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Caption: What Goes Up Must Come Down. With the prior day's run of the first Amtrak Maple Leaf (Train 63/VIA Rail Canada Train 98) returning to Toronto, Ontario for the first time since 2020, Amtrak 64/VIA Train 97 on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 was the first eastbound run. Amtrak 108 (P42DC, 50th Anniversary, Phase VI) was selected to lead the first full run to Toronto, which had been truncated between New York’s Penn Station and Niagara Falls, New York due to pandemic related service cuts. The train is seen passing through the Grimsby, Ontario VIA Station, a clear indication that it is not in the United States.
More on the Maple Leaf return:
https://media.amtrak.com/2022/06/amtrak-maple-leaf-travelers-can-now-buy-tickets-to-and-from-toronto-with-service-set-to-resume/
More on Amtrak's Commemorative 50th Anniversary Locomotives:
https://media.amtrak.com/2021/03/amtrak-releasing-six-50th-anniversary-commemorative-painted-locomotives/
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Awesome to meet you today and have dinner with the great DJP! What a wild random meeting of folks in Niagara Falls
Very nice Marc, interesting that the NY State bound Maple Leaf is on the north track, 2nd track from the Grimsby VIA “stationette”. Did no. 97 stop to pick up passengers, or was it just rolling through after slowing down. If it didn’t have to make a stop, might explain why it wasn’t on the south track beside the station platform. Thanks for posting, John
@railwayguy. If a passenger train has a scheduled stop at a station in the timetable then that train has to stop whether or not there are passengers at the station. The train also cannot leave until the time posted in the timetable. The only time a train can do a slowdown by a station (not sure if they even exist anymore) was if it was a “Flagstop” ..ie, if there was not a scheduled stop bit someone was waiting to entrain. When I was a cond Wyoming had flag stops shown in the timetable.
As for it being on the north track, the rtc can stop trains on a track not next to the station platform as long as there is a platform ( wooden or asphalt) for passengers to detrain. You will find these platforms at stations like Pt.Hope, Cobourg etc. Rule 107 will apply.
Rule 107 – Restrictions At Passenger Train Stops
(a) Unless otherwise directed by special instructions, a train or engine must move with extreme care when moving along side a train carrying passengers which is discharging or receiving traffic. They must not pass between such train and the station or platform, unless the movement is properly protected.
(b) When practicable, the RTC must advice other trains affected (and engines affected in CTC) when a train carrying passengers is to make an unscheduled stop for the purpose of discharging or receiving traffic.
(c) Unless advice is received in writing that other trains (and engines affected in CTC) are advised of the stop, the crew of the train making the unscheduled stop must protect their traffic from other movements.
I don’t know about all this rules stuff, the train web through slowly. On the way to Toronto it was on the other track, also slowly. There is no updated Amtrak timetable and I have not seen one for VIA, so I cannot say if this is a flag stop or not.
@River Rule Photo. If the train went through slowly on both tracks, it could mean a Rule43 (slow order) on both tracks. I can’t check the official timetable at the moment because the train is new and the timetable won’t be updated for awhile. When I was operating my freight trains on the Grimbsy Sub, this station was a regular scheduled stop in both directions
Thanks ngineered4u for rule information and Marc for your reply. VIA and Amtrak tt’s not available as yet on-line, but can buy tickets on-line from both, with both showing same departure/arrival times as follows:
Train #97. Train #98
Toronto lv. 8:20am. Arr 8:18pm
Grimsby. 9:37am. 7:02pm
St Catharines. 9:57am. 6:43pm
Niagara Falls. 10:20am. 6:20pm **
NF NY. 12:17pm * 4:53pm
* after clearing US Immigration & Customs
** after clearing CBSA inspection-need to detrain with all luggage. No indication whether Grimsby is a flag stop or not. On my next visit to Grimsby, will check out if a 2nd platform for north track.
@railwayguy. You are most welcome. I did a Google earth search on that location and it does show a wooden platform built away from the platform that would enable the train to pick up passengers from this track.
Awesome!
Grimsby is not exactly a flag stop, they will stop if someone buys a ticket in advance or if a passenger needs to be detrained.
I used to use this station in university as well spent time here in early 00′s and it is used but not much. Back then they would flag stop however if someone was on the platform.
Most via trains do not do this anymore due to technology.
Stephen, interesting comment. With todays’s technology, anyone boarding at Grimsby (or any other scheduled VIA stop) can purchase a ticket on-line, no one required to be at the station to sell you a ticket. So as soon as you purchase a ticket to/from Grimsby, VIA knows that they need to stop. My question is what if you do not have computer/cell phone, can you still pay a cash fare on board ? And if you just show up at Grimsby station and wave, will the train stop to pick you up ? Ah, ha, a summer experiment ! Best place to try it is Grimsby, because if VIA doesn’t stop, the Canada Coach back up stops on the other side of the street.
According to the VIA site, which by the way, still doesn’t have the information for 97/98 added to it, it is listed as a “Bus stop type” station (their words).
So it would appear to me, and based on Marc’s observations of them going really slow, they are able to stop for passengers if there are any on the platform and it still operates as a traditional ‘flag stop’ !
Marc – the building behind your VIA sign is the original 1855 Great Western Railway station BTW. It was set back and used for railway purposes when the newer 1902 station was built (which later burned and is gone).
The 1855 building is now privately owned.
More info from Arnold Mooney:
http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=28984
Riding VIA 84 just before the pandemic, Malton was treated similar to Grimsby with the train slowing to about 15mph. The conductor opened the dutch door asking if anyone was for VIA as they passed.
I will go right to the source and ask my fellow locomotive engineers that are working these trains if Grimbsy is a stop, flag stop or a slow roll stop
Stay tuned