Caption: Less than a year after the VIA takeover and being rerouted from CP's MacTier Subdivision to CN's Newmarket Sub, VIA #1 "The Canadian" throttles up as it hammers the diamond at CN Snider on its way north out of Toronto, passing through Concord (Vaughan) at the northern edge of the city.

Leading is VIA FP7 1416, a recently repainted ex-CP unit (also equipped with new nose MU connections around the same time, something CP units never had). Assisting is CP GP9 8517, one of the steam-generator equipped dual-service GP9's that CP kept as passenger protection power. It was uncommon to see GP9's run through this far east of Winnipeg during the CP Canadian era, but it became more commonplace by the time VIA came on the scene as CP had recently retired a lot of its steam generator equipped MLW fleet (all of the 4090-series FPA2's and a bunch of of the SG-equipped RS10's were retired, many of which had held down a lot of the Toronto-Sudbury Canadian runs. And the 4070-4075 FP7 group eluded sale to VIA, were kept and sent out east for Montreal commuter service). On the flip side, it also became more common to see the remaining CP RS10's straying out west on VIA's Canadian.

Passenger equipment in the trailing consist now includes a VIA-painted ex-CN steam generator car, and some VIA (ex-CN) passenger equipment mixed in with the stainless steel Budd cars that still bear their action red paint and CP Rail lettering.

David M. More photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection print.