T.G.V. operates on average at 186 miles per hour.

[@uncinarynin]

+Jemalacane0 It seems like some components of this train were overly complex. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAC_TurboTrain quotes Allen, Geoffrey Freeman (1992): "The Worlds' Fastest Trains: From the Age of Steam to the TGV": "The single-axle bogies on the Turbotrain were very mechanically complex and the suspension arms were "telescopic arms which were in essence ball-bearing screw actuators; the suspension of the inside-bearing powered bogies was "especially complex" and attached to the turbines via "an intricate web of mechanical couplings and shafts"."

[@rexremedy1733]

unci narynin here is the deal: If a technology is new, mistakes are being made. That’s why it should be expected that there will be some faults. Then it should be improved and not be discarded. The first steam engines didn’t work properly either. But engineers pulled through and improved the technology. Where is this idea coming from that when something is difficult and not as expected to just stop at that point? That’s not how the technology we use today was developed. It was all difficult, faulty, unreliable at some point. But we pulled it through. Never give up. Make a good concept, make it work. It’s simple really. Never stop. Never give up. Make something the best you can and build up upon that basis. And never listen to cynical nay sayers who have no clue because they have no vision.

[@rexremedy1733]

unci narynin great they analysed that and knew where the problem was coming from. Why was it not improved then?

[@GreyGhostRecordings]

“Turbo is considered a first step, not a final solution.” Haha the final solution was to cut back routes, make the service in the west unusable, and use technology from the 1950’s instead. Good work, Canada.